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This tour includes three fabulous days of exploring. Discover the Vestmannaeyjar Islands and Stórhöfði Cape and hike up Mt. Eldfell Volcano, and get some views of waterfalls, such as Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. On this tour, you will have a chance to see the Lakagígar craters that were formed during one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in historic times. And finally, we will visit Landmannalaugar, a gem of the highlands. At Landmannalaugar, you'll have the opportunity to explore the lava field Laugahraun, hike to colorful Mt. Brennisteinsalda and/or soak in a natural geothermal pool.
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This 3-day tour combines a visit to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands, exploring Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, a drive along the highlands, and discovering Landmannalaugar and the lava field Laugahraun, a hike to colorful Mt. Brennisteinsalda, and/or a soak in a natural geothermal pool.
In the morning on the first day of your tour, you'll get picked up from your accommodation in Reykjavík. The tour will then head to the southern part of Iceland. The first stop of the day is at Landeyjarhöfn harbor, where you will embark on a ferry to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands. After about a 30-minute ferry ride to Vestmannaeyjar Island, we will go straight to the southernmost part of the main island, Stórhöfði Cape. It's an ideal location to get up close to the oldest inhabitants of the island: the Atlantic puffins. Next up is Eldheimar Museum, a volcano museum dedicated to the remembrance of the volcanic eruption of 1973, when the entire population had to be evacuated from the island to the mainland in the middle of the night. After the museum, you will have the opportunity to take a short hike up Mt. Eldfell Volcano or spend some time in the town before heading back to the mainland in the afternoon. Once back on the mainland, you'll travel along the south coast of Iceland, getting some views of waterfalls, such as Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and the infamous volcano Mt. Eyjafjallajökull which erupted back in 2010. The eruption caused massive interruptions of air traffic across Europe and North America. We'll then make a stop at the scenic coastal village of Vík, where you will have some time to wander around the village or go down to the black sand beach. From Vík, there's about an hour drive through the Eldhraun lava fields to the hotel where you'll stay for the night.
After breakfast, you´ll start the adventure of the day at the majestic Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. Hiking alongside the canyon is like being in a fairy tale painting. After exploring the canyon, you'll venture further into less-traveled area of Iceland, to Laki and Lakagígar, which are part of the UNESCO National Park of Vatnajökull. Once we are at Mt. Laki, we'll hike to the top of the volcano, where you can get a great view of the site. You will see the Lakagígar craters that were formed in an eruption from 1783-1784, one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in historic times. The eruption and the ash coming from it caused famine in Europe, which eventually altered history as it’s said that the famine was the beginning of the French Revolution. We'll continue to drive around the highlands, making a couple of shorter stops before coming back to the main road. There we’ll make a stop at the small village Kirkjubæjarklaustur, where you have free time to walk around. You can check out Systrafoss Waterfall, Systrastapi Rock or Kirkjugólf (Church Floor), which are basalt columns and stone slabs. From there, it's just a short drive back to the hotel.
In the morning, you'll have breakfast and then check out of the hotel before getting back on the road. We'll start heading back toward Reykjavík, but we'll be taking you off the beaten track by driving on the scenic F road, known as Fjallabaksleið nyrðri. Our first stop of the day is at Eldgjá Canyon, which is part of the same volcanic system as Katla Volcano. It is the largest volcanic canyon in the world at about 40 km long, 600 meters wide and 270 meters deep. We’ll hike in the canyon and explore Ófærufoss Waterfall. From Eldgjá, we’ll continue further to Landmannalaugar, a pearl of the highlands. At Landmannalaugar, you'll have the opportunity to explore the lava field Laugahraun, hike to colorful Mt. Brennisteinsalda and/or soak in a natural geothermal pool. After roughly a couple of hours at Landmannalaugar, we will continue making our way back to Reykjavík before nightfall. Before reaching Reykjavík, we will make a short stop at Hjálparfoss Waterfall, which is situated in Þjórsárdalur Valley. Once back in Reykjavík in the evening, you will be dropped off at your preferred location.
Return time: We will return to Reykjavík around 8 pm, depending on the conditions.
Pick-up Information: Pick-up is at 7:30 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, gloves, a swimsuit and a towel.
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.
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. The rooms come with private or shared bathrooms, depending on your booking. 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!
