A Week in Iceland
Seeing Lots of Geology

When: Anytime. During the wintertime the tour may come momentarily to a halt for reasons of bad weather, snow, flooded roads or other such unforseeable "force majeure" causes. We will not accept any responsibility for inconvenience or extra cost incurred because of such events.

Length: Below we describe a weeklong tour, but tours of most any length can be arranged.

Fee Charged: Roughly 1850 to 2050 USD depending on season. Please contact the host directly for a quote. Single room supplement:16% Deposit amount:30%. Included is (4x4) transportation and guidance. Small comfortable hotels, farm accommodation or similar, in double rooms with "en suite" facilities. All meals, starting with lunch on first day and ending with lunch on the last day.

Group size: two to eight

Reykholt is one of the most important historic places in Iceland, and thereafter we will head further inland, to the unique waterfalls Hraunfossar and Barnafossar.Thereafter, we head down the Hvítársíða valley, across the Norðurá River, and back north again, in order to climb to the top of Grábrók volcanic crater, which produced a big lava-field in the valley almost 3000 years ago.

Once across the Holtavörðuheiði plateau, our first stop in North-Iceland will be at the Reykir í Hrútafirði Folk-Museum, which has a unique collection of objects pertaining to the shark fishing industry in Bay of Húnaflói during the 19th century.

In the valley of Víðidalur, we will go and inspect the impressive Kolugljúfur canyon, as well as recollecting how one branch of the English Royal family's tree can be retraced to the farm Auðunnarstaðir in this valley.

In the valley of Vatnsdalur, we can observe the effects of a giant prehistoric landslide which created the singular group of hills Vatnsdalshólar and the lake Flóðið which now adorn the valley.

The town of Blönduós is well situated for taking our noontime refreshments, then we cross over the Vatnsskarð mountain pass, into the Skagafjörður valley where our first halt will be at the turf covered 19th century chapel at Víðimýri.

Then, across the Héraðsvötn river on the eastern side of the valley, as we pass successively by the battlefields of Flugumýri, Haugsnes and Örlygsstaðir, our minds will wander back to the troubled "Age of the Sturlungs" in the 13th century just preceding Iceland's loss of independence to the King of Norway in the year 1262.

Finally, by way of the Öxnadalsheiði mountain pass, we will cross into the fjord of Eyjafjörður for an overnight stay in Akureyri or in a farm accommodation in close vicinity of the town.

Days 2 & 3:
We start the day with a town visit of Akureyri, before heading eastwards, across the Vaðlaheiði pass if it is open, otherwise by way of Víkurskarð pass, and into the valley of Fnjóskadalur whose main attraction is the Vaglaskógur forest, and the old bridge across the Fnjóská River.

The Christianisation of Iceland in the year 1000 and it's forthcoming anniversary will undoubtedly spring to mind when we pass before the farm Ljósavatn and head for the Goðafoss waterfall and remember the deeds of Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði who was the main catalyst of the conversion.

The sights and sounds of the lake Mývatn area are too numerous for us to enjoy them all in one day so we will devote 2 days to the discovery of this unique area.

Among the lake's main attractions is first of all the varied bird life, the Skútustaðagígir pseudo-craters, Dimmuborgir Rock formations (shown at the right), Grjótagjá and Stóragjá fissures (with the latter being perfect for bathing "au naturel"), the Námaskarð solfatares and fumaroles , etc. Perhaps on our second day here, we can make a visit to the Krafla geo-thermal power project and the nearby explosive crater of Víti.

Weather permitting, we can also envisage to take a hike along the rims of another magnificent explosive crater, the Hverfjall, which is the perhaps the most remarkable landmark of this whole magnificent region.

Two overnights at lake Mývatn.

Day 4:
The next day, we will have a long drive across the deserts of Mývatns-and Möðrudalsöræfi ahead of us, with hopefully a glimpse of Iceland's most impressive peak, the Herðubreið far away to the south.We will be passing by the country's most remote farm, Möðrudalur on the way, and then crossing over the highland moor of Jökuldalsheiði where people survived through incredible hardship for centuries.

