The tour was designed for families with teenagers so that the tour included activities that appealed to the teens and sightseeing that appealed to the entire group; it was more adventurous than I anticipated.
The tour started in Reykjavik, three days traveling throughout the southern part of Iceland and returning to Reykjavik for the last two days. During the three day road trip we would be visiting various Viking historical sites, view waterfalls, walk on black volcanic sand beaches, get up close with Europe's largest glacier as we traversed its landscape, white water raft a frigid Iceland river and see the beauty of Iceland's landscape. Thursday was a free day so we planned on snorkeling in the frigid waters of the Silfra Riff; the place where the North American and European tectonic plates meet. Friday, our last day, would be a visit to Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon where we would enjoy the warm waters of the country's hot springs, treat our faces with silica beauty mud and relax before heading to the airport.
Iceland is an expensive place to visit and we were cautioned about the high cost of meals. We brought along packages of beef jerky, power bars and candy packets which were devoured/shared with our tour companions. Breakfast was included with the tour price so that we were only responsible for lunch and dinner. What our tour guide recommended was that we stop at local food markets to purchase pre-made sandwiches/chips/drinks for lunch which we were able to consume on the van or at picnic locations. For dinner, our accommodations for two of three nights were at remote locations so our only choice was the hotel which provided good meals that were expensive compared to USA prices.
Day 1 - Welcome to Iceland - Reykjavik - group meets at 6 PM.
Day 2 - Follow route of "Golden Circle". Visit Parliament Plains, Geyser geothermal area, Gullfoss (the double golden waterfall) and lastly, white water rafting in the frigid Hvita river. Overnight in Hvolsvollur.
Day 3 - Visit the unique Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Visitor Center, drive through the lava field of the 1972 Laki volcano eruption as we head towards Skattafell National Park, drive onto the Glacier Lagoon, formed by Europe's largest iceberg, Valnajokull, for a boat tour between floating icebergs. Overnight is at a nearby hotel.
Day 4 - Begin the day with a 2 hour "glacier walk" of Valnajokull, rest as we retrace our route to the town of Vik where we will spend the night.
Day 5 - Visit beautiful "black sand beach" before heading back towards Reykjavik. On the return trip, travel through some of Iceland's small towns/villages, visit a hot springs geothermal area and explore Marie caves before arriving back in Reykjavik. Final group dinner.
Day 6 - Free day to explore - we spent the morning exploring Reykjavik and snorkeled the Silfra Riff in the afternoon. Dinner on our own. Pack for the return home.
Day 7 - Depart the hotel at 8 AM and arrive at the Blue Lagoon for three hours of thermal ecstasy. Depart for the airport at noon.
No comments:
Post a Comment