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Join our nominated "Best Tour of 2019 in Iceland" by TourRadar and travel the famous Ring Road of Iceland in a small group. Visit some of the most amazing destinations around Iceland!
This six-day Iceland tour is a fabulous option for people who want to make the most of their time in Iceland.
You go further, explore more, straying off the beaten track. Get up close and personal with a glistening glacier, gushing geysers, majestic volcanoes, and astounding waterfalls. Relax in the Vök Baths, watch the north whales, meet travelers from all over the world, and craft incredible memories. In winter, climb through ice caves and marvel at the Northern Lights.
We also offer this tour with two nights in Reykjavík extension with accommodation. Please have a look at our 8-Day Iceland Ring Road Tour.
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This Iceland tour will give you the best possible experience.
Iceland has something unique to offer at any time of year. Here are these tour's seasonal extras:
From late August until April, search for the magical Northern Lights dance across the sky. From October to April, we replace the glacier hike with a thrilling journey through the Crystal Ice Cave.
In summer, the Arctic midnight sun reigns supreme, and puffins are often spotted along the coastline, so we make time to enjoy these. We could be lucky enough to cross paths with reindeer in the East. In September, there is often time to go to a sheep round-up somewhere in the countryside - learn how real farming people do things.
Here you can find a detailed list of information about everything you need to know about this tour:
Please be ready at your pick-up location in Reykjavík at 08:00 am. The pick-up process takes up to 30 minutes, so you may have to wait a few minutes, depending on where you are in Reykjavik. The first day of this round trip is mainly focused on exploring the attractions of the famous Golden Circle.
We visit Þingvellir National Park, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its geological and historical significance. Here, the Icelanders founded their historic Parliament in 930 CE, Alþingið, one of the first democratic governments in the world. The Law Speaker had one of the most dramatic ‘platforms’ in the world to proclaim the law. The cliff of the mighty rift valley stood at his back. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs right through Þingvellir. The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates continue to edge apart, slowly widening the rift valley. The Geysir hot spring area will be our next destination.
Geysir is the spouting hot spring that gave its name to this phenomenon when the English word ‘geyser’ was adopted. Watch the Strokkur hot spring erupt with incredible jets of hot water and steam every few minutes and see the bubbling fumaroles. The mighty Gullfoss waterfall is the final Golden Circle attraction. See the dreamy golden-hued mist rising from the spray as the Hvítá (the White River) pours down from Langjökull (the Long Glacier) roaring through the rugged canyon. Gullfoss drops 32 m in two stages.
On the way to our accommodation at a country hotel near Kirkjubæjarklaustur, we will visit both Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss is a very unusual waterfall because it is possible to walk behind the cascade, giving a unique vantage point.
After you stop at your hotel for the night, from September through April, you can go out searching for the Northern Lights with the help of your guide if the forecast is in your favor.
We explore the atmospheric Reynisfjara black sand beach with the glorious Reynisdrangar peaks and visit the basalt column cave. Then it is over to the glaciers!
We pass the great Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which houses one of the most famous and feared volcanoes beneath its ice, the capricious Katla. You will get a glimpse of the great fire maestro in good visibility! Witness the results of previous volcanic eruptions as we drive across the Eldhraun lava field to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park. Skaftafell is a true oasis with green birch forests and lush vegetation, a verdant jewel amid the rough black sand desert.
Floating icebergs in Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
We will take a three-hour glacier hike, guided by our specialist glacier guide, on an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. We replace the glacier hike with a magical journey through the Crystal Ice Cave from October to April.
Next on the agenda is the famous Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Gaze in wonder at the magical iceberg-filled lagoon and see the famous Diamond Beach, its coal-black sands peppered with the glittering crystal, blue/white icebergs which have been washed ashore. You will feel you are in a film scene, and in a way, you will be - footage of James Bond and other movies has been shot here.
In the evening we will lay down our heads at comfortable accommodation near Hofn. From September to April, slip away from the guesthouse at night to chase the Northern Lights.
