Compare Iceland: Reykjavík & National Parks by Country Walkers vs Iceland: See & Experience it ALL in 9 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 8 days | 9 days |
| Price From | $ 7,498 | $ 3,675 |
| Price Per Day | $ 937 | $ 408 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Luxury |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Airfare included | Ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
Breakfast is included on Day 6. We do our best to ensure you are being offered healthy and tasty local cuisine. |
| Description |
The “Land of Fire and Ice” offers spellbinding landscapes unlike any on Earth: plummeting waterfalls ringed with green hills, iceberg-dotted lakes, smoking lava fields, and stark coastlines of black-sand beaches. In this unique country of Viking traditions, you explore deep fjords plied by minke whales and seals, walk silver-green heathland to majestic waterfalls, and relax in natural hot tubs heated by underground magma chambers. Enjoy highlights like the steaming volcano craters and bubbling mudpots of the north, the fishing villages and wild reindeer of the picturesque east, the dramatic glaciers of the south, and the fashionable city of Reykjavik to the west. You explore Europe’s largest migratory-bird sanctuary at Lake Mývatn, a peaceful oasis for red-breasted merganser, Eurasian teal, and eider that’s surrounded by steaming earth. In Þingvellir National Park, stand on the meeting site of Iceland’s thousand-year-old parliament, a dramatic rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pull apart—a testament to the country’s natural and cultural riches. |
You absolutely will not find another tour out there as packed with activities and attractions as this one, provided by CharlieTheTraveler. You will also not find another tour out there that offers it all ""FIRST CLASS,"" yet for a relatively low price. We have thousands of travelers taking this specific tour every year-and that's because no competitor can beat us on quality, price and substance. Below are just some examples of what you will see and do on this tour:
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Overnight: Flight from USA to Reykjavík, Iceland
Begin your adventure by departing from a convenient gateway city in the United States or Canada. Spend the first night aloft.
Arrival: Arrive in Reykjavík, Iceland
Accommodation: Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, Reykjavík
Upon arrival at Keflavík International Airport, after retrieving luggage and passing through customs, a Country Walkers representative holding a sign meets you as you exit the baggage-claim area. Please note that there may be up to a 45-minute wait if there are guests arriving within the same time frame. A small-group transfer is provided to your hotel in Reykjavík. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes. Upon arrival, you may store luggage in the event that your room is not ready. The remainder of the day is at leisure (no meals or activities included).
Day 1: Join Your Country Walkers Iceland: Reykjavík & National Parks tour
Accommodation: Hotel Rangá, Hella
Meals: Breakfast
Your guide(s) will meet you at the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, Reykjavík at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby. Your guide(s) will be wearing a Country Walkers shirt. Please be dressed for walking.
From Reykjavík, head for Þingvellir National Park, home to Iceland’s ancient parliament and an important traditional site for games, feasts, marriages, and trade. After lunch at a local farm, visit the geothermal waters of Geysir and the famous Gullfoss waterfall en route to your hotel in Hella.
Day 2: Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls; Vík cliff/beach walk
Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, Hnappavellir
Follow the Ring Road east, admiring the south coast’s dramatic black-sand beaches, soaring mountains, and glacier-fed waterfalls. Visit Skógar’s folk museum and enjoy a spectacular coastal walk under the Reynisfjall cliffs, then cross the moss-covered Eldhraun lava field to your hotel near Vatnajökull Glacier.
Day 3: Vatnajökull National Park
Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, Hnappavellir
Enjoy breathtaking scenery on today’s loop walk through Vatnajökull National Park, including waterfalls, heath, black sand desert, and Iceland’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull. This afternoon, visit the striking Ingólfshöfði headland, where a local farmer will regale you with tales of shipwrecks and ancient Norse settlers.
Day 4: Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon to Seyðisfjörður
Accommodation: Hótel Aldan, Seyðisfjörður
Gaze at blue-tinted natural ice sculptures and crystal turquoise waters during this morning’s stop at Jökulsárlón lagoon. After a delicious lunch of langoustines in Höfn, continue to your historic hotel in Seyðisfjörður.
Day 5: Skálanes Nature Reserve
Accommodation: Hótel Aldan, Seyðisfjörður
Snowcapped mountains, sandy beaches, lush meadows and the deep blue Seyðisfjörður Fjord create a magical backdrop for today’s walk in the Skálanes Nature Reserve. Watch for seals, whales, reindeer, and abundant birdlife.
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Mývatn
Accommodation: Hótel Reynihlíð (or equivalent), Reykjahlíð
Cross Iceland’s fascinating interior, stopping to admire the extraordinary scenery of Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon Park. This afternoon, proceed to the geologically active Mývatn/Krafla region, home to volcanic craters, lava fields, bubbling mud flats, and Europe’s largest migratory-bird sanctuary.
