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Iceland interior

Overview

A short but interesting tour, including the main highland tracks in Iceland, as well as the most popular highlights. The pace is not too fast, so you can enjoy yourself and take good time to see it all, but you will see very much of the country.

Highlights

• Kjölur highland track with the hot spring area Hveravellir
• Akureyri, the small but charming “Capital of the North”
• Lake Mývatn with all its wonders of nature, including Dimmuborgir Lava Labyrinth and Námaskarð solfataras.
• Dettifoss waterfall
• Sprengisandur highland track, where you will have to cross un-bridged rivers
• The magnificent and colourful area of Landmannalaugar
• Eldgjá, an enormous volcanic fissure
• Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, with its floating icebergs
• Skaftafell National park with Svartifoss waterfall
• Skógar with Skógafoss waterfall and the Skógar Folk Museum
• A view of Mount Hekla, Iceland’s most notorious volcano.
• Iceland’s most famous highlights: Geysir hot spring area and Gullfoss waterfall
• Þingvellir National Park, the site of Iceland’s ancient parliament.
• The capital Reykjavík
• The Blue Lagoon, a warm blue lake where you can take a refreshing bath
• And many more….

Practical Information

• This tour is available from June 20 through August
• It takes 7 nights and 8 days
• The tour must be driven in a proper 4x4 vehicle, Suzuki Vitara or bigger, or a Lada-Niva. We do not recommend the Suzuki Jimny for highland trips.
• You will drive from 200 up to 400 km per day, with a total of ca. 2.000 km during the week.
• You move from one hotel to another, changing hotels every day except possibly once.
• For prices, go to "Book now". You can check out the prices for the package of your choice without commiting to making a reservation!

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Keflavík airport, where you pick up your car. If you arrive in the afternoon, you can visit the famous Blue Lagoon, filled with natural hot water, rich in all kind of minerals. After a refreshing bath in the bizarre surroundings of lava fields and a geothermal plant, you drive to your accommodation in Keflavík or Reykjavík. If your flight arrives late in the evening, you drive straight to your accommodation, but then you will have time to visit the Blue Lagoon on your last day.

Day 2: Drive out of the city towards Þingvellir, After exploring this magnificent spot, you drive over Lyngdalsheiði for a first taste of unpaved roads, and visit the highlights Geysir and Gullfoss, before driving into Kjölur track, crossing the highland. On the way between the glaciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull you will pass by Hveravellir, a site with lots of hot springs. Further north, you pass the artificial lake created for the Hydro-Powerplant Blönduvirkjun. Finally, you return to civilisation and you check into your hotel in Skagafjörður.

Day 3: Continue over the impressive pass Öxnadalsheiði (550 m) to Akureyri, the most important town of the north. (290-390 km). After exploring Akureyri, you continue via Goðafoss waterfall to lake Mývatn, where you spend the rest of the day. At Skútustaðir, there are pseudo-craters. Dimmuborgir is a beautiful lava labyrinth with very strange lava formations, which provide shelter for the abundant vegetation. A walk is definitely indicated. Another visit is made to the Námaskarð solfataras, with their grey mud pools which are really cooking, the yellowish sulphur precipitations and the unforgettable smell. Also you can climb Mount Hverfjall or visit Grjótagjá – a small gorge which is filled with hot water, or Stóragjá, a similar phenomenon. Overnight in the Mývatn area. (250-300 km)

Day 4: Drive north along Tjörnes peninsula and make your first stop at Húsavík fishing village for a look at the picturesque harbour or, if you like, an optional whale watching trip. Then you continue to the horse-shoe-shaped gorge Ásbyrgi where you can take a short walk through a small but lovely forest. Next, you drive through Jökulsárgljúfur gorge, which is a national park. You will visit Hljóðaklettar rock formations and you shouldn’t miss Dettifoss, Iceland’s most powerful waterfall. After a pleasant walk to see the waterfall, you continue your way over a bumpy track, until you come back to the main road from where you drive back to Mývatn. Overnight either in Mývatn or in Akureyri.

Day 5: Today there is another highland adventure: you drive over Sprengisandur to the south of Iceland. On the way, You will visit the beautiful waterfall Aldeyjarfoss and if the weather is favourable you will get magnificent sights on Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers. In the middle of the highlands you have to cross two large rivers, so some adventure is guaranteed. You will see the large lakes that provide Iceland’s largest hydropower stations with water, before returning to civilisation. Late in the afternoon you check into a highland guesthouse.

Day 6: Another adventurous day, leaving civilisation again for a while to visit Landmannalaugar, with its many hot springs surrounded by very colourful mountains. From there you continue over a rough track to Eldgjá gorge, where you can hike to the charming waterfall Ófærufoss. You continue further until you return to the main road, which brings you to Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

Day 7: Drive from Kirkjubæjarklaustur further east. On the way you can make a stop at Dverghamrar with its basalt columns, and you can visit the tiny chapel at Núpsstaður. This brings you to the Skaftafell area, where you can take some time to enjoy the marvels of the Skaftafell National Park. You can actually drive all the way to the glacier tongue Svínafellsjökull, and there are many opportunities for hiking in the Park. A walk to Svartifoss waterfall (1 1/2 hrs in total) is a must! From there you can continue east along the south coast, and the first and most important stop of the day is at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. In this large lagoon immense icebergs float around, and you can even make a short boattrip among them, giving you really the opportunity to see them from close by. After this stop, you drive back the same way you came, and follow the main road along the south shore. You have the opportunity to visit Dyrhólaey bird cliff and the village of Skógar, with its lovely waterfall and charming folk museum. Overnight along the south coast (Skógar-Hella-Selfoss).

Day 8: Depending on the departure time of your flight, you either drive straight to Keflavík airport early in the morning, or you can spend some time exploring Reykjavík and visiting the famous Blue Lagoon for a refreshing bath in the blue, mineral-rich water.

Note: we reserve the right to reverse the itinerary.

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