Join an unforgettable 3-day excursion into the Icelandic South Coast & Golden Circle. Hike on top of a glacier, see powerful waterfalls, join a boat tour in Glacier Lagoon, admire Diamond beach, be amazed by basalt-rock formations on The Black Sand Beach.
Day 1: The Golden Circle You will be picked up from Reykjavík, between 8am and 8.30. When pick up is completed, off we go for our adventure! After pick up, you will head right away to Iceland’s most famous route.You’ll get the chance to experience everything that the area has to offer, including geothermal areas, waterfalls, and our favorite locals.
Thingvellir National Park: visit the place where the two tectonic plates, the North American and the Eurasian plate, are moving away from each other. Few places in the world offer a better and clearer view of this massive geographic activity. Not only is this vast park beautiful to look at, but it is also remarkable geographically, as the ridge that runs through it is comprised of two exposed tectonic plates: the Eurasian and North American plates pull apart here, giving you the unique opportunity to walk between continents.The biggest natural lake in Iceland is also located at Thingvellir National Park and hosts a great variety of fish and bird life. Thingvellir is also an important place for Icelandic national history. At Thingvellir Icelanders founded their parliament in 930 a.d. where the chieftains had their annual meeting every summer. The name “Thingvellir” translates to “Parliament Plains”.
The Geysir geothermal area: it hosts hundreds of colorful hot springs and two geysers hot springs: one is dormant and it's called “Geysir”, that named all the geysers in the world after its name; the other one is called “Strokkur”, which erupts every 5 minutes up to 40 meters.
Gullfoss Waterfall: the melting water from Iceland´s second biggest glacier, Langjökull, falls into a deep canyon forming the majestic “Golden Falls”. On a sunny day, you can see the glacier Langjökull in the distance and enjoy a rainbow in the mist of the waterfall, an Instagram blockbuster waiting to happen!
Day 2: The South Coast
Seljalandsfoss: the adventure begins with the powerful theatrics of Seljalandsfoss. Bring a raincoat and you’ll be able to make the short hike behind the falls. The scene behind the fall and the trembling ground from the power of the falling water makes for an automatic Instagram blockbuster!
Skógafoss waterfall: further east along the coast is Skógafoss waterfall. Skógafoss is an incredibly picturesque sight. Tucked in a little gorge, the river Skógá tumbles down a 60 meter cliff before continuing down the landscape towards the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the gorge a staircase can take you to the shelf above the waterfall for stunning views. See if you can count your steps on your way up.
Glacier Hike: We will hike an outlet glacier spawning from one of the largest glaciers in the country. After meeting our highly trained glacier guides and strapping on our safety and glacier equipment, including helmets, harnesses, crampons and ice axes we hike on the ice for an hour and a half. A spectacular experience and opportunity to learn more about this breathtaking and increasingly rare natural phenomena.
Day 3: Boat ride in The Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón: the Glacier Lagoon is a 200m deep glacial lagoon fed by Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Europe’s largest glacier. Enormous icebergs come from Breiðamerkurjökull all year round so the lagoon is usually filled with ice that floats south. We will bring you on a boat ride (inclided in the price) among the icebergs to explore the lake and maybe spot some seals, sunbathing on the icechunks. Try walking alongside the glacier lagoon enjoying the magnificent views and dead silence of Icelandic nature.
The Diamond Beach: on the other side of the road the icebergs from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon float into the Atlantic Ocean where they are quickly thrown back to shore by the tide and winds. This black sand beach is full of smaller ice rocks in all shapes and sizes, sparkling like diamonds in the daylight. The ice itself comes in all shades of white and blue forming beautiful contrasts, guaranteed to make your Instagram account pop!
Reynisfjara, the Black Sand Beach: later, we visit the black sand beach of Reynisfjara where the Atlantic coastline presents massive waves hitting the unique basalt columns in the cliffs above the sand. Rock pillars in the water and the cliffs of Dýrhólaey are seen in the distance. This area of the south is also a paradise for bird lovers, as puffins and dozens of other unique species nest on top of these cliffs in the summertime from June to August.
Return to Reykjavik You can expect to arrive back in Reykjavik around 19.00 on day 3, depending on traffic and roads
Please note:
Age limit for Glacier Hike is 8 years old.
Toilet stops: You will have plenty of chances for bathroom breaks and to buy snacks on the way.
Food: We stop at locations like gas stations and small shops where you can buy snacks/sandwiches and drinks.
At lunch time we will also stop at locations where you will find warm lunch options.
For dinner, all hotels have restaurants, so you can choose if you’d like to have dinner there.
Vegan or vegetarian options are offered almost everywhere
