The Magic of Iceland Tour

Tour #: IST 125
Duration: 12 days - not including US departure day
Tour Date:
IST 125 = Sunday 10 August-Friday 22 August 2008 sold out

Minimum/Maximum Tour Size: 8/12 passengers

General Description:

This very successful tour (our eight year of offering it!) is a great introduction to Iceland - the land, the people and its culture. As a small group, you will travel mostly off the beaten track and experience the freedom of less visited areas. Enjoy Iceland’s magical natural paradise at Lake Mývatn, its saga regions, beautiful fjord coastlines in the Northwest and the stunning glacier at the end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Iceland Saga Travel and Ísafold are pleased once again to bring you this private tour.

Departure day - Sunday: US
Leave US on evening flight from Icelandair gateway (see below).

Day 1 - Monday: Reykjavík
Arrive in Iceland in the morning. Take the comfortable FlyBus from Keflavík International Airport to your accommodations. Spend the day relaxing or exploring the capital city of Reykjavík. Optional tours include a city tour, whale watching cruise or visit to the nearby countryside for a horseback tour. Contact IST for tour options. Overnight in Reykjavík.

Day 2 - Tuesday: Reykjavík - Kjölur - Skagafjörður (B, D)
Our first stop will be at the volcanic crater Kerið, with its aqua lake on the bottom. From there we pass by the beautiful church at the cultural site and former bishopric Skálholt. After a short drive from there we will pay a visit to a greenhouse village, look into a unique geothermally operated flower-growing greenhouse and enjoy a very special welcome drink out of cucumber ‘glasses’. It’s a custom to eat your glass afterwards! Then we drive eastward to the spectacular natural sights Geysir and Gullfoss - two stops on Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. We will drive north along the interior road Kjölur to Skagafjörður, stopping at the geothermal fields of Hveravellir, location of a remote hot springs for an option to bathe in a natural hot pool! Upon arrival in Skagafjörður we head to the small but comfortable Hotel Tindastóll in the harbor town Sauðárkrókur, where we will stay our first two nights in the countryside.

Day 3 - Wednesday: Skagafjörður (B, D)
In the morning we will visit the geothermal pool at Reykir at Reykjaströnd, the place where the saga hero Grettir the Strong swam to the island Drangey. Later in the morning we will stop for a horse riding show at a farm in Skagafjörður Valley, home of Iceland’s top horse breeders. People interested in trying out the Icelandic horse will have an opportunity here for a short riding tour (at additional cost). In the afternoon we’ll go on a boat tour from the harbor town Sauðárkrókur out to the islands on the bay, have the possibility to spot some whales and even try our luck at catching a cod or two. In the afternoon we’ll visit a restored turf farm in the Skagafjörður area and enjoy a chance to try various Icelandic food specialties and Icelandic schnapps.

Day 4 - Thursday: Skagafjörður - Siglufjörður - Akureyri - Lake Mývatn (B, D)
We start the morning by having a look at the popular Emigration Museum in Hofsós on our way to and through the historic “herring town” Siglufjörður, offering the very special herring exhibition and show. We drive further on through the towns Ólafsfjörður, Dalvík and Akureyri, and on to our accommodations for the next two nights close to the natural paradise at Lake Mývatn.

Day 5 - Friday: Myvatn - Húsavík - Dettifoss - Mývatn (B, D)
This day we make a big loop tour with stops at the quaint fishing village of Húsavík and the national park of Jökulsárgljúfur with many gems of nature such as the waterfalls Góðafoss and Dettifoss and the surroundings of Lake Mývatn. Here you’ll enjoy the great evening buffet of Hótel Sel before returning to our countryside hotel accommodation.

Day 6 - Saturday: Akureyri - Gauksmyri (B, D)
We have time to enjoy the morning in the surroundings of Lake Mývatn before we drive back west through the charming town of Akureyri with a stop there for time to browse and also to buy some tree plants for planting on day 9. This day’s accommodation is planned at Gauksmýri, location of one of Iceland's premier horse farms.

