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Colorful Iceland with wide variety of scenery
Explore the marvels of Reykjavík, drive in own car along the coastline and enjoy this leisurly trip.
This a very versatile tour, featuring just about all of Iceland, without hurrying too much. It includes all Iceland's highlights and is very suitable for people who want to see as much of Iceland as they can in a leisurely manner.
Selárdalur is the second most westernly "kettle valley" in Arnarfjörður in Iceland. It used to be one of the main settled areas in the Westfjords. Selárdalur parish was formerly considered one of the country's best parishes, since Stóra-Laugardalssókn ("Hot Springs Valley Parish"), which covered all of Tálknafjörður, was annexed to Selárdal.
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland. It is the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is the center of culture and life of the Icelandic people. The city itself is spread out, with sprawling suburbs. The city centre, however, is a very small area characterised by eclectic and colourful houses, with good shopping, dining and drinking. When it started to develop as a town in the 18th century, Reykjavík had already been inhabited for almost a thousand years. Legend has it that the first permanent settler in Iceland was a Norwegian named Ingólfur Arnarson. He is said to have thrown his seat pillars into the sea en route to Iceland, and decided to settle wherever the pillars were found. The pillars washed up in Reykjavík, and so that was where he set up his farm.
Description of the route
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...such as Lake Mývatn, Snæfellsnes peninsula, Thjórsárdalur valley, all the National Parks of Iceland and of course the superb glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón. Also, you spend 2 nights in Reykjavík, so you get to know the capital well and you can also easily visit the famous Blue Lagoon.
Day 1: After disembarking from Norröna, you could opt to have a good look around in Seyðisfjörður village. There is a small technical museum. Then, you drive to Egilsstaðir, making short stops at the waterfalls along the way. After a look around in Egilsstaðir, you can choose from some different excursions. You can drive north to Borgarfjörður Eystri, a lovely small village surrounded by colourful rhyolite mountains, or you can drive around lake Logurinn, visiting Iceland’s largest forest Hallormsstaðaskógur and hiking to Hengifoss waterfall. Overnight in Egilsstadir. (200 km)
Day 2: Today, you are going to visit an area that not many tourists visit, so it is a bit exclusive. You start by driving up the meandering mountain road Hellisheiði, which brings you to the fishing village of Vopnafjörður . If you like, you can visit the museum Burstarfell. Another nice experience is a visit to the small swimming pool in Selárdalur. Next, you continue your trip and drive on to another village, Þórshöfn. If you have a jeep, you can drive all the way out to Fontur, the tip of the Langanes peninsula. Overnight is in this area, or in the next village, Raufarhöfn. (150 km)
Day 3: Today you have a choice. You can either drive on to the village of Raufarhöfn and from there follow the coastline of Melrakkasletta, an area with abundant bird life. You can also choose to drive over the mountain pass Öxarfjarðarheiði, which is shorter. Then you head south over Hólssandur, until you reach Dettifoss, Iceland’s mightiest waterfall. Next you return to the main road to visit Ásbyrgi, a horse-shoe shaped canyon, before driving to Húsavík (where it is possible to make a whale watching safari) or Mývatn for your next overnight stay. (165 or 235 km)
Day 4: Today, you spent most of your time at lake Mývatn, visiting all the marvellous sights, such as Krafla, the site of volcanic eruptions as recent as the 80s, Námaskarð solfataras, Dimmuborgir Lava Labyrinth and the pseudo-craters at Skútustaðir. From there you drive to Goðafoss waterfall, the waterfall of the Gods, which is well worth a good stop. Then you continue to Eyjafjörður fjord, and spend the afternoon in the lovely city of Akureyri, often called “The Capital of the North”. It’s a good idea to visit the beautiful botanic garden and a visit to the swimming pool is a very nice experience as well. Also, the city offers some nice shopping opportunities, such as for example a factory outlet of woolens. Overnight in Akureyri. (150 km)
Day 5: First you drive to Skagafjörður county, famous for its horsebreeding. There, it is possible to visit the turf house museum of Glaumbær, dating from the end of the 19th century. You continue along the main road to the village of Blönduós, and on to the Laugarbakki area where you stay overnight. (200 km)
