DAY
ONE GL1
We
start our sightseeing tour after breakfast driving to ÞINGVELLIR,
the oldest parliament of the world and the beautiful lake ÞINGVALLAVATN, the largest natural lake in Iceland. Here you can
see how Iceland is cracking between two geographical plates distancing
each other leave as a hollow space in the earth where the crust falls in
and forms canyons and a very deep lake. The water coming through the lava
is so pure and good for drinking. At ÞINGVELLIR
you will see "DREKKINGARHYLUR",
the spot where women were drowned and nearby the place where men were
beheaded in case of executions.
We
proceed to GEYSIR, the most
famous hot spring in the world and the active STROKKUR
which erupts every few minutes some 10-20 meters high. We walk around the
geothermal area with many active bubbling small hotsprings and mud springs.
Then we leave this fascinating attraction to travel on to GULLFOSS "The golden Waterfall", where hundreds of tons of
glacial water cascade down some 32 meters into a deep river gorge. You
will be amazed by its beauty.
We
drive on to HOTEL RANGÁ where
we spend the night.
DAY
THREE GL1
We start the day exploring the wide open expanses of VATNAJÖKULL the largest glacier in Europe by snowmobile. This tour
through a magnificent and picturesque landscape where the glacier rules
will be unforgettable experience.
Afterwards we take a boat trip on the glacial lagoon JÖKULSÁRLÓN that is sprinkled with floating icebergs of all
sizes. This unique scenic adventure offers you outstanding opportunities
for photography.
We spend another night at HOTEL
SKAFTAFELL.
DAY
FIVE GL1
Today
we visit VESTMANNEYJAR, the
"Westman Islands" sailing from ÞORLÁKSHÖFN
to HEIMAEY, the largest of
the 15 islands and the only inhabitated one. We will see the volcanic
crater that was formed during the eruption from 1973. At this place the
ground is still hot and we can feel the volcanic heat rising from the
"hot spots" nearby.
Spend the night at HOTEL
VESTMANNEYJAR.
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DAY
TWO GL1
On
our way to SELFOSS we will
visit SKÓGAFOSS and SELJALANDSFOSS, two of numerous waterfalls that tumble down
hillsides all along the route. We make a short stop at SELLFOSS before we proceed to VÍK
IN MÝRDALUR, the southernmost village in Iceland and the only
coastal village in Iceland with no harbour. We will have a look at the
sandy beach of VÍK with its
large breeding colony for the arctic tern and REYNISDRANGAR,
where three rockstacks rise up to 66 m from the sea. According to the
local folklore are they trolls turned to stone at sunrise.
We
drive on to HJÖRLEIFSHÖFÐI,
a headland named after Hjörleifur, the foster-brother of Ingólfur
Arnarson, the first settler in Iceland. We drive on to KIRKJUBÆJARKLAUSTUR, the only centre of population in the district. This place has a long an
interesting history . Irish hermits, the "Papar" are believed
to have lived at KIRKUBÆR
before the Norse settlement of Iceland.
We
proceed to SKAFTAFELL
National Park that has an area of 500 km2.. The incredible
contrast between the white icecap, the
black basaltic sands, the mountains, muddy glacial waters and clear
brooks in narrow gulches, woodlands and a wide variety of flowering
plants is enough to amaze anyone. A hike through the arctic beauty of
this region will take you to SVARTIFOSS,
a waterfall, surrounded by black basalt columns.
We
spend the night at HOTEL
SKAFTAFELL.
DAY
FOUR GL1
We
drive to INGÓLFSHÖFÐI, a cape on the coast, named after the first
settler of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson, who spent his first winter there
in 874. We will go for an unforgettable excursion with the present farmer
to view the fascinating bird cliffs.
We drive to
INGÓLFSHÖFÐI, a cape on the coast, named after the first settler
of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson, who spent his first winter there in 874.
We will go for an unforgettable excursion with the present farmer to
view the fascinating bird cliffs.
We
proceed to DYRHÓLAEY the
southernmost point of the mainland with its rich birdlife. Here TÓIN
juts out into the sea with an fascinating opening in it large enough to
be passable by boats.
We head
on to visit SKÓGAFOSS and SELJALANDSFOSS,
two of numerous waterfalls that tumble down hillsides all along the
route before we explore ÞÓRSMÖRK, the
fascinating "Woods of Thor". To reach ÞÓRSMÖRK
we have to cross various un-bridged glacial rivers and the mouth of a
glacial lagoon, with floating icebergs at the foot of EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL, an ice covered volcano. ÞÓRSMÖRK is a broad valley with narrow canyons, caves and a
romantic birch forrest surrounded by glaciers on three
sides.
We spend the night at HOTEL RANGÁ
DAY
SIX GL1
We
sail back to ÞORLÁKSHÖFN We
drive to KRÍSUVÍKURBJARK where
we have a fascinating view of a seabird habitat in ocean cliffs. Looking
down seeing the North Atlantic Ocean's
waves crushing against the rock walls it is easy to imagine that many
fishing ships where lost here in previous centuries. After
this adventure its time for a refreshing bath in the famous BLUE
LAGOON. The mineral-rich water is world known for its healing
properties, especially for skin diseases. Bathing here should be one of
the highlights of your visit to Iceland. We proceed to REYKJAVÍK where we visit the famous shopping centre KRINGLAN
with an array of some 130 shops, restaurants and services. You will spend
your last night at HÓTEL ESJA in
REYKJAVÍK.
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