Country Life

CIRCLE TOUR OF ICELAND WITH WHALE WATCHING

This circle tour Country Life gives you the opportunity to travel through the ever-changing scenery of the Icelandic countryside, through mountains and valleys, viewing volcanoes, glaciers, rivers, hot springs and waterfalls. This is an ideal tour for those who want to experience the very best of Iceland in one week. We visit 4 National Parks: Snæfellsnes peninsula, Skaftafell, Thingvellir and Jökulsárgljúfur. We will have the possibility to do some walking in the beautiful countryside during the tour. Accommodation is provided in hotels with private facilities. The hotels used on tours are often “summer hotels,” used most of the year as boarding schools or country hotels which are simple and clean. On some departures this tour may be operated in reverse.

DAY 1: ARRIVAL

Flight from selected airport to Keflavik/Iceland. Transfer from Keflavik International airport with shuttle transfer to your accommodation in Reykjavik .

DAY 2: Snaefellsnes Peninsula

We drive to the town of Borgarnes and on to the Snaefellsnes peninsula with its national park and the dominating glacier. We visit small fishing towns, drive through lava fields and enjoy the coastal scenery on our way to the town of Stykkisholmur. Our first overnight is in the Borgarfjörður area.

DAY 3: BORGARFJORD-THINGEYJARSYSLA

We visit the beautiful waterfalls of Hraunfossar, where water comes running from under the lava and into the river Hvita, and Deildartunguhver, one of the most voluminous hot springs in Europe and through the fertile farmlands of Skagafjord and Eyjafjord with its beautiful town of Akureyri, the capital of the north. We also visit Goðafoss, the waterfall of the Gods, before reaching our accommodation in Thingeyjarsysla where we stay for the next two nights.

DAY 4: HUSAVIK - WHALEWATCHING - LAKE MYVATN

The day begins with a 3 hour whale watching cruise from the coastal town of Húsavík, weather permitting. We drive to Lake Mývatn which is considered one of the most fertile areas in the world so close to the Arctic Circle. This unique area features strange lava formations, attractive bays, pseudo craters and thousands of birds. We stroll through the lava field of Dimmuborgir and take a bath at Mývatns Nature Baths, before returning to our accommodation.

DAY 5: THINGEYJARSYSLA - FLJOTSDALSHERAD

Today we start the day visiting the volcanic activity at Krafla and the Geothermal area of Námaskarð. We visit Dettifoss waterfall before heading through the uninhabited highlands to the eastern part of the country. Overnight is in the neighbourhood of Egilsstadir.

DAY 6: EGILSSTADIR - VATNAJÖKULL

Vatnajökull, Europe´s biggest glacier dominates the landscape with its glacial tongues calving into a glacial lagoon. We take a boat trip on the lagoon among the icebergs. Our overnight is in the Vatnajökull area.

DAY 7: SOUTH COAST AND SKAFTAFELL NATIONAL PARK

We visit the National Park nestling below Iceland´s highest mountain, the 2110 meter Hvannadalshnjukur. Then through the sandy desert of the south coast, overlooked by mountainous cliffs, glaciers and waterfalls. Overnight in Rangarvallasysla.

DAY 8: GULLFOSS - GEYSIR - THINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK

We start the day with an introduction to the Icelandic horse and then we drive on to Gullfoss which is known in Iceland as the “Golden Falls” and nearby is the fascinating geothermal area of Geysir. The most active geyser is Strokkur “the churn” which can spout up to seventy feet every five to seven minutes. From there we travel to the ancient Viking Parliament area of Thingvellir National Park before returning to Reykjavik.

DAY 9: DEPARTURE

Shuttle transfer from your hotel to the airport. Check in for your flight back to UK.

Dates + Prices

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