Iceland Complete (Winter)

ICELAND COMPLETE (WINTER)

Select departures between October 9, 2024 – April 16, 2025

Please note this tour is not operated by Brekke Tours, but by one of our Icelandic Travel Partners.

HIGHLIGHTS
Gullfoss Waterfall • Geysir hot spring • Thingvellir National Park • Vatnajökull National Park • Snaefellsjokull National Park • Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon • Lake Mývatn • Dettifoss Waterfall • Goðafoss Waterfall • Akureyri

ITINERARY INCLUDES

• 8 nights accommodations, double occupancy, with private facilities (please note hotels listed in itinerary are subject to change)
• Daily breakfast [B] and 6 dinners [D]
• 1st-class touring coach per itinerary
• Roundtrip transfers via Flybus Shuttle (no guide)
• Souvenir Icelandic Search and Rescue keyring
• Entrance fee to the Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Centre (day 2)
• Microbrewery visit and beer tasting in Breiddalsvik (day 4)
• Entrance to Myvatn Nature Baths
• Entrance to the Herring Era Maritime Museum (day 6)
• Horse show in Skagafjordur (day 7)
• Use of crampons/cleats (if needed) for walking on snow/ice covered surfaces
• Great photo stops
• Seat rotation during the tour
• Northern Lights guided hunt on foot one selected evening
• Northern Lights hunting kit (use of blanket and headlight)
• Tour Director for Days 2 – 8

 

ITINERARY – 9 DAYS

DAY 1     ARRIVE REYKJAVIK
Upon arrival, head through passport control, collect your bags and go through customs to the Arrival Hall. The FlyBus airport buses wait for passengers outside the Arrival Hall. Show your FlyBus Plus transfer information to the attendant on the bus and let him or her know which hotel you’re staying at in Reykjavik. Please note that this is not a guided transfer and you will not be met at the airport. Once in Reykjavik, check into your hotel. If you arrive early in the day, you might want to explore Reykjavik´s old town, location of many museums and galleries. One of our favorite activities after a long flight is to visit one of the neighborhood geothermal pools. It is so refreshing to relax in the warm water, breathing in the fresh Icelandic air. It’s a great way to get to see Icelandic daily life and maybe meet a few locals. Dinner this evening is at your leisure. Reykjavik offers a multitude of restaurants and/or coffee-houses, making dinner a great way to get better acquainted with Iceland’s capital. Overnight at Berjaya Iceland Reykjavik Natura.

Please note that hotels in Iceland start check-in around 14:00 (2:00pm), and early check-in is not guaranteed. Most hotels will be happy to store your luggage if you are not able to check in early.

DAY 2     REYKJAVIK – GOLDEN CIRCLE – VIK                               [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Your guide will meet you at the hotel. Start your adventure by visiting the fascinating Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Centre. You’ll get a great introduction to northern lights, how they are formed and the folklore surrounding them. You’ll also get tips about how to capture northern lights on film. Continue to the Golden Circle natural wonders. Explore Gullfoss waterfall, a spectacular sight in winter when frozen mid-cascade. Continue to the geothermal fields of Geysir with bubbling mud pools and the high-spouting Strokkur hot spring (and other geysers). Continue along the south shore and stop to admire the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss before continuing to the black sand beaches of Iceland’s South Shore. Continue to the village of Vik.Dinner and overnight at Katla Hotel KEA in the south coast area. If weather conditions are right, your guide will take you on a northern lights hunt on foot in the area outside your hotel tonight, or on one of the other evenings that you are staying in the countryside.

DAY 3     VIK – JOKULSARLON GLACIAL LAGOON – HOFN       [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Today you will be in a world of glaciers! You’ll be visiting the southern area of Vatnajokull National Park, named after Europe’s largest glacier. The total park area covers almost 14% of Iceland, making it the largest national park in Western Europe! Drive through vast sand plains created by glacial outwashes as you head east. Visit the national park’s famous Skaftafell area, a site of outstanding natural beauty dominated by several magnificent glaciers. isit Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon where you can enjoy the breath-taking sight of icebergs floating in the fantastic 180m (591 ft.) deep glacial lagoon (make sure your camera is loaded and ready!) Nearby is the dramatic beauty of the Diamond Beach, where shrinking icebergs settle on the black sands before they drift out to sea. Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Hofn in Hofn, a fishing port in the shadow of Vatnajokull glacier.

DAY 4     HOFN – EAST FJORDS – EGILSSTADIR                             [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Drive from Hofn through Almannaskard pass, stopping to admire the majestic coastline. Continue to the towering mountains plunging vertically into the sea that form the magnificent East Fjords. Enjoy the amazing views. Keep your hand on your camera and also keep an eye out for wild reindeer, which can sometimes be seen in the area during the winter months. You will also pass villages, each with its own special history and charm. One of these is the tiny village of Breiddalsvik visit the local Beljandi Microbrewery and sample some of the beer. This is a quirky brewery in a charmingly rustic building. The local community came together to create the brewery. You’ll meet one of the townsfolk and get a feel for life in a small town, as well as how great beer is made. The road brings you to Egilsstadir town, located near Iceland’s largest forest and a lake said to be home to a legendary (friendly) monster. The area is also getting a name for itself for its excellent locally sourced cuisine, and you’ll enjoy some of it at dinner. Dinner and overnight stay at Valaskjalf Hotel in the Egilsstadir area.

