Mountain Highlights

WALKING, TOURING AND WHALE WATCHING

The world at your feet, with an average of three hours walking a day in some of the most beautiful parts of Iceland. Highlights include visiting three National Parks Þingvellir, Skaftafell and Jökulsárgljúfur, the wonders of Landmannalaugar and Lake Mývatn, for its latitude the most fertile area in the world. There are waterfalls including the awesome Dettifoss, the most powerful in Europe. The tour includes, weather permitting, a 3 hour whale watching cruise sailing from Húsavík.

Lots to see but little to carry, as the tour bus will convey your luggage. Accommodation is provided in hotels with private facilities. The hotels used on tours are often “summer hotels” used most of the year as boarding schools or country hotels which are simple and clean.

HIGHLIGHTS AND VALUES

- We only stay in four hotels which means less packing
- Visit to three national parks
- Whale watching included, weather permitting 
- Average of three hours walking a day
- Visit to two nature baths
- Boat trip on glacial lagoon

MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS - ITINERARY

DAY 1, MO: REYKJAVÍK-GULLFOSS-GEYSIR-SKAFTAFELL

The day starts with a drive to the famous Geysir and the Queen of Iceland´s waterfalls, Gullfoss. We then travel through the sandy desert of the south coast which is overlooked by mountainous cliffs and magnificent waterfalls. We stay for the next two nights near Skaftafell National Park.

DAY 2, TU: WALKING IN SKAFTAFELL

The whole day is spent walking through the Skaftafell National Park.

DAY 3, WE: SKAFTAFELL-FLJÓTSDALSHÉRAÐ

We drive south of Vatnajökull, Europe´s largest glacier which dominates the landscape with its glacial tongues calving into a glacial lagoon. Next, amongst the icebergs, enjoy a boat trip on the Jökulsárlón lagoon. We then continue through the beautiful Eastern fjords. We spend the next two nights in the neighbourhood of Egilsstaðir.

DAY 4, TH: WALKING THROUGH VIKING TRAILS

A full day walking in the beautiful Eastern mountains.

DAY 5, FR: FLJÓTSDALSHÉRAÐ-HIGHLAND DESERT-MÝVATN AREA

Today we walk up to Hengifoss, one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland. In the very remote area in the highlands of Iceland we visit Sænautasel, an old farm that was the main model for the setting of the novel: Independent People by Nobel Prize Winner Halldór Kiljan Laxness. We continue to Möðrudalur, a farm that has been inhabited from early settlement in Iceland and to this day, and has also served as a church site for centuries. We travel through desert landscape before reaching our accommodation for the next three nights in the Mývatn area. .

DAY 6, SA: WHALE WATCHING - LAKE MÝVATN AREA

We start the day, with a 3 hour whale watching cruise, weather permitting, from the picturesque village of Húsavík. A short drive to Lake Mývatn, a unique area that features strange lava formations, attractive bays, pseudo craters and prolific bird life. We stroll through the lava field of Dimmuborgir, ending with a walk to the rim of the ash crater Hverfjall. We relax in Mývatns Nature Baths, before we head back to our accommodation.

DAY 7, SO: WALKING IN HLJÓÐAKLETTAR-DETTIFOSS- ÁSBYRGI

We visit Hljóðaklettar with its strange formations and the magnificent and puzzling canyon Ásbyrgi, said to be a hoof print of the eight legged horse of the ancient God Óðinn. We walk along the west bank of the mighty Jökulsá river, not far upstream we see Europe´s most powerful waterfall Dettifoss.

DAY 8, MO: LAKE MÝVATN AREA-HELLA

We visit Goðafoss and Aldeyjarfoss on our way south across the highland desert of Sprengisandur, with its views of the distant ice-caps Vatnajökull and Hofsjökull. We continue south through Sprengisandur to our accommodation for the next two nights in Rangárvallasýsla.

DAY 9, TU: WALKING IN LANDMANNALAUGAR

The entire day is spent walking in the geothermal area of Landmannalaugar, a jewel in the Icelandic landscapes. The surroundings rhyolite mountains have the feel of another planet, ranging in colours from beige to red and from blue to black. We will have the opportunity to enjoy a bath in a pool of warm spring water. 

DAY 10, WE: ÞINGVELLIR-REYKJAVÍK

Today we visit the historic sites of the first Icelandic Parliament at Þingvellir National Park where we enjoy the last walks of our tour before returning to Reykjavik.

MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS 

Walking, Touring and Whale Watching GJ/50 F-L

Type:
Walking tour with hotel accommodation

Duration:
10 days / 9 nights

Departure & Return:
From our office at Borgartún 34 on Mondays at 09:00 and returning Wednesdays between 16:00-18:00

Pick up for tour:
Between 08.15-08.45 from any accommodation in Reykjavik

Language:
All tours are guided in English, German and French

Group size:
From 8 to 24 passengers

Accommodation:
Accommodation is provided in hotels with private facilities. The hotels used on tours are often “summer hotels”, used most of the year as boarding schools and are simple and clean.

