Unique Experiences in Iceland Tour Package

The adventure continues on the second day of your week-long winter holiday in Iceland with an exploration of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Due to the number and diversity of the natural and cultural attractions here, you'll have two days to give each site justice.

After being picked up in the morning, you'll be escorted through the beautiful landscapes of southwest Iceland; expect fjords, charming villages, and dramatic seascapes. Leaving the Ring Road, you will enter Snaefellsnes and very quickly come to realize how it earned its nickname 'Iceland in Miniature.'

The first two major sites are the perfect example. Gerduberg is a dramatic cliff face decorated with columns of basalt shaped into perfect hexagons. Such phenomena only occur under very specific volcanic conditions. Just down the road, Ytri Tunga beach reveals a completely different side to Iceland's nature, being famous for its resident seal colony.

The more you travel and explore, the more apparent the peninsula's diversity will become. Budir is a beautiful church with a mystical air of abandonment, alone in a long deserted hamlet. Arnarstapi, meanwhile, is a fishing village still pumping with life.

The basalt plug of Londrangar and the mountainside cleft of Raudfeldsgja may be enormous monuments, but the lifting stones at Djupalonssandur beach are just as interesting, surrounded by black sands and intrinsically tied to local history.

Of course, the main attraction of Snaefellsnes is Snaefellsjokull, the glacier and volcano that crowns the peninsula's tip and dominates much of the scenery. This site is so mysterious that thousands once flocked here on the date of an alleged alien landing; so impressive that it features as a central location in countless pieces of literature; and so beautiful that it is one of Iceland's three national parks.

After a day packed full of sightseeing and adventure, you'll retire at a hotel on the peninsula.

The third day of your week in Iceland will be spent further exploring the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Its abundance of attractions will make you very grateful for your extra time here. The sites listed above only covered the southern coast of the peninsula and its tip. Today, you will explore the northern shore.

If the weather is clear, your drive will be especially breathtaking as you will be able to see right across Breidafjordur Bay. These waters boast countless islands, thousands of birds even in winter, resident seals, and unbelievable views of the magnificent Westfjords, one of the country's most untouched regions.

While the fishing villages of the southern shores are largely abandoned, quickly being reclaimed by nature, many of those you will visit today are still largely thriving and great examples of traditional Icelandic culture. Bjarnahofn, for example, is home to the shark museum, where you can learn about Iceland's notorious delicacy of fermented shark. At the same time, Stykkisholmur is the peninsula's largest town with a wealth of folklore.

However, the most impressive natural attraction you will visit is Mount Kirkjufell, called 'the church mountain' by locals. Game of Thrones fans will recognize it as 'the mountain shaped like an arrowhead' featured in season seven. A standalone peak, it is magnificent to admire from all angles, but particularly from beside its adjacent waterfall.

Another particularly beautiful attraction of note is the Berserkjahraun lava field. Dramatic, barren, and haunting, the treacherous history of how a road across it was built is such a sorry tale that one of the Icelandic Sagas is dedicated to it.

After plenty of time at all the incredible sites that the Snaefellsnes Peninsula has to offer, you will make your way back to Reykjavik. Keep your eyes peeled out the window if you are still traveling after nightfall. You never know when the auroras may show.

On day four of your winter vacation in Iceland, you will get to explore the wonders of the Golden Circle, a sightseeing route lauded for its beautiful attractions and adventure opportunities.

The major sites of the Golden Circle are Thingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss waterfall. Thingvellir has the unique honor of being the only UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Icelandic mainland, as it was here that the earliest Icelanders formed their first assembly over a millennium ago.

Even more fascinating than the park's incredible history is its nature. It sits directly between the tectonic plates that separate Iceland, the dramatic cliff edges clearly visible. Furthermore, it is simply spectacular, surrounded by volcanoes and a vast lake and filled with forests, ravines, and lava fields.

Within many of these ravines are crystal clear springs, and within one of these, Silfra, you can embark on one of the three adventures offered today: a snorkeling tour. Winter snorkeling in Iceland is made possible and enjoyable by drysuits and other protective gear and will allow you to witness an unbelievable underwater world.

The visibility in Silfra often exceeds 328 ft (100 m). The shades of blue are vivid and beautiful, and the water is so clean that you can drink it.

After your time at Thingvellir, you will continue along the Golden Circle to Haukadalur Valley, home to the geyser of Strokkur. With dramatic eruptions occurring at least every ten minutes, this is an incredible place to be awed over the volcanic forces that continue to shape Iceland.

Surrounding Strokkur are plenty of bubbling hot springs and steaming vents you can admire as you wait for it to eject a column of water up to 66 ft (20 m) into the sky.

Finally, you will come to the waterfall of Gullfoss. Formed by a milky glacier river flowing from Langjokull glacier (which is visible from the site in clear weather), Gullfoss is both ominous and majestic in its power. This is only exaggerated in winter when it tosses chunks of ice into its canyon with surging waters.

For a more intimate experience on Langjokull, you can take a tour racing across its surface on a snowmobile from the car park at Gullfoss. Not only is this a fantastic way to witness some marvelous glacier and highland views, but it is a thrilling excursion that promises to get your adrenaline pumping.

