Highlights
- Golden Circle
- Þingvellir National Park
- Gullfoss waterfall
- Geysir geothermal area
- South Coast
- Seljalandsfoss waterfall
- Skógafoss waterfall
- Reynisfjara black sand beach
- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
- Skaftafell Nature Reserve
- Diamond Beach
- Vatnajökull Glacier
- Vatnajökull National Park
Activities
About Tour
Come with us on this beautiful 3-day excursion of the Golden Circle and the South Coast and get a good amount of one-on-one time with mighty glaciers, glacial lagoons, lakes, waterfalls, geysers, ice caves, national parks, and if the weather allows, even the northern lights. Needless to say, this tour will cover almost all top tourist locations of Iceland meaning, more stops in a lesser amount of time leaving a few extra days to visit as many places as one can on a vacation. So, wait no more and hop on to our comfy minibus with 3-days-worth luggage and start this glorious tour of the jewels of the land of ice and fire.
Included
- Pick-up & Drop-off in Reykjavik or the capital area (see pick up options when booking).
- 2 night accommodation in the countryside in a 3 star hotel with private bathroom
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Professional English Speaking Tour Guide
- Guided sightseeing to the best locations on the South Coast.
- Glacier Hike in Skaftafell.
- Ice Cave tour
- Glacier equipment; helmet, harness, crampons, and ice axe.
- All safety equipment.
- Wi-Fi and Icelandic music on board the minibus.
- Small group experience.
What to bring
- Warm & waterproof outdoor clothing
- Warm clothes
- Hiking shoes
- Water bottle
- Gloves & Headwear
- Warm socks
- Camera (optional)
Not Included
- Lunch & Dinner – we will stop at restaurants
Good to know
- Order or availability of attractions may change due to road or weather conditions.
- The luggage limit for this tour is one suitcase of 24 inches per person. If you have any extra luggage, you can store it in our office for 1,000 ISK. You can add it to your booking in the booking engine.
- If you are traveling on your own, you will receive a single room. Reservations for 2 people will be allocated a double room. For bookings of 3 or more, triple rooms will automatically be allocated. If these arrangements do not meet your requirements, please contact us.
- Remember to choose the Single Supplement Fee in the booking engine if you are traveling alone.
- This tour includes a pick up from Reykjavik. You can see the designated pick up locations in the drop down menu when booking.
- Pick up is not available from Keflavik airport or outside of the greater capital area.
- The Northern Lights are a natural random phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed on the tour. However, we will do everything that we can to be able to see them. For example, the hotels are in prime locations to maximize the chances of seeing the northern lights.
- The Ice caves that will be visited on this tour are 100% natural and always changing. These ice caves are only accessible during the winter time when temperature drops below 0°C. Since the ice caves are ever changing we will visit new ice caves each year in different areas of the glacier. The photos that you see on our website are from recent tours, but note that the ice caves might have changed due to the dynamic nature of these formations.
- The ice cave tour is available from November 1st
- Lunch & dinner is not included in the tour. We will stop on restaurants where you can buy lunch & dinner.
- It is recommended to bring some snacks and drinks for the day time adventures. Some light chips and soda should do the trick.
- The departure time for this tour is at 9 am.
- This tour is perfect for groups, single travelers and families.
- You will be traveling on a minibus on this tour. The minibus includes free Wi-Fi. We will introduce you to Icelandic music aboard the minibus.
- We recommend you wear proper warm clothing, gloves, hat, scarves, and hiking shoes.
- If you don’t have hiking shoes, you can rent them in the booking engine.
- In the rare case that we need to cancel the tour because of extreme weather, road conditions or other factors, we will assist you with rebooking to another date. If that does not work out for you, you will receive a full refund for the tour.
- The minimum age bar to join the tour is 8 years for the hiking and ice caving part. If children below 8 years are on the trip then one adult will have to stay with them while the group completes these activities.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - The Golden Circle
Highlights of the day
- Golden Circle
- Þingvellir National Park
- Geysir geothermal area
- Gullfoss waterfall
- Northern Lights
included
- Guided Minibus Tour
- English speaking tour guide
- One night in a hotel.