Today we will explore the East Fjords of Iceland. We continue threading our way along the coastline, driving some narrow roads around Hvalnes, a magnificent and remote peninsula, and the stretch around the Þvottárskriður landslides between Lóns and Álftafjarðar.
We will stop at Djúpivogur, a traditional small fishing village that is also home to a fine outdoor sculpture, Eggin í Gleðivík (meaning The Eggs of Merry Bay).
We will finish the day by soaking in geothermal Vök Baths surrounded by the amazing scenery of Lake Urriðavatn, they are distinguished by their modern design and the only floating infinity pools in Iceland. Enjoy hot baths there is an optional extra, which you can do at your own cost, please make sure to book it as an extra during the booking process.
After the baths, we will jump in the car again and move on to Egilsstaðir, the largest town in East Iceland, where we will relax in a hotel for the night.
Today we are on our way to the north of the country. From Egilsstaðir, we drive to Stuðlagil Canyon, one of the world’s most enchanting basalt rock formations and head over the wilderness around Möðrudalur, the highest farm in Iceland for generations and now the highest inhabited place and restaurant, at 469 m. We will stop at Dettifoss, Europe's most powerful waterfall. The voluminous flow is genuinely impressive!
We then explore the mystical landscapes around the lake at Mývatn. From here, it just gets more surreal – we head to the steaming lunar landscapes of the Námaskarð geothermal area. See boiling hot springs, steaming fumaroles, and technicolor bubbling mud pots. The wonders continue when we visit the fantastic Dimmuborgir formations, known as the Dark Castles!
The vast and dreamy crescent-shaped waterfall - Goðafoss, is the last stop of the day before we journey to Eyjafjörður, an outstandingly beautiful fjord with high mountains.
Our accommodation for the night will be at a country hotel in Akureyri. You will also have a chance to explore the fishing town in the north. Your guide will help you find Northern Lights viewing areas near the hotel from November to March.
Occasionally there is time to make a short stop at Akureyri, the Capital of the North. We always drive through this charming town, passing through the mesmeric scenery along Eyjafjörður (the Island Fjord) on the way to the little fishing town of Dalvík.
Your whale-watching boat trip departs from the traditional working harbor. During the 3-hour boat trip, you can expect to spot humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, and sometimes even a majestic blue whale showing up in the bay. If you are lucky, you might see one!
When we step ashore, we drive to Siglufjörður, a charming fishing village with a rich history. In the early 20th century, there was a gold rush atmosphere when the remote community became the herring fishing capital of the Atlantic. Your journey around Tröllaskagi (the Troll Peninsula) will show you some of Iceland's best ocean scenery and skiing areas. The characterful small villages on this peninsula will give you a good insight into how life was/is lived in the remote Icelandic villages. Our drive will take us through some thriving agricultural areas on our way to Laugarbakki.
Your accommodation for the night will be at a small hotel in Laugarbakki. Chase the Northern Lights on winter evenings (September-April).
On this, our final day, we will find ourselves in West Iceland – an area which Lonely Planet voted as one of the best destinations in 2016. Your day will begin with a short hike up to Grábrók, a volcano crater. There are fabulous views over the lava field and the whole area on a clear day. Borgarfjörður has many splendid sights, and we will focus on these today. We stop at Deildartunguhver hot spring, the legendary waterfall, Barnafoss (the Children´s Waterfall), and the Hraunfossar cascade, the atmospheric very low and wide falls where the water emerges, literally straight out of the lava field.
Next on the agenda is the historic and picturesque site of Reykholt, home to Snorri Sturluson, the Icelandic historian, lawyer, politician, poet, and author of some Icelandic Sagas. See Snorralaug, Snorri´s pool, dabble your fingers, and feel the water temperature in the place where Snorri is likely to have bathed! We will drive around the scenic fjord, Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord), on our way back to Reykjavík. We expect to arrive in the city around 5 – 6 pm.
Pick-up is at 08:00 am 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.
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. 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!
