8 Day Iceland Ring Road Tour

First I want to say is that this tour allows you to see everything you could want to see in Iceland, with that said this will be a honest review. If you have issues hiking, or walking on uneven surfaces, this tour may not be for you; it is an ADVENTURE TOUR. I walk with a cane, and was able to do most, but climbing the glacier, or the volcano challenged me, and I had to know when to stop.

Outside of Reykjavik the town are sparse, and with that, there are limited places to stop for when nature calls, or food & snacks. The “hotel” accommodations are not like North American hotels, they remind me of barracks or dorm rooms.

Due to the 11-12 hours a day sightseeing and driving, when we stopped for the day (around 8-9pm to eat dinner) traps you into where you can eat, and with a limited menu & high price tag ($$$) to go with it. The first two nights we had the same three meal choices (Artic char, lamb shank, or pasta (vegan)). If you have any dietary issues, you will be challenged to find meals to accommodate you.

After the first “Artic Adventures 6 day Ring Road Tour” We ended up back in Reykjavik, and you are worn out from sitting in a tour van for 6 days for up to 11 hour days, we pushed it, and did the 7th day, and skipped the last day to get the COVID test needed to return to the US, and to spend some time shopping in Reykjavik.

In conclusion: Iceland is a beautiful & amazing country, and taking the tour was great to get to see the most of Iceland for the time. Would I do it again, yes, but probably differently. I would have used the whole 8 days to do the Ring Tour that originally scheduled for six days and compacted to 5 days to allow for the volcano hike on the 6th day.

I really enjoyed seeing all of the highlights of Iceland on this tour. Everything from booking the trip, pick up, and the actual tour was very organized. Most importantly, our tour guide Huffy was the best! He was very kind and always looked out for our group. I also appreciated him always sharing stories and the history of Iceland. He really made this tour enjoyable. I will definitely reccommend this Arctic Adventure tour!

Saying that Arctic Adventures makes great tour would be an understatement. Me and my wife just took the 8 days around Reykjavik tour managed by Arctic Adventures and we surely were mind blown. The itinerary prepared by them was just perfect and covered mostly all the important sites that must be seen in Iceland. If there was anything being left out due to time constraint, then it was surely pointed out to us by our brilliant guide to be covered in the next trip. The hotels booked by the company were superb as well, especially Hotel Laugarbakki which had an outdoor hot tub where in you can sip on wine while watching the Northern Lights (if you are lucky enough :D). Overall the trip covered most of the breathtaking destinations and gave timely stops for services and picture taking.

Now coming to our guide, Vignir, well he was jist a wonderful man. Not only did he have enormous knowledge about Iceland but had a great wit too. It got almost too easy for all of us to gel. He was also quite helpful as he often took pictures for us and also helped us out while treks. We shared a lot of great moments over the period of 8 days and during meals. He would make sure that everyone was comfortable on board in every sense. , frankly donot have enough praises for his overall personality.

When I've booked tours, I've found myself anticipating what to expect. I knew that I wanted to see Iceland for it's magnificent waterfalls, moody volcanic ranges and contrasting landscapes.

This tour surpassed my every dream and desire!

It not only fulfilled many sights I listed when researching Iceland, but it was well executed, making the journey easy, comfortable and well worth it.

Our tour guide Linas was a pro! He was energetic, informative and it was evident that he enjoyed his job. He was attentive to everyone on the tour, ensuring any questions or travel needs were seen to.

The itinerary covered a great variety of towns, sights and exploration with plenty of time to hike, photograph and take in the country. The chosen accommodations were all comfortable and the provided breakfasts were fresh and catered for dietary requirements.

Our chosen highlights (difficult to pick, but): All the waterfalls (especially Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Goðafoss, Hengifoss), Falljökull glacier hike, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Akureyri, Mývatn, whale watching in Dalvik and the bonus of witnessing the Aurora Borealis!

