Iceland Full Circle Tour: 14 Days

Welcome to your self-drive holiday in Iceland! After you clear customs, you will be transferred to your accommodation in the city centre in Reykjavík. After you have checked in to your hotel and received your travel documents, we would like to have an optional private information meeting during office hours at our headquarters.

Following the meeting you can enjoy the beautiful and vibrant capital city, resting up for the night in your cozy hotel room. Central Reykjavík is quite compact and you can visit most sites by walking around, Laugavegur is the main shopping street and second to that is Skólavörðustígur that leads up to Hallgrímskirkja church where you have great views from the tower. Check out the colorful houses of the old town, the pond, City hall, the Parliament by Austurvöllur and more. Not far from Harpa concert hall, around the harbor area, there are lots of new local shops, cafés and restaurants. Walk past the dry dock by the Marina hotel to the Grandi area to visit the Whale Museum, Aurora museum and the Maritime museum at Víkin. Close by you will find and the famous Valdís ice cream and cupcakes at 17 Sortir, for a fuller meal visit Kaffivagninn or Coocoo´s Nest.

After breakfast, you will pick up your rental vehicle and leave the capital heading for the mystical and powerful Snæfellsnes peninsula. Explore places such as Sönghellir cave, the spectacular Hellnar Cove where you can have lunch at the beautiful Hellnar café whilst gazing at the crashing waves on the shore. As you drive around the peninsula you can visit the peaceful and lovely coastal villages found along the tip and north side of the peninsula. Stay overnight in the area for a good night’s sleep.

Today you will travel to the wonderful West Fjords region of Iceland. A ferry in Stykkishólmur will take you there along the picturesque Breiðafjörður Bay.

The tour across the bay takes around three hours. Once ashore in Brjánslækur, head for the amazing Látrabjarg cliff. With a 444-meter vertical drop and 14 kilometres length, it’s the most awe-inspiring bird cliff in Iceland and the westernmost point of Europe.  If you choose to drive to Rauðisandur red sand beach, prepare to be truly amazed by its spellbinding beauty. Return to Patreksfjörður for a stay overnight.

Another beautiful day and time to continue your Iceland self-drive holiday. Drive from the Breiðavík area to the charming old town of Ísafjörður. On the way, you will pass through the tiny villages of Patreksfjörður, Tálknafjörður and Bíldudalur. Continue to the Arnarfjörður fjord where you’ll find Dynjandi, one of Iceland’s most spectacular waterfalls. A short hike up will allow you to appreciate it in all of its splendour. Continue to Hrafnseyri, where Jón Sigurðsson, one of our greatest independence heroes was born. Close by is Skrúður, a botanical garden with many types of shrubs and trees and the oldest in Iceland. Then on to Ísafjörður, a very charming town in the Skutulsfjörður fjord for a cosy overnight stay.

Today you have the opportunity to visit some of the most remote areas of Iceland. In the summer you can take a boat cruise from Ísafjörður and sail around the magnificent Hornbjarg cliff to the remote and isolated Reykjafjörður. From Ísafjörður, weave your way to the village of Hólmavík on a road characterized by steep fjords and towering mountains. Arrive in Hólmavík, and if you have time after checking into your hotel you can drive to the remote region of Strandir until the road ends. Then back to Hólmavík, the capital of ancient sorcery and mysticism and home of a museum dedicated to the history of sorcery and witchcraft in Iceland through the centuries. Overnight in the Hólmavík area.

As you continue your travel in Iceland, drive from Hólmavík passing fertile farmlands and barren mountain roads to Akureyri, the northern capital. On the way, you can stop in Skagafjörður for a riding tour on an Icelandic horse or enjoy a thrilling river rafting adventure on a grade III/IV glacial river. Arrive in Akureyri and check into your hotel.

In the charming town of Akureyri, you will find a popular geothermal heated water park, with slides for the kids and hot pots for the grown-ups. Also noteworthy is the Botanical Garden, the majestic Akureyri Church with its huge staircase (over a hundred steps), the Hof Culture Center and Hliðarfjall, one of the most active ski slopes in Iceland. In Eyjafjörður fjord you’ll discover fertile farmlands and beautiful country churches. Stay overnight in Akureyri.

Leave Akureyri behind and head for the out-of-this-world beautiful Lake Mývatn area. When you’re halfway there make sure to witness the spectacular Goðafoss. Once you’ve reached Mývatn, begin exploring the surroundings. You will find attractions like the Skútustaðir pseudo craters, Dimmuborgir lava maze, Mt. Hverfjall, Krafla volcano and the Námaskarð high-temperature area, to name a few. In the evening we highly recommend that you visit the Mývatn Nature Baths, for a relaxing dip in a geothermal pool. While enjoying the warm water, enjoy overlooking the Mývatn area and then overnight in the Mývatn area.

