Iceland – The land of Fire and Ice including Premium Blue Lagoon Experience, Iconic Golden Circle and Northern Lights tour.

Meet the group at the airport and board our flight to Reykjavik

Upon arrival we will take our private transfer to the hotel.

We are staying at the Hotel Leifur Eiriksonn  which is located in the very  centre of Reykjavik opposite the Hallgrimskirkja Church. Free tea and coffee are available all day. We will be sharing twin rooms with en-suite bathrooms. A room with a single bed  to yourself is available for a supplement of £190 for the 4 nights if you would like a room with a double bed the supplement is £280.  You will be able to book the type of room you require directly on the website. 

Breakfast is included each morning.

After leaving our luggage at the hotel we will wrap up and take a walk to the Perlan Museum (25 mins). If you prefer to take a taxi the hotel will order one for you.

Perlan, meaning pearl in Icelandic, is a glass dome located on the Öskjuhlíð hill in Reykjavik and one of the most iconic landmarks of the city. It is home to the wonders of Iceland museum where we will visit various permanent exhibitions such as the ice cave and glacier exploratorium.

Walk through the first indoor ice cave in the world, admire a model of the famous Látrabjarg Cliff, and explore the Icelandic underwater world. Learn about Icelandic nature such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and other wonderful geological wonders in the forces of nature exhibition.

Not to miss is Áróra, an award-winning Northern lights planetarium show. This interactive and educational film shows Icelandic landscapes bathing in the colourful lights of the aurora borealis. To finish, we can visit the observation deck to enjoy a panoramic view of Reykjavik city and its surroundings.

When we are finished at the museum we will make our way back to the hotel where we can check in and have some time to relax before going out for dinner locally at a traditional Icelandic restaurant.The Travel Buddies trips work on the basis that as long as you are having a good time then that is what matters, if you don’t feel like coming on one of the excursions or joining the rest of the group for dinner one evening then that is absolutely fine. This is an adventure for everyone and there is nothing worse than having to go somewhere/do something that you don’t really fancy!

Feel free to do as much or as little research as you like, some members will know what they would like to visit as soon as they book the trip, Others will just turn up at the airport and have not researched at all. Either is absolutely fine. We all have different ideas as to what constitutes a great time away! 

After breakfast this morning we will take the short walk to meet our coach for a day tour of Iceland’s infamous ” Golden Circle”.

During the day we will head out into no man’s Iceland and discover the beauty outside of the city.

The first stop on the Golden Circle route is Thingvellir National Park, where Iceland held its first parliamentary assembly. We will hear guide commentary about the site as we admire the pristine beauty, and peer into the Thingvellir Rift where two tectonic plates join by a narrow valley.

Next stop is Gullfoss Waterfall, double-tiered cascades that send up spectacular mist and occasional rainbows.

Continue along the Golden Circle to an area simmering with volcanic activity, hot springs, pools, and steam vents. Keep your camera ready at Strokkur, a powerful waterspout that erupts 98 feet (30 metres) in the air.

There are stops along the way and time to look around all of these wonders and also refreshments and lunch stops. ( lunch not included )

We will return to the hotel in the late afternoon where we can spend some time relaxing before going out for dinner locally.

This morning after a leisurely breakfast we will climb aboard our coach which will take us to the world famous “Blue Lagoon”. 

Here we will experience the Premium Blue Lagoon Experience. The following is included

• Round trip coach transfers ( journey is approximately 1 hour)

• Full Lagoon Access: Entry to the main geothermal lagoon for as long as you like during operating hours, plus unlimited use of the saunas, steam room, colder lagoon, and quiet zone.

• Three Face Masks: You get the standard Silica Mud Mask plus two additional masks of your choice (such as Algae, Mineral, or Lava Scrub) at the in-water Mask Bar.

• Take-Home Skincare Gift: A small 10 ml (0.34 oz) take-home Silica Mud Mask tube. 

• Two Comfort Amenities: Use of a towel and a bathrobe for the day. 

• One Drink of Choice: One complimentary beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic, including beer, wine, sparkling wine, sodas, juices, or smoothies) from the swim-up bar. 

• Amenities: A private electronic locker, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer

This evening we will hopefully be catching a glimpse of one of the World’s most amazing natural phenomena. Setting off into the dark and frozen winter night to observe this unbelievable display of colour, light and texture is like waking up in a fairy tale, full of mystery and magic.

We will begin our tour by taking a 20 minute walk to meet our coach (please note that this is not a private tour) we’ll be driven out to the countryside or up to the mountains, away from the electric glow and sounds of the city.

We’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful night sky from the best possible vantage point the weather can offer. As our driver and guide who both know the land so well will take us to the best possible places to view the lights.

PLEASE NOTE:
• The lights are a natural phenomenon and beyond human control, they are visible in Iceland from late August through April but visibility is subject to light activity and cloud coverage

• Sightings are not guaranteed even when the tour is operated, in case of no sightings, we will be offered a complimentary second departure on a Northern Lights Bus Tour the next day

We will  be dropped off back at our hotel at around 12.30pm.

Today we have a free day……. 

A free day is just as it says, some of the group may choose to go off in smaller groups to do things of interest, some may prefer to stay at the hotel and relax. Whatever you want is up to you and you won’t be left on your own…. unless you want to be. 🙂 There is an array of places that are within walking distance from the hotel that might be of interest such as…..

The Whales of Iceland Museum
Whales of Iceland exhibit consists of 23 man-made life size models of the various whale species found in Icelandic waters throughout its natural history. A 25 m. (82 ft.) long blue whale, a full-size sperm whale, the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale and many more! See them all in their actual size! (entrance is around £23)

The Settlement Exhibition
Step into the Viking Age. An open excavation where Viking ruins meet digital technology. Just below ground in downtown Reykjavik, this open excavation uncovers the city’s Viking Age history. Discovered during building work, then carefully excavated, these remnants of the past are the earliest evidence of human settlement in the city. (entrance is around £14)

Solfar (sun voyager) sculpture
A modern sculpture of a viking longboat on the shore of the ocean.

Dinner locally 

After breakfast we will take our private transfer back to the airport where we will board our flight to the UK.