- Northern Lights tour in the evening.
- Explore the Highlights of the Golden Circle.
Thingvellir National Park
The first day of the tour will be spent covering the entirety of the Golden Circle. Starting with Thingvellir National Park, the only UNESCO world heritage site in Iceland. Thingvellir National Park is the only place on the planet where the two tectonic plates of the earth can be seen in reality. Featuring the North American and the Eurasian plates, the park gives you the chance of walking between the two continents, an experience which is impossible to have had at any other place in the world. Located in the middle of these two tectonic plates is the Silfra fissure, the top snorkeling and dive site of Iceland. Apart from that, there are several beautiful mountains, rivers, and lava fields that you will explore when visiting the Thingvellir National Park along with the very first parliament building of the country. If you are lucky, you may get to spot some beautiful little migratory birds as well.
Geysir Geothermal Area
After getting through the Thingvellir National park, you will make your next stop at the Geysir Geothermal Area, a place filled with hundreds of geothermal pools, steam holes, and erupting geysers. The area is name after one of the geysers which are located here – Geysir. Event though Geysir is now dormant and does not erupt at all, it used to shoot up water with an incredible force making it go up to 120 meters at a time, imagine that. Now, the most prominent geyser here is Strokkur which can erupt water at a height of 15-20 meters. Geysir Geothermal Area can be recognized from miles away as you will start spotting rising steam as you start getting closer to the place. Your tour guide will keep you updated about interesting facts and figures about the place.
Gullfoss Waterfall
Fed by the melting waters of the second largest glacier of Iceland, Langjökull glacier, the Gullfoss waterfall is a sight to behold in every possible way and every single season. Also known by the name of Golden Falls, this beautiful, wide, and powerful waterfall is a brand-new self, depending on the weather. A bright sunny day will have you meet with a lush green landscape, brown and black rocks, and water flowing down in the deep gorge like molten gold, reflecting the bright shiny sun. Winters come with a thick blanket of snow that covers the surrounding rocks completely. The electric blue waterfalls in the snow-clad gorge and give rise to a heavy mist. It is nothing short of heavenly and probably the most beautiful attraction on the Golden Circle.
After the completion of the Golden Circle tour, you will head back in the minibus to the arranged accommodation for rest for the night. The next day will begin the journey to the south coast of Iceland.
Gallery - Day 1
Day 2 – Waterfall, Glaciers, Hikes, and the Northern Lights
Highlights of the day
- Seljalandsfoss
- Skógafoss
- Glacier Hike in Skaftafell
- Skaftafell Nature Reserve
- Vatnajökull National Park
- Northern Lights
included
- Guided Minibus Tour
- English speaking tour guide
- One night in a hotel.
- Hotel Breakfast.
- Glacier Hike.
- Glacier Guide
- Northern Lights tour in the evening.
- Explore the Highlights of the South Coast.
The second day of your tour will be all about exploring some of the prettiest waterfalls of the south coast, the glorious Vatnajökull glacier and Skaftafell in the Vatnajökull National Park, and last but not the least, the northern lights. Let us see the breakup of the second day of your tour.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
The first stop that you will make on day 2 of the tour is the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, the glorious waterfall of the south with a mystical hidden cave behind it. Yes, that’s right. Seljalandsfoss comes with a beautiful cave that is hidden behind the cascading waters of the fall and can be accessed after a short hike. The labor and time that you will invest in getting to this cave will be very well worth your time and effort. The view of the waterfall is simply magnificent from that angle and is a one-of-a-kind experience, even in a country like Iceland which is full of surprises. Incredible lush green fields, dark-colored contrasting rocks, and the white mist rising from the gorge is everything that a photographer needs for good pictures.
