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This small-group, 3-day tour is fabulous for those with limited time to enjoy the best of Iceland. We highlight the most popular adventures: spectacular waterfalls, glacier hikes, and an ice cave at Vatnajokull, Europe’s biggest glacier. Your nights are far away from towns and light pollution, giving you the best chance of seeing the glittering Northern Lights during wintertime.
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On this 3-day tour, you’ll experience both the Golden Circle and the South Coast without having to choose between them. Discover it all!
Begin with the world-famous Golden Circle route, where you’ll visit the Geysir geothermal area and witness Strokkur’s regular eruptions of boiling water. At Thingvellir National Park, walk between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and explore the historical site. Finally, see Gullfoss Waterfall, known for its impressive cascade of water through a canyon.
The tour then shifts to the iconic South Coast, where you’ll see Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, renowned for its walk-behind viewing experience. Visit Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, famous for its floating icebergs. Depending on the season, you’ll either hike on a glacier or explore the Katla Ice Cave. The itinerary also includes Reynisfjara black sand beach and Skogafoss Waterfall. This well-rounded trip covers Iceland’s key natural attractions and offers opportunities to see the Northern Lights in winter.
Your 3-Day Golden Circle and South Coast tour begins with the famous Golden Circle: Þingvellir (Thingvellir), Geysir and Gullfoss. Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the historic location of the Icelandic Parliament, the Alþingi. Established in 930 c.e., this is the oldest continuously operated Parliament in the world, situated in one of the most geologically fascinating places on the planet.
Thingvellir is home to a rift valley between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Stand atop the Law Rock where the Law Speaker, the Parliament’s orator, would make speeches. The cliffs look out over Þingvallavatn, a very beautiful lake set within this incredible landscape.
Next, you’ll visit the geothermal wonder Geysir Geothermal Area. Geysir was once a magnificent geyser that lent its name to the English word geyser. Though now dormant, its neighbor Strokkur always delights. You won’t have to wait more than a few minutes to see Strokkur burst forth scalding water skywards, jumping up to 25 meters high.
Finally, we stop at Gullfoss (the Golden Falls), the most-visited waterfall in Iceland. Witness the powerful Hvita (“White”) River roar down the two-tiered cliffs into the rugged canyon below. The force of the falls and the beauty of the surrounding golden mist are a sight to behold.
After the Golden Circle, we drive southward. On a clear day, we’ll get great views of Mount Hekla on the way to Seljalandsfoss, one of the most unusual waterfalls in the world. You can walk behind these graceful falls to enjoy the view from both sides.
Your hotel for the night will be close to the small town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, a fantastic base to catch the mesmerizing Northern Lights during September and April months if conditions are right. A little luck is very useful when it comes to auroras!
In the morning, we head east towards the magnificent Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and nearby Diamond Beach. The lagoon is filled with icebergs of all shapes and sizes, as they glide in a dreamlike procession towards the salty waves of the Atlantic. The multifaceted colors are caused by a combination of factors, including ice compression.
Many of them are washed ashore at the Diamond Beach, where they glitter like diamonds on the black sand. There’s nothing quite like walking on the beach as sunlight illuminates the beach with bright blue tones of the icebergs. Ocean birds are abundant and, if you’re lucky, you might spot a playful seal. Your hotel for the night will be in the Skaftafell area, another great base to test your Northern Lights luck if you are traveling during September - April months!
From Jokulsarlon, we head to Skaftafell Nature Reserve for a new adventure. From October to April, we join our certified glacier guide and step into the mesmerizing world of the Vatnajokull Glacier.
After taking a beautiful glacier hike, we’ll enter a natural ice cave where you’ll have some time to explore and take photos. Photographers will get the rare chance to capture mysterious blue light passing through glacial ice. During your adventure, an expert guide will explain the process of how these glacial ice formations came to be. From April to September, we go to the only natural ice cave you can visit all year - the Katla Ice Cave tour near Vik.
The ice cave we visit will be chosen based on current conditions. Including both ice cave and glacier hike exploration, we’ll spend roughly 2 hours on the ice. This tour is suitable for people who are able to comfortably walk around 2 hours across easy outdoor terrain.
Ice cave temperatures hover well below freezing, so don’t forget to dress warmly.
Your accommodation for the night will be at the same hotel – Adventure Hotel Geirland.
After a nourishing breakfast, we’ll start our day slowly driving towards Reykjavik and making plenty of stops along the way. If the roads are clear, we’ll start the day off with a quick detour to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon.
Next, we’ll have the chance to visit the iconic Eldhraun lava field before heading to Reynisfjara black beach. The powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean really show their force here. Watch as these roaring, white-tipped beauties crash onto the black beach. A word of warning – the waves here can be unpredictable! Always follow the advice of your tour guide.
You should pop into the black basalt cave before you leave the beach. Reynisfjara is famous for its basalt columns just off the shore, called the Reynisdrangar. Gazing up at these dramatic black pillars, you’ll get a good idea of where the legends of Icelandic troll folklore sprang from!
After Reynisfjara, our next stop will be a visit to Skógafoss, an impressive waterfall that drops 60 m into a tranquil pool below. There are 527 steps leading to the top, yet the steep climb is worth it for the panorama alone. The famous volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, lurks high above the waterfall, so if visibility is good you’ll get a glimpse of this magnificent mountain glacier.
