Deluxe 12 nights Iceland

DELUXE 12 NIGHT CIRCLE TOUR OF ICELAND

DAY 1 You can either take a taxi or a bus to Reykjavik, or we can arrange for driver to pick you up in a private car. If you have an early arrival it’s ideal to stop at the Blue Lagoon for a relaxing soak before heading to Reykjavik.

Accommodation: Superior double room with brekfast at Center Hotel Plaza 4* http://www.centerhotels.com/our-hotels/hotel-plaza/ Address: Aðalstræti 4 · 101 Reykjavik · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 595 8550

DAY 2 EASY DAY IN REYKJAVÍK Spend a relaxing day in Reykjavik. We recommend visiting the Domestic Zoo and family park and one of the cities’s numerous outdoor swimming pool, most of which have a fun slides.

Accommodation: Center Hotel Plaza

DAY 3 BORGARFJORDUR In the morning you pick up your rental car and drive north. In the town of Borgarnes. You can stop at the Settlement Center and see an interesting exhibition on the Vikings. We also recommend their restaurant for lunch. Travel into Borgarfjordur and to Deildatunguhver, the most powerful geothermal spring in Iceland. Close by is the magnificent Hraunfossar, a waterfall that comes out of the lava, and Barnafoss waterfall which flows through a small canyon. At Reykholt you can stop and see where Snorri Sturluson, writer of the Prose-Edda, lived. Drive back west and to the Snaefellsnes peninsula, ending the day in the “Danish” fishing village of Stykkisholmur. At Stykkisholmur you can take a path up to an island to the town lighthouse, from where you get a great view of the town and nearby islands.

Accommodation: Deluxe double room with breakfast at Hotel Budir 4* http://www.budir.is/Overview/ Address: 365 Snaefellsnes · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 435 6700

DAY 4 SNAEFELLSNES From Snaefellsnes head west to the westernmost part of the peninsula. There you have a phenomenal view of Snaefellsjokull which is considered by many to be the most beautiful glacier in Iceland as it’s situated on a mountain on the edge of the peninsula and the nature reserve around it offers some great hiking paths that allow you to explore the area. It is ideal to enjoy a walk from Hellnar to Arnarstapi, along the coastline, stopping at Gatklettur cliff along the way. It‘s also interesting to take a look at the Budir timber church. Travelling along the south coast of the peninsule, you stop at an ölkelda where clean carbonized water flows from the ground and you can have a taste. Return to Stykkisholmur in the evening Optional: Adventure boat cruise of Breidafjordur Bay, to see its countless islands diverse bird life and try delicious seafood straight from the bottom of the sea.

Accommodation: Hotel Budir

DAY 5 WEST ICELAND From Snaefellsnes you travel inland again and take the main road north. En route you see Vatnsdalsholar, countless small hills, many of which are rhyolite, a lovely and interesting photo stop. Drive through the town of Blonduos, from where you can either travel straight to Skagafjordur fjord, or travel north to Siglufjordur town, seeing beautiful fjords and small towns on the way. After checking in you can still go to Akureyri town, where you explore the town and its old small houses and walk along the pedestrian street.

Akureyri has a great swimming pool too, with two slides (one large and the other for racing) and a play area for children. You can also do this on Day 6.

Accommodation: Superior double room with breakfast at Hotel Tindastoll 4* in Saudarkrokur. http://www.hoteltindastoll.com/index_en.html Address: Lindargata 3 · 550 Saudarkrokur · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 453 5002

DAY 6 LAKE MYVATN From Snaefellsnes you head east, stopping at Godafoss waterfall on the way to Lake Myvatn.

The day is spent exploring the Lake Myvatn area, seeing sites such as Dimmuborgir lava formations, Krafla caldera, Namaskard hot spring area and Mt. Hverfell. This area is also the home of over 2.000 birds in May, which you can learn more about at Sigurgeir’s bird museum. There has been a lot of volcanic activity by Myvatn and there's a lot of geothermal heat in the ground. In the afternoon it's perfect to go for a relaxing soak in the Myvatn Baths.

Accommodation: Superior double room with breakfast at Hotel Reynihlid 4* by Lake Myvatn http://www.myvatnhotel.is/ Address: 660 Myvatn · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 464 4170

DAY 7 HUSAVIK AND JOKULSARGLJUFUR You have another day here close to Lake Myvatn, as there is simply so much to see and do here.

Travel to the small town of Husavik and visit the whale museum, or go east to Jokulsargljufur national park, see Asbyrgi and Dettifoss waterfall. You can also catch up on sights by the lake you didn’t have time for the day before. Optional: Whale watching tour from Husavik, which has the highest success rate of spotting whales in Iceland.