Day 6: You drive along the fjord Hrútafjörður and then over Laxárdalsheiði to the northern side of Snæfellsnes peninsula. You follow its coastline along Skógarströnd and arrive at the charming fishing village of Stykkishólmur. It is possible to make a boat trip in the afternoon (in high season, book beforehand), sailing among the many islands of Breiðafjörður, fishing for scallops and watching the many seabirds of this area. Overnight in Stykkishólmur. (180 km)
Day 7: This is a day to explore the marvels of the tip of the peninsula, such as the impressive beach Djúpalónssandur (from which you can hike to Dritvík, approx. 3 hrs.), the cliff at Þúfubjarg, and one of the highlights of the area: Arnarstapi. There the kittiwakes nest among the basalt columns, and you can observe them from very close by. A walk along the coastline here is really something not to be missed. After that you drive along the south side of the peninsula, and you can make a stop at Gerðuberg, Iceland’s longest row of basalt columns. Next you continue to the village of Borgarnes. Overnight in this area.. (250 km)
Day 8: Today you visit some of the marvels of Borgarfjörður, such as Deildartunguhver which is Iceland’s largest hot spring, producing 180 l of almost boiling water per minute. Also you view Hraunfossar, a whole row of small waterfalls tumbling out of the lava, into a passing river. Then you continue along the Hvalfjörður fjord back to Reykjavík. (150 km)
Day 9: A free day in Reykjavík, to explore the marvels of the city. If you like, you can make an excursion to Reykjanes peninsula, with a visit to the church of Bessastaðir, and to the steam vents and boiling mud pools of Krísuvík. A highlight is a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon, filled with natural hot water, rich in all kind of minerals. After a refreshing bath in the bizarre surroundings of lava fields and a geothermal plant, you drive back to Reykjavik for a second overnight. (160 km)
Day 10: Drive to Þingvellir National Park, where the ancient parliament was founded. This is also a place of great geological interest, and you can take a walk through one of the large fissures. Then you continue over Lyngdalsheiði pass to the village of Laugarvatn, and from there to the Geysir area, where the famous spring Strokkur ejects its water columns high into the air every 5 minutes or so. Next you visit Gullfoss, one of the most beautiful waterfalls of Iceland. Overnight in the area. (150-180 km)
Day 11: Today you explore the lovely valley of Þjórsardalur. This valley was once a lovely farming area, but in 1104 it was destroyed by an eruption of Mt. Hekla. If the weather is favourable you might get some good views of this notorious volcano. You can visit the excavated ruins of the farm Stöng, as well as it’s reconstruction (entrance fee!) close by. There are the waterfalls Hjálp (twin falls) and Iceland’s 3rd highest: Háifoss and you mustn’t miss the charming little valley Gjáin. You can drive past Búrfell Power plant before returning to your hotel. (200-220 km)
Day 12: In the morning, you continue in the direction of the waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss and the lovely Folk Museum of Skógar. Next you visit the bird cliff of Dyrhólaey (open after 25 June), where puffins can be seen until mid-August, and the small village of Vik. Then you drive over the Mýrdalssandur outwash plains to Kirkjubæjarklaustur and from there you continue further east. On the way you can make a stop at Dverghamrar with its basalt columns, and you can visit the tiny chapel at Núpsstaður. Finally you arrive in the Skaftafell area, where you stay overnight.
Day 13: This is a whole day to enjoy the marvels of the Skaftafell National Park. You can actually drive all the way to the glacier tongue Svínafellsjökull, and there are many opportunities for hiking in the Park. A walk to Svartifoss waterfall (1 1/2 hrs in total) is a must! Overnight in the Skaftafell area or close by Höfn. (max. 150 km)
Day 14: Today you continue east along the south coast, and the first and most important stop of the day is at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. In this large lagoon immense icebergs float around, and you can even make a short boattrip among them, giving you really the opportunity to see them from close by. After this stop, you continue to the village of Höfn, and if the weather is good you can enjoy many lovely views of Vatnajökull glacier on the way. Then you drive over Almannaskarð pass into the East Fjord area, and pass Alftafjörður and Hamarsfjörður before arriving to the tiny fishing village of Djúpivogur. From there, you drive along the eastern fjords with their lovely landscape. A tip: visit the Stone Museum of Petra, in the tiny village of Stöðvarfjörður. There you can see a garden and most of the house full of the most colourful and sparkling Icelandic semi-gemstones. After circling around the fjords you drive over Fagridalur pass to Egilsstaðir, the most important village of the east (wonderful swimming pool)! Overnight in or near Egilsstaðir. (150 km).
Day 15: In the morning you drive the 30 km back to Seyðisfjörður, to catch the ferry.
Note: we reserve the r