6 days / 5 nights from £1,475 pp

Based both near the southern town of Hveragerði and the capital Reykjavík, this Iceland activity holiday takes you right into the heart of Iceland’s nature, providing challenging adventures. Glacier walking, hot springs, river rafting on the magnificent Hvítá river (White River) and horse riding through the countryside, go biking and hiking in beautiful National Park of Þingvellir.

Accommodation is in a comfortable hotel near Hveragerði offering private facilities and a hot pot to relax in after a day’s activity. In Reykjavík you will stay at the Borgartún Guest House close to the swimming pool and sporting complex

Package price is £1,475 pp based on availability and two people sharing a twin or double room.  Single supplement is £170.

2009 Departure Dates

Departs		Returns
05 Jul		10 Jul
19 Jul		24 Jul
02 Aug		07 Aug
16 Aug		21 Aug

Package includes:

• Direct flights from London to Reykjavik on Iceland Air (we can arrange flights from other UK airports upon request)
• Airport transfers
• 5 nights accommodation
• Breakfasts at the hotel
• 3 dinners, including Lobster Feast
• Activites as per itinerary with guides and required equipment included
  • white water rafting
  • kayaking or snorkeling
  • horse riding
  • moutain biking
  • hiking
  • whale watching
• Taxes

Active Iceland Holiday Itinerary

DAY 1 Rafting the White River Arrive at the airport and meet your transfer.  From Reykjavik we drive to the area of Geysir where we will find the geyser Strokkur which spouts every 5-10 minutes. Geysir, the Icelandic word meaning “to spout/erupt”, used internationally for spouting hot springs, found only in few countries of the world. The old geysir, Geysir can also be found in that area but it has turned down its activity and has not spouted naturally for a long time - still there to be admired. Not far from Geysir area we find Gullfoss (the golden waterfall) one of Iceland´s most beautiful waterfalls. Falling 32 meters into Hvítárgljúfur (the canyon of the White River) after a journey of 30 km from the glacier Langjökull (the long glacier), you will see why Icelanders call it the Golden Waterfall. But we will not just enjoy looking at the White River as we continue a little down stream and there we dress up for river rafting and for 2 hours we get to know the river, its gorges and surroundings from a different view than before. Accommodation at hotel Eldhestar for the next 3 nights.

DAY 2 Walking Through History  We start our walk through history by visiting one of the central historical places of the country, the old parliament site at Þingvellir, founded the year 930 ac. It is also one of Iceland´s three national parks and offers good walking opportunities some of which we will take advantage of today. Next to the parliament site we find the biggest lake in Iceland – Þingvallavatn. After good walks through the historical sites we will head to the Silfra fissure where we will have a choice of a kayak or snorkling adventure before we head on to our accommodation close to Hveragerði. This evening we go to Stokkseyri for a lobster feast, by the ocean shore.

DAY 3 Glacial Walk - Nature and Bird Life  The south shore will be our destination today with its waterfalls, history and lively bird life. Our first stop will be at the waterfall Seljalandsfoss where it is possible to walk behind the fall as it falls 50 m down a green fertile looking hill. Further on we stop at the waterfall Skógafoss, falling gracefully 60 m. Skógafoss has been on more than one occasion used as a motive in advertisement. We now continue to the small village of Vík, take a lunch break there after which we reach the picturesque Dyrhólaey promontory, a 120m spur of rock, cut into a natural arch by Atlantic breakers, stands in water deep enough to allow boats to pass through. Here the bus brings us on top of this fantastic viewpoint with a beautiful lighthouse, and a prominent nesting site for eider ducks, Arctic terns and Puffins in the summer time (from middle of May – end of June the Dyrhólaey promontory is closed off for the nesting birds and instead the volcanic black sandy beach of Reynisfjara is visited from where the bird life can be enjoyed). If we are lucky we might even spot some seals swimming around the cliffs. From there we go to Sólheimajökull glacier for a 2 hour walk on the glacier. The surroundings are spectacular, the rock formations thoroughly shaped by the glacier, rugged and yet majestic. This is an easy walk on crampons up on to the ice field where a wonderland of ice sculptures, ridges and deep crevasses await our discovery. At the outset an experienced glacier guide will teach you how to use the basic glacier equipment that are required for this tour. Bring warm clothing, raingear and good shoes.

DAY 4 Viking Horses and the Blue lagoon
We start the day by meeting our Icelandic horse for the next part of our adventure. The riding tour goes through meadows and lava fields. In the afternoon we visit Blue lagoon, an oasis in the middle of a 13th century lava field, covered with moss. The blue waters of the lagoon are known for its healing powers beside being a great opportunity for relaxing. After this relaxing bath our guide brings us to our accommodation in Reykjavik where we will overnight the next 2 nights.

DAY 5 Whale Watching and Mountain Bike We start the day by going on a whale watching tour in Faxaflói Bay, and trying to spot some whales. Nothing is guaranteed but there are about 98% chances of seeing some whales, (minke whales, harbour porpoises, dolphins, fin whales etc.)
After the whale excursion we try on a different adventure on mountain bikes on the great biking paths of Reykjavik. We spend 3 hours biking in Reykjavik and surrounding areas. After the biking we will be transferred to the accommodation in Reykjavik for the last night.

DAY 6 Transfer to the airport for departure.