Land of Volcanoes (6 days)

Welcome to Iceland! Our car service will pick you up at the airport and drive you to Reykjavik, where you check into your downtown hotel. Spend the day at leisure with recommendations from us.

Inside the Volcano and Blue Lagoon: Today your private guide will pick you up at 9:00 AM. You will be driving in 4x4 Super jeep especially equipped for Icelandic conditions. Head out of town to Thrihnjukagigur volcano, the only volcano in the world that you can explore from the inside. Here´s what it takes: willingness to do a moderate 45–50 minute hike (to get to the crater) and the guts to descend 120 meters/400 feet to the bottom of the crater in an open cable lift. You will be rewarded with the spectacular beauty of the crater chamber. The crater has all the colors of the rainbow and its size is gigantic -- equivalent to almost three full-sized basketball courts planted next to each other and the height is taller than the Statue of Liberty. After the Volcano tour, your guide will take you to the Blue Lagoon. Enjoy swimming in the unique geothermal waters. Return to Reykjavik by dinner time.

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano: This morning, we head for the area around Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano that erupted in the spring of 2010. We travel first to the north side of the volcano into an area called Thorsmork, where the effects of the eruption are clearly visible. Here we will take an easy hike to the run-off Gigjokull glacier, where torrents of glacial melt water radically transformed the surrounding landscape during the recent eruption. We'll then proceed to the southern slopes of the volcano, where you’ll take in some of Iceland’s most dramatic scenery—on one side, tall mountains with a succession of waterfalls cascading from the glaciers above, while on the other views of the North Atlantic coastline with its black-sand beaches and dramatic headlands teeming with birdlife. In the afternoon, a scenic drive through classic Icelandic farmland takes us to your country hotel, your base for the next two nights.

Hekla Volcano and Landmannalaugar: Today, we start by exploring the lava fields around Iceland's most notorious volcano, Hekla, known throughout Europe during the Middle Ages as "The Gateway to Hell.” Hekla has erupted 20 times since Iceland was settled in 874 AD and most recently in the year 2000. From Hekla, we head into the highland area of Landmannalaugar, which features the largest geothermal field in Iceland. Its sculptural peaks are made of rhyolite, causing amazing colorization of the surrounding mountains. Here, we'll take an easy two-hour hike across a lava field to the rainbow-streaked Brennisteinsalda (e. Sulphur Ridge), surely Iceland's most colorful peak. Afterwards, you may choose to take a dip in the natural hot pools nearby. We return to your hotel in time for dinner.

Return to Reykjavík; Gullfoss, Geysir and Thingvellir: As we make our way back to Reykjavík, we visit the highlights of the popular Golden Circle route. We start with a short drive to Gullfoss, or Gold Falls, Iceland’s most famous waterfall. Our next stop is Geysir, the place giving its name to the phenomenon worldwide. After lunch, we drive to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we'll go for an easy 2-hour hike. Surrounded by numerous volcanoes, Thingvellir is situated in a rift valley, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pull apart, clearly visible at the great Almannagjá or Everyman’s Gorge. Thingvellir was the site of Iceland's parliament between the years 930 AD and 1798. We will be back in Reykjavik by late afternoon, where you check into a downtown hotel.

Departure: We'll provide private airport transfer 3-hours prior to your scheduled departure time.