3-Day Iceland Bucket List Tour

Today we head westward! We want you to see the diverse wonders, Snæfellsnes is renowned for. We’ll stop to admire Búðakirkja, the 19th-century church.

Then it's a visit to Arnarstapi, a charming village with a beautiful view.  The nature around Arnarstapi is genuinely amazing! While in town, you’ll have the opportunity to visit Miðgjá stone bridge, a natural rock arch off the coast.

In Snæfellsjökull National Park, surrounded by lava fields, there are great views of Snæfellsjökull glacier, the location which Jules Verne chose as the doorway to the center of the earth - we can thank his book, Journey to the Center of the Earth, for making this majestic glacier world famous.

The black pebble beach of Djúpalónssandur has astonishingly shaped cliff formations, fascinating history and great stories of shipwrecks. You will see the ‘lifting stones,’ used in the olden days to determine if men were strong enough to work on the fishing boats. Today, these lifting stones are very popular with tourists.

Moving on, we travel through glorious landscapes exploring the north side of the peninsula, stopping at Grundarfjörður, a lovely little town with a picturesque garden and great sea views. Just a short distance away we stop to enjoy Mount Kirkjufell. Rising 463 m, this is probably the most photographed mountain in Iceland, its iconic image has appeared everywhere.

Next, we will travel over the legendary Berserkjahraun lava field. The Viking legend tells us this is the area where, in Pagan times, two Swedish “berserkers“ created the first road in Iceland.

Before we return to Reykjavík we stop at an incredibly cute waterfall where you can walk to an amazing viewing point above it. Finally, we will drive by Gerðuberg to see the geometric basalt columns, people are amazed by this lava paradise.

After a first day imbued with magic, you will be dropped off in Reyjavík early in the evening.

The Golden Circle is the most popular sightseeing route in Iceland, a 300 km loop taking you to three great attractions and through beautiful Icelandic scenery. Your guide will tell you all about the places you are traveling through and share some fun local stories. Did you know, on a clear day, you get views of the Hekla volcano as you travel the Golden Circle?

At Þingvellir National Park you will visit the most important historical site in Iceland, the place where the Viking settlers founded the Alþing, the oldest continuously existing democratic parliament in the world in the year 930. There is more to this place than great history, you will see the Almannagjá cliff framing the area where this ancient parliament met.

Here the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates have been moving apart for around 11,000 years creating Almannagjá and some extraordinary scenery. There has been a lot of volcanic activity here in the past but nowadays those volcanic landscapes are covered with moss. You will get great views of Þingvallavatn, the biggest natural lake in Iceland and the lovely traditional wooden church.

We stop at Geysir, the geothermal area at Haukadalur where we will see Great Geysir, and Strokkur. Great Geysir is the hot spring whose name gave us the English word “geyser”, however, it is now inactive, but Strokkur, a neighboring hot spring is very active! Every few minutes you will see Strokkur spouting impressive jets of scalding water up to 30 m high - always a great moment.

Not so far from Geysir, we will come to the most popular waterfall in Iceland, the majestic and turbulent Gullfoss. Pathways lead to excellent viewing points, watching the powerful glacial river, Hvítá, force its way through this 70 m high canyon, and dropping 32 m in two stages is magnificent. The mystical grandeur of Gullfoss is enhanced by the golden-toned water vapor which can be seen around the turbulent cascade. Gullfoss translates to ‘Golden Fall’ in English.

We will take you to the Secret Lagoon, the oldest swimming pool in Iceland, which was a secret treasure of the people in this locality for many years. The official Icelandic name is Gamla Lónið, meaning the ‘Old Lagoon’. This pool is idyllic and totally charming, set in the midst of unspoiled Icelandic nature in an area filled with geothermal hot springs. When you bathe here, you can see geothermal hot springs which gurgle cheerfully as you luxuriate in the 38 to 40 C water. There is even a spouting geyser to entertain you! We travel back over the Hellisheiði pass and get back to Reykjavík around 18:00.

Our first stop will be at the breathtaking Seljalandsfoss waterfall. The 60-m high cascade is stunning, this is the famous Icelandic waterfall that you can walk behind! After a short walk, we will visit Gljúfrabúi, also known as “the hidden waterfall”. Crossing the ice-cold river to see the waterfall can be a challenge, but the reward you’ll get is amazing!

Driving along Iceland's South Coast, you will get views of the Hekla volcano and the infamous Eyjafjallajökull glacier-volcano.

Next on, we will embark on yet another adventure. A glacier hike is an experience everyone should try at least once. Your certified glacier guide will help you safely navigate the ancient ice formations and tell you some glacier history.

After the glacier hike, we will head to Reynisfjara black sand beach, known for its big waves and basalt columns. You’ll see the Reynisdrangar cliffs, which, based on the legend, are nothing else than trolls who were turned into stone by the rising sun.

We will show you another great waterfall today, Skógafoss, which drops 60 m from the sea cliffs of the ancient coastline. If you explore the right side of the falls you will see the ‘troll face’ which stares directly at the falls. Perhaps your guide will recite the legend about the troll who, transfixed by the beauty of these falls, forgot the time and was turned to stone by the morning sun!

We then return to Reykjavík arriving before midnight after three days of Icelandic magic.

Pick-up Information: Pick-up from your hotel or nearby selected meeting point in Reykjavik is at 08:00 am. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes so your patience is greatly appreciated.

Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s pick-up list.

Accommodation and meals are not included. All tours commence from Reykjavík, so you will need to arrange accommodation in the city. Pick up and drop off are available from various points for each of the day tours.