3 Day South Coast
Winter Tour
Come on a 3 days excursion to explore the most famous locations in the Golden Circle and the South Coast. See our stunning glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, Europe's largest glacier within an ice cave, and if nature allows, even the magnificent Northern Lights.
Duration
3 Days
Highlights
✓ Thingvellir National Park ✓ Gullfoss ✓ Geysir ✓ Skógafoss ✓ Seljalandsfoss ✓ Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park ✓ Glacier Hike✓ Super Jeep Blue Ice Cave Tour ✓ Jökulsárlón ✓ Diamond Beach ✓ Reynisfjara
Included
✓ Wi-Fi and Icelandic music on board ✓ Accommodation with breakfast ✓ Small group experience ✓ Glacier & ice cave equipment,
Overview
In this tour, you’ll get the chance to see the famous geothermal erupting Geysir, the powerful waterfall Gullfoss and Thingvellir National Park in the Golden Circle.
You’ll also be taken to the famous South Coast. Along the shore, you’ll get to see the two waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and the famous Black Sand Beach. You’ll also visit the stunning Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón in Vatnajökull National Park, where you’ll also get the chance to explore Europe’s largest glacier and enter a blue ice cave. And if nature allows, you’ll get a view of the magnificent Northern Lights at night.
Daily itinerary
Day 1
Geysir Geothermal Area
The Geysir geothermal area hosts many colorful hot springs. One called Strokkur is a geyser, which erupts every 5 minutes up to 35 meters. It was named after “Geysir” the original erupting hot spring, that gave all the geysers in the world their name, however extinct today.
Gullfoss Waterfall
The melting water from Iceland´s second biggest glacier, Langjökull, falls into a deep canyon forming the majestic “Golden Falls”. On a sunny day, you can see the glacier Langjökull in the distance and enjoy a rainbow in the mist of the waterfall, an photo blockbuster waiting to happen!
Thingvellir National Park
We visit the place where the two tectonic plates, the North American and the Eurasian plate, are moving away from each other. Few places in the world offer a better and clearer view of this massive geographic activity. The biggest natural lake in Iceland is also located at Thingvellir National Park and hosts a great variety of fish and bird life. Thingvellir is also an important place for Icelandic national history. as Icelanders founded here their parliament in 930 AD where the chieftains had their annual meeting every summer. The name “Thingvellir” translates to “Parliament Plains”.
Day 2
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Upon arrival you will enjoy the powerful theatrics of Seljalandsfoss. Bring a raincoat and you’ll be able to make the short hike behind the falls. The scene behind the fall and the trembling ground from the power of the falling water makes for an automatic photo blockbuster!
Skógafoss Waterfall
Further east along the coast is Skógafoss waterfall. Skógafoss is an incredibly picturesque sight: tucked in a little gorge, the river Skógá tumbles down a 60 meters cliff before continuing down the landscape towards the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the gorge, a staircase can take you to the shelf above the waterfall for stunning views.
Glacier Hike in Skaftafell or Sólheimajökull
We will then continue our journey towards one of Iceland’s largest glaciers. 9% of Iceland is currently covered by ice. Once we get to the area, we will put crampons on, helmets, ice axes, and start hiking towards the glacier.
While on the glacier, we will visit crevasses, moulins, and many other great formations of the magnificent ice. It might also be possible to visit an ice cave during winter time, however it can never be guaranteed, as it depends on weather conditions and and a glacier itself.
Northern Lights Discovery
Arriving at our hotel in the Southeast, you will then meet your guide after dinner for further information about the Northern Lights, weather and Aurora forecast and a good spot to look at them. If the sky is clear and the forecast is good, we can hope for the magic to begin.
Day 3
Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon
Jökulsárlón is a 200m deep glacier water lagoon fed by the melting of Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Europe’s largest glacier Vatnajökull. Enormous icebergs also fall from Breiðamerkurjökull all year round so the lagoon is usually filled with ice blocks that floats South.
Diamond Beach
On the other side of the road, the icebergs from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon float into the Atlantic Ocean where they are quickly thrown back to shore by the tide and winds. This black sand beach is full of smaller ice blocks in all shapes and sizes, sparkling like diamonds in the daylight. The ice itself comes in all shades of white and blue forming beautiful contrasts.
Blue Ice Cave
The journey continues with a Super Jeep ride to explore the ice cave. Your guide will share with you his expertise about the ice caves, allowing you to truly appreciate this amazing natural phenomenon – spoiler alert… it will be blue.
Reynisfjara, the Black Sand Beach
Further West, we visit the Black Sand Beach of Reynisfjara where the Atlantic coastline presents massive waves hitting the unique basalt pillars in the cliffs above the sand. The cliffs of Dýrhólaey are seen in the distance. This area of the south is also a paradise for bird lovers, as puffins, razorbills and dozens of other species nest on top of these cliffs in the summertime.
General Information
October to March
08:00 am
Easy to moderate
18
Minimum age is 8 years old for glacier hike. If children under those ages are on the tour, then an adult needs to stay with them while others do these activities.
✓ Thingvellir National Park
✓ Gullfoss waterfall
✓ Geysir geothermal area
✓ Skógafoss waterfall
✓ Seljalandsfoss waterfall
✓ Glacier Hike Tour in Vatnajökull National Park
✓ Super Jeep tour to a Blue Ice Cave
✓ Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon
✓ Diamond Beach
✓ Reynisfjara – The Black Sand Beach
✓ English speaking guide
✓ Certified glacier guide
✓ Small group
✓ Wi-Fi and Icelandic music on board
✓ Glacier equipment: helmet, harness, crampons, and ice axe
✓ Two nights accommodation in a hotel with breakfast and private bathroom
• Warm clothes (first layer)
• Waterproof outdoor clothing (second layer)
• Hiking boots (available for rent when booking)
• Joy and happiness!
• Order or availability of attractions may change due to road or weather conditions and we may have to adjust timings to the short daylight of winter days.
• The limit is one suitcase of 24 inches per person, but you can store your extra luggage in our office for 1,000 ISK. It can be added as an extra fee at the time of booking, and is non-refundable upon payment in all cases.
• Customers travelling on their own will receive a single room. Reservations for 2 people will be allocated a double room. For bookings of 3 or more, triple rooms will automatically be allocated. If these arrangements do not meet your requirements, please contact the provider.
• Pick up is from designated locations in Reykjavík on a drop-down menu at the time of booking. Pick up is not available from Keflavik airport or outside of the greater capital area.
• The Northern Lights are a natural random phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed by the operator. The hotels are in prime locations to maximize the chances of seeing them.
• Ice caves are a dynamic ever-changing natural phenomenon only accessible during winter time when temperatures drop below zero. Each year new unique caves are formed in different areas of the glacier. We visit a naturally formed ice cave during this tour. The photos on our website and social medias are from this winter season, but the ice cave we visit might have changed of appearance due to the dynamic nature of these formations.
• You can cancel your tour up to 24 hours before departure time of your tour and receive a full refund. No refund is given if your tour is cancelled within less than 24 hours before the departure time of the tour. This includes bookings made within 48 hours before departure. A cancellation confirmation must be sent to Troll Expeditions in writing – by sending an email to [email protected] The request has to be confirmed by Troll Expeditions to be valid.
• In the case of cancellation of the tour by the operator because of extreme weather, road conditions or other factors, we will assist you with rebooking to another date or booking other activities when possible, or provide a full refund.
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