Iceland cultural and wilderness small group tour

We will enjoy a welcome dinner in Reykjavík, followed by a briefing by local guide.

A morning lecture on contemporary Iceland is followed by a field trip to explore the icons of the city. We stop at Perlan (The Pearl), where we enjoy an excellent panoramic view of the whole city. We also visit the National Museum of Iceland, which will give us insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from its settlement to the present day. In the afternoon we head to the Blue Lagoon to experience the naturally warm baths famous in Iceland. The lagoon is rich in silica and said to be good for the skin. We return to Reykjavik, Iceland’s historic and charming capital, and the rest of the evening is at leisure.

Reykjavik is a place full of surprises and contradictions. It is a capital city but not much bigger than a small town, a city remote from the world but, with modern technology, right at its heart. In fact it is known as one of the party capitals of the world where there is a sense of things happening! The city combines colourful buildings with quirky people and a capricious soul. In winter the city is scoured by blizzards and doused in never-ending night, but in summer the streets are washed with 22 hours of daylight. Reykjavik is a city that treasures its Viking past but lives for the present and the future. We explore the stark white Hallgrims Church, the old Parliament, the bright modern city hall and visit the impressive Museum of Iceland which traces the history of the country with fascinating displays.

We leave Reykjavik and head to Thingvellir National Park, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is the former site of the world’s oldest parliament and is an excellent location to learn about the movement of the earth’s continental plates and to see how that movement affects Iceland today. From the National Park, we drive to the Borgarfjordur region, visiting the Hraunfossar waterfalls where the water seems to emerge from beneath a 1000 year old lava field. We pause at the Deildartunguhver hot springs, from which the local farms and villages obtain their hot water and heat their houses. We visit Reykholt, the homestead of the famous Saga writer, Snorri Sturluson, where we have a lecture on Snorri Sturluson, the Middle Ages & the Struggle for Independence. We stay 2 nights in the Borganfjordur Region.

Today’s full day field trip takes us to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, which is dominated by the Snaefellsjokull glacier, where according to Jules Verne‘s book “the entrance to the centre of the earth” can be found. We meet farmer Hildibrandur at Bjarnarhofn farm and visit his tiny wooden church and get a taste of his special Icelandic delicacy, shark meat. We also pass through small fishing villages as we circumvent the peninsula and pause in the bay at Djupalonssandur to view the unique Londrangar cliffs and the picturesque village of Arnarstapi. This evening there is a display of local folk music and dancing at our hotel.

This morning we travel to the village of Stykkisholmur for a short bird watching cruise among the picturesque Breidafjordur islands, before continuing our journey north and embarking on the afternoon ferry to Brjanslaekur on the southern part of the Westfjords. We stay overnight at the tiny village of Flokalundur.

This morning we drive to Latrabjarg, the most westerly point of Europe, where we view the the longest cliff in Europe, and catch a glimpse of some of the millions of seabirds which it hosts. From Latrabjarg we continue to Isafjordur town, the capital of the Westfjords, an area of majestic mountains and deep blue fjords. Our journey takes us over Dynjandisheidi mountain pass with a stop at the Dynjandi waterfall in Arnarfjordur, the largest waterfall of the Westfjords. We than travel to the village of Flateyri on the fjord of Onundarfjordur, and just before arriving in Isafjordur (population of just 4000) we pass the Westfjords tunnel. We overnight in dramatic and historic Isafjordur.

This morning we visit the cultural museum to learn about the interesting history of Isafjordur and the life of its inhabitants. From Isafjordur we drive along the impressive fjord of Isafjardardjup which is in turn intersected by numerous smaller fjords and pass over the mountain road of Steingrimsfjardarheidi from where there is a stunning view of the surrounding mountains and fjords. Our journey continues past the fishing village of Holmavik and then via Steingrimsfjordur fjord to our overnight in the Hrutafjordur area.

From Hrutafjordur we drive to the Vatnsnes Peninsula which is home to one of the largest seal colonies in Iceland. Our first stop is at Illugastadir where seals can be spotted from the coast. We then continue to Hvitserkur, a huge sea-eroded cliff rising 15 metres from the ocean, and then to the Skagafjordur region, renowned for horse breeding. We visit the fascinating farmhouse museum at Glaumbaer before continuing over the Oxnadalsheidi mountain pass into Akureyri, the bustling second largest city in Iceland. There is a short guided visit to Akureyri before arriving at our hotel in Eyjafjordur region for an overnight stay and a lecture on the geology of Iceland.

