Young Pioneer Tours
The Icelandic Adventure: Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Prepare yourself to experience the most beautiful scenery that the south coast of Iceland has to offer! Stunning waterfalls, otherworldly black sand beaches, creaking glaciers, lava fields and towering geysers! We begin bright and fresh in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. Although being the largest city here, it’s described as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world.
You’ll get the opportunity to see the spectacular waterfall Seljalandsfoss which runs from the Eyjafjallajökull. You can even experience walking behind the waterfall and feel its natural beauty; please don’t forget your waterproof jacket! There are more beautiful waterfalls to see, including Skogafoss. You’ll realise why it’s one of the most impressive waterfalls Iceland has to offer and walk to the top for incredible views of the coastline.
You’ll have the opportunity to stop at Seljavallalaug, an outdoor swimming pool built in 1928 in the middle of an impressive valley. Even if you decide not to swim in its naturally hot water, it’s worth going just for the view! Please note this is weather dependent.
See the breathtaking Sólheimajökull glacier, located between the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull. We can walk to it and take photos, but we cannot climb it as we require special equipment to do so.
Spend a night in Vik, the biggest town on the south coast; famous for its pitch-black basalt sand beach, considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. We’ll enjoy this outwardly landscape and wall to the cliffs, home to numerous seabirds, especially puffins. Here in Vik we can have dinner at the local brewery and support the local community. As we’re staying here, we have a good chance of seeing the northern light, fingers crossed!
The following morning we’ll drive you to the Kerið crater, where we’ll stop for some photos. Its striking-blue lake lies in the middle of an intact caldera made of red volcanic rock.
We’ll then stop by the Solheimasandur black sand beach, where an abandoned US Navy aircraft crash landed in 1973.
The journey won’t be complete if we didn’t see Gullfoss, one of the most iconic and photogenic waterfalls in Iceland and the Great Geysir, one of the highest known geysers in the world.
We start our Iceland excursion right after our Artic Adventure! This tour was carefully designed as a post-Greenland extension, but it can also be booked independently.
Thursday 12th September – Reykjavik – Vik
Morning
- Meet your YPT guide in Reykjavik and start our adventure, we will be travelling by a private minivan.
- Our first stop will be the Seljalandsfoss waterfall that comes from the famous Eyjafjallajökull. It’s possible to walk behind the fall. We’ll also see the Gljufrabui fall nearby, hidden inside a cave.
- If the weather is good, we will stop at Seljavallalaug, an outdoor swimming pool built in 1928 in the middle of an impressive valley. Even if you don’t want to swim in its naturally hot water, it’s worth going just for the view!
- We’ll then drive to Skogafoss, one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. We’ll walk to the top for incredible views of the coastline. We’ll also visit the local eco-museum, with reconstructions of traditional turf houses, and walk to Kvernufoss, a beautiful fall at the end of a canyon. It’s still relatively unknown, so we’ll be away from the tourists!
- Lunch in Skogar
Afternoon
- The next stop is the Sólheimajökull glacier, between the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull. We can walk to it and take photos, but not climb it as it necessitates special equipment.
- We’ll arrive in Vik, the biggest town on the south coast (don’t worry, there are only 790 inhabitants). It is famous for its pitch-black basalt sand beach, considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. We’ll enjoy this outwardly landscape and wall to the cliffs, home to numerous seabirds, especially puffins.
- Dinner at Vik’s microbrewery.
- Overnight in Vik, hopefully with northern lights!
Friday 13th September – Vik – Reykjavik
Morning
- We’ll drive to the Kerið crater, where we’ll stop for some photos. Its striking-blue lake lies in the middle of an intact caldera made of red volcanic rock.
- Explore Solheimasandur black sand beach, where an abandoned US Navy aircraft crash landed in 1973. The US Navy salvaged all remaining useful parts from the aircraft, but its shell is still there, in the middle of nowhere, and gives amazing photo opportunities.
Afternoon
- Lunch in Flúðir
- We’ll then do a short drive to Gullfoss, one of the most iconic and photogenic waterfalls in Iceland. We’ll walk along several pathways, offering the best views of the two-tiered waterfall, which is the largest in volume in Europe. Its average flow is 1400m3/second in the summertime!
- Our tour will bring us to Geysir, the place that gave its name to all the geysers in the world. If we are lucky, we may see the eruption of the Great Geysir, one of the highest known geysers in the world. If not, we’ll still have many opportunities to see the nearby geyser Strokkur erupts: it happens every few minutes up to 30 metres.
- Our next stop will be a hidden gem, the Brúarárfoss waterfall, one of the most beautiful sights in Iceland.
- On the way back to Reykjavik, we’ll drive though the Thingvellir National Park. Which lies in a rift valley that marks the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and was the place where the Althing – the Icelandic parliament – was founded in 930, making it the oldest parliament in the world.
- Back to Reykjavik and end of tour. We can give you advice on how to spend the weekend in Reykjavik and its area, or help you arrange connections to your next destination.
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