I had such a great time on this tour. Iceland is an amazing country, but the experience was made even better by Haukur our tour guide who was friendly, informative and always tried to ensure we had the best time possible. Using a small tour bus (18 people) is infinitely better than the larger versions. Accommodation was good but if you're going by yourself, definitely pay the single supplement so you get a room to yourself each night as the single beds in rooms are often close together. Because we were traveling around the Island, we were generally able to choose whether we ate at restaurants each night or picked up food from the local supermarket (which is a less expensive option). Overall, it was a relaxing & enjoyable week that passed without a single disappointment or problem. I would definitely use Arctic Adventures if I ever get to return to this beautiful country. Highly recommend :)

I had a great time viewing the sites of Iceland plus learning the history from our tour guide. Great driver and administrator. The people of Iceland are in my opinion the type of people, I would like living next store. There was a little confusion along the way, first night stay I had booked separate rooms for my friend and I but this was not to be the case with the hotel, but I had brought all my paperwork and the receptionist at the hotel got it sorted out with Artic Adventures. Same thing happened again with the rib boat whale watching but again with paperwork I brought along,our tour guide got it all sorted out. So other than these issues everything went well and I would recommend this trip and anyone interested in a fun and energy filled vacation. Just remember to bring copies of your paperwork showing what you paid for and they will sort it out.

I purchased this tour via Viator with Arctic Adventures to experience Iceland.... The tour itself is the adventure of a lifetime!!!, Our tour guide: Hjalti Björnsson was the best!!! He drove us thru Iceland for the duration of the tour, not only taking us thru the scheduled places, but enriching the experience with details of each place, historical data, and even including additional spots that were on the way of our tour as well. The group was of 12 people, which make it all manageable and enjoyable!. Iceland is fascinating, and Hjalti was key for us to have a meaningful and unforgettable experience.
The pick ups, drop offs; were perfectly timed... so we could enjoy each place to the most... have time to take pictures and to live the full experience of the places we visited. This tour has been the best experience while traveling I have ever had, not only by the beauty and majesty of the country; but also by the way we were introduced to it during the tour!!!! Loved every second of it!!!

We chose Arctic Adventures for action/immersive experience. So happy we were placed with "Siggy" as our tour guide. Siggy has remarkable knowledge of history, & literature and shared tales of his childhood growing up in the east isle. He is easygoing, energetic and a perfect guide.

Well paced tour. Covered a lot of ground and experienced Iceland’s fascinating scenery. Beautiful Island!

Tour did not include Blue Lagoon, so we recommend purchasing that separately.

Food choices along tour route range from quick stops such a as gas station quick food and small restaurants/inns. Adequate but not extensive selection. Pace of dinner service throughout Iceland restaurants was extremely slow and evening meals generally would take several hours. Not sure if Iceland infrastructure issue, limited toilets, eating venues, due to tourism boom. Food/beverage is expensive throughout country. Easily adds $500-800 to your trip.

We Traveled by van which is comfortable and great for viewing scenery but somewhat tight seating for taller passengers (very cramped knee-room for those at or over 6’).

Overall, liked tour and highly recommend.

Booked the 8 Day Ultimate Tour with Extreme Iceland although the actual tour was with Arctic Adventures. The tour included the 6 Days Around Iceland Adventure, a day trip to Snæfellsnes Peninsula, and a day hike at Landmannalauger. The tour companies provided detailed itineraries for these trips and also a list of what to bring. Be prepared, the weather can change rapidly.

The 6 days around Iceland Adventure highlighted many of the main attractions along the Ring Road and Golden Circle. Iceland is a scenic country with amazing waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes/lava fields, rock formations, cliffs, mountains, lakes, hot springs/geysers, and coastal areas and fjords all packed into a relatively small country. The tour afforded a good overview of these natural wonders as well as a glimpse into the history and lives of Icelanders. Enjoyed the short hikes to see waterfalls and other sites, the whale watching tour, getting up close and personal with the Icelandic horses, being on a glacier and seeing glacier lagoon. A little disappointed on the glacier walk as being in the slow group, we barely walked on the glacier despite the glacier guide telling us otherwise.