Meals:
9x breakfast, 9x dinner (3-course or buffet) from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last day. 2x picnic lunch included on day 5 and 8. Lunch stops will be made at restaurants or café-shops en route.

Included on tour:
Boat tour on Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon (day 3), whale watching from Húsavík (day 6), entrance fee to the Nature Baths at Lake Mývatn (day 6)

On tour:
There is an average of 3 hours walking each day except on day 2, 9 and 10 where most of the day is spent walking. This tour is not very difficult, but there is always the possibility of returning earlier back to base if someone does not want to walk the whole day. Good walking boots are needed on all our tours, as well as waterproof clothing and we recommend walking/hiking sticks.

Note:
We sometimes have two groups departing on the same date. In this case, small change on itinerary might be expected.

Other highlights:
Visit to three national parks, travel through the interior highland desert and several off the beaten track explorations.

New service:
Supplement for guaranteed window seat on our escorted coach tours which includes a window seat and next seat remaining empty (passenger gets actually two seats) as well as a pillow and blanket for upgraded comfort. Seats will be reserved in the front area of the bus.

See further information:
under General Information about Escorted Grand Tours

YEAR 2010

MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS DEPARTURES

All tours depart at 09:00
50/F Monday 28 June - 07 July
50/H Monday 12 July - 21 July
50/J Monday 26 July - 04 August
50/L Monday 09 August - 18 August

DURATION: 10 days / 9 nights
LANGUAGES: This tour is guided in German, French and English
ACCOMMODATION: Hotels/Country Guest Houses
MEALS: 9x breakfast and 9x dinner (3-course or buffet) from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last day. Picnic lunch on days 5 and 8.

GROUP SIZE: From 8 to 24 passengers
ALSO INCLUDED: Visit to three national parks, whale watching tour (weather permitting), average of three hours walking per day, visit to two nature baths, boat trip on glacial lagoon

Price in EUR:
per person in Twin room: EUR 2.275.-
Single room  supplement: EUR 570.-
VIP-seating supplement: EUR 235.-

MOUNTAIN HIGHLIGHTS

Tour could not be improved. We feel we have really explored most important parts of Iceland, including history, nature, volcanoes, wild life, etc. The  guide was the  best every! Always helpful, considerate and knowledgable. Dinner were all fine. Driver was excellent and skillful at fording rivers!!!
Borton Overseas, USA
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Excellent tour. Good program, well organized. A rest day would have been welcome. The guide was very knowledgable, friendly, sorted out small problems with no fuss and quickly. Good company. Hotels were clean, generally well situated. Food was generally good. Excellent driver - we felt safe at all times including river fording and mountain roads.
Dick Phillips, UK
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We loved the tour. Everything was excellent.
Glur Reisen, Switzerland
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Apart from the weather, the tour was brilliant. Very imformative and knowledgable guide. Willing to answer all questions. The hotels were better than expected. Excellent food variety. Excellent driver, helpful with cases. Comfortable bus
Mighty Fine, UK
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Interesting and exciting tour. Excellent guide. Hotels, meals, driver, bus could not have been better
Top Travel, France
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It was the perfect tour for us
Mr & Mrs Martinelli, Italy
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The tour was nice with a lot of program in a short time. Guide excellent. Hotels OK. Meals good but we would have preferred more vegetables. Bus & driver excellent.
Geo Set Aktiv Reisen, Germany
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The best trip I have ever done in my life. Oscar is a brilliant guide, funny, talks very well English and takes well care of his group. I really loved Fosshotel Husavik and the best meal we had at Hotel Hallormsstadur. Halldor is an excellent driver and his bus was always perfect and clean
Thomas Cook Travel, France
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The tour could not have been better. It was magic.
Glur Reisen, Switzerland
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Program was perfect. Guide was excellent and well balanced with information. I was very surprised about the excellent standard of meals in Iceland. Excellent and pleasant driving of our bus driver.
Island Tours Switzerland
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Hello, I would like to thank your company for a wonderful holiday in Iceland. Our tour leader was Anna. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It was a most comprehensive program. It covered so many different aspects of Iceland. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the planning that went into the tour. Friends who had visited Iceland on other, different tours, told me this program was very good and so I booked the tour. I was not at all disappointed. I particularly enjoyed the journey into the interior of the the island. It was fascinating. Our tour leader, Anna, was one of the very best tour leaders I have ever encountered. She had a diverse group and of course that meant there were diverse expectations. Anna did her best to accommodate the desires of everyone on the tour; she worked tirelessly. Perhaps that is how Icelandic people are in summer!! Along the way she provided us with a constant flow of absolutely fascinating insights into the sights we saw. She also went to great trouble to explain to us about so many aspects of Iceland. Anna shared her love of Iceland with us. We were privileged to have such a superb guide. We all agreed that her sense of humour, which seemed shared with other Icelandic people, was one of the vital ingredients in her power to engage people on a tour. Please pass on my compliments to Anna. Thank you to all who had a hand in putting together such a wonderful tour.

Kind regards, Steve booked through Grayline Iceland