Day 7: Lake Mývatn
Accommodation: Hótel Reynihlíð (or equivalent), Reykjahlíð
Explore the Lake Mývatn region, visiting the awe-inspiring Hverfjall crater, the Dimmuborgir lava pillars, and the unique Mars-like geology of the Skútustaðagígar craters. Tonight, enjoy a celebratory farewell dinner.
Day 8: Your Country Walkers Iceland: Reykjavík & National Parks tour concludes
Accommodation: Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, Reykjavík
After enjoying your tour’s final lunch, you’re provided a small-group transfer to the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel in Reykjavík for your post-tour night. (Dinner is on your own.)
See Accommodation
Day 1: Whale Watching & Colorful Skies
From mid-May to mid-October, our tour starts in Iceland's second most visited city, Akureyri. Get ready to go on a whale watching tour. From late October to early May, whale watching is done instead in the capital that is Reykjavík. From September to early March, also included is a night tour to an area where we see the northern lights.
Day 2: A Lake Created by Lava & Geothermal Eruptions
As a land daytrip from Akureyri (mid-May to mid-October) or a flight daytrip from Reykjavík (late October to early May), we are taken on a tour to Goðafoss Waterfall, Lake Mývatn, a geothermal area called Hverir and Dettifoss Waterfall. Goðafoss waterfall has a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. Lake Mývatn was created by a large basaltic lava which erupted 2,300 years ago. The surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars. Dettifoss is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe.
Day 3: Approaching a Caldera & Bathing in a Crater or Iceland’s Best Bar Lagoon Accompanied with a City Tour
Today’s destinations and activities depend on the season. From mid-May to mid-October, as a daytrip from Akureyri, we first hike Askja Caldera and then visit a crater called Viti, the latter of which offers a pond where we go bathing. From late October to early May, we go bathing at a ‘fashionable’ geothermal spa called Sky Lagoon, located near to the capital. We are also provided with a tour of the capital.
Day 4: Why They Call This Area the ‘Golden Circle’
From mid-May to mid-October, we relocate from Akureyri to Reykjavík. From late October to early May, we are not based in Akureyri. Instead, we are still based in Reykjavík. Either way, today we are doing the so-called ‘Golden Circle’ as a daytrip from Reykjavík. Destinations include Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir/Strokkur geyser and Þingvellir National Park (a.k.a. Thingvellir National Park). Gullfoss is 32 meters tall and features not 1 but 2 drops. Geysir’s eruptions can hurl boiling water up to 70 meters in the air. Þingvellir is notable for its unusual tectonic and volcanic environment in a rift valley.
Day 5: One of the Ten Most Beautiful Beaches on Earth & Thundering Waterfalls
We leave Reykjavík and start the journey along the southeast coast. Highlights for today include Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skógafoss Waterfall and the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. We end up lodging in the Skaftafell area. The Seljalandsfoss Waterfall drops 60 meters. Visitors can walk behind the falls into a fascinating cave. Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country, with a width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters. Reynisfjara was ranked by National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches on Earth.
Day 6: Huge Icebergs, Exploring an Ice Cave & a Surreal Shoreline
Although today we head to Thorsmork Valley, many destinations are visited en route. They include Skaftafell Nature Reserve, Jökulsárlón Glacial Lake, the natural ice cave at Vatnajökull National Park and Diamond Beach. Skaftafell’s landscape is similar to some of the Alps. The difference is Skaftafell has been formed over thousands of years by different influences of fire and water. Jökulsárlón Lake provides outstanding views of icebergs which rise to a height of 910 meters. Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: (1) A View to a Kill, (2) Die Another Day, (3) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and (4) Batman Begins. Vatnajökull’s ice cave contains canals for water which run through or at the bottom of the glacier. Diamond Beach features icebergs which float onto the shore from Jökulsárlón.
*Note that the surreal looking Svartifoss Waterfall is sometimes-but not always-included on today’s tour. It depends on many factors, including the weather. Also, note that the ice cave is not open June through September. It is open only during the winter season.
Day 7: A Hiker's Paradise
Before returning to Reykjavík, we hike around Thorsmork Valley. The highlights are Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Stakkholtsgjá Canyon, Nauthúsagil Canyon and Gígjökull Glacier. This is arguably the best area in the country from where to go hiking.
Day 8: Mud Pools, Hot Springs & Blue Waters
From Reykjavík, we make a daytrip to the Reykjanes Peninsula: Lake Kleifarvatn, a geothermal area called Krýsuvík, Gunnuhver’s mud pools and hot springs and the Blue Lagoon. Krýsuvík consists of several geothermal fields. Here solfataras, fumaroles, mud pots and hot springs have formed. The soil is colored bright yellow, red and green. Nearby are several craters which were created by the explosions of overheated groundwater. The Blue Lagoon, one of the most visited attractions in Iceland, is a geothermal spa. There we enjoy bathing inside the warm water.
Day 9: Our Tour Ends Today
Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Reykjavík.