Overall, this tour was amazing, well organized and suited for a range of age groups. Our group was relatively small and included persons from around the world, lending to interesting conversations. Accommodations and accompanying breakfasts were good, and I particularly enjoyed those in rural locations, and the local foods. Enjoyed the stops in fishing villages and other villages, which afforded the opportunity to experience a bit of Icelandic culture. The days were sometimes long, but worth it. Just be patient when being picked up the first day, as there are several pick-up points.

Juri, our guide/driver, was excellent. He was informative, personable, easy going, sensitive to the group’s needs, and kept us on track time wise. He provided us with interesting bits of information on the history, people, myths, geology, climate, and biology of Iceland over the course of the tour, which really enhanced the tour. He also made recommendations for great dining spots. I highly recommend this tour and Juri as a guide.

The day trip to Snaefellsness Peninsula was with Andrea (guide). We visited a beach with a few seals resting on rocks, a black sands beach, coastal cliffs, basalt column cliffs, a lava cave, and more waterfalls and mountain scenery, and fishing village. Very interesting overall and Andrea was a pleasant guide.

The bus trip to Landmannalauger was long, but the hike (led by Saga, our competent guide) and views were well worth it. The colors of the mountains in Landmannalauger are absolutely stunning and the landscape is amazing everywhere you look. You have to see it because the landscape cannot be described by words; it was unlike anything I’ve seen. We hiked 2-3 hours through some lava fields, a valley and up Mt. Brennisteinsalda, a very colourful rhyolite mountain, and down the other side, ending in a walk through a green valley and more lava fields. There was a natural hot geothermal pool where you could bath and relax, but the weather was very cool and windy so I opted out of this activity. Highly recommend a trip to this area, whether a day trip or multi-day hike, as it is unique and beautiful. The long bus ride there and back would have been enhanced if the guides and bus driver had been more talkative and provided more description on the areas we passed through.

Our family (parents and adult "children" in their 20s) toured Iceland with Siggi, our guide from Arctic Adventures, and a wonderful group of companions the week of August 13th. Siggi was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. We enjoyed the fascinating history and stories about Iceland he shared with us, providing a fuller, more informative picture of the island than we would have had on our own. The tour hit many of the main attractions Iceland has to offer in an efficient manner, without feeling rushed and with down time to relax in the van as Siggi transported us around the island (there were many a time we thanked goodness Siggi was doing the driving and not us). We saw innumerable waterfalls, each one breathtaking and unique, hiked on a part of the Vatnajokull glacier, saw the lunar landscapes and mud pots at the Namaskaro geothermal area, thoroughly relaxed in the Myvatn Nature Baths (think silky smooth warm/hot water and soft sandy bottom), marveled at the Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon, and saw magnificent hunchback whales on a whale watching boat trip. The week was rainy, windy, and cold, but that did not deter our group from enjoying each site and each other's companionship. While the tour is rated at an "easy" level, there were plenty of opportunities for hiking up to waterfalls and other sites, and you could sit out any activity you may not feel up to. It was a visit we will all remember fondly, and are glad we took before Iceland becomes even more popular with tourists. We have already recommended Arctic Adventures to friends and family since our return.
A few tips: (1) if you plan to do the glacier hike, bring your hiking boots with ankle support, not hiking shoes (no worries if you do not have hiking boots, $10 gets you a loaner that worked just fine); (2) Icelanders say there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing, and they are right -- pack comfortable layers including water and wind-proof jackets and pants, you'll be glad you did; (3) food is super expensive, so just be prepared for sticker shock in the restaurants; and (4) speaking of food, do not miss the langoustine (lobster), it was our group's favorite meal. Enjoy!