In the land of fire and ice, summer is the perfect time to experience all the natural wonders of the Icelandic landscape. With the help of the midnight sun, travelers to Iceland in June, July and August benefit from seemingly never-ending daylight hours, allowing ample time for sightseeing and exploring. Begin your trip in the northernmost capital city in the world, Reykjavík, where you will stroll the colorful streets of the 101, or downtown district. Take time to appreciate the city's coastal location as the Gulf Stream breezes tend to keep the city warmer than most others at similar latitudes.
This seven-day trip includes all the highlights of a young, geothermic island — roaring waterfalls, hot springs, glaciers, volcanoes, cliffs and valleys — perfect for the adventure-seeker and nature lover alike.
Our itineraries are for your inspiration. Please contact a travel advisor to customize this itinerary to fit your needs.
Welcome to Iceland! Meet your guide and enjoy breakfast before setting out to explore. With an abundance of space, clean air and natural green energy, Reykjavík revels in its reputation as one of the most modern, forward-thinking societies in Europe.
Return to your hotel in the afternoon, enjoying the evening to yourself to recover from your journey.
Your private guide will greet you this morning for your day tour of the Golden Circle.
In one day you can see all the spectacular highlights. Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage property, is Iceland's greatest historical site and a place of tremendous geological interest. A short ride across fertile farmlands to the south reveals the breathtaking Gullfoss 'Golden' Waterfalls, where traversing a narrow path provides close-up views of the thundering waterfall below. Only a few minutes away is the Geysir geothermal area where hot springs are in abundance, geysers explode and pools of mud bubble like a cauldron.
Enjoy lunch inside a greenhouse at a local farm that serves food from its land, then return to Reykjavík for the evening.
Transfer this morning with your guide to Landeyjahöfn harbor via the first part of the south coast, a drive of approximately two and a half hours, where you will take a local ferry to the Westman Islands, a cluster of islands in the south.
Heimaey was the site of a massive volcanic eruption in 1973. It buried almost a third of the town under lava and the rest under ash and pumice. It has since recovered and is now one of Iceland’s most successful fishing ports.
Enjoy a private tour of Heimaey, including a visit to Eldheimar Volcano Museum that focuses on the 1973 eruption. You will also enjoy a demonstration of “sprang,” a local way of rope-swinging in the cliffs to pick eggs from seabirds.
Enjoy a Viking lunch inside a turf house set in a little valley on the island.
After lunch you will embark on a boat trip around the island, enjoying the beautiful scenery and seabirds nestling in the cliffs. The boat tour gives you a look at colorful ocean caves, the newly formed volcanic island of Surtsey, and other Westman Islands. Our trip ends by sailing into the Cliff Cave near the harbor, where you will experience a musical surprise.
Return to the mainland where you will meet your Jeep driver ready to take you on your next adventure.
Today you will take a rugged track through several unbridged rivers, into Thórsmörk Nature Reserve. This very special deep valley, with glacial tongues descending down the mountain sides from the ice caps, surrounded on three sides by the glaciers. The whole region is an oasis with surprising richness of birdlife and vegetation. Because it's difficult to access and without a proper road, the average traveler rarely gets to see this jewel of the Icelandic landscape.
Explore one of Thórsmörk’s beautiful canyons from within as you wade through a narrow fissure. Neoprene waders and helmets are provided.
Return to Reykjavík for the evening.
Today will be about relaxing in the milky-blue waters of the famous Blue Lagoon.
Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you to the Blue Lagoon (45-minute drive).
The Blue Lagoon is a unique natural pool of mineral-rich geothermal water located in the middle of a lava field in the beautiful Icelandic wilderness. You will get to enjoy two hours in the water and then a meal at the LAVA restaurant before your driver returns you to your hotel in Reykjavík.
Today you will drive into West Iceland to Hvalfjörður (whale fjord), where you will explore the fertile region of Borgarfjörður. You will visit the picturesque Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls and see Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful hot spring.
You will continue onto Húsafell, a unique natural gem in a magnificent landscape and one of the most visited destinations in Iceland. The mild weather, forest, hot springs and facilities and services, which have been offered to tourists there in recent years, attract many visitors every year. Lunch will be at Hotel Húsafell.
After lunch you will visit an indoor-outdoor museum featuring sculptures of the artist and musician Páll Gudmundsson. Gudmundsson primarily creates sculptures of people's faces (most notably Johann Sebastian Bach, Björk and the Icelandic writer Thor Vilhjálmsson) out of rocks he finds near Húsafell.
Return to Reykjavík.
This morning your private driver will pick you up at your hotel three hours prior to the departure of your flight, and transfer you to Keflavík International Airport.
Contact a travel advisor to book your custom itinerary. Fill out the form or call (630) 734-4610.
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