Summer Self Drive Tours

What a wonderful trip! Guide to Iceland is far and away the best travel company we have ever used. The pre-trip information we received was second to none and the many questions I asked before we left were answered promptly and informatively. The itinerary was extremely detailed, with lots of accurate information about each place we could choose to visit en route to each hotel. On our first evening in Reykjavik we popped into City Hall, as suggested, and met Francisco. We couldn’t have wished for a more helpful representative. Prior to leaving the UK we received an email informing us that our whale watching tour on day 2 on the Snæfellsnes peninsula was cancelled due to high winds. Francisco re-booked us on an early-morning whale-watching tour in Reykjavik so that we didn’t miss out and could continue with the rest of our itinerary, as planned. (This was actually an upgrade, but he did it at no extra cost – what great service!) Our hire car (Toyota Auris) from My Car was almost brand new. Unfortunately, insufficient time was allowed by them for us to land, clear passport control and get to the information desk for our pick up, so we had to wait an hour for the next one. Driving was very straightforward (although the gravel roads took a bit of getting used to!) and we were so glad we had chosen this slow-paced tour, allowing us plenty of time to enjoy the well-selected sights on our itinerary. We also found a few other unexpected gems along our route. The comfort hotels were all good and easy to find. Although this tour doesn’t cover the whole of Iceland, it gives you a very comprehensive experience of what Iceland has to offer. We saw so many natural wonders – volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, hot springs and bubbling mud pools, lava fields, black beaches, waterfalls … We agreed that it was impossible to choose just one highlight, but my husband was particularly struck by his first sight of a lava field and the amazing alien yet beautiful volcanic landscape. For me, the wet black sand covered in glistening “diamonds” and the sound of the crashing waves was truly magical and made a lasting impression. We descended 120m into a dormant volcano and had the unexpected and very moving experience of our guide, Hilmir, singing a beautiful Icelandic lament; we explored the longest lava tube in Iceland and chatted with the most passionate geologist who was happy to share his specialist knowledge and time with us; we experienced four seasons in one day; we bathed in a beautiful hot spring in the middle of nowhere – it was raining with a biting wind when we arrived, but sunny and sheltered when we got in; we walked along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and clearly saw the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates; we marvelled at the geyser gushing 30m into the air every 5-10 minutes and walked/climbed behind a mighty waterfall; we got close to giant icebergs from the great glacier on a thrilling rib ride; we saw seals and their pups basking on the rocks, and minke whales and dolphins in the sea, and it was amazing to see the gannets folding back their wings to plummet into the water like torpedoes … Thank you, Guide to Iceland, for organising our trip for us – we will always remember my husband’s 50th birthday celebration – it was very special.

Trip was great, itinerary was detailed. We went in September, and because the days were shorter, we had to pick and choose. Guide to Iceland made it easy for us, especially since we booked one week prior to our arrival in Iceland.

My wife and I did the self drive tour with the basic FWD car and the "comfort" hotel option. Our trip was in late September, which in retrospect is probably the ideal time to visit the island. Any later in the year and snowstorms will become more and more of a problem. We hit one snowstorm on our journey and it almost stopped us in our tracks for the day. We had a couple of good hotels on our journey, but most are what I would describe as "basic accommodation". A couple hotels more closely resembled college dorm rooms than actual hotels. Likewise, the food on a whole in Iceland is subpar and extremely expensive (which is not a fault to Guide to Iceland). Breakfast was included every morning for us, but we had to pay for lunch and dinner. We averaged about $115 USD per day for food for two people eating two modest meals. Food is literally two times as expensive in Iceland as it is in the US. Plan on this. None of that mattered though. We didn't go for the hotels or fancy food. The island itself is GORGEOUS and the trip was extremely well planned. We didn't have any trouble with any of our reservations and the daily itineraries were accurate and well laid out. This part is critical and could have ruined our trip if something wasn’t right. Everything was planned perfectly and Guide to Iceland did an amazing job here. As far as travel accommodations go, I would demand that your vehicle have mud/snow tires on them. Consider it a necessity. Our FWD vehicle did not have snow tires and we found ourselves in moderately dangerous situations at several points on the trip. Everything wound up fine, but having proper tires on the car would have helped a great deal. Overall we loved our trip. It wasn’t as much as relaxing vacation (we went to bed exhausted every night), but more so an “adventure trip”. You will absolutely stay busy and if you like outdoors adventure with beautiful landscapes; you’ll have the time of your life here.

We did the self-drive tour with luxury 4WD and quality hotels in September. the weather was excellent, there was some rain but it didn't stop us from most of the attractions. the hotels were absolutely wonderful. in every question or problem, we contacted guide to Iceland and we received help. When we arrived at the airport the agent of "go car rental" was waiting for us, all the stuff that we ordered like the baby chair was in the car. The first day was awesome, with the blue lagoon comfort entrance, just a good time to relax before starting the tour. On the second day "the golden circle" it is just wonderful, the day is full of sights to see so I think there is no place for another attraction to add. in day 3 we had the zodiac tour in the glacier lagoon, I think this attraction is a must!! just amazing to get close to the glacier and hear an expert explanation, also the diamond beach is outstanding!! the only problem in this day is that we traveled to "hofn" (last destination) approximately 1 and a half hour drive and then came back to the glacier lagoon to sleep there (so there were about 3 hours of driving just to see hofn and back), but that is due to the fact that we asked for luxury hotels and there was none around hofn- and we must say the hotel was worth the drive back to the glacier lagoon. another unforgettable attraction was the lava cave tour. overall our experience was epic! and our registered guide in the guide to Iceland (Berenika) was always available in case we needed assistance and planned a wonderful plan to circle the country and have the best of Iceland.