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About tour

Enjoy two unforgettable days of winter sightseeing as you explore Iceland’s most iconic regions with a small group. Visit erupting geysers, powerful waterfalls, and striking black sand beaches. Relax in a cozy minibus, enjoy the icy landscapes, and settle into a comfortable accommodation at night.

Highlights

  • Thingvellir National Park
  • Gullfoss Waterfall
  • Geysir Hot Spring Area
  • Kerid Crater
  • Selfoss Town
  • Sólheimajökull Glacier
  • Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
  • Reynisdrangar Basalt Sea Stacks
  • Skógafoss Waterfall
  • Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
  • Vík í Mýrdalur
  • Dyrhólaey Arch

Included

  • Pick-up & drop-off from Reykjavík
  • Accommodation with a private bathroom - 1 night
  • Sightseeing on the South Coast
  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Guided group tour in a minibus
  • Visit all the main highlights of the Golden Circle & South Coast
  • English-speaking tour guide
  • All necessary safety equipment
  • Free Wi-Fi on board your bus

What to bring

  • Warm outdoor layers (wool, fleece, or synthetic)
  • Waterproof jacket and pants
  • Headwear & Gloves
  • Good hiking shoes are highly recommended
  • Swimwear

Tour Snapshot

Availability Sept- April
Duration 2 days
Departs From Reykjavik
Level Easy Suitable for most people in fair condition.
Minimum age 6 years
Ratio 1:19 Guide to client ratio
Meet on Location No
Pick Up Yes

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Itinerary

Explore two of Iceland's most legendary regions in just two days. Drive through the Golden Circle and visit four geological wonders in a single day. The next day, venture into the natural beauty of the South Coast, where waterfalls cascade in wonderful displays and glaciers await to be explored.

We start in Reykjavik, where we'll pick you up from your selected location around 8:50 AM. Our first stop is the tectonic rift at Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's famous for the gap between the North American and Eurasia plates, which is fully explorable on foot. It's also rich in history, as the Icelandic Parliament, Althingi, was founded here in 930 AD. 

Next, experience the explosive beauty of the Geysir Hot Spring Area. It houses the Strokkur geyser, which ejects boiling water to 130 feet (40 m) every few minutes. We'll round out Golden Circle with the beautiful cascades of Gullfoss, known as the Golden Waterfall. It lives up to the name, as the 104-foot (32 m) fall, already mesmerizing, is enhanced by the surrounding canyon.

As a bonus, we'll go to Kerid Crater, a natural wonder formed by a collapsing volcano. The blue lake in the middle and the red walls around it create an illusion of an eye. You can enjoy the view either from the rim or right by the water. The choice is yours.

We'll spend the night in Selfoss, the largest town in the South Coast region. It connects the two beautiful areas with a single suspense bridge.

Day Highlights
  • Thingvellir National Park
  • Geysir Geothermal Area
  • Gullfoss Waterfall
  • Kerid Crater
  • Selfoss town
Included
  • Guided minibus tour
  • Visits to the Golden Circle highlights
  • Hotel accommodation for the night
Accommodation
Hotel South Coast
(or similar)

After breakfast at the hotel, we'll start our South Coast expedition with the striking Skógafoss Waterfall. The nearby cliff provides a nice viewpoint for people who don't want to see the 196-foot (60 m) fall from the ground level. Droplets interact with the sunlight and create a rainbow or two.

Next, we'll stop at the Sólheimajökull Glacier, an outlet of Myrdalsjokull. Walk around the edges and witness beautiful formations on the surface of the icy wonderland.

After that, we'll go to the southern tip of the region and stop at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. Its dark color contrasts nicely with the blue Atlantic Ocean. Towering wonders mark both ends. In the east is the 400-foot (120 m) high Dyraholaey promontory. In the east, just off the shore, are the Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks that pierce the ocean and reach 217 feet (66 m).

Our next stop is the nearby village of Vik. Its calm atmosphere is enhanced by the wonderful views of the cliffs, mountains, beaches, and endless ocean in front of it.

Up next, we’re visiting Dyrhólaey’s legendary stone arch, a dramatic formation shaped by centuries of powerful waves. From here, the views of Iceland’s rugged coast are simply unforgettable.

We'll finish the South Coast with the small cascade of Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. While narrow, the tall cliff from which it falls helps create a glorious display. The small path around it may allow you to walk behind the water but don't expect a treasure chest there. Only a few hundred meters away, you’ll find Gljúfrabúi Waterfall tucked behind the rocks. Enter through a rocky gap into a semi-open cave - a truly unique photo moment!

With our adventure near the end, we'll drive to Reykjavik, enjoying the evening views of the Icelandic wilderness. You'll be dropped off at your selected location in the early evening.

Day Highlights
  • Sólheimajökull Glacier
  • Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
  • Reynisdrangar Basalt Sea Stacks
  • Skógafoss Waterfall
  • Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
  • Vík í Mýrdalur Town
  • Dyrholaey Arch
Included
  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Guided minibus tour
  • Sightseeing on the South Coast

Pick-up starts at 08:50 AM from an authorized meeting point in Reykjavik. It can take up to 30 minutes for everyone to be picked up. Your patience is appreciated.

Take a look at the list of designated pick-up points.

Attractions Map

Explore the top attractions of the tour with our interactive map

FAQ

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 multi-day 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!

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