DAY 5     EGILSSTADIR – LAKE MYVATN                                            [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Explore the empty vastness of the highland desert plateau Modrudalsoraefi, desolate and yet hauntingly beautiful in its winter snows, as you head towards the Lake Myvatn area. On the way, stop at Dettifoss, Europe’s largest and most powerful waterfall (The visit to Dettifoss waterfall depends on weather and road conditions and cannot be guaranteed). Continue onwards to Namaskard pass with its boiling mud pools and vibrant colors. We often feel like we are visiting another planet when we come here, and you may the same way. It’s such a surreal experience! Explore the natural beauty of the Lake Myvatn area, including the pseudo craters at Skutustadir and the Laxa Salmon River. You will probably see why this area, especially during the wintertime, has been so popular for movie makers. Relax in an azure geothermal lagoon in a peaceful wilderness setting at the Myvatn Nature Baths (please pack a swimsuit). Dinner and overnight stay at Laxa Hotel/Fosshotel Myvatn in the Myvatn area.

DAY 6     LAKE MYVATN—AKUREYRI—SIGLUFJORDUR             [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Start the day by exploring the peculiar lava formations at Dimmuborgir. The name means “Dark Citadels“ in Icelandic, and they certainly look as this they were built by fantasy creatures. There are actually legends that elves live here. Visit the magnificent Godafoss waterfall, one of the most important symbols of North Iceland. Afterwards, drive to Akureyri, the colorful northern “capital“ of Iceland. The town has charming buildings and a beautiful view of the Eyjafjordur Fjord. After spending some time in Akureyri, continue along the coastal roads of Eyjafjordur and the Troll Peninsula. This is a beautiful drive along steep mountains with amazing views over the Arctic Sea and the black sand coastline. Enjoy a stop in Siglufjordur, a town set in a beautiful fjord of the same name. This town has some of the finest timber buildings in the country, beautifully restored to their original glory. Visit Siglufjordur’s award-winning Herring-Era Maritime Museum. The museum recreates the atmosphere of the early 20th century, when Siglufjordur was transformed into a frontier-like boom town, thanks to a large migration of herring. The museum will transport you back to that exciting time. Afterwards, head along majestic mountains and narrow passes to Skagafjordur, considered to be one of the finest places in Iceland for horse breeding.Dinner and overnight at Hofsstadir Country Hotel in Siglufjorður.

DAY 7     SIGLUFJORDUR—BORGARNES                                           [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Today you will enjoy an introduction to the unique Icelandic horse breed with its special fifth gait, the tolt. Icelandic horses are very important to the country’s history. These gentle horses are known as the Icelandic people’s most faithful servant. Continue towards the village of Blonduos, built on both sides of the river Blanda. This is a part of Iceland known from the Icelandic literary work Vatnsdaela Saga. Cross the Holtavorduheidi plateau taking you into West Iceland. Drive through Borgarfjordur, a region that has been getting international recognition for its diverse landscapes and its Viking history. Dinner and overnight stay at Icelandair Hotel Hamar in the Borgarnes area.

DAY 8     BORGARNES—REYKJAVIK                                                   [B]
Breakfast at your hotel. Visit some of the beautiful natural wonders of West Iceland. Drive to Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe. Stop to admire the beautiful Hraunfossar waterfalls, where brightly blue water rushes through black lava formations. Nearby is Barnafoss, a waterfall with a brilliantly blue colour. Drive through the scenic and mountain rimmed Hvalfjordur fjord to Lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake, and Thingvellir National Park. This UNESCO heritage site is where the world’s oldest continuing parliamentary government was founded in the 10th century. It is also the place where the North American and European tectonic plates meet. You will have the unusual experience of walking between two continents! Afterwards, head to Reykjavik for a last night in the colourful capital city. Your guide will bid you farewell at your hotel. Overnight stay in Reykjavik at Berjaya Iceland Reykjavik Natura. Dinner is on your own.

DAY 9     REYKJAVIK—DEPART                                                             [B]
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to explore Reykjavik independently before taking the airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.

NORTHERN LIGHTS: The Northern Lights are visible in the northern sky from September through April when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many natural wonders, it is an ephemeral spectacle – the Northern Lights may be visible, they may appear for a bit and then be gone (it is not a TV show that you can just turn on and off). But it is worth the patience which is much required. Because they are a winter event, you need to be prepared to wait outside while looking for them. It is best to dress very warmly, in layers, with good footwear, gloves, hats and whatever else makes you comfortable while you await this truly outstanding event. For the best photos we recommend using a tripod.