Days 1-2: ARRIVE REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND
Arrive in Reykjavík and transfer to your 56-room hotel on the
city’s main square. Tonight, join fellow guests for a welcome
dinner. The next day, explore this coastal capital, starting with an
Artisan Connection at a workshop, where a local craftsman reveals
the tradition of Nordic knife making. Continue to the National
Museum of Iceland, Hallgrímskirkja church — with its super-tall
tower inspired by lava flow — and Icelandic design shops. In the
afternoon, hop on a fishing boat for a sea angling adventure. Watch
and learn from local pros, who help you reel in your own catch.
Make the Culinary Connection when you bring it to shore for a
chef-prepared feast.
Days 3-5: RANGA & SOUTH ICELAND / Adventurous Rides
Hop on a bike and ride through the forest at Heidmork Nature
Reserve. Stop to meet a real-life Viking who shares stories of
the old Norse seafarers around a roaring fire. Known as both
remarkable plunderers and explorers, the Vikings established
a settlement in Iceland in the ninth century that marked the
country's first recorded history. Check in to your 51-room
countryside hotel and enjoy dinner. Begin the next day with a
horseback ride on a black sand beach atop an Icelandic horse.
Continue with a drive along the jaw-dropping south shore, seeing
waterfalls and strange lava formations, and stopping for a walk
on the beach. On the third day, board a Super Jeep for a rocking
SUV tour of lunar-like Landmannalaugar, a gem of the Fjallabak
Nature Reserve. Venture across lava fields and scoria deserts to
contrasting green and orange mountains, stopping for a dip in a
naturally warmed pool. Recount the day over dinner tonight at
your hotel.
Day 6: BORGARNES & WEST ICELAND / Epic Nature
Today, set your sights on Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO
World Heritage site that is both a spectacular geological rift
and the exact site where 10th-century Vikings established the
world’s first democratic parliament. Continue to Friðheimar, a
geothermally heated organic greenhouse, for a tour and fresh
lunch. Next, visit the regularly erupting Strokkur geyser and
Gullfoss, Iceland’s most amazing waterfall, keeping your eyes
peeled for a rainbow. Check in at your cool boutique hotel, filling
up on dinner with mountains in view.
Day 7: BORGARNES & WEST ICELAND / Langjökull Ice Cap
Today, travel to steaming Deildartunguhver for a look at the
highest-flow hot spring in Europe. Visit the stunningly blue
Hraunfossar and fabled Barnafoss waterfalls. After lunch, ride
in a specially equipped 8-wheel truck on Iceland’s colossal ice
cap and Europe’s second largest glacier, Langjökull. Get ready to
explore when you enter its man-made tunnels, which move deep
into the glacier, revealing glacial formations, winding bends, and
an illuminated restaurant and chapel.
Days 8-9: SIGLUFJÖRÐUR & NORTH ICELAND / The Sea
Drive to Siglufjörður, stopping on the way at Skagafjorður
Heritage Museum with its sod-covered ancient houses and in
small-town Blönduós for lunch. In Hofsós, it’s time for a swim in
a hillside thermal pool overlooking the sea. Check in and have
dinner at your new boutique hotel in a fishing village. The next
day, embark on a whale watching tour from Dalvik in search of the
20 species that inhabit the surrounding sea — and that may
appear right next to your boat! The rest of your day is at leisure to
explore pretty Siglufjörður.
Days 10-11: AKUREYRI & REYKJAVÍK / Coastal Culture
Venture to the small north coast city of Akureyri. Explore its
legendary Jólagarðurinn (Christmas garden), complete with a
candy-covered house. Fly to Reykjavík. Celebrate your journey
with a farewell dinner featuring Icelandic dishes. The next day,
board your flight home.