Skógafoss Waterfall
Not far from Seljalandsfoss is the Skógafoss waterfall. Fed by the Skógá river, the Skógafoss waterfall is tucked in a very small gorge but boasts a height of about 60 meters. Falling from such a height into a rather smaller gorge for its power and size, the waterfall creates an impressive amount of mist at the bottom which in turn creates beautiful rainbows when coming in contact with the sunlight. The Skógafoss waterfall has a staircase on the side that leads to the top of the falls. You can hike these stairs and go to the top in order to take in a different kind of view if you like.
Glacier Hike in Skaftafell
Next up is glacier hiking in Skaftafell Natural Reserve, a part of the infamous Vatnajökull National Park. Gaining immense popularity from shows and movies like Interstellar, Game of Thrones, and James Bond, Skaftafell glacier has become one of the top hiking spots in Iceland, and all for good reasons too. The landscape here is completely out of the world. So much so that it was used to represent a whole different planet in the movie Interstellar. Electric blue and white ice crawls with black lava ash veins and there is nothing but ice for as far as the eye can see.
You will meet with the certified glacier hiking instructor and guide at the foot of the glacier who will brief you about everything you need to know before the hike can begin. The hiking instructor will provide you with all the necessary hiking equipment like crampons, harnesses, and helmets. After everything is said and done, you will set out to conquer the glacier.
Northern Lights
After the hike, you will head towards the assigned accommodation for the night and relax for a while, have dinner, and such. Once it is dark enough out there, you will meet back with your guide with the rest of the group. The guide will examine the weather and sky conditions to see whether the conditions to see the northern lights are met. Once everything is set, you will head out to find a suitable location to spot the lights and click some insta-worthy pictures.
Gallery - Day 2
Day 3 – The Final Chapter
Highlights of the day
- Blue Ice Cave
- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
- The Diamond Beach
- Reynisfjara black sand beach
- Dyrhólaey
included
- Guided Minibus Tour.
- English speaking tour guide.
- Hotel Breakfast
- Explore the Highlights of the South Coast.
- Drop off in Reykjavik.
The final day will be spent exploring the black sand beaches and lagoons of the south coast along with an ice cave tour. After that, you will head back to the capital.
Blue Ice Cave
The blue ice cave will take you inside one of the glacial tongues of the majestic Vatnajökull glacier. The blue ice caves of Vatnajökull glacier are one of the most popular ice caves among tourists. The cave melts down and forms every season so, time is a bit of a constraint when it comes to visiting them. To get to this Vatnajökull glacier ice cave, you will board a super jeep that will take you to the ice cave. Upon reaching you will get enough time to admire the super blue aesthetics of the place.
Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon
The crown jewel of Iceland, any trip to the south is incomplete without paying a visit to the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon. This 200-meter-deep lagoon is made with the melting waters of Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacial tongue of the Vatnajökull glacier. Incidentally, the blue ice cave that we would visit in this tour also forms in the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. Now with about 18 kilometers square surface area, Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon has increased four times in size as compared to its initial size at the time of creation. Icebergs from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier break down and fall in the calm water of the lagoon. They keep floating peacefully until they reach the ocean. You can take a walk around the edges and take some very scenic pictures as well.
The Diamond Beach
The next stop on your trip, the creation of the diamond beach is the courtesy of the icebergs from Breiðamerkurjökull that flow in the lagoon and then reach the Atlantic Ocean. The icebergs get shaped by the waves of the ocean and then wash up on the nearby black sand beach. These washed-up icebergs have now been turned into beautiful transparent blocks of ice that look like a diamond and hence the name – Diamond Beach. Albeit beautiful, diamond beach is quite risky to be at. From sneaker waves to heavy winds, there are a lot of ways one can get hurt so, make sure you keep a safe distance and always follow the safety instructions described by the guide.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
The final stop on your 3-day tour, you will find Reynisfjara black sand beach to be a whole different picture from the Diamond Beach even though both of them are black sand beaches. Reynisfjara is heavy of green beauty along with beautiful long stacks of basalt columns on the side and puffins flying over on the Dyrhólaey cliffs in the distance. Sneaker waves are at rest here quite a lot so you can let loose and take as many pictures as you like and watch the migratory birds of Iceland enjoying themselves.
