Akureyri-Touren

Our tour was arranged by Aurora Hunters, their response time was top notch and the entire trip was fabulous. Bára, our tour operator, made sure everyone was ok after we visited each place and cracked some jokes whenever possible. She also has a tremendous amount of knowledge regarding Icelandic history and nature. She even went extra miles to take us to her favorite waterfalls to make sure we would not be bored by checking in early at the hotel. Thanks to her knowledge and experience in driving around Iceland, we had the most memorable traveling experience. Also, she made sure we could experience Northern Lights during the stay in Mývatn by asking the front desk to notify us when we stayed there. One thing I would suggest is that maybe allocate more time in each place, or break up groups into small teams that want to spend more time in certain places. Overall, I will recommend this tour to everyone who doesn't feel confident drive during winter in Iceland and/or simply want to enjoy everything Iceland has to offer.

Had an amazing experience with Guide to Iceland! We were going to cancel it because we thought we could do it by car. I'm so glad we didn't. Our way to the waterfall was closed and we needed a big vehicle to get there. One car got stuck and someone had to rescue it. The experience was wonderful and the hiking was great, they provided us with all the equipment. The guide, Thora, was so lovely and informative, a true explorer! We highly recommend the excursion and thank the team for their marvelous work.

-Guide to Iceland 8-day Minibus Tour was easy to book. The single room supplement was only 0 extra. Communication after booking was minimal, I got a little nervous about that. But if I emailed, it was responded to promptly. Our tour operator was Aurora Hunters. -Our driver/tour guide, Carlos, picked up me (and one other person) at Bus Stop 8 (Hallgrimskirkja). Can’t miss it, it’s the tallest building in Reykavik. It was 45 minutes late, but it was due to circumstances beyond his control. He picked up two other people at a different bus stop, and we were on our way. The mini bus is a new comfy Mercedes with wifi, luggage holder in tow. Carlos (and later some of the guys) loaded and unloaded the heavy bags each day. Carlos is a wealth of knowledge about Iceland. He was on time each morning and greeted us at breakfast with a smile. He called each of us for the Northern Lights if they were visible. The weather was cooperative, and we saw the Northern Lights THREE times! Very lucky. He took a picture of each of us separately with the Northern Lights in the background and sent to us. He certainly went above and beyond his job description. Thank you Carlos! -I cannot say enough about this beautiful country. We had beautiful weather. I opted to take all excursions, except for the horseback riding. Geysers, waterfalls, black sand beach, lava fields, 100-year old moss, Diamond Beach are all beautiful. -The Ice Cave Tour and leader (forgot his name, began with K, sorry) were interesting. The monster truck ride to get us to the ice cave was fun but stunk of diesel fuel the whole time. It was a small ice cave, and I couldn’t get a picture without a person in it. But, no matter, it was still cool. -The highlight of my trip was the Glacier Hike on Sólheimajökull. Donned with crampons, pick axes, harnesses, and helmets, we set off on a 3.5km hike. Hard to believe we were walking on ice for 3.5km. Nico was a great guide, very knowledgeable and concerned for our safety. -The boat ride to Whale Watching at Akureyri was pleasant, though cold, and we really had to hang on when walking the decks because it was iced up. We did however see one whale’s whole tail. No big dives.  Bring waterproof pants, you will need them for glacier hike, whale watching, and ice cave. -Another cool outing was a trip to Kaffi Ku, a fascinating dairy farm where the cows are actually pampered. Waffles, cream, fresh milk, jam and coffee were included in the price. -There is a lot of driving involved, so it could get boring, but the scenery was so beautiful I was not bored. Good time to take a nap too if you want to be up and alert for the Northern Lights. On the long drives, Carlos would stop on the roadside (if allowed) and let us take pictures. Easy check-in at all hotels. All were well-appointed, all beds were comfortable, and I got 7 good nights of sleep. Hearty breakfasts and coffee every morning were included in price … the homemade breads were delicious. And Fosshotel Myvatn was especially gorgeous! Hotel restaurants can be expensive, so Carlos stopped at the petrol stations or at Bonus, Kronan or Netto stores on the way to each hotel. Bring a plastic fork, knife and spoon, and some plastic bags. The stores charge 30-40 kronas for each!! You cannot find a bad cup of coffee in all of Iceland … for a price of .50 a small cup!!! - The day of the Myvatn Nature Baths was snowing and freezing. We put on our swimsuits and ran thirty feet through the cold and snow into the warmer water. If you go into the baths in the winter, wear a hat or your ears will freeze. However, Guide to Iceland deemed that the water was not warm enough for its tour participants, so we were all given a refund for the Nature Baths! Very nice touch! -The Lava Cave tour was ok, but no big deal. We were equipped with a helmet and a flashlight (to see where we were stepping), as we descended down a 52-step spiral staircase. One person had to go back up because she was claustrophobic. If you have a headlamp, bring it, much more convenient. I did not skip it because I had never seen a lava cave before. The last day of the tour was to Snafellnes Peninsula. It is so pretty, especially with all the snow. Our tour ended as the sun was setting on a clear day. -A few stops to drop off people before my drop off. Great pictures, great time, great memories!

My daughter and I recently took the 8-day "Aurora Hunters" small group tour around Iceland. We were blown away by the country of Iceland--the culture, the landscape, the people, the wildlife (loved the horses!). The Guide to Iceland tour was extremely well organized. We learned a great deal about Iceland from our patient and good-humored guide, Jon, and saw as much of the country as is comfortably possible in 8 days. We definitely want to go back in the summer and spend more time exploring. Highlights included the horseback riding on the first day on the lovely Icelandic horses, the glacier walk (don't skip that!), and the ice caves. We were extremely fortunate to have bright, sunny weather for both the glacier walk and ice caves and so saw the glaciers at their best. All extra tours were cheerfully led by local guides and were excellent value. The hotels we stayed in were good, some very good, and the breakfasts were all fabulous. We were fortunate to see the northern lights twice while we were in the north. They really are amazing! Another highlight was the afternoon spend at the Myvatn Nature Baths in northern Iceland. They are so beautiful--and warm on a very windy and cold February day. I highly recommend the Guide to Iceland 8-day winter tour for anyone who wants to get a good overview of Iceland and who doesn't want to drive what could be very treacherous roads. We were fortunate with the weather, but I imagine the roads could be very slick indeed. One note of advice -- make sure you buy "spikes" at the gas station on the first day. In winter, the parking lots all over Iceland are extremely slick with ice and the spikes pulled on over our boots were a life saver.

I highly recommend the 8 day golden circle trip. We had a lot of great adventures: glacier walking, ice caving, riding Icelandic horses, seeing the aurora borealis. The highlight of the trip for our group was our guide, Eythor Edvardsson. He was quite knowledgeable and had so many interesting stories that added to the culture and history along the way. He was also quite kind and made sure everyone in our group got the tour they had wanted! I can’t say enough about our wonderful trip: lots of fun, new friends and new experiences!