Join us for a week-long journey around Iceland’s Ring Road! Circle the entire country and explore all its wonders year-round, led by our top guides. From erupting geysers to thundering waterfalls. From black sand beaches to stunning ice tunnels. We’ll take you to the best spots and help you find the Northern Lights. Add extra activities to elevate your sightseeing experience: witness majestic whales, hike on the glacier, or walk inside an ice cave!
Choose between two great options:
You can begin to pack your bags! Meanwhile, we’ll take care of your comfortable accommodations for all seven days, with breakfast included.
From
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Activities included in the Adventure Package
Explore the most intriguing corners of Iceland, traveling in a small group setting on a carefully curated excursion! We’ll show you everything from the world-known attractions to the hidden local gems.
Each day after breakfast, we’ll explore different areas of this stunning Nordic island. You will stay at a hotel or guesthouse near the attractions we visited. Between September and April, you will have numerous opportunities to spot the aurora at night.
During this adventure, you will see three gems of the Golden Circle, countless wonders of the South Coast, untamed wilderness areas, lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, and so much more!
If you want to add to the excitement of your trip, choose the Adventure Package. This will secure you a place on a whale-watching boat in Dalvik and add exciting Vatnajökull glacier adventures to your attraction-packed itinerary.
Our journey starts in the beautiful capital - Reykjavik. After an early pick-up, we’ll head straight to the famous Golden Circle. This travel route consists of three main attractions. The first on the list is Thingvellir National Park. There, you’ll walk in the Rift Valley between the North American and Eurasian continents and uncover the site of the first Icelandic parliament.
Next, we’ll drive to the geothermal area at Haukadalur Valley. It is known to be home to numerous hot springs and geysers, among which the best-known are Geysir and Strokkur. Once the most powerful water-spouting phenomenon in the world, the Great Geysir is now dormant, but his neighbor will not let you go without a show. Strokkur shoots high fountains of water every 4-10 minutes and holds the title of being the most active geyser in the whole country. You will see it live, bursting right in front of your eyes!
We will wrap up our Golden Circle explorations with a visit to the Gullfoss Waterfall - a 105-foot (32 m) two-tiered giant, and continue our journey to the South Coast. There, we’ll stop by two other picturesque falls. You will walk behind the massive Seljalandsfoss and admire the rainbows forming over the mighty Skógafoss.
The final stop of the day will be at Reynisfjara black sand beach. This otherworldly-looking place is infused with myths and tales, which your guide will reveal as you explore. While wandering around the beach, majestic basalt formations rise dramatically from the earth.
The accommodation for the night will be at a country hotel in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur. From September to April, you might be lucky to spot the Northern Lights at night.
On the second day, after the hearty breakfast, we’ll continue our journey along the diverse South Coast toward Skaftafell and Vatnajökull National Park. This vast 13,600 km² protected wilderness is home to numerous natural wonders.
We will stop at Skaftafell Glacier to complete the glacier hike (Adventure Package), led by our certified glacier guide. You will receive all the necessary equipment, from crampons to helmets. As you set your foot on the glacier, you’ll be greeted with incredible icy vistas everywhere you look.
From October to April, the glacier hike is replaced with an exhilarating visit to the naturally forming Vatnajökull's crystal ice cave.
Next, we’ll head to the enchanting Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where you’ll witness a truly unique scene - hundreds of icebergs floating around the blue waters of the lake. These various-sized chunks of ice break from the edge of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. Some of them float in the water, and some are washed to the shore, creating the stunning Diamond Beach. You will not see anything like that anywhere else!
We’ll spend the second night at a comfortable accommodation in the Southeast area. In winter, we’ll try to find the Northern Lights at night.
After breakfast on the third day, we will board our minibus and drive through the scenic roads of the East Fjords to Egilsstaðir. The town’s lake, Lagarfljót, is surrounded by the legends of the snake-like monster living in its waters.
On our way, we’ll stop at Djúpivogur fishing village, home to just over 1100 people and way more birds. The area is known to be one of the main bird’s nesting locations in summer. You can see various species of geese, waders, ducks, and the well-loved puffins here.
Next, we’ll reach the Wilderness Center—an interactive historical center that offers many exciting activities like hiking or horse riding. It is also equipped with a cozy, authentic Spa open year-round. You can explore the wilderness exhibition, which showcases the life of Icelandic families from previous centuries. We will stay there for the night so you can enjoy a traditional dinner and relax in the Spa. In winter, it's a great location to watch the Northern Lights.