Today we continue our journey towards Lake Myvatn. En route we visit Godafoss, the “Waterfall of the Gods” and we spend the remainder of the day exploring Lake Myvatn. Here we experience some of the area’s impressive geological phenomena including pseudo craters at Skutustadir, lava sculptures at Dimmuborgir (Dark Castles), and bubbling mud pools at Namaskard. We also pause at the explosive crater Viti (Hell) from the late 18th century and (volcanic activity permitting!) walk in the Leirhnjukur volcanic area and its lava field (where eruptions took place between 1975 and 1984). The lake area is also of worldwide renown for its rich bird life, especially the many species of duck breeding by the lake. We visit Sigurgeir’s bird museum, the largest private bird collection in Iceland, before checking in at our hotel in the Lake Myvatn area for a 2 night stay.

We will take a full day’s field trip today as we drive to the fishing village of Husavik from where we take a boat to try and spot some of the many whales which pass the Icelandic shores. The afternoon is spent in the Jokulsargljufur National Park where we visit Asbyrgi, the horseshoe-shaped canyon, which according to legend was formed by the hoof of Odin‘s horse Sleipnir. We also pause at Hljodaklettar to experience the strange acoustics of the rock.

Today we cross the highland desert of Modrudalsoraefi to Egilsstadir. En route we take a detour to discover the powerful Dettifoss waterfall and once we arrive in Egilsstadir, the largest town of Eastern Iceland, we explore scenic Lake Logurinn. The lake is Iceland’s third largest lake, beautifully scenic but, according to the Sagas, home to a legendary monster. We also drive through the largest forest of Iceland, Hallormsstadaskogur, and view the picturesque waterfall of Hengifoss, Iceland‘s second highest, before staying overnight in Egilsstadir.

Our journey traverses Eastern Iceland where we pass through typical fishing villages and where we visit the mind-boggling Rock & Mineral Collection of Petra Sveinsdottir in Stodvarfjordur. As we descend to Hofn on Hornafjordur we catch a magnificent view of the largest glacier in Iceland, Vatnajokull. We spend the night in a country hotel beneath the glacier and explore the Vatnajokull glacier, the biggest ice cap in Europe, by special jeep.

Our first stop today is at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon where we take a short boat ride among icebergs in the lagoon before continuing to the Skaftafell National Park where we spend some time walking among the glaciers. We then drive over the sands to Kirkjubaejarklaustur area for our overnight stay.

From Kirkjubaejarklaustur we head west over the black sands of Myrdalssandur to the tiny green village of Vik. We pause to view the cliffs at Dyrholaey, which is a paradise for bird watchers but closed to visitors during the nesting season from early May to late June, and explore the area close to the volcano Eyjafjallajokull, visiting the fascinating folk museum and the dramatic Skogafoss waterfall at Skogar river. Here we will spend the night.

Today we meet local farmers at Asolfsskali and hear about what effects the eruption in March/April 2010 had on their farm life before heading to the Icelandic highlands.

Today’s field trip takes us to the interior and to Landmannalaugar with its many colored rhyolite mountains and obsidian lava field. Throughout the summer, it is one of the most popular places for hiking – either over one day or several – and for natural hot spring bathing. We’ll enjoy one of the short/moderate hikes, taking approximately 2h in total.

We’ll also visit Lava Centre, an interactive educational exhibition revealing the science and aesthetics of Iceland‘s spectacular geological features.

We commence our journey today with a visit to a horse and tomato farm at Fridheimar. Here we learn about farming in this inhospitable terrain as we enjoy a short show by Icelandic horses and learn how fruit and vegetables are grown in Iceland’s short growing season, peeking into their greenhouses and tasting the delicious tomatoes cultivated with geothermal energy the whole year round. After our farm visit we continue to Gullfoss, “The Golden Waterfall,” a hugely powerful and beautiful waterfall that plunges in 2 stages into a drift valley and also experience Iceland’s famous geothermal area where we see the active Strokkur Geyser bursting forth every few minutes in a cloud of steam. We learn how Icelanders capture this geothermal power at the Hellisheidi power plant before return to Reykjavik for our farewell dinner and last overnight in Iceland.

Our tour ends in Reykjavík.