After enjoying our final stop at Skógafoss, your 3-Day Iceland’s South Coast tour comes to an end. We’ll return to Reykjavík between 16:00 and 19:00, depending on the weather conditions.
Return time: We will return to Reykjavík between 16:00 – 19:00 (4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.), depending on the conditions.
Pick-up Information: Pick up is at 9:00 a.m. from your hotel or a nearby meeting point in Reykjavík. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated. Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s pick-up list.
Remember to bring: Warm outdoor clothing including layers, thermal underwear (top and bottom), a waterproof jacket and pants, headwear, scarves, and gloves. Sturdy hiking boots are essential for glacier hiking since they are the only kind of footwear that fit ice crampons. Hiking boots for the glacier hike can be rented in the booking process or at the Glacier Guides Booking Center in Skaftafell. We recommend renting in advance.
What if I don’t own all of these clothing items? Don’t worry, you can always rent sturdy hiking shoes, waterproof jacket, and pants in the booking process. Hiking boots, waterproof jacket, and waterproof pants can be rented on location, at the Glacier Guides Booking Center, for the glacier hike. However, if you wish to rent extras for the whole duration of the tour then this must be added to your booking at least 48 hours before your tour starts.
We cannot guarantee that the actual view during your visit will match the photographs since ice caves are a natural phenomenon that undergoes constant change. How they look may vary depending on the season, time of day, lighting, and other factors.
We always recommend booking a multi-day tour starting at least one day after arriving in Iceland. If you’re flying in from the US or will be landing early (4-6:30 am) you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e if the flight gets delayed) and could, therefore, miss out on the tour.
Most of the hotels we use during our tours are remotely located and therefore ideal for spotting the northern lights. If the forecast is in your favor, then it is more than likely that you will be able to see the magical show put on by the dancing northern lights during your tour with us. Most of the hotels offer a Northern Lights wake-up call-up on request if the lights are spotted.
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon; therefore, we can unfortunately never promise they will be seen. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions. The best time to see them is between September and March when it’s dark and clear. The sky needs to be as dark as possible, so the best places to see them are well away from city lights (that’s where we are going!).
For more information on the Northern Lights, please look at our blog about Northern Lights.
If you are not sure that you have suitable gear for your tour, we offer some necessary items for rent. For most of our multi-day tours, we rent out waterproof jackets and pants as well as hiking boots. You can book these items and more under the selection “Extras” in the booking widget when booking your tour on our website.
If you have already booked the tour and wish to add some rental gear to your booking, you can do so at least 24 hours prior to your tour starting by using our customer portal - My Adventures, or contacting our customer care.
We drive on average around 300 km (186 miles) per day on our multi-day tours. You will be spending approximately 4-5 hours in the car each day. We do of course stop on multiple locations throughout the tour for sightseeing, activities, bathroom breaks and lunch stops.
We do welcome participants of all ages older than the listed minimum age for each tour. We have people of ages ranging from 8-99 years joining our multi-day tours. Our average group usually consists of participants between the age 20-55 years. We do get a lot of solo travellers joining our tours, as well as families and friends.
If you have difficulties participating in any of the activities included in the tour, for example, a glacier activity, you are more than welcome to skip it. You can explore your surroundings in the meantime or wait elsewhere. Our guide should be able to drop you off at a nearby place where there are some services available.
For multi-day tours, each participant is allowed to bring a small backpack and 1 piece of luggage weighing a maximum of 20 kg (44 lbs). If you have more or heavier luggage with you, you will need to book storage for the surplus luggage before you arrive, there is a small fee for using this facility. Luggage storage in Reykjavík can be added during the booking process of your order in the extras section.
* The combined dimensions of each bag must not exceed 158 cm (62 in).
Breakfast is included at all the hotels we stay in during the tour. The breakfast will be a typical breakfast buffet, offering bread, toppings, cereal, yogurt, fruits, coffee, and tea etc.
Your guide will also find a good place for the group to eat lunch. We always try to choose places that have a wide selection of dishes on the menu, so there will be options available for everyone. The dinner is usually at the hotels we stay at for the night.
If your tour includes accommodation, breakfast is always included during the tour at the hotel/guesthouse restaurant.
Meals and beverages are otherwise not included on your tour. (Unless it’s specifically stated in the description of the tour)
On our multiday tours, we will be making stops at restaurants and convenience stores where you will be able to purchase all necessities. Cash is not necessary, as credit cards are almost always accepted. Having a small amount of cash doesn’t hurt though.
A single supplement is available if you want to have your own room, but you are not required to pay a single supplement. If you are a single traveler and do not wish to book a single room, you’ll be roomed with another traveler of the same gender.
When booking with Arctic Adventures, you are guaranteed an accommodation at a nice country hotel and/or a guesthouse. The hotels we have partnered up with are all of the same standard and offer nice rooms with made-up beds and private bathrooms. The standard room is a twin room but it’s possible to request a double room or a triple room, with no extra charge.
If you are traveling solo, you will have to add the single room fee if you wish to have a single room.
All hotels have free Wi-Fi. Towels, a hairdryer and a kettle are accessible at all of the hotels. Hotel breakfast is included!