After departing from the Wilderness Center, we’ll head to Stuðlagil Canyon*, which features incredible basalt rock formations. They rise from the ground in the form of symmetrical columns that look like they’ve been hand-carved.
After admiring this phenomenon, we’ll go to the Námaskarð geothermal area, where you will walk through the steam vents and sulfuric mud springs. The ground is colored in various shades of pink, bright yellow, gray-blue, and green.
As we pass through the Lake Mývatn region, you'll see volcanic landscapes, including the 37-square-kilometer lake with over 50 islands. This area features unique pseudo craters formed by steam explosions and is named after the many midges found along its shores. It's also a prime birdwatching spot, home to over 115 species.
As an optional extra, you can relax at the popular Mývatn Nature Baths to soak in warm geothermal waters sourced from depths of up to 8,200 feet (2,500 meters). You can enjoy a drink from the swim-up bar and visit geothermal steam rooms.
After a relaxing visit to nature baths, we will continue to the Dimmuborgir lava formations. Translated as the “dark castles,” these volcanic columns formed over 2,300 years ago during a massive volcanic eruption. The most famous formation is Kirkjan—the Church. We will walk to it, and you will learn how it got its name.
On our way to Akureyri, we will stop at Goðafoss, one of Iceland's most beautiful waterfalls. This stunning waterfall drops 39 feet (12 meters) over a curved cliff and has paths leading to several viewpoints, giving you great angles to take pictures. The name "Goðafoss" means "Waterfall of the Gods," and it’s linked to a story about Iceland's conversion to Christianity in the year 1000.
The last stop for the day will be the fishing town of Akureyri, nicknamed the "Capital of North Iceland." We will stay there for the night, and if the sky is clear in winter, your guide can help you look for the aurora.
*Winter road conditions may block access to Stuðlagil, but we’ll offer equally exciting alternatives. Your safety comes first—thanks for understanding!
Prepare yourself because on the fifth day, we will go to Dalvik for the amazing whale-watching experience (Adventure Package). We will board the boat and look for the magnificent Humpback whales, porpoises, and dolphins. There is a chance you’ll see one of the whales breaching from the water!
After returning to the shore, we will continue to the charming coastal village of Siglufjörður. Once the “herring capital,” today the town is known for its historic importance and lovely multi-colored houses.
We will continue our explorations around the Tröllaskagi Peninsula (the Troll Peninsula). Your guide will tell stories and the history of each attraction. Then, we will reach our place of rest and accommodation for the night, Laugarbakki. If it’s winter, we will help you with the Northern Lights hunt.
The sixth day will be dedicated to Borgarfjörður area in West Iceland. In 2016, Lonely Planet nominated it as one of the best travel destinations. Our first stop will be the volcanic crater Grábrók. The short hike to the top will open a stunning panorama over lava fields that stretch far away into the distance.
Next, we will visit Europe’s most powerful hot spring, Deildartunguhver. Its flow reaches 47 gallons (180 liters) per second, and most of it is used for hot water supply and heating the homes of surrounding cities. Here, you will also visit the historical place Reykholt. You will stand by the hot spring pool of Snorri Sturluson, an early-13th-century historian and saga writer.
In contrast to the warm hot springs, we will visit some ice-cold waterfalls. Hraunfossar Falls are numerous small cascades flowing down the lava rocks. The nearby Barnafoss is known for its dark history in folklore and the exceptionally beautiful contrast of the blue waters against the lava rocks.
Afterward, we’ll drive to Sturlureykir farm for a chance to get to know the lovely Icelandic horses and interact with them up close.
Finally, after the wonder-filled day, we will take you to your hotel in Borgarnes for a good night's rest. And if you are not tired yet, we will show you how to look for the Northern Lights.
On the last day of our grand adventure, we will explore Iceland’s second-largest glacier from the Inside!
After leaving beautiful Borganes behind, we will head for a scenic drive to meet the second-largest glacier in the country - Langjökull. Once we get closer to the ice cap, we will switch to the large modified glacial vehicles that will take us to the tunnel entrance. Your guide will tell you about the glacier and its history of formation. Finally, we reach the entrance of the world’s largest ice tunnel. Together with the guide, you will then step into the world of ice and explore its walls.
After this breathtaking experience, we will return to our minibus and have a picturesque drive back, full of emotions from previous adventures. We will reach Reykjavik in the early evening and drop you off at the original pick-up location.
Pick-up starts at 08:00 from your hotel or a nearby authorized meeting point in Reykjavik. It can take up to 30 minutes for everyone to be picked up. Your patience is appreciated.
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s pick-up list.
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 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!
