Touris - Tour details

Day 1. Keflavik – Reykjavík
Upon your arrival at Keflavik airport a meet and greet service is provided by a TOURIS representative who will take you to your Reykjavik hotel. After check-in at your hotel, we recommend exploring the charming city centre on foot and visit one of the many Reykjavík’s excellent restaurants for dinner.

Day 2. Reykjavik - Thingvellir – Geysir – Gullfoss – Selfoss – Hella
Pick up your car in the morning and take highway number 1 to the north and west from Reykjavik. After driving through the Mosfellsbær town, turn off the main highway 1 and take road number 36 towards the Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park, a unique place from a geological point of view and a place of great beauty. Research has shown that Thingvellir is a natural wonder on an international scale. The faults and fissures of the area are clear evidence of the rifting of the earth's crust. Thingvellir is also the most historical place in the country and a place of exceptional beauty. After exploring the area in summer: Drive across the Gjábakki pass, road 365 to the school center Laugarvatn and further inland to the Great Geysir area. In winter: Take road 36 to the south along the eastern lakeshore and later 35 to Geysir and Gullfoss. Explore the numerous hot springs and see the famous Great Geysir and Strokkur, a very active geyser that spouts every few minutes. The Geysir Service Center offers a hotel, restaurant, a swimming pool, snack bar, souvenir shop, gas station, a geo-center multimedia show, horse rental, quad bike tours, and a camping area. From here, drive to the waterfall Gullfoss one of Icelands most beautiful waterfall. Turn around at Gullfoss and head back on the same road as before a little further than Geysir. Take road number 35 and don´t miss the pretty waterfall Faxi, hidden a short distance from the road on your left hand side. Look for the small "Faxi" sign. Rafting on the Hvítá River is available during summer from Drumboddsstaðir (the road junction is close to Faxi). Continue on road 35 to the volcanic crater Kerið, also on your left a bit further. Stay on 35 to the junction of the main circular highway, number 1. From there, drive east to the Hella area for an overnight stay.

Day 3. Hella – Höfn
Continue to the east heading for the Eyjafjöll district and stop at the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. In summer, it is possible to walk behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall, - this is an interesting experience. The glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull are capping the mountains.
On March 20th 2010, a volcanic eruption started on Fimmvörðuháls, a mountain ridge between the glaciers, Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. The eruption on Fimmvörðuháls is over now but a new eruption started a couple of weeks later underneath the nearby icecap of Eyjafjallajökull. A cloud of ash has been carried far with wind has disturbed air traffic. Due to melting ice, rivers in the area grew tremendously especially at the beginning of the eruption and caused some road damage. These floodings are now over and the roads have (late April) been fixed temporaily and are considered safe to drive. This eruption came to an end on 23. May and there is currently no activity.
Hidden underneath the icecap of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier is Katla, one of Icelands most dangerous volcano. During summer, snowmobiling and dog sledding are available on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Make a detour on a rough gravel road from the main highway to the glacial tongue of Sólheimajökull, a part of the Mýrdalsjökull Icefield (passable only during summer) before continuing on road 218 to the Dyrhólaey natural reserve and a nesting colony of numerous seabirds (Dyrhólaey is closed for all traffic during the nesting period until June 25th). Drive to Reynishverfi, road 215 with beautiful coast, spectacular rock formations and thousands of nesting seabirds which nest in almost every crevice in summer. Back to the main road and continue to Vík, a small village on the black beach. Drive across the Mýrdalssandur floodplains and Eldhraun, the largest lavafield ever to flow on Earth in historical time, and to the small village Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Fjaðrárgljúfur is a narrow and beautiful canyon a few km to the west from Kirkjubæjarklaustur, worth taking a look at (road 206). At Kirkjubæjarklaustur, often abbreviated as "Klaustur", see Kirkjugólfið (the Church Floor), a protected natural monument just east of the village. Kirkjugólfið is columnar basalt, shaped and eroded by water and wind, only a few minutes walk from the road. , Continue from Klaustur over Skeidarársandur, vast tracts of black sandy desert washed down by numerous torrential glacial rivers. Stop at the Skaftafell National Park, an oasis wedged between glacier and sand. Its natural beauty is a result of unusually favourable weather conditions and the interaction of ice and fire. Beneath the Vatnajökull ice cap, towering above Skaftafell is Grímsvötn, one of Icelands most active volcano. See the interesting Visitors Center where you can learn the history of fire and ice in the region and a video of the volcanic eruption and the catastrophic flood in the area in 1996 can also be viewed. An interesting hiking trail takes you to Svartifoss, one of Icelands most picturesque waterfall, framed in by beautiful basalt columns that surround it. In the Skaftafell area are many other interesting hiking trails. Continue to Jökulsarlón, the Glacial Lagoon where huge icebergs, sculptures of nature, broken off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier float and grind together in the deep blue waters of the lagoon. An interesting cruise among the icebergs on the Lagoon is available in summer. From here, drive further east towards the Höfn area for an overnight stay. The Glacier Exhibition at Höfn is a very interesting place to visit.

