The guide will meet you at Keflavik airport at any time during the first day. From the airport you’ll be transferred to the guest house. Upon arrival you’ll get acquainted with other members of the group and have a rest. If you wish, you can take a walk around the city.

We’ll start our Golden Circle itinerary with the Thingvellir National Park, which is located at the boundary of North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and therefore has a rugged terrain with multiple caves, picturesque canyons, and sparkling waterfalls.

Then we’ll visit the Gullfoss Waterfall, one of the most beautiful in Iceland. The water rushes into the valley down the two steps, and on a clear day you can see a rainbow over them.

The next stop is the Great Geyser, which gave name to all the other hot springs in the world. Its eruption happens only once a day, but there is another hot spring Strokkur nearby, which erupts to a height of about 20 meters every 10 minutes.

At the end of our today’s trip we’ll go to Hveragerdi, a small town known for its greenhouses heated by geothermal waters. Here, exotic fruits and plants are grown all year round.

Today we are going to Landmannalaugar — a nature reserve that is famous for its colorful rhyolite rocks. Depending on the weather and lighting, you can see a variety of shades: from the more familiar yellow and brown to fantastic pink, green and purple. 

The name Landmannalaugar literally means “bath of the men of this land”. It is a natural outdoor spa with many geothermal baths. Both tourists and locals come here to relax and improve their health. We’ll also take a dip in the hot healing water!

On the way back we will visit the waterfall.

In the morning we’ll visit two famous Icelandic waterfalls — Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. Skogafoss is a symbol of Iceland, a powerful and majestic waterfall falling from a height of 60 meters. Seljalandsfoss is remarkable in that you can walk around it. Of course, if you are not afraid of water splashes!

The next stop along the route is Vik village. The local volcanic beach is known throughout the world. Lava flows during a volcanic eruption got to the ocean and froze in amazing column forms. The black sand adds more mystery to the view of the beach.

From here we’ll go to Ingolfshofdi sand spit to watch a colony of charming puffins.

Then we’ll see the huge Myrdalsjokull glacier hiding the insidious Katla volcano underneath, which is famous for its destructive eruptions with ash clouds and devastating floods. The legendary Eyjafjallajökull volcano is also nearby.

In the morning we’ll have a walk in the Skaftafell National Park. The park occupies the valleys near the Vatnajökull glacier. We’ll see the glacier up close, study the natural processes that take place in the giant body of ice. The tongues of the Vatnajökull glacier descend from the very heights directly into the park and further to the sea. 

In the afternoon we’ll take a boat trip among the icebergs and glacial cliffs in the Jökulsarlon lagoon. If we are lucky, we’ll meet local inhabitants here — different kinds of seals.

In the morning we’ll start moving north along the east coast. In the national park with an almost unpronounceable name Jökulsargljufur, we’ll have a walk along a picturesque hiking route. We’ll see the most powerful waterfall in Europe — Dettifoss, which is about a hundred meters wide.

Then we’ll get to the Asbyrgi canyon, which the Icelanders call “the haven of the gods”. The shape of the canyon resembles a horseshoe, and it is believed that this is a hoof print left by the horse of Odin, the supreme god of Scandinavian mythology. But the fact is that the canyon was formed as a result of a powerful flood.

In the morning we’ll drive to Husavik and get on a 3-hour sea cruise with whale watching. Upon returning to the shore, you’ll be able to visit a museum dedicated to whales.

After lunch, we’ll go to the area of Myvatn Lake. This is a zone of volcanic activity with fantastic landscapes of lava fields, craters, rivers, lakes, and mountains. The gem of this place is the Krafla volcano. Its caldera hides a bright turquoise lake inside. We’ll take a walk at the foot of the volcano.

Another stop for today is in the valley of sulfur springs Hverarönd, where the geothermal fields of Namaskard and Grjötgja are located. Those who wish can take a dip.

In the morning we’ll have a few-hour drive to Askja volcano. The road will pass through the so-called “middle of nowhere” — the central part of the island with landscapes similar to Martian ones. When we get to the volcano, we’ll take a walk around its crater, where two magnificent lakes are located. One of them — Eskjuvatn — is cold, and another one — Viti — is warm. We will stop for lunch at a local campsite and then head back.

In the morning we will climb the Hverfjall volcano to enjoy an impressive view of Lake Myvatn. Then we’ll continue our way to the Godafoss Waterfall with a wide 30-meter stream falling down from the dark basalt rocks.

After that we’ll go to the city of Akureyri, which is often called “the northern capital” of Iceland. We’ll take a short walk around the city, and move on to Cape Vatnsnes to watch adorable seals and see rocks of unusual shapes. One of them, for example, resembles an elephant.

In the morning we’ll visit the largest geothermal field in all of Europe. And then we’ll stop by the nearby village of Reykholt. In the Middle Ages, a famous Icelandic historian and writer, the author of numerous sagas, lived here, therefore many sights of the village are dedicated to him.

We’ll continue our way, and the road will bring us magnificent views of the waterfalls, miraculously flowing right out of the ground. The Children’s Waterfall got its name from a tragic legend, you will hear it from the guide.

Then we’ll go down the largest cave of volcanic origin in Iceland. We will examine the frozen lava smudges, and after the visit to the cave we’ll go for a horseback ride.

In the evening we’ll drive to Reykjavik and take a short walk along the charming streets.

In the morning we’ll have a walking sightseeing tour around the capital. We’ll see all the iconic sights: the Parliament, the Hallgrimskirkja Church — a wonder of modern architecture, the Höfdi house, where an important historical event — the meeting of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan — took place. From the height of the observation points we’ll admire the panorama of the city.

Then we’ll visit the Viking Village in the suburbs of Reykjavik and set off to explore the Reykjanes peninsula. On its territory two tectonic plates — the Eurasian and North American — meet, so volcanic activity is high here: there are lava fields, hot springs, and smoking fumaroles. The ground is covered with a thick layer of petrified lava with soft green moss on top. It feels like a carpet under our feet! 

Then we head to the area of the legendary Blue Lagoon to swim in the open-air mineral pools. In the evening we’ll return to Keflavik.

You will head off to the airport to catch a flight home (transfer is not included).