Iceland Adventure Holiday

Arrive Reykjavik and check in to our guesthouse. Note: certain departures may join at Reykjavik Airport and visit the Blue Lagoon on the way to the hotel – please refer to your joining instructions for full details.

Overnight Guest House (H+)

Today we take a tour of Iceland’s ‘Golden Circle’, to some of the country’s incredible natural wonders, including Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. Thingvellir, meaning ‘Parliament Plains’ was the site of Iceland’s first National Assembly in the year 930. It lies in a rift valley, about 5km wide with Lake Thingvallavatn bordering it on the south side and a mountain range to the north. The river Oxara, which flows past the site of the Parliament, supplied its participants with ample fresh water, and flows over the edge of a 9000 year old lava field, originating in a nearby volcano, into the rift valley. The largest of the ravines bordering the rift valley is called Almannagja Ravine near where the Parliament was held (there were at least three places where the Law Circle convened throughout the centuries however, they were all quite near to each other). Geysir started spouting in the 13th century and suddenly stopped in 1916. It was in fact the first spouting spring which became known to Europeans, and thereafter all such springs were named ‘geysir’, after the one in Iceland. There are some other very small springs in the area which spout one foot high, but Strokkur, meaning ‘The Butter Churn’, erupts every 3-5 minutes up to 100 feet high and is the main attraction of the area. Gullfoss – the Golden Waterfall, cascades into a deep gorge with tremendous force. Regarded by many as one of the most beautiful falls in the world, its spray forms colourful rainbows in the afternoon sun.

Overnight Guest House (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Today has been left free for you to sample one of a number of different optional tours, depending on your interests and the time of year you are travelling. Year-round there’s the chance to jujmp aboard an amazing superjeep and drive into the wild Thorsmork Valley crossing glacial moraine, fluvial outwash deposits and lava flows as well as, on many occasions, fording fast-flowing rivers. Though you won’t believe a vehicle can do what the drivers make them do, fear not – these guys do this for a living! The valley of Thorsmork itself is widely held to be Iceland’s most beautiful and as we drive in, with the Myrdalsjokull Glacier towering over us and the Eyjafjallajokull and Tindfjallajokull Glaciers ahead and to the right of us, we’d be hard pressed to disagree. Alternatively you can take a super jeep to another glacier in the mountains and join a snowmobiling tour like no other – this is also available year-round. In the summer months (May –August), you may also like to consider going whale watching in the nutrient-rich waters around Iceland or go on a puffin tour to see these colourful birds close up. Both of these trips depart from Reykjavik harbour. For the landlubbers amongst you, why not take to horses to explore the surreal lava landscapes of this most incredible island? Whatever your interests, we’re sure you’ll find something to whet your appetite in Iceland!

Overnight Guest House (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

If not already visited, we will head off to the Blue Lagoon for a recuperative dip in its steaming turquoise blue waters, an appropriately surreal end to a truly memorable weekend. We continue to Keflavik airport where our tour ends.

Included meals: Breakfast