Descending into the valley of Jökuldalur, in Eastern Iceland, in the late afternoon,we will be driving beside the foul glacial river Jökla and after crossing it, we will arrive in the town of Egilsstaðir, the main urban centre in the East of Iceland.

Some highly interesting archeological discoveries from the Viking times have been made here recently , and we will be visiting a local museum to see some of the treasures, then head south over the Fagridalur valley to the first of our Eastern fjords, Reyðarfjörður, where plans are afoot to implant several heavy industries in the near future. But for the time being, everything is still quiet, and we will be staying overnight in this peaceful fishing village.

Day 5:
Next day,we will pass around the cap Vattarnes, where the beautiful rocky island Skrúðurinn lies just offshore, and into the next fjord, Fáskrúðsfjörður, where some important relics pertaining to the important French fisheries around Iceland during the 19th century can be found.

In the Stöðvarfjörður, we will be visiting Mrs.Petra's interesting rock collection, seen at the right, and the next fjord, Breiðdalsvík will be very well situated for our lunch refreshments.

First on our way in the afternoon will be Berufjörður, where herds of reindeer can sometimes be spotted and near it's entrance is situated the picturesque fishing village of Djúpivogur, which in earlier times was one of the country's most important trading posts. Some beautiful old wooden houses dating from that period have recently been restored.

Hamarsfjörður and Álftafjörður are the last of the Eastern Fjords, with the latter (The Fjord of Swans), which is the country's closest spot to mainland Europe,often being covered with thousands of migrating birds in the springtime and in autumn.

From now on, the fjords will be replaced by lagoons, and the first of those, Lón, is embellished on it's northern side by the towering Eystra-Horn peak, made of gabbro which is a rock of granitic origin.

The grandiose view from the Almannaskarð Pass, when we can clearly see the cascading glaciers for the first time,is generally considered to be one of the country's finest, and from there we will be going to Cape Stokksnes which is renowned for it's bird- and marine life.

The most captivating aspect of the town of Höfn í Hornafirði is the thrifty character of it's very busy port and fishing industries, which belie the fact that the town was only founded 100 years ago. It is also renowned for being the place where the greatest number of foreign birds, which have strayed here from both sides of the Atlantic and sometimes even from exotic locations, are sighted each year.

We will be staying overnight either at Höfn or at one of the many good farm accommodations available in either the Mýrar or Suðursveit counties.

Day 6:
We set off early today heading either up the steep climb to the top of the glacier Skálafellsjökull where we can have a snowcat trip (not included) or head straight for the Jökulsárlón Glacial lagoon and observing on the way all the spectacular features of the Skaftafellssýsla region's landscape i.e. the sandy deserts,the numerous cascading glaciers, and hopefully also Iceland's highest peak, the Öræfajökull.

The famous boat trips on the Glacial lagoon are only operated during the summer season, but out of season, the floating icebergs can just as well be observed from the shoreline, and a stroll down along Iceland's shortest glacial river(less than a mile!) to it's outlet into the sea, where seals can often be spotted, is also very rewarding.

Another possibility for taking an adventurous trip this morning is, weather permitting, to go on the trailer tour to Cape Ingólfshöfði, operated by a father and son team in the Öræfasveit county.This trip is especially rewarding during the puffin breeding season, from early spring onwards.

Arriving in the Skaftafell National Park an hour before lunch, we will go on a short hike, either to the edge of the Skaftafell glacier,or head up to the acclaimed Svartifoss waterfall which falls off a cliff of basaltic columns. At the vantage point Sjónarsker, an incomparable view can be had over the Skeiðarársandur desert and the surrounding peaks and glaciers.