The third tour option today is a horseback ride through the rural and dramatic landscapes of the southwest. What Icelandic horses lack in size, they make up for in heart, personality, and spirit, making this adventure fun for novices and expert riders alike.

After a thrilling day traversing the Golden Circle, you'll return to Reykjavik for the night. If you still have some energy, check out a local restaurant, a live show at one of the music bars, or find a dark corner in the hope of seeing the auroras once more.

On day five of your winter holiday in Iceland, you'll start your two-day journey along the South Coast. Tomorrow, you will be perfectly positioned to set out on your ice-caving adventure, but before that, you have a wealth of spectacular attractions to see.

The first major site you will come to is the 197 ft (60 m) tall waterfall of Seljalandsfoss. Though its stream is narrow and gentle, Seljalandsfoss is still one of the country's most impressive and unusual waterfalls due to the vast cavern in the cliff that opens behind it.

If you prefer your waterfalls to have awe-inspiring power, you'll be impressed by the next site, Skogafoss. As tall as Seljalandsfoss, it can be well over 33 ft (10 m) wide after a heavy rain and throws off vast blossoms of spray as it shatters to the ground.

Both of these features sit in the shadow of two of Iceland's most famous glaciers, which you can catch glimpses of as you travel. Myrdalsjokull covers one of the country's most active and explosive volcanoes, Katla, which has erupted about twenty times over the past millennium. Eyjafjallajokull is less explosive but still caught the world's attention when it erupted in 2010.

As you continue along the south, you will come to some incredible coastal attractions. First is the Dyrhólaey rock arch, a vast formation that curves from a dramatic set of cliffs into the ocean. Next is Reynisfjara beach, one of the most unique and beautiful stretches of shoreline in the world.

The reason for its appeal is threefold. Firstly, it is covered in black, volcanic sands that stretch for miles in both directions. Secondly, its waves are notoriously powerful (though be sure to admire from a distance. Finally, it is home to the enormous sea stack of Reynisdrangar, which tower over the already spectacular scenery.

By Reynisfjara is the serene village of Vik, where you will stop for refreshments before traveling further along the South Coast. The glacial outlets of Vatnajokull glacier, the latest ice cap in Europe, will begin to materialize on your left, showing a hint of the beauty ahead.

In spite of how great every attraction along this route is, your final destination for the day is unquestionably the best. Jokulsarlon, a feature of Vatnajokull National Park, is the country's deepest lake, largest glacier lagoon, and, to many, most beautiful attraction.

Huge chunks of ice, breaking from an outlet glacier, collect in the waters, towering many feet above the surface and gleaming white and blue. The way they rotate, break apart, groan and cruise through the lagoon is captivating, and the experience is made all the more wonderful by the many resident seals.

If you are lucky, you will be able to watch the aurora borealis descend from the skies over Jokulsarlon before you retire, an experience so breathtaking it cannot be described in words.

On the penultimate day of your week in Iceland, you will be blessed with the opportunity to explore the crystal blue ice caves. While touring the incredible sightseeing routes of the previous days and watching the aurora borealis are unforgettable experiences, nothing quite compares to what today has to offer.

Ice caves are incredibly rare formations, requiring very specific conditions to form and be safe to enter. Iceland is one of the most reliable places to find them, but even then, they are only accessible in midwinter. Due to their remoteness and the limited frame in which they open, this is a much-sought-out adventure that few get to embark on.

With an experienced guide, you'll be driven from Jokulsarlon to a corner of the magnificent Vatnajokull glacier, well off the beaten track. You'll be provided with all the necessary safety equipment, briefed on how to interact with the mystical environment ahead of you, then led inside.

The way that light refracts through the ice and the way the shades of blue shimmer have an air of magic. The caves feel like they were torn from a fantasy novel. You'll have plenty of time to marvel over the colors, formations, and textures and can ask your guide any questions about the fascinating processes that create such a mesmerizing phenomenon.

After creating memories that will last a lifetime, you'll begin your journey back to Reykjavik, stopping first at Jokulsarlon once more to see it in a new light. If you did not have time yesterday, you'd also visit the nearby Diamond Beach. The icebergs of the lagoon end their journey here, washing onto the black sands and glistening like jewels in the surf as they slowly melt away.

The South Coast promises to have a new beauty as you see its sites on your return journey. Keep your eyes on the skies as they darken on your approach to Reykjavik, as you may be able to witness the auroras descend and dance one final time.

Unfortunately, today is the final day of your week-long winter vacation to Iceland. If you have an early departure, the Flybus will pick you up in good time to get you comfortably through customs. If you have a later departure, there is no need for your adventure to end in a rush.

Considering you have spent the past six days immersing yourself in nature, you could use today to get to know Reykjavik. Many guests are surprised by the city's wealth of activities and attractions, with countless pools, museums, galleries, parks, restaurants, boutiques, and historic sites.

If you have an evening departure, it may even be worth getting a City Card to fit as much into your day as possible affordably.

If you cannot go to the Blue Lagoon on your first day, meanwhile, you can arrange it for today. After all, there is no better way to say farewell to Iceland than in its restorative saunas and healing waters.

We hope you enjoyed your week in Iceland in winter and hope you come back soon!