Gallery - Day 3
FAQ
You can choose a pick up in Reykjavik or the capital area. Find the designated pick up locations in the drop down menu when booking.
If you don’t know your pick up point for your tour yet, you can let us know later. Note that you need to send us the pick up location for your tour at least 24 hours prior to the departure of the tour. It would also be great if you can give us your phone number so we can call you if we can not find you at the pick up location.
Pick up starts at the scheduled departure time on your voucher ticket. Note that the pick up can take up to 30 minutes. Please be at your listed location so our guide can easily find you.
No, this tour does not include a pick up from Keflavik Airport.
If you are arriving in Iceland early morning on the day of your tour, it would be best to take a taxi or bus from the airport to BSI bus station. Choose your pick up for the tour at BSI bus station and we will pick you up there.
A multi day tour is a tour that includes guided sightseeing and activities for more than one day. Accommodation is usually included in multi day tours.
The multi day tours are ideal if you would like to make the most of your time in Iceland.
- You do not have to worry about finding accommodation that will fit to your day full of sightseeing and activities.
- Most multi day tours are operated in small groups with personal guidance.
- The tours will drive further into the countryside and give you the opportunity to explore locations that you would not be able to do in the day tours from Reykjavik.
You will be staying in a comfort hotel with private bedroom and private bathroom on this tour.
Yes, breakfast after each night of accommodation spent during the multiday tour is included.
You will be traveling in a minibus.
Yes, the single supplement fee is mandatory for solo travelers. This is to ensure your private room in the accommodation. There is no way to skip on the single supplement fee if you are a solo traveler.
Since the northern lights are a natural phenomenon, we can not guarantee the sightings of northern lights on the tour. We will do everything that we can to make your chances of seeing the northern lights as high as possible. This includes staying in hotels that are located in prime areas to spot the northern lights. If the forecast is good, you will have high chances of seeing the northern lights outside the hotel.
In the rare case that we will have to cancel the tour because of extreme weather, road conditions or other factors, we will assist you with rebooking to another date or provide a full refund.
The tour can be cancelled up to 48 hours from the departure time with 85% of the total price refunded.
However, we would kindly as you to cancel the tour as soon as you know that you won’t be able to participate in it. The multi day tours require a lot of bookings on our half that needs to be cancelled in time (accommodation, activities, meals and more).
Please send us an email to info@icelandtravelguide.is as soon as you know that you have to cancel the tour.
All cancellations requested less than 48 hours from the departure time are non refundable.
If you have more luggage, you can store your extra luggage in our office for a small extra price of ISK 1.000. Add it as an extra at the time of booking. This fee is non refundable upon payment.
Yes, and you definitely should! The setting on the tour is full of amazing, scenic views.
You will also find a tablet in the bus with information about the northern lights and how to photograph them.
For winter tours in Iceland, wear warm clothing as first layer and waterproof outdoor jacket and pants as a second layer. Hiking boots with high ankle protection is ideal for the glacier hike and ice cave experience. You will get crampons to put on your boots before you go to the glacier. If you do not have hiking boots, you have to rent them at the time of booking. A hat and gloves are also ideal for the glacier tours.
Yes, you need sturdy hiking boots for the glacier hike. They have to have hard sole and be tight around the ankle. If you don’t have hiking boots, you can rent them in all sizes when booking the tour. It is also possible to rent the shoes at the glacier hiking location.
The glacier hike is considered to be safe for anyone in good physical condition. You have to be able to walk for about an hour up and down on slopes and uneven surface.
We offer all safety equipment necessary and you will always be hiking with a professional and certified glacier guide.
This is always a personal choice and depends on your physical health at the time of the glacier hike. We have had pregnant women on this glacier hike but not all pregnancies are the same. We recommend that you read the description of the tour to get a good idea and ask your doctor about it.
Do you have a question?
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