Tour
#: IST 50A and IST 50B
Duration: 6 days –
not including US departure day
Tour Dates:
IST 50A
Sunday 12 March 2006 - Sunday 19 March 2006
Sunday 26 March 2006 - Sunday 02 April 2006
IST
50B
Sunday 09 April 2006 - Sunday 16 April 2006
Sunday 23 April 2006 - Sunday 30 April 2006
Minimum/Maximum
Tour Size: 4/10 passengers
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General Description:
This is a special winter get-away to Iceland.
Enjoy getting to know South Iceland’s beautiful natural wonders
in the off-season with one of Iceland’s top guides - Óli.
See Golden Circle and the South Coast wonders at a relaxing pace
with a splash of Reykjavík at the beginning and end of the
tour. Iceland Saga Travel and Highlander Tours are pleased to bring
you this winter-break tour.
Ólafur
B. Schram (Óli), our guide, is highly experienced and a trained
professional guide with years of traveling on foot, horses and jeeps.
He is known for his guiding ability and his in depth knowledge of
Iceland’s history, the Sagas and the day-to-day life of the
Icelandic people. He is a well-known personality in Iceland and
much sought after for entertaining groups along the scenic ring
road as well as in the rugged interior. His experience and skill
will not only take you safely through this wonderland but also at
the same time inform and educate you on the history and culture
of the Icelanders. His tours are known to have a personal touch
and each day is full of little surprises.
Departure
day - US
Leave on evening flight from Icelandair gateway (see below).
Day
1 - Reykjavík
Arrive in Iceland in the morning. Take the comfortable FlyBus from
Keflavík International Airport to downtown Reykjavík.
Spend the day relaxing and exploring the capital city of Reykjavík.
Consider a dip in one of Reykjavík’s famous geothermal
outdoor pools. Overnight at a lovely and comfortable downtown Reykjavík
B&B.
Day
2 - Reykjavík – Blue Lagoon – Thingvellir - Skálholt
(B, D)
Pickup from your Reykjavík accommodations at 9:00 AM by our
driver-guide Óli. We head to the Blue Lagoon on Reykjanes
Peninsula. After a nice, relaxing dip in the mineral-rich, warm
lagoon, we drive back through Reykjavík and onward to Thingvellir
(Þingvellir) National Park, the site of Iceland’s open-air
ancient national assembly, the Althing. This area is a geology textbook
with countless fissures and ravines bearing witness to the forces
of nature. The North American and Eurasian tectonic plates converge
here at Thingvellir. We then continue eastward to the famous site
of Iceland’s southern bishopric at Skálholt. Dinner
and overnight at the farm guesthouse Hestakráin.
Day
3 – South shore waterfalls and glaciers (B, D)
We head south and east along the agrarian south coast spotted with
1000-year-old active farms. Our first stop is at the lovely Seljalandsfoss
waterfall, where one can walk dry-footed behind the pouring water,
then onto Skógar village and the majestic Skógafoss
waterfall. Our stop at Skógar includes a walk through the
classic folk museum providing an insight into Iceland’s past.
Later in the day we travel to the edge of the Mýrdalsjökull
glacier for an interesting walk up on to the glacier. We return
to Hestakráin for another relaxing overnight in the countryside.
Day 4 - Thjórsárdalur (B, D)
Today we visit the rugged and historic valley of the Thjorsa river
(Þjórsárdalur) with its canyons, waterfalls
and the ancient Viking farm Stöng. In the afternoon we have
an opportunity (optional at extra cost) to try out the famous Icelandic
horse for a short ride in the neighborhood of our accommodations.
We overnight once again at Hestakráin.
Day
5 – Gullfoss – Geysir - Reykjavík (B)
We head back westward through Iceland’s famous Golden Circle
with visits to the majestic Gullfoss waterfall and the world-famous
Geysir settlement where Iceland’s geysers have preformed for
visitors through the years. On our way back to Reykjavík
we will visit the Kerið sunken crater. We will arrive mid-afternoon
back in Reykjavík affording time for visits to Reykjavík’s
galleries, museums, fashion shops and handicraft boutiques. We return
to our Reykjavík guesthouse for our last evening in Reykjavík.
Day
6 - Reykjavík – Keflavík International Airport
(B)
Today is a free day in Reykjavík for sightseeing and relaxing.
We will board a bus in mid-afternoon for the trip back to Keflavík
International Airport for the late-afternoon flights back to the
US.
Tour
Information:
Rate of Difficulty: Active daily walks and hikes.
Included: Round trip flights on Icelandair from
the US Icelandair gateways, FlyBus ticket for transport into Reykjavík
upon arrival in Iceland and back to airport on departure day, tour
transport and professional guidance in a large minibus suitable
and comfortable for use on Iceland’s interior highland roads,
accommodations with private facilities – 3 nights at country
farm guesthouses and cabins, 2 nights at Reykjavík downtown
guesthouse (B&B), 5 breakfasts, 3 dinners and entrance fees
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.
Contact us for more information.
Prices
(Includes all taxes and airport fees):
IST-50A
Price: $2022.00 per person staying in a double room
Single supplement: $92.00 add-on for single room occupancy
IST-50B
Price: $2104.00 per person staying in a double room
Single supplement: $92.00 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 for Iceland City Escape Tour