In season, a good lunch can be had at the Skaftafell Park cafeteria, but out of season the only recourse is to head for to the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur where all the necessary services are available on a yearly basis.En route, we can have a look some other interesting rock formation i.e. basaltic columns called Dverghamrar ,which can be found near the farm of Foss á Síðu, and the so-called Kirkjugólf (church floor) and we can also visit the tiny 18th century chapel at Núpsstaður.

Leaving Kirkjubæjarklaustur,we will be driving across the tremendous Eldhraun lava-field which is the country's largest in historical times and then over the vast expanses of the Mýrdalssandur sandy desert before arriving in Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland's southernmost village. Overnight in Vík or in farm accommodation in the Vestur-Eyjafjöll region.

Day 7:
If our tour takes place sometimes from early spring till late summer, have the opportunity to start this day by settting off on yet another adventurous trip, this time in an amphibious vehicle owned by a local tour operator, either on a short cruise around the Reynisdrangar rocks or even go all the way to the Dyrhólaey mull itself and to continue our journey from there. In any case, the breathtaking landscape and very active bird life, i.e.fulmars, kittiwakes and seagulls all year round, arctic terns, puffins by the thousands in summer are all there for our enjoyment.

Skógafoss is towering waterfall of 180 ft on the southern flank of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, and next to it is the highly interesting folk museum at Skógar, which is the lifetime of achievement of one man, Mr Þórður Tómasson, who, as a rule takes a great pleasure in presenting it personally to his guests, an event which many people have even considered to be the highlight of their Iceland tour.

We will then admire another shapely waterfall ,Seljalandsfoss , as it falls in a beautiful curve off a high cliff. Then we cross over the Markarfljót bridge and head towards the historical Fljótshlíð hill, and perhaps make a halt near the Stóri-Dímon rock, as did the the Njála hero Gunnar about 1000 years ago and reflect as he did"How splendid it is, my hillside"!

At the village of Hvolsvöllur, a permanent exposition about the events of the Njáls saga has recently been opened, and from there, we head northwards to the ancient farmhouse Keldur, which is probably the oldest building in Iceland. The nearby springs of sparkling pure water,are also a memorable sight.

Proceeding further to the north, we will soon be leaving the lush green grasslands of southern Iceland behind, and entering the wastelands and erosion areas which indicate that we are now approaching Iceland's most famous volcano, the Hekla, whose last eruption was in 1991.Near the farm of Selsund, we will encounter the first lava fields, which later will give way to enormous fields of pumice which the volcano also produces occasionally.

To the north of mount Búrfell, we will be crossing over Iceland's longest river, the Þjórsá, and head for the devastated valley of Þjórsárdalur where we will pay a visit to the reconstructed Viking age farmhouse at Búrfell, and the nearby waterfall of Hjálparfoss.

The small village of Flúðir is ideally situated for having lunchtime refreshments,and after lunch,we will cross the river Hvítá at Brúarhlöð, a place where river rafters can often be seen, and head to the splendid Gullfoss waterfall, which never fails to profoundly impress the visitor.

Nearby, we will reach the world famous Geysir geothermal area: The "old faithful" himself is now dormant, but nearby Strokkur, seen at the right, erupts regularly every 4-5 minutes.

Next, we will discover the holiday resort of Laugarvatn, where geothermal activity is also abundant: the Vígðalaug fountain, greenhouses and both a swimming-pool and a natural steam-bath, simply built on top of a hot-spring, where we can have a relaxing sauna.

Proceeding across the Lyngdalsheiði moor, with it's numerous caves and volcanic craters,we will soon be reaching the Þingvellir National Park,via the beautiful shoreline of the lake Þingvallavatn. Criss-crossed by faults and fissures, we will first go to see the best known of these,Nikulásargjá, before crossing the Þingvellir (parliament plains) towards Lögberg, where the country's national assembly took place for centuries. Then we will ascend the Almannagjá fissure,where the effects of the tectonic plate movements on the earth's crust can clearly be seen.

We will then wind up this journey by a rapid return to Reykjavík, via the Mosfellsheiði moor, in the late afternoon.