Accommodation: Hotel Reynihlid

DAY 8 EAST ICELAND From Myvatn you travel east to the town of Egilsstadir and then south along the magnificent fjords of the rugged coastline and enjoy the vista of majestic mountains. This part of the country is rather rural, with small fishing villages nestling by the Ocean. On the way you can stop at Stodvarfjordur and see Petra's Stone Museum.

Accommodation: Superior double room with breakfast at Hotel Blafell 3* in Breidalsvik town http://www.hotelblafell.is/en/ Address: Sólvellir 14 · 760 Breiðdalsvík · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 475 6770

DAY 9 JOKULSARLON AND SKAFTAFELL From Breidalsvik you travel towards Vatnajokull, Europe's largest glacier. You stop at Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon, were we recommend a boat ride among the majestic icebergs. It’s one of the most beautiful areas in Iceland, and you also often see seals swimming in the lagoon or sunbathing on an iceberg. You then continue to Skaftafell national park where you spend the rest of the day hiking, taking photo stops at places like Svartifoss waterfall.

Accommodation: Double room with breakfast at Hotel Skaftafell 3* by Skaftafell national park http://www.fosshotel.is/en/hotel/fosshotel_skaftafell.php Address: Freysnesi ·785 Oraefasveit · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 478 1945

DAY 10 SOUTH ICELAND Traveling along the south coast you'll visit Dyrholaey peninsula which is shaped like an arc that stands out to sea. From the peninsula you have a breathtaking view on a sunny day of Reynisdrangar, lava formations that stand out from the ocean as well as Myrdalsjokull glacier and the surrounding countryside. Further west you stop at the two waterfalls of Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. At Seljalandsfoss you can take a short path that leads behind the free falling waterfall and feel the spray and drizzle on your face.

Accommodation: Deluxe room with breakfast at Hotel Ranga 4* http://www.hotelranga.is/ Address: 851 Hella · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 487 5700

DAY 11 HEKLA VOLCANO You travel north to the rugged lava fields around Mt. Hekla, Iceland’s most famous volcano. We recommend taking a 3-4 hour ATV tour. The operator provides you with overalls and helmets for the tour. There are a few different tours that depend on weather and road conditions. In a typical tour you see Háifoss, the highest freefalling waterfall in Iceland, and Hjálparfoss which is quite different flowing from a cliff. Gjáin is a beautiful canyon where rivers flow and you can see a cave that farmers used to use for overnight stay and to keep their animals. The tour is a lot of fun and you get to see places you wouldn’t in the rental car; crossing unbridged rivers and travelling on mountain tracks. It’s also great to have a guide

show you around. Each ATV seats one driver and one passenger. If you opt not to go on the ATV tour you can still go close to Hekla to photograph and see the beautiful surroundings.

Accommodation: Hotel Ranga

DAY 12 JUNE 15, THE GOLDEN CIRCLE After enjoying breakfast you drive north to Geysir hot spring fields where you'll watch the geyser Strokkur sprout boiling water 25-30 meters into the air. In the Geysir center you can learn about geothermal power and see a volcano exhibit. A short drive from Geysir is Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall, which cascades down a 32 meter crevice in two steps. You can stop for lunch at the Gullfoss cafe, known for its traditional Icelandic kjotsupa, a broth soup with lamb and vegetables.

Optional: You can go on a horseback riding tour or an ATV tour from Geysir and explore the beautiful landscape of Haukadalur. An hour's drive west of Geysir is Thingvellir national park, where the Icelandic parliament was founded in 930. The national park is a UNESCO world heritage site, not only for its rich history but also for the beautiful landscape. At Thingvellir you can clearly see where the tectonic plates are drifting apart, having formed a large crevice called Almannagja.

End the day in Keflavik by the airport. You can stop at the Blue Lagoon which is close to Keflavik and open until 9 pm.

Accommodation: Superior double room at Hotel Keflavik 4* http://www.hotelkeflavik.is/en/ Address: Vatnsnesvegi 12 · 230 Keflavík · Iceland · Phone: (+354) 420 7000

DAY 13 JUNE 16, DEPARTURE Take the short drive to the airport and drop the rental car .

24 hour service phone: (+45) 2176 0476

NORDIC STAR - LILLEDAL 5 - DK-3450 ALLEROED - COPENHAGEN - DENMARK MAIL: MADS@NORDICSTAR.DK - TEL: (+45) 2176 0476 - FAX: (+45) 4816 1997