Discovery of Iceland’s most beloved treasures!

A new tour that takes you to some of Iceland’s most attractive locations of the south and west. Along with less known treasures we will visit the country’s most famous sites like Þingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir, Vatnajökull glacier and pass right under the notorious Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, and hear stories about other kind of treasures hidden in nature! Here you will experience a great variation in landscape and scenery, with a little bit of everything!

From the ocean and cliffs of the west, into the highlands and then along the south coast, sandy beaches, hot springs and waterfalls, lava fields, caves, volcanoes, glaciers and icebergs create unbelievable contrasts in the scenery surrounding us and every day different hikes give you a chance to take in the essentials and the essence of our strange and unique country.

Furthermore travelling out of the summer season gives you a different sense of its arctic nature and atmosphere. Each season has its special charm. In the autumn and spring migrating birds set their mark on the land, the many shades of autumn colors along with the northern lights are prominent in the fall and winter, snow and ice can make this tour a winter adventure, and in spring nature is coming back to life and the days seem endless. An excellent tour to discover the unique magic of Iceland.

Departure dates:  
*10.06 - 15.06.2013 - Full!
*26.08 - 31.08.2013 - Guaranteed departure!

*Shoulder season departures (price 195.000 ISK)

Single supplement : 17.500 ISK

Dicovery Hiking: 6 days
Hiking per day: 3-5 hours total
Accommodation: Accommodation in guest house/hostel in made up beds/beds with linen (4 nights) in double/twin rooms with shared facilities (single room available for an extra fee), sleeping bag accommodation in mountain hut in Thorsmörk (1 night-single room not available).

Included: Guide for 6 days, food for 6 days (from lunch day 1 to lunch day 6), accommodation in guest house/hostel in made up beds/beds with linen (4 nights),  sleeping bag accommodation in mountain hut in Thorsmörk (1 night), sleeping bag, cooking gear, transportation.
Group size: 6 to 16 participants
Price is based up on accommodation in double rooms.
Available upon request: Accommodation in Reykjavík  - please contact us for more information.

Note: Participants are picked up at accommodation in Reykjavík before the tour starts (between 8:30 and 9:00 am) and dropped off at accommodation in Reykjavík at the end of the tour.
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Package price for accommodation in the center of Reykjavík before and after the tour:

In a guesthouse including breakfast and shared facilities:

- Based on double occupancy 11.500 ISK per person (for persons traveling together, both persons
  have to purchase this item for it to be valid).

- Single room: 18.200 ISK.

In a three-star hotel including breakfast and private bathroom:

- Based on double occupancy 16.100 ISK per person (for persons traveling together, both persons
  have to purchase this item for it to be valid).

- Single room: 26.000 ISK.

Day 1: Reykjavík-Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Departure from Reykjavík in the morning, as we set course to west Iceland and Snæfellsnes, a volcanic peninsula that stretches out from the Icelandic west coast and is divided by a chain of mountains that lies form east to west. Before heading to the Snæfellsjökull NP we will take a walk to the crater Eldborg, a beautiful explosive crater that rises 60m up from the surrounding lava. Stops at Arnarstapi and Hellnar before we head to Dritvík and Djúpalónssandur beach. At Djúpalónssandur the lava formations run all the way to the sea creating a unique landscape. There we also find 4 big lifting-stones that in the old times fishermen use to measure their strength, and to see if men were fit for a space on a fishing boat! Night in a guest house.
Driving:  3-4 hrs total                         Walking: 3-4 hrs total 


