3 Days Gems of South Iceland

We travel from Reykjavík to South Iceland where we take a short ferry ride to the Westman Islands. There is a bus and walking tour of the village of Heimaey and this extraordinary island. The volcanic eruption in 1973 is, without doubt, considered the largest natural disaster in Iceland in recent history. The eruption began on January 23rd on the island of Heimaey, the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. After the evacuation of the inhabitants, and during the 5 months while the eruption lasted, there was much uncertainty as to whether or not the island could ever be repopulated. During our tour to the Westman Islands, we explore bird cliffs,  walk up the volcano crater and visit  „Pompei of the North“, a volcanic excavation project. You have the afternoon free to wander around the town of Heimaey, with its birds and sign of recent volcanic eruptions. We return to the mainland and stay for 2 nights in South Iceland.

Overnight location:

Stracta Hotel or similar

Lunch & dinner is on your own.

Our first stop of the day will be at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountains and where you can follow a slick and wet trail right behind the falls. We pass the glaciers Mýrdalsjökull and the infamous volcano Eyjafjallajökull on the way to the village of Vík, where we attend the stunning Iceland lava show, the only exhibition in the world where you can experience actual flowing lava! By melting lava and pouring it on ice in a room full of people, you will be able to see the lava flowing, hear it sizzling, and feel the heat that radiates from it. We walk along the black lava beach and bird cliffs at Reynisfjara and see exciting basalt columns and rock formations. In the afternoon we visit Skogar, the folk museum with its turf houses and the thundering Skógafoss waterfall, which is 60 meters high and belongs to the most impressive waterfalls in the country or join an optional glacier hike at Sólheimajökull glacier tongue. It‘s an informative and easy glacier walk through a frozen wonderland of different shades of glacier ice.

Overnight location:

Stracta Hotel or similar

Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own.

Today we drive the rough unpaved road to Landmannalaugar, an oasis in the barren highlands, surrounded by vivid rhyolite mountains. The highlight is a 90-minute round-trip hike up toward Brenninsteinsalda, the rainbow mountain of Iceland, which is still “hot” and where you can see sizzling sulfur springs and vapor at its sides. It could very well be the most colorful and spectacular volcanic mountain of Iceland, and so its picture is often found in books and calendars. After a picnic lunch, you have free time to enjoy a relaxing bath in the natural geothermal stream. We take a short stop at the beautiful waterfall Hjálparfoss surrounded by unusual basalt rock formations. Before we reach back to Reykjavík, let us visit Ölverk, a microbrewery located in Hveragerði in South Iceland. You will get an introduction to the brewery’s history, the brewing process, and of course, try a selection of Icelandic beer.

Breakfast & packed lunch included.