Just wanted to say I had an amazing time on the Mountain Highlights tour. The itinerary gave a very comprehensive overview of Iceland and I really enjoyed all the hiking and the varied activities. Our guide Anna Lara was fantastic--funny, knowledgeable, level headed, and an excellent driver. She taught us so much about Icelandic history, myths, botany, and geology that I feel I have a real understanding of your country, something I didn't expect after only ten days.
In addition to the scheduled itinerary, she arranged for a tractor tour to a puffin colony and horseback riding, both at a very reasonable price. She made the tour even more special by taking us to a few of her favourite spots-two local baths, and a magical little valley in the desert - and entertaining us with stories about how life was when she was growing up. Some of the roads and driving conditions were very daunting but I never felt unsafe and we never go stuck fording a river, which Anna Lara explained later was a real possibility. Her stamina for driving long distances is incredible. So she ran out of diesel once. It just added to the feeling of being on a road trip with friends rather than on a guided tour. And she was remarkably tolerant of all the teasing she got every time we passed a petrol station afterwards. (It also helped that everyone in the group got along very well.) The meals were excellent, especially the lamb. I enjoyed trying horse meat, cream cheese flavoured with moss, and other Icelandic specialities. I liked that the hotel and restaurants were mid-range and not the most luxurious available. It suited the ruggedness of the tour and I prefer to spend more money on seeing and doing things then on where I eat and sleep. This tour was definitely more than worth the price, and Anna Lara made it a very special vacation. I will recommend GT Tour highly to anyone interested in visiting Iceland.
Loretta Johnson (Canada)