Green Tourism Tour in South Iceland
Guided Self drive Tour
Dates 2023
Upon request
Upon request
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As we all long to travel again in good companionship to foreign countries we still might feel the need for a bit more space and privacy around us. Join us on our new guided self-drive tour where you will be driving in your designated car with your private party in between sites.
Arriving at the site you will be met by our local Exploring Iceland guide who will take the group around the site, explaining the history and nature as we explore on foot. Every day easy guided hikes will be undertaken in wonderful, varying nature – often with a historical background. We will visit the Golden Circle including Þingvellir National Park, waterfall Gullfoss and Geyser Strokkur, explore the volcanic Valley Þjórsárdalur and travel along the charming South Shore of Iceland with its numerous waterfalls, turf houses and amazing glacier views. Enjoy a local food tasting in an airy horse barn and visit a Greenhouse Restaurant to get a glimpse into the life of the local farming community. To make this tour a truly sustainable one we will use electrical cars and will plant birch trees on our farm day outing to compensate our carbon footprint. Our guests get access to a tour-exclusive podcast with wonderful stories about Icelandic history, geology, literature, politics and the daily life of Icelanders. All the cars have bluetooth so our guests can pick from a choice of podcast stories to listen to while they are travelling from site to site to meet their guide! |
Type: Guided Self-drive Tour with podcast
Operated by: Exploring Iceland Duration: 7 days / 6 nights Area: South Iceland Accommodation: Fosshotel Saga****, Hotel Geysir**** and Hotel Ranga**** or similar Meals included: Breakfast Podcast: Exploring Iceland special - English and German Min: 6 guests Max: 12 guests 2023 Prices for groups upon request This tour can also be on private basis with or without guide! Please contact us for further information |
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Detailed itinerary: Day 1: Arrival – Reykjavík Welcome to Iceland! Take the flybus to Reykjavík and check into your hotel. If you arrive around noon or earlier you can book a stop at the Blue Lagoon on your way to Reykjavík. At 18:00 meet up with your guide for the next days in the hotel lobby. We set out for a 2 hour walk to the historical buildings and in the city center and enjoy a communal welcome dinner with the group where we will discuss the route and tour plan. You will be provided with maps and learn about our podcast! Total walking time: 1 city walk, about 2 hours. Meals included: Welcome Dinner Optional: Blue Lagoon Accommodation: Fosshotel Saga**** Day 2: Introduction cars – Þingvellir National Park Short transfer to the car rental and introduction into the electrical cars you will be using. On route our first stop will be at Þingvellir National Park where we will go for two walks. The first one will take us down the valley like rift that has opened up in between the diverging continental plates and to the historical sites where the Parliament was founded in 930. The second walk takes us right into a lovely birch and willow forest to an ancient farm ruin in beautiful settings. During September the colors of the trees and shrubs are incredible ranging from deep orange to dark purple! Check in at our lovely Country Hotel for the next 4 nights right at the Geysir Geothermal area so you visit the spouting geyser Strokkur anytime you want! On the parking site there are charging facilities for your car. Dinner individually at the hotel restaurant with Geyser view or at one of the nearby restaurants. Total walking time today: 2 walks, each approx. 1-2 hours. Meals included: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch. Accommodation: Hotel Geysir**** for two nights Day 3: Geysers & Waterfalls We start the day by walking over the geothermal field near the hotel, learning about Geysers, geothermal heating and a royal visit! We take a short drive to the deep canyon made by the “White” river Hvítá. We leave the cars and set out on a hike along the canyon all the way to the Golden Waterfall Gullfoss. For lunch we visit the absolutely charming Greenhouse Restaurant Friðheimar and learn about growing vegetables with the help of Geothermal energy. In the afternoon you can either join your guide for another powerful walk in Haukadalur forest and learn about the influential Haukdælingar family or drive individually to one of the nearby geothermal bathing springs for a more relaxing afternoon! Dinner individually. Total walking time: 3 short walks (each about 1-2,5 hours) Meals included: Breakfast, Friðheimar Soup and bread & coffee Optional: Visit to Fontana Spa/Secret Lagoon. Day 4: Þjórsárdalur Valley – Planting trees Check out in the morning and prepare for a visit to the past as we go exploring in the volcanic Valley Þjórsárdalur. We visit the reconstruction of a settlement farm that went under ashes in 1104 in a volcanic eruption of Mt. Hekla and visit beautiful Hjálparfoss Waterfall. We go for a walk in the lovely forest Skriðufellskogur and pay our respects to a Mountain King while learning about the reforestation challenges in Iceland. On the way to the valley we visit the private farm animal sanctuary at the home of our guide and will be planting trees to compensate for the carbon footprint of our tour. All equipment and trees provided! If you want to we can go for a short walk on a beautiful trail on the farm! We continue up into the mountains to the highland. We stop for a walk to beautiful waterfall Þjófafoss before driving to our next hotel. Dinner individually. Accommodation: Hotel Rangá**** for two nights. Meals included: Breakfast, Picnic lunch. Total walking time: 3 walks, about 1-2 hours each. Day 5: South Shore Adventure with glacier walk After breakfast a we set off to new adventures along the South Shore. A short drive takes us to the mesmerizing waterfall Skógafoss and to our first walk around the old turf houses. The small but charming town of Vík with its beautiful black sands awaits us with cafés and restaurants for a hearty lunch. After lunch we drive to Sólheimajökull for a final guided glacier walk (all equipment provided). On the way back to the hotel we will take a short stop at Seljalandsfoss. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner individually. Meals included: Breakfast, Soup for lunch. Total walking time: 2 walks, one short and one approx. 2 hour glacier walk. Optional: Lava Show Vík. Day 6: Lava Cave & Historical beach walk - Sky Lagoon We start the morning with a guided tour into a lava cave formed 5200 years ago in the Leitarhraun lava field. Joined by a local guide we will explore an easy accessible part of the almost 1400 m long lava tunnel. We continue towards Hafnarfjörður, a town build right into the lava before we walk along the beach of Álftanes town visiting historical sites with beautiful views to Bessastaðir, the Icelandic President´s official mansion and the Reykjavík Skyline. On this hike we will have an outdoor picnic, brought to us in a truly historical mode. We finish our last day with a visit to the Sky Lagoon to watch the evening sun while enjoying a sauna with ocean view. After we returned the cars to the car rental station, a transfer bus will take us back to our hotel for a farewell dinner in Reykjavík downtown. Meals included: Breakfast, Picnic lunch and Farewell Dinner. Total walking time: 2 walks, one short lava cave walk and one approx. 2-3 hour historical beach walk. Accommodation: Fosshotel Saga**** Day 7: Departure Depending on your time of departure you may have time to visit the Blue Lagoon (optional) on your way to the airport or to do some individual shopping or sightseeing in Reykjavík. All guests return individually to the airport with the help of the flybus according to their flight schedule. Exploring Iceland reserves the right to alter routes, itineraries or timetables should the necessity arise. The estimated duration of hiking tours as indicated timing can change according to weather conditions. Please note that the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings can not be guaranteed. Short time Forecast The charging of the electrical cars is the responsibility of the driver. The cars are suited for these routes but please note that external factors such as wind, cold and the excess usage of electricity (heat, radio etc.) can impact the battery. |
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