Essential Iceland-French Guided

Upon arrival in Reykjavik, make your own way to your hotel using your Flybus transfer.

Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure, exploring this wonderful city.

After breakfast, meet your driver and guide at the hotel reception to start your tour. Depart towards the Borgarfjörður region and pass through a tunnel under the mouth of the Hvalfjörður fjord which turns towards the beautiful Hvítá valley, the "white river". Geothermal activity is intense in some places, as can be seen at the Deildartunguhver site, where a series of micro-geysers spout 180 litres of boiling water per second!

After, head north through the Höltavörðuheiði moorlands and enjoy the wild landscape. Marshy moorlands, rounded mountains, and farmland succeed each other until you reach the Skagafjörður fjord region. Make a stop at the Glaumbær folk museum, a charming traditional turf farm with roofs covered in lush grass.

To end the day, cross the Öxnadalsheiði pass, an immense trench carved by glaciers of the last ice age in the Tröllaskagi mountains. The road opens to the majestic Eyjafjörður fjord, where you will spend the next couple of nights.

(Approximately 460 km)

Leave the area to visit Lake Mývatn. On the way, we stop at the Goðafoss waterfall, a beautiful site where the Skjálfandi River has created a stunning arrangement of cascades. Once in Mývatn, visit sites both surprising and magnificent. The area encompasses a wide variety of volcanic landscapes and natural sites, as well as a rich birdlife.

Take a walk amidst the pseudo-craters of Skútustaðir, then navigate through the labyrinthine lava formations of Dimmuborgir, the "dark citadel". Next, visit the geothermal area of Námaskarð, where numerous solfataras, fumaroles, and bubbling mud pots emit strong sulfuric odours. Finally, explore the volcanic zone of the Krafla volcano, where you'll discover the explosive crater of Víti and the extraordinary geothermal area of Leirhnjúkur.

To end of the day, before returning to the Akureyri region for the night, visit the Mývatn geothermal baths for a delightful experience in warm, milky waters, in a pool overlooking Lake Mývatn and its surroundings.

(Approximately 250 km)

After breakfast, head towards Skjálfandi Bay and the charming fishing harbour of Húsavík, where you'll have the opportunity to embark on a whale-watching cruise to spot humpback whales, blue whales, and other white-beaked dolphins that inhabit the bay. Alternatively, for those not enticed by a whale-watching cruise, there is an option to visit the GeoSea geothermal baths. ($)

After, go around the Tjörnes Peninsula along a road that overlooks the waters of the Arctic Ocean before descending towards Öxarfjörður Bay. There, go for a stroll in Ásbyrgi, an impressive horseshoe-shaped gorge and former bed of the great glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum.

Next, cross the desert regions of Möðrudalsöræfi to reach to the more fertile region of Hérað and Lake Lagarfljót.

(Approximately 350 km)

Discover the stunning East Fjords region and its mountains with steep slopes and sharp peaks separating numerous fishing communities.

The road winds between the sea and the mountains towards the south and the small port of Djúpivogur. Pass through the beautiful Lónsvík bay, where you may catch a glimpse of a herd of reindeer or observe the graceful flight of swans. As you approach your destination in the Höfn region, enter the realm of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier.

(Approximately 260 km)

Explore the Vatnajökull Glacier area, observing numerous glacial tongues along the way. At Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, the glacier breaks into stunning icebergs that drift peacefully towards the ocean. The lagoon is situated within a magnificent amphitheatre of glaciers, dominated by the majestic peak of Hvannadalshnúkur, Iceland's highest point (2110 m). There, you can embark on an amphibious boat for 30 to 40 minutes, allowing you to cruise through the lagoon amidst the icebergs ($).

Further to the west, before crossing the Skeiðarársandur sand plains and reaching the towering cliffs of Lómagnúpur, discover Skaftafell National Park, a true oasis bordered by the glacial tongues of Vatnajökull on one side and vast volcanic sand plains on the other.

Later, cross the beautiful region of Kirkjubæjarklaustur where you will come across the vast Eldhraun lava field, a result of the major 1783 Laki eruption.

End the day approaching the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and the village of Vík.

(Approximately 280 km)

Explore the Vík region and its enchanting landscapes, featuring majestic peaks crowned by enormous glaciers, endless shores covered in volcanic black sand, bird-clad cliffs, and lush farmland. Stop at the shores of Reynisfjara, where ocean waves crash against stunning basalt column cliffs, then visit the powerful Skógarfoss waterfall and feel its mist. Finally, walk behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

Before returning to Reykjavík, we make a final detour to explore the famous sites of the Golden Circle: Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir geothermal area, and Þingvellir National Park, amidst a vast rift plain marked by fissures resulting from the separation of tectonic plates. It's here, specifically at the widest and most beautiful of these fissures, Almannagjá, that Viking chieftains gathered in the early 10th century.

(Approximately 300 km)

After breakfast, take your Flybus shuttle to the airport for your return flight home.