Day 2: Snæfellsnes-Borgarfjörður-Þingvellir
Turning back east we head to the beautiful Borgarfjörður region. This is the home of Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Iceland (and even in Europe) and the lush waterfalls of Hraunfossar a row of waterfalls that emerge from underneath the lava field, and Barnafoss. This is also the home of many lava tubes and tunnels, some of Iceland’s biggest and most impressive, and we will stick our noses into one of these to get a glimpse of the Icelandic underworld! Our next stop is Þingvelllir N.P. the site of the old Parliament and the birthplace of democracy in Iceland.  The  park is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. In addition to the historical importance, the location is wonderful, a beautiful lake skirted by a small canyon that in fact is a part of the Mid-Atlantic rift. We spend the rest of our day here. Night in a hostel in the Laugarvatn area.
Driving:  4-5hrs total                          Walking: 4 hrs total


Day 3: Gullfoss- Geysir -Þórsmörk Glacier Valley
The day begins with a visit to the famous waterfall Gullfoss and Geysir, the namesake of all sprouting hot springs! We then head to Þórsmörk, a magnificent glacier valley hidden behind the glaciers of the south coast. Going in to Þórsmörk is an adventure on its own since we have to ford numerous rivers to get there. The road also takes us right around the glacier covered volcano Eyjafjallajökull (1167m) that so famously erupted in April 2010 sending an enormous quantity of ash into the atmosphere, blocking air traffic in large parts of Europe for days. The afternoon is spent exploring this remarkable location with its many possibilities for hiking, from a walk up to Valahnúkur giving us a view of the whole valley to the gorges of Stakkholtsgjá, with strange rock formations and caves. Night in mountain hut.
Driving:  4 hrs total                             Walking: 4-5 hrs total


Day 4: Þórsmörk-Seljalandsfoss - Skógarfoss- Vík- Skaftafell
From Þórsmörk we return to the main road and continue east. Stops at the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss (where it is possible to walk behind the waterfall if it is not to icy) and the magnificent Skógarfoss. Optional, a stop at the new Eruption Center at Þorvaldseyri farm, right under the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, for a short documentary on the 2010 eruption ( price approx 5€). A walk on the black beaches of Vík, admiring  the power and beauty of the Atlantic Ocean will be refreshing before the last part of road east. The high cliffs dominate the black beach below and just off the coast pillars of rock rise up from the Ocean’s surface. Legend says that these are trolls that turned into stone after staying up past sunrise... After a drive over the vast sand desert of the south and the lava field of Eldhraun, one of the biggest lave flow coming from one single eruption, we arrive at  Skaftafell N.P right under Iceland‘s highest peaks, Hvannadalshnúkur (2110) in the late afternoon. Night in guest house.
Driving: 4 hrs total                              Walking: 4 hrs total


Day 5: Skaftafell NP- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lake
Today we take our vehicle east to reach the Jökulsárlón Glacier lake, one of the marvelous features of this region, á lake scattered with Icebergs that break off from the great Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. A boat ride on the lake among the icebergs is optional (price 2800 ISK or around 20€). In the early afternoon we come back to Skaftafell to further explore the hiking trails of this magnificent park at the foot of the mighty Vatnajökull glacier, the largest glacier in Europe. It is a green oasis covered with arctic birch, and colorful valleys, rivers, waterfalls and flowers  decorate the landscape, in contrast with the mountains surrounding it on one side and looking over sandy plains of Skeiðarársandur where in 1996 an impressive flood  caused by an volcanic eruption under the Vatnajökull glacier took place. A Glacier walk on Svínafellsjökull outlet glacier is optional. Night in guest housel.
Driving: 2-2h30 total                          Walking: 5 hrs total


Day 6: Skaftafell-Hot Spring Hike-Reykjavík
Even thought we have some route to cover back to Reykjavík we will make a few interesting stops along the way and do some hiking. Our first stop is at the Systrafoss waterfall and the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur followed by a short walk at the gorgeous Fjarðarárgljúfur Canyon. We pass through the villages of the south coast and just of the  geothermal village of Hveragerði we go for a hike among the numerous hot springs and boiling mud pools in Reykjadalur valley (or Grændalur depending on snow conditions). A magical place. Arrival in Reykjavik in the afternoon.
Driving:  4-5 hrs total                         Walking: 3-4 hrs total