Overview
Iceland is a mystical world of spouting geysers, blue lagoons, lava fields, and multicolored rhyolite valleys stretching to the sea—these fantasy landscapes must be seen to be believed. On coastal, mountain, and glacier adventures, we explore Vatnajökull National Park and the brooding heaths of saga country, where Viking clans created the world’s first parliament. We’ll hike high above Skógafoss waterfall, across the Dyrhólaey headland, and along the clearly visible tectonic plates at Thingvellir National Park, a World Heritage Site. Delights along the way include fresh-caught salmon and Arctic char and soaks in geothermally heated mineral waters—join us!
This was a marvelous introduction to and overview of a complex country and its people. We were delighted by the diversity of experiences—landscapes, length and difficulty of hikes, variety of foods.
— Patricia M., Asheville, NC
Itinerary at a Glance
Days 1-2
Reykjavík / Höfn / Vatnajökull Glacier / Jökulsárlón Lagoon
Flowing to the sea through a narrow fjord, Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier, makes a dramatic backdrop for our hike to the coast. Lakeside trails bring us along stunning Jökulsárlón Lagoon, with its powder-blue icebergs calved from the Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier.
Days 3-6
Vatnajökull National Park / Skógafoss / Great Geysir
In Vatnajökull National Park, one of the most spectacular settings in Iceland, we hike among crystalline white glaciers, rushing rivers, and upland heaths. Our hike on the towering Dyrhólaey headland, 400 feet above the sea, is a chance to see fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, and gannets, and we’ll follow a trail up to the thundering, 20-story-high Skógafoss cascade, flowing down from the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier. We’ll visit the Great Geysir, the oldest example of the phenomenon, and Strokkur geyser, Iceland’s version of “Old Faithful,” with eruptions every 10 minutes or so.
Days 7-8
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir is home to the world’s oldest parliament, the Althing, first held in 930 AD, and its extraordinary geothermal landscape is a visual reminder that Iceland is the meeting point between the North American and European plates. The continental rift is clearly visible, with deep chasms showing the plates separating, and our hike on the rift is a spectacular grand finale. We’ll enjoy a luxurious soak in a hot geothermal pool in Reykjavík before departing on Day 8.
Iceland Expedition
Highlights
Highlights
Details
Moderate to strenuous hiking, some steep sections, 3-8 hours a day, optional glacier walking, van support
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