Majestic Iceland Itinerary: From Golden Circle to Landmannalaugar

In the morning, you will find the refreshing aroma of freshly brewed coffee overtakes the sea breeze. The towering snow-capped peak of Mount Esja rises above the city in the distance to reach an altitude of nearly 3,000 feet. After breakfast, your private transfer will meet you at your hotel lobby and escort you to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, a 56-mile long stretch of land surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Visit the town of Budir, located near the westernmost tip of the peninsula, as a cluster of old buildings brings insight into the region’s past. Commercial ships and fishing vessels used Budir as their port of call since Iceland’s first inhabitants settled from Europe.

Danish traders attempted to use the town as the single commercial port for the entire peninsula to create a monopoly. White sand spreads across the beaches of Budavik Bat as the settlement and the surrounding region were abandoned in the early 19th century with just traces of its history left behind. The church remains the heart of Budir as its pitch-black exterior has three white-framed windows. The structure was erected in the early 18thcentury while verdant tufts of grass blanket the rugged lava field that surrounds the churchyard.

As you stand in front of the church with the majestic Snaefellsnes Mountains in the background, you may have found the perfect panorama of Icelandic heritage and landscape. At Djupalonssandur, you will find a stunning lava wonderland unlike anywhere else in Iceland as two freshwater lagoons sit idly by the beach. The waters reflect the jutting rocks and rising hills around its edges with turquoise splendor. You can trek the trails to Gatklettur, a rock with a large hole at its center that frames a look at Snaefellsjokull Glacier on the horizon.

The allure of Iceland emanates from its natural, unique beauty. After breakfast, you will begin your discovery of the countryside as you travel the Golden Circle. The roadway winds around 190 miles of Western Iceland with geysers, the continental drift, and remarkable waterfalls all to be seen. En route to the Golden Circle, you will stop at Deildartunguhver, the largest hot spring in Iceland, and all of Europe in terms of water production, which produces 180 liters per second. The steam pours out of the bubbling brook as you walk to the viewing platform, which is slick with moisture.

The water boils at temperatures up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Towns in the area utilize the geothermal activity to heat their water and homes as the rocks containing the hot spring look scalded red. Pas Hraunfossar Waterfalls, where the subterranean river emerges from beneath the lava field, cascades down the hills into the Hvita River. The water streams over the rocks and fills the river with icy blue hues that stem from the Langjokull Glacier. You will soon reach Thingvellir National Park, home to the physical embodiment of the continental drift.

The American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling away from each other, causing the textured rifts in the landscape. At the visitor’s center, you can see an Icelandic flag waving in the gentle breeze that marks where the Althingi, the parliament of Iceland, would meet three times a year. You can walk along the trail to Law Rock, the location of parliament’s first meetings before Christianity came to the island. After the conversion, parliament met near the flag at the base of the cliff so that the speaker could use the natural acoustics to project his voice to the gathered crowds. The national park combines the unique scenery and unique heritage of Iceland.

Today you will make your way to the magnificent landscape around Landmannalaugar, known to many international hikers eager to cross the Icelandic highlands on foot. Travel across the translucent ponds and alongside the blossoming white wildflowers to the hidden region as the rivers separate into small streams that splash beside your car as you pass through. You will stop first at Hjalparfoss, a waterfall in the Thjorsardalur Valley. The dual falls converge into a small pool that is edged by small, rugged cliffs. The rusty red mountain in the background adds to the remarkable colors of the region as the rapids carpet the waterfall in white before softening in the tranquil pond below.

Continue to Landmannalaugar where the rhyolite mountains will greet you with a rainbow of colors streaking across the horizon. The mountains edge a lava field filled with black pebbles and lunar-like landscape, and you will not be able to take your eyes away from the mountainside. The geothermal activity in the area brought a vibrant collection of purple, green, black, red, and blue hues that glisten on the surface area as it spreads across the foothills, caused by an eruption in the 15th century. Plunge into the natural hot spring in the area that provides a full panorama of the hills. Your body will begin to relax in the water’s natural warmth as the grass adds a layer of soft green to the encompassing colors.

