5 Days Self-Drive | Golden Circle, South Coast

Upon arrival to Iceland pick up your car at Keflavik International Airport. Your adventure starts from here! The first stop (if you choose to add it as an extra activity) will be to the famous Blue Lagoon where you can relax and let the warm and mineral-rich water warm you up and recharge you for your exciting trip in Iceland.   The Blue Lagoon features an in-water mask booth, sauna, steam room and an in-water bar (book with us and get a complimentary beverage). The silica mask is free-flow so you can use it as much as you wish. Spend the night in Reykjavik.

Þingvellir National Park We visit the place where the two tectonic plates, the North American and the Eurasian plate, are moving away from each other. Few places in the world offer a better and clearer view of this massive geographic activity. The biggest natural lake in Iceland is also located at Thingvellir National Park and hosts a great variety of fish and birdlife. Thingvellir is also an important place for Icelandic national history. At Thingvellir Icelanders founded their parliament in 930 a.d. where the chieftains had their annual meeting every summer. The name “Thingvellir” translates to “Parliament Plains”. Geysir Geothermal Area The Geysir geothermal area hosts hundreds of colorful hot springs and two geysers, erupting hot springs. One is called “Geysir” and name giving for all the geysers in the world. Today, however, it erupts very seldom. The other geyser is called “Strokkur” and erupts every 5 minutes up to 40 meters.  Gullfoss Waterfall The melting water from Iceland´s second biggest glacier, Langjökull, falls into a deep canyon forming the majestic “Golden Falls”. On a sunny day, you can see the glacier Langjökull in the distance and enjoy a rainbow in the mist of the waterfall, an Instagram blockbuster waiting to happen! Activities in the area 1) Snowmobile Go on a snowmobile tour on Iceland's second largest ice cap. Once you are at our base camp we suit up for the tour, we offer snowsuits, gloves, helmets, and shoe-covers if needed. We go over a safety briefing before heading out to the Snowmobile tour so that everyone feels safe and secure to start the tour. 2) Dog-sledding This tour will operate with a sled on snow or with a kart on DRY- LAND depending on the conditions. Feel the power, excitement, and energy of our amazing sled dogs as they are harnessed to go. During the ride your Musher guide will drive your team while sharing his knowledge and passion about dogsledding. 3) Geothermal Bread Baking (Fri - Sun only) Guests are invited to experience the geothermal bakery first hand and take part in baking a bread in the ground. It takes 24 hours for the earth to bake the bread, the slow cooking makes the dark rye bread very tasty and rememberable for everyone sampling it. After the informative walk and entertaining demonstration, everyone is invited to sample the freshly baked bread. Ideal in combination with geothermal bathing. 4) Kerid Volcano Crater Kerid is a 3000 year old extinct volcano. After its last eruption, the volcano collapsed to form a crater. This scenic lake has attracted visitors from near and far. Spend the night in Reykjavik.

Seljalandsfoss The adventure begins when your arrival is announced by the powerful theatrics of Seljalandsfoss. Bring a raincoat and you’ll be able to make the short hike behind the falls. The scene behind the fall and the trembling ground from the power of the falling water makes for an automatic Instagram blockbuster! Skogafoss Further west along the coast is Skógafoss waterfall. Skógafoss is an incredibly picturesque sight. Tucked in a little gorge, the river Skógá tumbles down a 60 meter cliff before continuing down the landscape towards the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the gorge a staircase can take you to the shelf above the waterfall for stunning views. See if you can count your steps on your way up. Reynisfjara, the Black Sand Beach Heading further west, we visit the black sand beach of Reynisfjara where the massive waves of the Atlantic meet the unique basalt columns in the cliffs above the sand. Rock pillars in the water and the cliffs of Dýrhólaey are seen in the distance. This area of the south is also a paradise for bird lovers, as Puffins and dozens of other unique species nest on top of these cliffs in the summertime from June to August. Activities in the area 1) Glacier Hike in Sólheimajökull Sólheimajökull is a part of Mýrdalsjökull, one of the biggest glaciers in Europe. It is featured in detail in the 2012 documentary "Chasing Ice," an award-winning investigation of climate change. Once you reach the ice, you’ll be given plenty of time to marvel at the eerie silence and feeling of isolation, as if you and your fellow hikers are alone in a vast, empty world of ice and snow. You’ll view millennia-old blue ice, created when oxygen bubbles are trapped in the snow and compressed into ice by the enormous weight of the glacier pressing down upon it. You’ll be able to gaze deep into a glacier moulin, a vertical shaft like a well, which can go all the way to the bottom of the glacier. 2) DC3 Plane Wreck Visit the famous plane wreck on Solheimasandur. This plane wreck of the US Navy has been sitting on the vast black sand since 1973. 3) LAVA Centre  The Lava Centre is an interactive, high-tech educational exhibition depicting volcanic activity, earthquakes and the creation of Iceland over millions of years. Examine the various volcanos—eruptions and lava flows, volcanic and rift systems, faults and glacial floods that make Iceland a showcase of volcanism. Spend the night in Reykjavik.