Iceland Circumnavigation & Golden Circle

Enjoy included airport lounge access as you start your trip in style before flying to Keflavik in southwest Iceland. On arrival, you’ll transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay, with rest of the day free for you to relax. 

You’ll enjoy a full day's Golden Circle & Langjökull Glacier excursion with Superjeep to some of Iceland's most famous attractions.  You'll visit Thingvellir National Park’s, the site of the world’s first parliament and where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart before visiting the world’s original geyser and its next-door counterpart, Strokkur, which erupts almost every five minutes. You’ll complete the Golden Circle with Gullfoss, the waterfall that is often considered to be the island's most impressive. Lastly, there’s a chance to experience your Superjeep’s capabilities with a climb up Iceland’s second-tallest icecap, where you’ll take in the monumental Langjökull Glacier. Here, you’ll have the option of trying out snowmobiling, even in summer. En route back to your accommodation, the trip pause at the small but perfectly formed Faxi Waterfall.

Today you will have time to explore Iceland's compact capital either side of an included visit to the incredible Sky Lagoon, Iceland's new, infinity-edge geothermal pool. Just 10 minutes from the centre of Reykjavik this lagoon features ocean views, a swim-up bar and a seven-step hot and cold wellness ritual including plunge pools, saunas and steam rooms. It's a wonderfully relaxing way to spend an afternoon. 

After breakfast you will have some time this morning to explore more of Reykjavik at your leisure, before a private transfer will take you to the port where you will board your ship in the afternoon to begin your voyage around Iceland.

Stay: SH Vega

Step off the beaten track today to visit one of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls, hiking up past five smaller falls to reach Dynjandi’s tumbling cascades. Nearby, Hrafnseyri is the birthplace of Jón Sigurdsson, 19th-century leader of the Icelandic Independence movement. The museum includes an Icelandic turf house.

Stay: SH Vega

Make port in the bustling fishing town of Isafjordur from where you’ll have access to the dramatic landscapes of the Westfjords. Visit Sudavik and its Arctic Fox Centre, where you can learn about Iceland’s only native mammal. Vigur Island is another of the region’s highlights, home to puffins, Arctic terms and eiders as well as Iceland’s smallest post office.

Stay: SH Vega

Grímsey is a remote island located 40km off Iceland’s north coast. Many people travel here for the purpose of setting foot in the Arctic Circle, the only place in Iceland where you can do so. The island is also home to fewer than 100 people, but over one million seabirds. Birdlife thrives here thanks to the lack of egg predation (there are no rats or mice on the island) and the rich, well-stocked surrounding seas. Grímsey has one of Iceland’s largest tern nesting sites and largest puffin colonies. Hrisey Island is home to puffins, seals, and whales. Hriseyjarfjall Mountain is the highest point and offers views of the surrounding landscape and the vast expanse of Eyjafjörður fjord. Despite its size, Hrisey Island possesses a rich cultural heritage. Traditional Icelandic crafts, such as hand-knitting and woodworking, preserve the island's identity.

Stay: SH Vega

Húsavík, overlooking Skjálfandi Bay, is famed for whale watching, especially the endangered blue whale. The town's Whale and Exploration Museums focusses on Viking history and Apollo astronaut training, taking place nearby. The town also marks Iceland's first house from 860 AD. Húsavík is on the Arctic Coast Way and the start of the Diamond Circle route. Nearby, Kaldbakur pond is a popular geothermal swimming spot oddly populated with goldfish.

Stay: SH Vega

Known for puffin encounters, hiking trails and scenic beauty. Bakkagerði is the largest settlement in the Borgarfjörður Eystri fjord and a base for exploring the rugged wilderness. A popular trail leads to the Giant Boulders at Stórurð. The local church features a 1914 altarpiece depicting Christ on Álfaborg rock, aka the City of Elves, with the Dyrfjöll Mountains behind. Nearby Hafnarhólmi rock is a sanctuary for kittiwakes and other seabirds. n the remote Seyðisfjörður fjord, Skálanes, a private nature reserve on a once-abandoned farmstead, provides insights into traditional Icelandic culture. This heritage village showcases 19th-century fishing huts with turf roofs and employs artisanal fish processing methods. The towering cliffs harbour 47 bird species, including arctic tern, puffins and eider, as well as 150 plant species. Reindeer, seals and porpoises often populate the area.

Stay: SH Vega

Home to fewer than 500 residents, the quiet fishing village of Djupivogur dates back to the Viking era. Despite its formidable origins, the village is better known these days for its unhurried pace of life. Djupivogur’s most famous artistic offering - the 34 large granite eggs that line the road along the bay are not easy to miss - is named ‘The Eggs at Merry Bay’ (Eggin í Gleðivík in Icelandic) represents the 34 species of birds that nest locally. The nearby Vatnajökull National Park covers 14% of Iceland’s land mass and this vast area is home to giant ice caps, thundering glacial rivers, grumbling active volcanoes and a host of other geological wonders. 

Stay: SH Vega

Sailing southeast, you’ll reach the spectacular Heimaey, part of the Westman Islands and home to up to 10-million Atlantic Puffins. Take it all in on a Zodiac excursion, then head to the town of Vestmannaeyjar where a small museum charts the devastating story of the 1973 eruption of the Edfell volcano. Today, a hike to the volcano’s windy summit offers sweeping island views.

Stay: SH Vega

Arrive back in Reykjavik this morning, where you’ll disembark after breakfast and transfer to the airport in time for your flight home.