Starting at $2399
9 days • 10 mealsExplorations rewards travellers with new perspectives. These are the personal adventures that today's cultural explorers dream of. (12-28 passengers)
Itinerary
Inspiring Iceland
Viewing itinerary for:
August 25, 2013, $2949
9 days • 10 meals
This date
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sold out.
| Before your Tour Options: | Add an additional night to your stay |
- Hotel: Plaza Hotel Reykjavik
On Tour Options
to see a complete list of options that will be available on your tour.
Day 1: Overnight Flight
Fly overnight to Iceland, a place of dramatic contrasts • Steaming lava fields reflect a volcanic nature • Massive glaciers sculpt mountains and valleys, leaving thundering waterfalls and plunging fjords • Discover a land and culture forged by fire and ice.
Day 2: Reykjavik, Iceland - Tour Begins
Begin in Reykjavik where you have the choice of two fascinating tours • You may opt to set out on a bicycle trip that explores the old town, the heart of the city and the old cemetery, one of the most beautiful places in all of Reykjavik • Or you may choose a personal walking tour of the city’s old section that features Hallgrimsskirkja church, City Hall, the harbour and Reykjavik’s oldest building, home of the Kraum Icelandic Design Centre • Tonight, get to know your fellow travellers at a popular local restaurant • Dine on gourmet cuisine from across Iceland including the traditional Icelandic fish buffet, a favourite of the locals.
View Accommodation Today dinner will be included.Day 3: Reykjavik - Golden Circle - Reykjavik
Travel the Golden Circle, a route which encompasses many of Iceland's most renowned natural wonders • Marvel at the beauty of the Gullfoss (Golden Falls) Waterfall, a stunning 100 foot double cascade • Journey to Thingvellir National Park, the nation’s most historic area and where the world’s oldest existing parliament first met in AD 930 • Here you also stand upon one of the globe’s most geologically significant landscapes • Gaze out over Thingvellir’s rugged rift valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the point where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet • Return to Reykjavik to explore the city on our own • Later, you may choose to learn more about Iceland’s volcanoes and how important they are to the country during an optional tour to Volcano House.
View Accommodation Today breakfast will be included.Day 4: Reykjavik - Grundarfjordur
Set out on a journey to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula • En route, catch a glimpse of Hallmundarhraun, the largest lava field in this region • The lava emanated from a few craters on the northwestern slopes of the Langjokull (long glacier) • See the first toehold of vegetation which has started to regrow close to where the eruption began • Visit the Settlement Museum and explore the Saga of Settlement of Iceland • Delve into the life and works of the famous Viking and poet Egill Skallagrimsson • Continue along the peninsula as you embark on a true Icelandic cultural adventure • Visit with a family that keeps alive a 400-year-old tradition of catching and preserving Greenland shark • See the fishing boat that was used by their grandfather as you share in their unique way of life • Visit the tiny farmer’s church and explore the museum to learn more about Iceland’s deep relationship with this trade • Complete your experience by trying your own piece of “hakare,” cured shark meat • Travel to the fishing village of Grundarfjordur and board a traditional oak fishing vessel • Cruise the harbour and head out to Melrakkaey Island, a Puffin sanctuary* • Relax as you watch these delightful birds and immerse yourself in Icelandic fishing practices during a demonstration by your captain • Experience the life of the locals as you overnight in this quaint fishing village.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 5: Grundarfjordur - Akureyri
Continue the adventure as you head to the north of the country • En route, stop at the home of Erik the Red, now a museum • Imagine yourself a part of his grand explorations before he was exiled to Greenland • Upon arrival in Akureyri, enjoy some time to independently explore the city centre of this “unofficial” capital of Northern Iceland.
View Accommodation Today breakfast will be included.Day 6: Akureyri
Today is your choice • Enjoy immersing yourself in the nature of Iceland on your horseback riding excursion • Or, spend the day reflecting and relaxing in the geothermal Myvatn Nature Baths • Enjoy the evening at leisure in Akureyri.
View Accommodation Today breakfast will be included.Day 7: Akureyri - Reykjavik
Leave Akureyri behind as you take a short flight back to Reykjavik • Travel out to the Reykjanes Peninsula, home of the Blue Lagoon • Slip into a natural geothermal pool in the middle of a dramatic lava field • Relax in the warm, mineral-rich water • Take the remainder of the day to explore on your own.
View Accommodation Today breakfast will be included.Day 8: Reykjavik
Today you get to choose from two amazing activities • Try an adventure on the water during a deep sea angling expedition • Or, perhaps set out on a volcanic cave hike • Tonight, enjoy a short ferry ride to Videy Island to dine at Videyjarstofa (Videy House), the original residence of Skuli Magnusson • Skuli, known as “The Father of Reykjavik,” founded Iceland’s first industrial enterprise, woollen workshops, which led to the development of the country • Surrounded by Icelandic history, enjoy works of culinary art with each course.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 9: Reykjavik - Tour Ends
Depart for home with many incredible Icelandic memories.
Today breakfast will be included.| Available After Tour Extensions: | Extend your holiday |
- Hotel: Plaza Hotel Reykjavik
- PLEASE NOTE: Hotel check-in on your day of arrival is 3:00 PM. Rooms may not be available prior to that time.
- To complete your vacation, we include roundtrip airport-to-hotel transfers when purchasing Explorations airfare with your tour. If you have arranged for your own air, we are pleased to provide you the option of purchasing these transfers. Please note that all transfers will leave at pre-scheduled times.
- *Puffin can be viewed between mid-May through late August. During the other seasons, a cruise featuring a talk on fishing in the region will be included.