Leave Mývatn and take on the Diamond Circle route (only passable in summer). First stop is Húsavík famous for its great success on its whale watching tours. Continue to Ásbyrgi canyon, a beautiful forested canyon forged, either by massive flash flooding or the hoof print of Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged stallion. Continue along the Jökulsá á Fjöllum glacial river to Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall. Extreme caution is advised when exploring this waterfall as there are no barriers on the banks of the river. Drive from Dettifoss to Route #1 and continue to Egilsstaðir along black volcanic deserts and deep valleys. Then overnight in the Egilsstaðir area, the hub of East Iceland.

Drive through the rugged East Fjords of Iceland and visit tranquil fishing villages along the way. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot some reindeer (Rangifertarandus) here and there. The drive is beautiful and the route provides many excellent views of the east coast of Iceland. From the village of Djúpivogur, you can enjoy the art instalment, The Eggs of Merry Bay. Then on to the peaceful town of Höfn in Hornafjörður, where you will stay overnight. Höfn is sometimes dubbed as the “lobster capital of Iceland”. We recommend you take full mouth-watering advantage of this feature at a local restaurant

Next coming days of your self drive holiday, featuring some of Iceland’s most spectacular sites such as Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and Skaftafell in the Vatnajökull National Park. Drive west from Höfn towards the glacial lagoon where in the summer, you can take a boat ride between the many beautiful icebergs broken off the mighty Vatnajökull glacier and rising out of the clear cold waters. Continue to Skaftafell, a lush green oasis between the vast glacier and the black volcanic Skeiðarársandur desert. From there you might enjoy an invigorating hike (usually less than an hour each way) to Svartifoss (Black Fall), so named for the pitch black basalt columns that surround it. Continue from there to Kirkjubæjarklaustur where the Iceland’s first monastery was built in 1186, and where you can get good rest for the night

Start your day early and travel along the south coast of Iceland. Make sure not to miss the amazing Fjaðárgljúfur canyon, just outside the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Continue through the rugged and moss-covered Eldhraun lava field, towards the village of Vík. In Vík, visit the black volcanic beach of Reynisfjara with a view of the Reynisdrangar ocean cliffs. Next up is Dyrhólaey peninsula where hundreds of thousands of seabirds nest in the summertime. A little further east you’ll find Skógar and the picture perfect Skógafoss waterfall with little over the 60-meter vertical drop. Close by is Skógar Folk Museum which displays many interesting artefacts and reconstructed turf houses from the old times. Drive to the village of Hvolsvöllur but on the way make sure you don’t miss the Seljalandsfoss waterfall and go on the walking path behind it. Overnight in the Hvolsvöllur area.

Drive from Hvolsvöllur to the village of Selfoss, where you will turn off Route #1 and drive along Route 35 towards the world-famous Gullfoss waterfall and Geyser. On the way, you might check out the Kerið crater, partially filled with crystal-clear water and then continue on to the old Catholic Bishopry of Skálholt. From there, drive to the two-tiered Gullfoss waterfall. For the closest thing to a home-cooked meal, we recommend the traditional Icelandic meat soup at Gullfoss café, before continuing to the Geyser area. Stick around for at least two spouts from the Strokkur geyser, which come every 8-10 minutes and don’t miss the chance to try some hot spring baked rye bread. Afterwards, head for Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. After exploring this amazingly beautiful area, finish your full circle self-drive holiday in Iceland and head back to Reykjavik. Return the rental vehicle, check into your downtown hotel for the next two nights and get ready to enjoy the capital. There’s never a shortage of things to do in Iceland!

Enjoy a full free day in the vibrant and lively capital city, you’ve earned it! Go shopping, sightseeing or relax at a nice café or in one of the many outdoor swimming pools that are to be found within the city limits. Visit some of the unique landmarks of Reykjavik, such as the Hallgrímskirkja church, Perlan dome, the Solar Voyager sculpture or Harpa – Music & Conference Center. In the evening, we recommend that you award yourself with a gourmet dinner at one of many high-quality restaurants in the city. In the later hours, explore the world-famous nightlife of Reykjavik. Stay at the same hotel as the night before.

Last day in Iceland and your Iceland self-drive holiday has come to an end. Check out of your hotel, before being transferred directly to Keflavik international airport. If your flight is in the afternoon, we recommend that you stop at the Blue Lagoon where you can enjoy soaking in the algae-rich earth sea of the Blue Lagoon. After a nice dip, continue to Keflavik International in time for your afternoon flight. Thank you for travelling with us and have a very safe and enjoyable trip back home!