Day 4. Höfn – Mývatn – Húsavík
From Höfn, continue through the Almannaskard tunnel to Lónsöræfi, a mountainous wilderness ringed by extinct volcanoes and traversed by glacial rivers. Drive past towering mountains with bare rock faces that plunge alomst vertically into the sea. Proceed to the magnificent East Fjords, some are now deserted and each a world of its own. An interesting option is taking a boat tour to Papey Island near Djúpivogur where thousands of puffins and other seabirds nest in summer. A shot cut is possible here, - instead of proceeding along the coast it is now possible to drive across Öxi pass (road 939), a steep and spectacular route. Please see the map. Continue to Egilsstaðir and then across the highland desert plateau towards Lake Mývatn. Stop at the Námaskarð pass where boiling mud pools and flashing colours of the pass merge with lava and ash from the Krafla volcanic system. The Lake Mývatn area is known world wide for the abundance of birdlife and its exceptionally many breeding duck species. The lake's surroundings show great variety in stunning landscapes and amazing geological formations. Explore the natural beauty of the Lake Mývatn area, the wonderland of strange rock formations. Stop at Dimmuborgir, the "Dark Castles" and see the pseudocraters near Skútustaðir and many other scenic spots in the area surrounding the lake. The Nature Baths at Mývatn are a great attraction where one can take a bath in geothermal water in the open air. Take road 87 from Mývatn to Húsavík town, famous for the popular whale watching cruises available during the summer months. Overnight stay at or near Húsavík.

Day 5. Húsavík – Borgarfjörður
Head towards Akureyri the capital of the north. Stop enroute at the beautiful waterfall Goðafoss. One of the most extraordinary aspects of the town is its unusually warm climate. Although it is situated only 40 km south of the Arctic Circle, it has some of the best weather in the country. See the famous Botanical Gardens of Akureyri and some of the many museums and art galleries. If time allows we suggest a circle trip through the Eyjafjörður valleys, roads 829 and 821. Drive through the majestic mountains surrounding Öxnadalur valley and across the Öxnadalsheiði pass which leads to the Skagafjordur district. Popular horse riding tours for beginners and experienced riders are available here. In Skagafjörður you will also be able to join some of the best white water rafting in Iceland. Information is available at Varmahlíð. Here we recommend a visit to the old turf and stone farm / museum at Glaumbær and the old tini church at Víðimýri. An interesting boat trip is available during summer from Sauðárkrókur to the spectacular Drangey Island on the Skagafjörður fjord with its sheer cliffs and rich birdlife, certainly a great experience. After driving through the fertile farmlands of the Húnavatnssýsla county and along the Hrútafjörður fjord, drive across the Holtavörðuheiði plateau to the Borgarfjörður district. After crossing the plateau, take road 50 and head towards Reykholt on road 518. Stop at Deildartunguhver hot spring, the largest hot spring in Europe. Continue a short distance further to the historic site Reykholt. Visit the interesting historical museum at Reykholt and see the hot pool Snorralaug. After Reykholt, stay on 518 and drive further inland to Barnafossar and Hraunfossar waterfalls. Make the waterfalls a turnaround point and take road 50 towards Borgarnes town. Visit the Settlement Centre at Borgarnes. The prime objective of the Icelandic Settlement Centre at Borgarnes is to dramatically recreate the fascinating sagas surrounding the birth of this island nation. It is not a museum but rather an instalation. Multi-media and theatrical techniques are employed to help the visitor experience first hand the trepidation and excitement of setting off over the open ocean for lands unknown. Overnight in the area.

Day 6. Borgarfjörður – Blue Lagoon – Reykjavik
Leave the Borgarfjörður district and head for the Hvalfjordur fjord. Take road 47 along the scenic shores of Hvalfjordur and after driving around the fjord take road 1 to Reykjavík. After a stop in Reykjavík, head on 41 towards the Reykjanes peninsula and take 43 to the Blue Lagoon for a relaxing bath. We recommend about 2 - 3 hours stay at the Blue Lagoon. Head back to Reykjavik. Drop off the car and stay overnight.

Day 7. Reykjavik – Keflavik airport.
Transfer from your hotel by FLYBUS to Keflavík airport.

- Meet and Greet at Keflavík international airport by a TOURIS representative followed by a transfer (about 45 minutes drive) to your hotel in Reykjavík.
- 6 nights accommodation, farmhouses, guesthouses or hotels according to your choice, Cat. 1, 2 or 3.
- Breakfast daily.
- 5 days rental car.
- Unlimited mileage, CDW, VAT and one authorized driver.
- Iceland Road Atlas in English or German, a complete road and reference guide including the highlands and all mountain roads. Iceland´s Saga and scenery with 400 colour photographs.
- Detailed itinerary and road map of Iceland with marked accommodations and information about interesting sights along the route.
- 24 hour Emergency telephone service.
- Transfer from your hotel in Reykjavík to Keflavík international airport by Flybus.

Not Included:
- Fuel expenses.
- Personal insurance.

Please Note:
Pick up of rental car is the morning of day 2.
Drop off is in Reykjavík the day prior to your departure – day 6.
An extra day will be charged if the car is delivered later.
Due to road conditions routes may have to be altered without prior notice.
The highland tracks of Iceland are usually not expected to be open until the middle of June and due to road conditions some routes may temporarily not be passable without prior notice.
Types of car recommended: Any. During winter, usually October through May, snow and ice can be expected. Although the route of this tour is usually passable by any car type all year round, we recommend 4x4 during winter.
A credit card imprint will be taken at the start of all rentals for security reasons, even when a voucher covers the cost of the rental. Cash and debit card deposits will not be accepted. This credit card imprint may be used to pay all extra charges, including extra driven kilometres if applicable, extra insurance, parking fines, damages or any costs due to the car rental company as a result of the hirer's use of the car. Self Drive tours can often be modified according to the client’s wishes. If you want to change or extend the tour, add days etc, please contact our office.
Please note that some activities described may only be available during summer.
Information on weather and road conditions are available at http://www.vegagerdin.is/english/road-conditions-and-weather/.
Map displayed is only for quick reference and is not to scale.

Optional extras:
GPS navigation system: Available and payable directly to car rental. Cost: 15,- Euros per day.
Additional driver´s registration: 28,- Euros pr. rental, - payable directly to car rental.
Baby / infant seat: Available and payable directly to car rental. Cost: 8,- Euros per day. Max 50,- Euros