Iceland Explorer

Our trip begins in Reykjavik with a short briefing at the hotel.

Today we drive inland to the Thingvellir World Heritage Area, where the

world's first 'democratic parliament' meeting took place - the area became

Iceland's first National Park in 1928 and a World Heritage area in 2004.

Sitting right on top of a major fault line it is the best place in Iceland to

see the continental drift - the movement of the Eurasion and North American

tectonic plates. Here they are literally pulling the earth apart as they inch

away from each other causing the land between to subside. Not surprisingly

the area abounds with waterfalls, immense fissures and the largest lake in

the country. We then carry on to see the world famous geysers. The most

reliable eruption comes every 5-10 minutes from one called 'Strokkur'; the

30-metre jet of water and steam is spectacular. To round off the day we drive

a short distance on to Gullfoss, a huge dramatic waterfall located in a 70m

deep canyon of River Hvita (White River).

We head east to the foot of the infamous Eyjafjallajokull Ice Cap; this area

was heavily affected by ash fall during the eruption of 2010 and a great deal

of ice was melted by the boiling lava. The glacier feeds many beautiful

waterfalls and we visit two of them: Skogarfoss and Kvernufoss. Both have

rushing water dropping 60m, and in the case of Skogafoss, this wall of water

rushes down in a 25m wide sheet, providing quite a spectacle.

Continuing east, we cross the black flood-plain of Solheimasandur, before

reaching the green valley of Myrdalur and continuing to Dyrholaey. This

dramatic 120-metre high promontory is the southernmost point in Iceland. It

is rich in birdlife, and a nesting site for Puffins and Arctic terns in

spring. If we are lucky we might see whales and seals from the promontory on

calm days. We continue further east to Vik, Iceland's southernmost town, a

great place from which to see the Reynisdrangar needles. Then it is further

across Myrdalssandur flood plain and then Skeydararsandur flood plain. Both

created by the countless floods created by volcanic eruptions over time. We

head for Vatnajokull NP with Europe's largest ice cap, Vatnajokull and it

further on to the famous Glacier Lagoon at Jokulsarlon where thousands of

icebergs are separating from the country's largest glacier and are floating

in the pale green sea-level lagoon. We take a walk beside the lagoon for

excellent views and if conditions allow can head down to the black sand beach

where chunks of ice are washed back up onto the shore by the sea, creating

some wonderful shapes and formations. We then continue further east with the

steep mountains of Vatnajokull on one side and the exposed south coast on the

other, to our accommodation

A day of scenic driving, with a number of stops as we travel through fjord

country. This stunning mountain region has been sculpted as much by glaciers

as volcanic activity. The spectacular road winds from one fjord to another,

passing a few farms in each fjord where there is enough flat land for

hayfields. The birdlife is rich and in late summer thousands of moulting

whooper swans feed in the sheltered lagoon of Alftafjordur (Swan fjord). We

then continue to the town of Egilsstadir

Heading inland and west we pass through the starkly contrasting desert

scenery of the North East Highlands and follow the track that takes us north

to Jokuldalur valley and to Studlagil Canyon, one of the most beautiful

canyon of Columnar basalt in Iceland. Then its on to Saenautasel farmstead

short distance away. Saenautasel was left abandoned due to have ashfall

shortly after the volcano Askja erupted in 1875. From Saenautasel we drive

enroute Modrudalur to the enormous Dettifoss Waterfall. This is Europe's most

powerful waterfall, bizarrely set in an arid area of sand and rock

formations. Our journey then takes us on to the Krafla volcano area to

explore the craters and lava from the eruptive period of 1975-1984. We hike

into one of the craters and look at the strange textures of cooled magma

splatters and rich colours of the mineral deposits. From Krafla we head for

our hotel at Lake Myvatn.

We spend the day around lake Myvatn and go for a short walk in the lava

fields and craters. We start at Dimmuborgir, a vast area of lava towers and

natural arches. The most spectacular of them is 'the Church', a large vault

resembling a church. Only a short distance from Dimmuborgir is Mt.Hverfjall,

a huge circular crater with a depth of 140 metres and 1000 metres in

diameter. It is one of the most beautiful craters in Iceland, one which

erupted some 2500 years ago and covered the Myvatn area in tephra (fragments

of volcanic rock). It is also thought to be one of the largest on the planet.

We traverse Mt.Hverfjall, and a little further north is the rift crevasse

Grjotagja with its crystal clear warm water. We explore the pseudo craters of

Skutustadir. After Myvatn we head to the Godafoss Waterfall en route to

Akureyri.

A free morning in Akureyri. Akureyri is a town of some 17,000 inhabitants and

is the biggest town outside the capital. It is the cultural, commercial and

educational centre for northern Iceland and is 60 km south of the Arctic

Circle. Whale watching tours depart regularly and there are a number of

museums, including an 'Into the Arctic' exhibition. Opened in 2017 this

offers everything from information on arctic explorers to ancient charts and

maps, navigational equipment and information on arctic wildlife. This

northerly town is also remarkably green and has the northernmost botanical

garden in the world. The Lutheran church in Akureyri is an interesting visit,

featuring a stained-glass window above the altar that has its origins in

England.



As with most towns in Iceland there are also thermal baths, enjoyed as much

by the locals as by visitors, and if you just fancy a wander, there are

plenty of interesting shops, coffee shops and even ice cream parlours. If you

don’t want to relax and explore town then an optional whale watching tour

is possible in the morning.



We leave Akureyri and drive around the Troll Peninsula, via few fishing

villages on the peninsula. We stop at the magnificent outdoor swimming pool

at the village Hofsos and go for a quick dip. This remote geothermal swimming

pool has some of the best views in the country over the Skagafjordur bay. We

head further south and stop at Borgarvirki, an old Viking fortress. The

Citadel is a columnar basalt fortress and a volcanic plug. A little further

south we head into Vididalur valley and make a short stop at beautiful

waterfalls in Kolugljufur canyon, named after a giantess, once said to live

in the area. From Koluglufur we head for our hotel close by.

Today we drive west to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Along the way we visit a

reconstructed Viking house once home to Eirik the Red and his son Leif

Eiriksson - the two most famous travelling Vikings. The 'Eirikstadir' gives

an interesting insight to way of life for the early settlers and an

introduction to the historic tradition of the 'Icelandic Sagas'. From

Eiríksstaðir we head for the village Stykkisholmur on the Snaefellsnes

peninsula. Snaefellsnes is perhaps best known for the Stratovolcano

'Snaefellsjokull'. Jules Verne, in his classic 'Journey to the Centre of the

Earth', describes this as the start point for the characters' descent. New

Age followers consider this area to be one of the earth's seven major energy

centres. We head to our accommodation, located on the southern side of the

peninsula, on the beach with great views over Snaefellsjokull.

The exposed coast of the of Snaefellsnes peninsula is the goal for today, and

this area has recently been designated a National Park. We visit the old

church at Budir, one of the most picture tic on in the country.  Sea cliffs

at Arnarstapi swarming with birds, to the rocks of Djupalonssandur and the

sites of old shipwrecks in the black basaltic sand. Our guide will tell us

about the old cod-fishing methods from open boats in the bountiful seas and

towering above us is the volcano - Snaefellsjokull. Some of the best

fisheries are of the peninsula and whales can often be seen from shore on

calm days. We pass through fishing villages on the peninsula and head to one

of the most photographed mountains in Iceland Mt. Kirkjufell. After

kirkjufell we start heading back to the capital.

Our trip ends in Reykjavik after breakfast. Flybus transfers are available to

the airport.