In the morning, you move next to Iceland’s southeast and enter the marvelous Skaftafell National Park. The park is home to Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest glacier in Iceland and the second largest glacier in all of Europe. The ice cap covers 3,100 square miles with an average thickness of 1,300 feet. Your guide will meet you at the entrance and lead you to Falljokull Glacier, an offshoot of Vatnajokull. Strap on crampons to traverse the ever-changing landscape that has been carved by the ice, time, and the elements.

You will quickly realize the enormity of the glacier and the texture of its surface. From a distance, the ice looked smooth but rounded with sporadic mounds, but once on the ice, you will find brilliant blue colors that emanate from the surface along the towering peaks and plunging valleys. You will pass through a natural glacial tunnel, surrounded by ice and the light brings an ethereal blue hue as you follow your guide to the opposite end. Your breath will drift out in visible puffs as the ice is cool and crisp. You can hear it crunch beneath you with every step, and your guide will stop halfway through the hike and tell you how to look around. The bright blue ice and the nearby mountaintops will remind you that you are walking across part of the largest glacier in Iceland.

Wake up in the small town of Vik that overlooks Iceland’s southern shore. Black basalt rocks pave the beaches shine with a smooth black sheen in the sunlight. The cliffs of Reynisfjall rise to a height of 1,115 feet above sea level. A collection of rock pillars stand 216 feet tall and creates ridges along the cliff, and the pillars resemble blocks and columns shaped by the elements. In the water, you can see soaring columns disconnected from the cliffs as the black rock resembles fallen castle towers.

At Dyrholaey, puffins make their nest in the niches along the precipice during summer. The birds circle the sky low to the water before diving down beneath the sea to catch unsuspecting fish. A rocky outcropping has an arch that the sunlight spreads through, making the rock look more like a gateway than a cliff. In the town of Skogar, you visit the Skogar Folk Museum for insight into region’s heritage. Three traditional houses showcase the architecture settlers used from the 9th century until the mid-1940s. Lush grass tufts frame the roof, sloping down in triangular form to meet low-lying stonewalls. Wood frames create the front and back walls as the artifacts on display highlight the clothing and tools used in the region from the settlement onward.

In the morning the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans fills the city. Locals venture to their favorite coffee house, including Mokka, the first café in Iceland, opened in the 1950s. The lingering ambiance of artists and philosophers continues to fill the room. Students enjoy their pastries ands sip their strong, espresso before starting the day. After breakfast you make your way to the harbor for the first half of an exciting day. The ship sets sail along the ice cold waters off the coastline, which teems with marine life. In the summer months more than 20 species of whales circle the region, from Orca to Humpback, and even Blue Whales. The morning breeze passes over the ship carrying the salty aroma of the Atlantic Ocean.

The sunlight spreads across the landscape, highlighting the lush hills and rising mountains. Sparsely populated fishing villages look out to the water. You don’t travel far before your captain calls out. A humpback whale breaks the surface water no more than 15 feet away from the boat. Its fins shine white against its dark gray body. A humpback whale can grow up to 52 feet in length. The figure splashes back into the water and the spray reaches the edge of the boat. Another whale reaches the surface to breath. It’s blowhole spouts mist into the air. Its dorsal fin follows, lifting above the ocean to help guide the whale deeper below.

Today you will wake up to the looming peak of Mount Esja in the distance, visible from most neighborhoods of the city. The arctic terns call to one another from across the lake. The Thjodmenningarhusid, more easily referred to as the Culture House, contains a stunning exhibition on Iceland’s medieval manuscripts. Take some time inside the former National Library to study documents significant to the island’s heritage. Before your private transfer greets you at your hotel, you can stroll through the museum and visit its seven wings and enjoy one last morning in Iceland. Your private transfer will meet you at your hotel when you are ready and escort you to Keflavik International Airport with plenty of time to check-in for your flight home.