Inspirational Landscapes of Iceland Tour: 10 Days Off the Beaten Path

Fjadrargljufur Canyon, Iceland.

What to expect on this itinerary

Designed for the adventurous traveler who is seeking hidden wonders, this customized 10-day adventure will have you uncovering many of Iceland’s hidden gems. Traversing through spectacular lava fields, meandering across beaches that resemble sunsets, and flying in a helicopter over incredible landscapes are just a fraction of the off-the-beaten-path experiences that Iceland has to offer.

Countries Visited

Iceland

Places Visited

Reykjavik, Isafjordur, Holmavik, Varmahlid, Akureyri, Bakkafjordur, Djupivogur, Hof, Hella

Suggested Duration

10 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Reykjavik – The First Lighthouse of Iceland

As your plane descends into Reykjavik, your private transfer will welcome you to the country of fire and ice before leading you to the first lighthouse of Iceland. In the past, Iceland was not known for its cuisine, but that is slowly changing. When you are ready to eat, your guide will transfer you to the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the country, where you can indulge your senses in a seafood-inspired meal. From there, you will venture into the night to chase the famous northern lights, which enchant visitors with their incredible display.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Tour
Dinner
Day 2

Isafjordur – A Beach Made of Sunsets

Day 3

Holmavik – Immersed in a Fantasy World

Day 4

Varmahlid – Back to the Time of Settlement

Day 5

Akureyri – Helicopter Over Lava Fields

Day 6

Bakkafjordur – The Majesty of Aldeyjarfoss

Day 7

Djupivogur – Tantalize Your Taste Buds

Day 8

Hof – The Peaks of Vestrahorn

Day 9

Hella – Ascend the Highlands

Day 10

Reykjavik – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Revel in the first lighthouse ever built in Iceland before indulging in the Michelin-starred cuisine of Reykjavik
  • Traverse across a beach at sunset and wander through a 4,000-year-old lava field
  • Ride horseback across fields before submerging in a geothermal pool and discovering the haunting beauty of Strandir
  • Transport to the past at the turf houses of Glaumbaer, which have been standing since the 9th century
  • Fly in a helicopter over the lava fields of Lake Myvatn and follow in the footsteps of Iceland’s ancestors during a tour of Akureyri
  • Stroll through the secretive rock formations of Dimmuborgir before basking in the majesty of Aldeyjarfoss
  • Tantalize your senses with a twist on Icelandic cuisine before traveling to a remote town that will charm you with its untouched beauty
  • Admire the breathtaking peaks of Vestrahorn as it slopes into a black sand beach that stretches as far as the eye can see
  • Luxuriate at the canyon of waterfalls before ascending to the top of a bluff that towers over a black volcanic plain
  • Descend into a 4,000-year-old magma chamber before relaxing at the Blue Lagoon’s exclusive retreat

Starting Price

$7,800 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 303 reviews

Iceland Vacation Review: Reykjavík, Akureyri, Nature, Waterfalls, Glaciers, Whale Watching

First of all, Iceland is strikingly beautiful. We went from Reykjavík along the southern coast, then north along eastern Iceland, all the way north to Akureyri. We snorkeled in two-degree water, hiked with an ice pick in hand on a glacier, and saw countless whales and waterfalls. It was magnificent! The trip was well planned and fabulously executed. Thanks to our Zicasso travel team, it was stress-free.

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Iceland Vacation Review: Reykjavik, Akureyri, Húsavík, Waterfalls, ATV Tour, Whale Watching, 8-Night Trip
Our trip to Iceland was wonderful. We had never been to Iceland. Our travel agency developed a great 7 day itinerary - starting and ending in Reykjavik. We traveled around the island counter clockwise, stopping at many beautiful spots along the way. On day 6 we arrived in Akureyri on the Northern tip of Iceland. From there we flew back to Reykjavik to spend another nice afternoon/evening there.The itinerary was established by Arnar (our travel agency's owner). Arnar was very responsive in the months & weeks leading up to our trip as we decided on various activities and stops. As mentioned, the itinerary was great. The hotels that we stayed at along the way were really top notch! All very clean, good American style breakfasts each morning, & the dinners were very good. We ate dinner at 3 of the 6 different hotels where we stayed. Other nights, we had great dinners away from the hotels at spots recommended by Arnar or our guide.Our guide is a great guy - professional, courteous & knowledgeable. We really enjoyed spending time with him for the week. He really goes out of his way to make the trip special.We could have attempted to do Iceland on our own, but I don't believe our trip would have been nearly as special. Bottom line, we never would have had the experience we had if not for Arnar & our guide. The itinerary was fantastic and our guide's service was superb.

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Review: Family Trip to Iceland, Akureyri, Reykjavik, Ice Climbing, Glacier Hike, Northern Lights Viewing

The trip was full of ups and downs:

The ups:

1. Our guide in the South was phenomenal. He was attentive, knowledgeable, patient and experienced. We had a great time from ice-climbing, to glacier hiking, to Northern light viewing. 

2. The location of our hotel in Akureyri is fantastic. 

3.Our experience designer, was prompt to put together alternative plans for us when we were stuck in the storm in Aukureyri for two days. She was responsive, available, and stayed up late to figure things out for us. 

4. We love having spent some time in the North -- it's much less touristy than the South. 

The downs:

1. Lots of activities cancelled due to the storm / weather (including ice-fishing/ and caving). We did not expect this level of weather dependency and should we have known, we would have picked another time to come. 

2. There was a dinner party arranged for us -- which was appreciated but the quality of the party was so-so. The activities was not the most entertaining and the food was mediocre. Perhaps dinner at restaurants such as Dill would have been more interesting. The room at the hotel in Reykjavik was too small for us - we couldn't even open our luggages fully. 

3. There was a last-minute cancellation by the company in Aukureyri and we were not informed, which could mostly be the local company's fault rather than our travel company. 

4. The folder which our travel agency compiled, while useful, was quite bulky, maybe it would have been more practical putting together a wallet-size contact info list for us. 

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Review: Anniversary Vacation in Iceland, Reykjavik, Akureyri, Whale Watching, Horseback Riding, Local Culture

Our trip to Iceland was a dream come true!  The travel company's agent planned an itinerary that was packed with amazing excursions, incredibly knowledgeable and fun tour guides and wonderful accommodations in the heart of Reykjavik and Akureyri.  We saw most of the highlights of Iceland as well as many of the less-well-travelled gems of the country and its people.  The travel agency's app was very helpful and easy to use.  No need for lots of papers and documents other than our passports!

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Iceland Travel Review: 7-Days in Reykjavik, Golden Circle, Glaciers, Waterfalls
I chose our travel specialist based on reviews I read on Trip Advisor. Arnar worked with me to design a 7-day trip for my husband and I. He was flexible and thoughtful with his planning and our tour guide was so full of knowledge. You would never know that English was not his first language. It was a great way to learn about the country without being lectured to. He also turned out to be a fabulous photographer who took great photos of my husband and I.We visited the Blue Lagoon first thing which was an awesome experience especially in winter. We had a nice balance of "tours" and alone time to explore Reykjavik. 4 days of private tours:Golden Circle Adventure which we stopped at a tomato farm for an AMAZING lunch! Also did the Lava Tube Cave.Thorsmork & Eyafjallakull Adventure where we did a snowmobiling trip on Eyjafjallokull Glacier. Such a blast!Jokulsarlon Glacier Adventure. We had planned to go on a glacier hike, but after speaking with people on our snowmobiling trip we decided to go hike to an ice cave. Arnar was able to make this happen with the help of our guide. It was such a site!WaterFalls & Volcanoes Adventure. The weather was so bad that the activity we had planned, which was an ATV Tour, was cancelled. Our guide quickly came up with a new plan. We went to an Interactive Volcano and Earthquake Exhibition.  It was fascinating to learn all about the different types of volcanoes and to better understand the explosive history of this extraordinary country. Then to a local restaurant that he knew.The accommodation in Reykjavik that he chose was in a great location. Really modern and chic hotel with lovely hotel rooms. Located in the center of the town well placed for restaurants and bars.The accommodation in Vik was a very basic accommodation. Breakfast was good, they had nice home baked bread and waffles. Because of the distance from other places our guide was able to take us to see the Northern Lights which were spectacular!Overall it was an AWESOME vacation and would definitely recommend our travel specialist. 

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Iceland Review: Ice Caves & Volcano Climbs, Reykjavik, Fjords & Glaciers, Local Cuisine

We went to Iceland for our honeymoon and the trip couldn't have been more perfect- we had a private guide who drove us around the whole country, he knew all the beautiful "off the beaten track" sights that aren't in the guide books and we never felt like we were on a typical "tourist-y" trip. It felt like we got to truly experience Iceland, and our guide knew everything about the history of each destination, and taught us so much about the unique geology of the country as well, taking time to explain and show us the formation of glaciers, fjords, volcanoes, and certain landscapes. We learned and saw so many beautiful, unique things. Our guide was never without a cool new place to visit or see, and was able to adjust our trip according to the weather or our personal preference easily. Also, when I left my phone in a hotel in Reykjavik after flying to Akureyri, I thought I would just have to be without it until we circled back on the last day of the trip, but the company got the phone back to me within 2 days and just had it flown out to our route where we picked it up. They truly are willing to go far beyond expectations to make your trip more comfortable and perfect for you. 

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews