Small Group 7-Day Ring Road Tour with Snaefellsnes Peninsula from Reykjavik

You’ll enjoy breakfast at your hotel on day two before heading to Vatnajokull National Park in southeast Iceland. This primordial area is named after its central ice cap, the largest of its kind in Europe, and provides one of two adventures depending on the season of your arrival.

You’ll start by heading to Skaftafell, a nature reserve abundant in spectacular lava landscapes, birch forests, and river networks and surrounded by glacier tongues. In summer, you’ll enjoy an incredible glacier hike on one of these.

Your guide will supply you with all safety gear, and you’ll get to marvel over jagged ridges, bottomless crevasses, walls of snow, and stunning views of the reserve.

In winter, you’ll forgo the glacier hike for an ice-caving adventure under the Vatnajokull glacier. Such a trip feels like it takes you into a fantasy world. The caves boast blues so vivid that they defy the imagination, and the way the light refracts as it enters is breathtaking. Their scale and textures are also similarly impressive.

Ice caves are only accessible between November and March, making this exclusive excursion extra special.

No matter your adventure, it will be an unforgettable experience. Having completed it, you’ll continue to another fantastic location in Vatnajokull National Park, the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Many travelers describe this as Iceland’s most beautiful destination due to the abundance, color, and size of the icebergs that fill its waters.

Walking along the shoreline is a mesmerizing experience, and you may even see seals swimming and resting at the site.

Once you have enjoyed the magnificence of Jokulsarlon, your guide will show you the Diamond Beach, a black-sand coast that marks the final resting place of the bergs when they finally escape the lagoon. It is easy to see how the shore got its name as you marvel over the glistening ice.

After an incredible immersion into Vatnajokull National Park, you’ll head to a hotel around Hofn.

On the third day of your week-long trip around Iceland, you'll have the rare pleasure of exploring the Eastfjords. Few travelers make it this far from Reykjavik, meaning you'll see fewer tourist crowds than in other regions.

The views of the fjords to your right and highlands to your left are breathtaking, providing constant entertainment as you travel from site to site. Wildlife is also abundant here, as you have a chance to see seabirds, seals, reindeer, and even whales.

On day three, you'll stop at beautiful villages such as Djupivogur, a small, traditional fishing village home to just over 1100 people. Here you'll see a dramatic black sandy beach with crashing waves and, if visiting during the summer months, a wide variety of birdlife.

You can also see the famous Eggs of Merry Bay artwork, large egg sculptures placed along the bay to represent the native birds of eastern Iceland.

You'll also be taken to natural sites such as Lagarfjlot, a lake steeped in folklore. However, the highlight of your day will be a three-hour hiking tour taking you to two spectacular waterfalls.

Hengifoss is the third-tallest waterfall in Iceland, standing at 420 feet (128 meters). The cliff the waterfall cascades from is layered with red strata, providing a fascinating geological marvel. The falls then drop dramatically into a gorge below.

Not done there, you'll then hike on to Litlanesfoss. Litlanesfoss waterfall is smaller but similarly impressive, pouring amongst giant pillars of hexagonal basalt rock. Get your camera ready, as you won't want to miss this photo opportunity.

Although the hike is quite long, the pace will be leisurely, covering easy terrain. It is comfortable for those with a decent level of mobility and fitness.

You'll end your day at the largest town in East Iceland, Egilsstadir. During winter tours, you'll have the opportunity to hunt for the northern lights at night.

After breakfast on your fourth day in Iceland, you'll depart east Iceland and head for its magnificent north. The drive between the two will take you along the northern edge of Vatnajokull National Park, providing you with incredible views of the untouched wilderness of the highlands.

Your attractions of today are all dotted around the Diamond Circle sightseeing route. The first is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, Dettifoss, a feature that thunders 144 feet (44 meters) into a rugged canyon with awe-inspiring force. The primordial power of Dettifoss has not gone unnoticed by cinematographers and has appeared as a backdrop in movies such as Prometheus.

You'll then head to Namaskard, a lifeless mountain pass with a row of billowing fumaroles. The starkness, smell, and surroundings make this feature appear to belong on another planet.

Next, you will come to the Lake Myvatn area. In summer, this area flourishes with flora and birdlife, making it a striking oasis in the barren landscapes of the north. Its water freezes, and snow blankets its surroundings in winter, making it a postcard-perfect festive wonderland.

It is highly recommended to book admission to the Myvatn Nature Baths today. If so, your guide will drop you off here and give you several hours to heal and rejuvenate in the geothermal waters and spa facilities.

The following two stops are testaments to the volcanism of the area. Hverfjall is a dramatic explosion crater created by an eruption over two millennia ago and provides brilliant views from its rim. Dimmuborgir is a breathtaking lava fortress with enormous formations, countless caves, and fascinating folklore surrounding the Yule Lads, the Icelandic Christmas trolls.

Your final destination is Godafoss waterfall. This beautiful feature has an important role in Iceland's history, as it was here that the country symbolically converted to Christianity in 1000 AD.

You'll end the day in Akureyri, the country's largest town outside Reykjavik. You are welcome to try out a local restaurant or bar before retiring.

You'll drive through Akureyri, the capital of North Iceland, on the morning of day five of your week, exploring this spectacular country. There may be time to make a short stop before continuing to explore the more remote attractions of the country's north.

You'll start your adventure in the north by traveling up the beautiful Eyjafjordur, the longest fjord in Iceland, and you'll enjoy some fabulous views of the surrounding natural landscapes.

The first destination today, if you don't stop in Akureyri, is the historic village of Dalvik, which boasts a stunning harbor and incredible views over the ocean.

From this harbor, you'll set out on an unforgettable whale-watching adventure. North Iceland is one of the world's best destinations for seeking out the gentle giants of the deep. Dolphins and porpoises are abundant throughout the year, and in summer, humpback whales and puffins can be seen on almost every trip.

You might even spot some rarer sea creatures such as orcas, belugas, and blue whales.

Once you've returned to dry land, you'll continue around the Trollaskagi peninsula to Siglufjordur. This village is one of the most spectacularly situated in the country and was once known as the herring fishing capital of the Atlantic.

Its historic buildings provide a traditional, welcoming ambiance, and you'll get a feel for what Icelandic life is like here.

You'll then tour the Trollaskagi peninsula, a region renowned for its coastal views, far-flung settlements, and abundant horses. Icelandic horses are gentle, intelligent creatures that you may have the opportunity to stop and greet. They're well known for being more friendly than other types of horses.

You'll end your day in the charming rural landscapes of Laugarbakki, where your accommodation for the night will be a country hotel. Laugarbakki is a perfect spot for hunting for the northern lights during winter.

Once you’ve enjoyed your complimentary breakfast on the morning of your sixth day in Iceland, you’ll begin your two-day exploration of the sites of the west. Today, you’ll focus on the features immersed in the geothermal, rural landscapes around Borgarfjordur.

Borgarfjordur was voted one of the best travel destinations by Lonely Planet in 2016, so it’s an area not to be missed during your trip to Iceland.

You’ll start by taking a short hike up a dramatic volcano crater named Grabok, where you’ll enjoy marvelous views of the surrounding lava and a great perspective of the volcano’s depths.

From here, you’ll continue to Deildartunghver, the highest flowing hot spring in Europe. The water here is a fantastic example of Iceland’s geothermal power as it heats houses and supplies hot water throughout the region. There is even a spa adjacent to it that utilizes its energy.

Next, you will travel to the neighboring waterfalls of Barnafoss and Hraunfossar. Despite their proximity to each other, they couldn’t be more different.

Barnafoss is stark, powerful, and dramatic, and its folklore is steeped in tragedy. Hraunfossar is peaceful and gentle, pouring through a forest of Icelandic birch, a tree considered holy to the Old Norse.

The final stop of your journey today will be a cultural one. The village of Reykholt is renowned as the home of Iceland’s most important historian, chieftain, and writer, Snorri Sturluson, and you’ll learn all about his dramatic life as you explore the surroundings.

You’ll also get to see one of the oldest geothermal bathing pools in the country, which he used to use almost a thousand years ago.

In the evening, you’ll retire to a welcoming hotel near Borgarfjordur. Tonight will be your last opportunity to catch the northern lights if you’re traveling in winter, so keep an eye out!

The final day of your week-long circumnavigation of Iceland will have you tour the breathtaking Snaefellsnes Peninsula and complete the Ring Road back to where you started in Reykjavik.

This region is nicknamed ‘Iceland in Miniature’ because of its abundant attractions, many of which you will get to explore in-depth during this tour. You’ll see its craggy cliffs, black sand beaches, glaciers, and mountains.

The traditional seaside village of Arnarstapi is first on your schedule, where you can marvel over incredible coastal geology, such as the Gatklettur rock arch. You’ll also get to see the windswept 19th-century church in the abandoned settlement of Budir, surrounded by the stark natural beauty of the area.

Djupalonssandur is a black sand beach framed by spectacular cliffs. There are four historic boulders on the beach that sailors used to lift to prove their strength and suitability to the sea. Try picking one up to see how you would have fared. You can also see the remains of a British trawler, shipwrecked here in 1984.

Kirkjufell is a church-shaped standalone mountain renowned for its photogenic beauty. Thanks to its spectacular appearance, it is featured in the TV series Game of Thrones.

However, the most famous and impressive site on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula is Snaefellsjokull. This magnificent glacier covers a twin-peaked volcano and is surrounded by a national park of the same name. This feature’s shape, scale, and gleaming white ice are breathtaking, and mystics have long claimed it has magical properties or alien connections.

Once you have toured around the incredible features of the park and peninsula, your guide will drive you back to Reykjavik, where the tour ends. You can spend the final leg of your journey rewarded by the knowledge that you have managed to pack an entire week with the most incredible attractions Iceland has to offer.