Day 7 - Sunday: Gauksmyir - Hólmavík - Dalir (B, D)
In the morning we drive past the scenic fjord of Hrútafjörður on Hólmavík, the largest village in the region. Here we visit the witchcraft museum, informing us about the mystical days, which characterized this area in earlier times. In the afternoon we continue via Thorskafjarðarheiði to Thorskaffjörður where we will leave our contribution to the reforestation of Iceland by each planting a small tree. We conclude the day in the Dalir region at our accommodations.

Day 8 - Monday: Dalir - Stykkishólmur - Hellnar (B, D)
Today we head toward Laxadalur to Eiriksstaðir. Here we visit the restored farmhouse of the world famous Viking and explorer Erik the Red and the birth place of his son Leif Eirikson. We head on to Stykkishólmur located on the Snæfellsnes peninsula where we will take an afternoon boat cruise around the islets of Breiðafjörður bay, renowned for its stunning beauty. We conclude the day by crossing the peninsula to Hellnar, our accommodations for the next two overnights.

Day 9 - Tuesday: Hellnar - Arnarstapi - Ólafsvík (B, D)
We spend today exploring the beautiful peninsula of Snæfellsnes. A focal point of the scenery is the glacier and volcano, Snæfellsjökull, the starting point of the Jules Verne novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth." The shoreline is equally captivating with its cliffs and volcanic rock formations. We will enjoy walks along the coastline and visit the villages of Arnarstapi, Rif and Ólafsvík before returning to our accommodations at Hellnar.

Day 10 - Wednesday: Hellnar - Borgarnes - Reykholt (B, D)
Today we head east to Borgarnes where we visit the informative Settlement Exhibition. We then travel inland deeper into the region of Borgarfjörður and to the history rich settlement of Reykholt where we will find our accommodations.

Day 11 - Thursday: Reykholt - Kaldidalur - Thingvellir - Reykjavík (B)
We drive through the beautiful area of the Borgarfjörður valleys. We visit some of the beautiful natural sights in the vicinity including the Barnarfossar and Hraunfossar waterfalls. We travel via the Kaldidalur pass between the glaciers Langjökull and Ók down to Thingvellir (Þingvellir), the ancient outdoor parliament site. We conclude the day by driving along the beautiful Thingvallavatn lakeside road to Nesjavellir before we head back to Reykjavik for a pleasant evening in the city on our own.

Day 12 Friday: Blue Lagoon - Reykjanes - Keflavík (B)
After a free morning you’ll be picked up at your accommodations at 10:30 AM for a direct drive to the famous Blue Lagoon, where we can bathe in the mineral rich geothermal water. At approximately 2:00 PM we will drive directly to Keflavík International airport in time to check in for your return flight.

Tour Information:
Rate of Difficulty: Easy pace, non-strenuous walks and hikes.

Included: Includes round trip US flights from East Coast Icelandair gateways. Call for pricing from non-East Coast gateways. Round trip flights on Icelandair from US Icelandair gateways, FlyBus ticket for transport into Reykjavík upon arrival in Iceland, tour transport and professional guidance in a large minibus suitable and comfortable for use on Iceland’s interior highland roads, accommodations with private facilities - 9 nights at country hotels, 2 nights at downtown Reykjavík 3-star hotel (optional 4-star hotel upgrade available upon request), 11 breakfasts, 9 dinners, boat tour, horse show, entrance fees to museums in Hofsós, Glaumbær and Eríksstaðir, the herring museum, tree planting and entrance to the Blue Lagoon.
Not Included: Luggage porterage usually not available at accommodations. Meals not identified by B - breakfast and D - dinner. Travel insurance is available upon request from IST’s insurance company - TravelGuard International.

Feel free to add a day or two before and after the tour in Reykjavík or for a Greenland or Faroe Islands add-on. Contact us for more information.

Price (Includes air, all taxes and airport fees):

IST-125 $6,633.00 per person staying in a double room
Single supplement: $928.00 add-on for single room occupancy

Includes round trip US flights from East Coast Icelandair gateways. Call for pricing from non-East Coast gateways.

Route map: