Compare Active Iceland self-drive tour: waterfalls, volcanoes and lagoons by Audley Travel vs Iceland: See & Experience it ALL in 9 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler

Day 1: Hveragerði

Accommodation: Frost & Fire Boutique Hotel

Collect your car on arrival at Keflavík airport. All insurances have been included for you, and a GPS navigation system can be added locally. You’ll be staying in the Reykjadalur valley, close to the Golden Circle region, an area known for its geothermal activity. Take a hike this afternoon through the valley, ending with a soak in the naturally heated river.

Day 2: Hveragerði

Accommodation: Frost & Fire Boutique Hotel

Explore the highlights of the Golden Circle on a self-drive tour of the region, including the diverging tectonic plates at Þingvellir National Park and an erupting geyser at Geysir Geothermal Area. At Gullfoss waterfall, you’ll go white-water rafting along the Hvítá river, through Brúarhlöð canyon.

Day 3: Vík

Accommodation: Hótel Kría

This morning you’ll be met by your guide at your hotel and taken on a private tour by superjeep to Landmannalaugar, a region deep in Iceland’s highlands known for its striped rhyolite hills and diverse walking opportunities. You’ll explore the valley on foot, before a well-earned soak in natural hot springs surrounded by the vibrant wilderness landscape.

Day 4: Vík

Accommodation: Hótel Kría

Drive along the scenic south coast passing ice-capped volcanoes and waterfalls tumbling down the mountainsides. At Sólheimajökull, join a small-group hike up onto the glacier, to explore the icy landscape and observe the deep crevasses on the glacier’s surface.

Day 5: Hof

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Continue your self-drive tour eastwards towards the remote town of Kirkjabæjarklaustur and the Eldhraun lava field, the largest of its kind in the world. You’ll explore this verdant, mossy wilderness by mountain bike with a local guide, stopping to see waterfalls and drink from natural springs that are spread across this pristine landscape. You’ll also explore one of the region’s many lava caves, formed in the 18th century by a huge volcanic eruption.

Day 6: Hof

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Spend the day exploring the southern side of Vatnajökull National Park, perhaps hiking to see the basalt columns of Svartifoss waterfall or watching icebergs wash up along the shoreline on nearby Diamond Beach. You’ll also explore Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon on a small-group kayak tour, paddling between its bergy bits and spotting seals basking on its icy shoreline.

Day 7: Blue Lagoon

Accommodation: Silica Hotel

Return west back along the south coast, perhaps stopping to admire the striking black sands of Reynisfjara beach or walk behind thundering Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This afternoon, check into the Blue Lagoon and bathe in its milky, minerally-rich waters. Relax with a silica mud mask and a drink of your choice at the lagoon bar.

Day 8: Return home

Make the short drive to the airport, where you’ll drop off your car in time for your onward flight.

Day 1: Whale Watching & Colorful Skies

From mid-May to mid-October, our tour starts in Iceland's second most visited city, Akureyri. Get ready to go on a whale watching tour. From late October to early May, whale watching is done instead in the capital that is Reykjavík. From September to early March, also included is a night tour to an area where we see the northern lights.

Day 2: A Lake Created by Lava & Geothermal Eruptions

As a land daytrip from Akureyri (mid-May to mid-October) or a flight daytrip from Reykjavík (late October to early May), we are taken on a tour to Goðafoss Waterfall, Lake Mývatn, a geothermal area called Hverir and Dettifoss Waterfall. Goðafoss waterfall has a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. Lake Mývatn was created by a large basaltic lava which erupted 2,300 years ago. The surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars. Dettifoss is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe.

Day 3: Approaching a Caldera & Bathing in a Crater or Iceland’s Best Bar Lagoon Accompanied with a City Tour

Today’s destinations and activities depend on the season. From mid-May to mid-October, as a daytrip from Akureyri, we first hike Askja Caldera and then visit a crater called Viti, the latter of which offers a pond where we go bathing. From late October to early May, we go bathing at a ‘fashionable’ geothermal spa called Sky Lagoon, located near to the capital. We are also provided with a tour of the capital.

Day 4: Why They Call This Area the ‘Golden Circle’

From mid-May to mid-October, we relocate from Akureyri to Reykjavík. From late October to early May, we are not based in Akureyri. Instead, we are still based in Reykjavík. Either way, today we are doing the so-called ‘Golden Circle’ as a daytrip from Reykjavík. Destinations include Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir/Strokkur geyser and Þingvellir National Park (a.k.a. Thingvellir National Park). Gullfoss is 32 meters tall and features not 1 but 2 drops. Geysir’s eruptions can hurl boiling water up to 70 meters in the air. Þingvellir is notable for its unusual tectonic and volcanic environment in a rift valley.

Day 5: One of the Ten Most Beautiful Beaches on Earth & Thundering Waterfalls

We leave Reykjavík and start the journey along the southeast coast. Highlights for today include Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skógafoss Waterfall and the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. We end up lodging in the Skaftafell area. The Seljalandsfoss Waterfall drops 60 meters. Visitors can walk behind the falls into a fascinating cave. Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country, with a width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters. Reynisfjara was ranked by National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches on Earth.

Day 6: Huge Icebergs, Exploring an Ice Cave & a Surreal Shoreline

Although today we head to Thorsmork Valley, many destinations are visited en route. They include Skaftafell Nature Reserve, Jökulsárlón Glacial Lake, the natural ice cave at Vatnajökull National Park and Diamond Beach. Skaftafell’s landscape is similar to some of the Alps. The difference is Skaftafell has been formed over thousands of years by different influences of fire and water. Jökulsárlón Lake provides outstanding views of icebergs which rise to a height of 910 meters. Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: (1) A View to a Kill, (2) Die Another Day, (3) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and (4) Batman Begins. Vatnajökull’s ice cave contains canals for water which run through or at the bottom of the glacier. Diamond Beach features icebergs which float onto the shore from Jökulsárlón.

*Note that the surreal looking Svartifoss Waterfall is sometimes-but not always-included on today’s tour. It depends on many factors, including the weather. Also, note that the ice cave is not open June through September. It is open only during the winter season.

Day 7: A Hiker's Paradise

Before returning to Reykjavík, we hike around Thorsmork Valley. The highlights are Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Stakkholtsgjá Canyon, Nauthúsagil Canyon and Gígjökull Glacier. This is arguably the best area in the country from where to go hiking.

Day 8: Mud Pools, Hot Springs & Blue Waters

From Reykjavík, we make a daytrip to the Reykjanes Peninsula: Lake Kleifarvatn, a geothermal area called Krýsuvík, Gunnuhver’s mud pools and hot springs and the Blue Lagoon. Krýsuvík consists of several geothermal fields. Here solfataras, fumaroles, mud pots and hot springs have formed. The soil is colored bright yellow, red and green. Nearby are several craters which were created by the explosions of overheated groundwater. The Blue Lagoon, one of the most visited attractions in Iceland, is a geothermal spa. There we enjoy bathing inside the warm water.

Day 9: Our Tour Ends Today

Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Reykjavík.