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Gems of the South (2 nights & 3 days)

This 3 day and 2 night excursion takes you out into Iceland's south, a paradise of natural splendours. This region packs in a bounty of fantastic landscapes and sights, each more spectacular than the other.

You see gorgeous waterfalls, black sand beaches, grand glaciers, active volcanoes, towering mountains and lively bird cliffs. If this is your first trip to Iceland, the South is the perfect area to fall in love with natural wonders as you experience the most varied and breathtaking land. For return visitors, this tour shows you a striking region to remind you how mind-blowing this country is. There is simply no shortage of impressive spots to explore in South Iceland, and it is a photographers’ dream.

Highlights & Experiences

  • Marvels and treasures of South Iceland
  • Full of natural wonders and highlights
  • See waterfalls, glaciers and black beaches
  • Visit the volcanic Westman Islands
  • Adventure trip to Landmannalaugar
  • Bathing in a natural hot spring
  • Optional glacier hike

Itinerary

Day 1: Westman Islands

We travel from Reykjavík to South Iceland, where we take a short ferry ride to the Westman Islands. There is a bus and walking tour of the village of Heimaey and this extraordinary island. The volcanic eruption in 1973 is, without doubt, considered the largest natural disaster in Iceland in recent history. The eruption began on January 23rd on the island of Heimaey, the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. After the evacuation of the inhabitants and during the 5 months while the eruption lasted, there was much uncertainty as to whether or not the island could ever be repopulated. We explore bird cliffs during our tour to the Westman Islands, walk up the volcano crater, and visit  „Pompei of the North“, a volcanic excavation project. You have the afternoon free to wander around the town of Heimaey, with its birds and sign of recent volcanic eruptions. Finally, we return to the mainland and stay for 2 nights in South Iceland.

Overnight location:
Stracta Hotel, Hella or similar, South Iceland. (210km / 130mi)

Day 2: South Coast & Lava Show

Our first stop of the day will be at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountains and where you can follow a slick and wet trail right behind the falls. We visit the thundering Skógafoss waterfall, which is 60 meters high and belongs to the most impressive waterfalls in the country. Nearby is the beautiful Skógar folk museum with its turf houses. We pass the glaciers Mýrdalsjökull and the infamous volcano Eyjafjallajökull. In the village of Vík, we attend the stunning Iceland lava show, the only exhibition in the world where you can experience actual flowing lava! By melting lava and pouring it on ice in a room full of people, you will be able to see the lava flowing, hear it sizzling, and feel the heat that radiates from it. We walk along the black lava beach and bird cliffs at Reynisfjara and see exciting basalt columns and rock formations. In the afternoon, we stop at the Sólheimajökull glacier tongue, where you can join an optional glacier hike. It‘s an informative and easy glacier walk through a frozen wonderland of different shades of glacier ice. 

Overnight location:
Stracta Hotel, Hella or similar, South Iceland. (220km / 137mi)

Day 3: Landmannalaugar & Microbrewery

Today we drive the rough unpaved road to Landmannalaugar, an oasis in the barren highlands surrounded by vivid rhyolite mountains. The highlight is a 90-minute round-trip hike up toward Brenninsteinsalda, the rainbow mountain of Iceland, which is still “hot” and where you can see sizzling sulfur springs and vapor at its sides. It could very well be the most colourful and spectacular volcanic mountain of Iceland, and so its picture is often found in books and calendars. After a picnic lunch, you have free time to enjoy a relaxing bath in the natural geothermal stream. We take a short stop at the beautiful waterfall Hjálparfoss, surrounded by unusual basalt rock formations. Before we reach back to Reykjavík, let us visit Ölvisholt, a microbrewery located on an old dairy farm in South Iceland. You will get an introduction to the brewery’s history, the brewing process, and of course, try a selection of Icelandic beer. (310km / 193mi)

Tour Duration: 3 days (2 nights)

Call us on +44 (0) 1773 850222 ATOL Protected

Thank you so much Gareth for organising such a lovely holiday for us! We gave a basic outline of what we wanted from our holiday and Gareth organised everything. Everything ran very smoothly and what an amazing experience. Thank you for all your suggestions, so glad we took them on

We are here to reassure you that you can trust our team with your Iceland holiday plans, knowing that all bookings with us are ATOL protected

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