8-Day Iceland Winter Minibus Tour

Cost was about $2600/person for an 8-day driving tour around Iceland in September 2026. Some general thoughts: Download WhatsApp as it was used to share information among the group. Weather changes rapidly; recommend layers and waterproof top and bottom as most of the sites are outside and short walks, e.g. waterfalls (we rented tops and bottoms from Troll; they worked very well but they are just a shell to keep you dry and are not insulated). Pick-up on day 1 was on-time. Tour days begin at about 8:30a and end at about 5p each day. Plenty of bathroom stops (longest gap was a little more than 2 hrs), but some places charge for bathroom access ($2-3, you can use a credit card). Hotels are clean and what we would consider to be a 3-star on a 5-star scale (note: it did not appear there were a lot of luxury hotels outside of Reykjavik). Double rooms have individual twin beds, shower space is tight. Rooms can be warm even if you open a window vent each room has (although the rooms are warm, the also beds have heavy comforters). Breakfast was included each day, all other meals were on your own; we never had a bad meal at the recommended restaurants but, wow, meals (and everything else in Iceland) are expensive, e.g., before the tour started we had a basic breakfast of bacon and eggs with coffee and a pastry; it was $80+. It is hard to do a sit-down dinner for 2 people for less than $100 in Iceland. No tipping in Iceland at restaurants. Our tour was about 18 people (all adults over 40, most from the US), and we had about an 18-passenger van. It was cozy but comfortable (we had a good group and changed seats each day to allow everyone the chance to sit closer up). Note the overhead compartment in the van is quite small, possibly too small for even a backpack. Walks on the tour were quite easy. The glacier walk excursion could be a challenge for some (heights/difficult terrain/uneven or tall steps). The sights were visited were beautiful. We had several stops each day to see glaciers, waterfalls, small towns and other scenery. With the good weather we even went to some locations known to our guide but not normally on the tour. On two nights we had wonderful views of the Northern lights. Some lunch stops along the route were at a food court/rest stops along the route, but the food was not bad. Good vegetarian options at most places, hardest at the food court/rest stop locations. Our guide was Thor, a native Icelander, and we were quite fortunate to have him. In addition to being a tour guide and expert on Iceland geography and Viking lore, he’s a search and rescue expert which was lucky when one of the tour members fell onto some rocks and needed medical care. Thor was able to get him to medical care, and back on the tour within 2 hrs. Thor was quite engaging with the group, creating early relationships with each of us and accommodating requests as best he could. It is noted Thor was a one-man show the entire week – driver, tour guide, luggage handler, reservation maker and all other roles. One kind suggestion for Thor might be to expand on some his answers, i.e., more than a “yes” or “no,” but we are also guessing that when some questions were asked he may have had a lot on his mind as we drove as he was doing several things at once. Although there is no restaurant tipping, we did express our appreciation to Thor at the end of the tour. Big questions: 1) Would we use Troll tour company again? Yes. 2) Was the tour worth the cost? Yes, we think so. 3) Anything to be aware of? This is an outdoor tour, make sure you know what the weather can be in Iceland (even in summer) and dress properly for it. Appropriate clothing = a fun week. Improper clothing could = a wet, cold, miserable week.

I’ve just finished an incredible 8-day tour around Iceland starting from 30Aug, and I honestly couldn’t be happier with the experience! A huge thank you to our amazing tour guide, *John*, for making the trip so special. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and always made sure we were having a great time. His passion for Iceland really showed, and he went the extra mile to make the journey memorable — including some fantastic extra stops along the way. I also want to say thank you to everyone in our group. I met so many wonderful, kind, peaceful, and fun people, and that made the whole experience even better. 🤗 I would definitely recommend Tröll Expeditions to anyone wanting to explore Iceland. The scenery was breathtaking, but having a great guide and a wonderful group made the adventure even more enjoyable. Thank you again, John, and thank you to everyone who made these 8 days so memorable. I hope our paths cross again someday! 🇮🇸❤️ Wishing everyone good health, happiness, and plenty of smiles. And of course, let’s keep in touch! 🤗 Thank you for an unforgettable Iceland adventure! 🇮🇸💙

Haffi showed us an A+ experiance here on the island. I will recommend this company because of the good price for all we did and him as the guide to request to everbody I tell about my trip.

Amazing experience!! My mum and I absolutely loved the tour. Our guide, Gylfi, was absolutely brilliant, funny, and always kind and knowledgeable. We were apprehensive going on a tour but it was wonderful. Breathtaking nature, comfortable bus, lovely hotels with great breakfast, awesome guide… Fairly accessible as well. Highly recommended! Emmanuelle and mum Joëlle

I had a wonderful time and Jon was The perfect guide to discover that fantastic country! I recommend him! Thanks again for all!