Walking holiday in Iceland
| country: | Iceland |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 13 Jun, 27 Jun, 11 Jul, 25 Jul, 8 Aug |
| price: | From £1999 (14 days) including flights from the UK, from £1699 excluding flights. Single supplement £255 |
| more info: | Price includes 10 nights camping, 3 nights guesthouse and most meals. Minimum age 16 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Walking holiday in Iceland
On this full-circuit itinerary we base ourselves in four of the best walking areas in Iceland, each a demonstration of its unique landscape. We start in Skaftafell National Park, where glacial tongues from the huge Vatnajokull Icecap reach almost to the sea. Then there are the mountains of the eastern fjords and stunning Lake Myvatn area, where we find pseudo craters, lavafields and plentiful hot springs. Finally, we move to Kerlingarfjoll Volcano in the central highlands and within sight of the massive Hofsjokull Icecap. As this is a camping trip, the itinerary remains flexible, allowing us to work with Iceland's variable and dramatic weather.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Reykjavik. Fly to Keflavik, transfer to Reykjavik. |
| Day 2: | Reykjadalur. Drive to Reykjadalur; walk through valley full of hot springs. Continue to Skaftafell N.P. |
| Day 3: | Mosarjokull Glacier. Walk to Mosarjokull Glacier. |
| Day 4: | Kristinartindar. Hike to summit of Kristinartindar (1125m) offering fantastic views of the icecap and Iceland's highest peak. |
| Day 5: | Egilsstadir. Travel to Egilsstadir in the eastern fjords. En route stop at the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon (full of icebergs) and Hofn. |
| Day 6: | Asbyrgi canyon. To Vesurdalur to explore the bizarre basalt columns of Hljodaklettar, followed by trekking in the Asbyrgi canyon. |
| Day 7: | Lake Myvatn. Drive to Lake Myvatn. Walk to the Hverfjall 'explosive crater' and through dramatic Dimmuborgir Lavafield. |
| Day 8: | Dettifoss. To Hljodaklettar for walk amongst basalt scenery; continue to Dettifoss (most powerful waterfall in Europe), return to Myvatn. |
| Day 9: | Mt Krafla. Full day walk in volcanic Mt Krafla area. |
| Day 10: | Kerlingarfjoll. Drive to Kerlingarfjoll in the central highlands, with time to explore hot springs. |
| Day 11: | Kerlingarfjoll. Full day walk in the colourful mountains of Kerlingarfjoll. |
| Day 12: | Thingvellir. Visit Gullfoss waterfall, geothermal waterspouts at Geysir, and historic Thingvellir; continue to Reykjavik. |
| Day 13: | Reykjavik. Free day in Reykjavik, with options for horse-riding, whale watching or sea kayaking. |
| Day 14: | Return home. Fly to London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Community
This tour has been designed to both operate in a way that minimises our impact on the environment that we visit and to maximise the benefit that our clients can have on the host community. We use a locally based operator and have established a long-term partnership, assisting with local staff training in all aspects of their jobs, thereby investing in the people to help improve their knowledge and future prospects. All our Icelandic leaders are committed to responsible tourism and have received training and get additional refresher training on a regular basis. The leaders will give a briefing on responsible tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce your impact and maximise the benefits to the local communities from your visit. Tourism is crucial to the smaller more remote communities in providing employment and generating income, through the use of guides and the buying of local supplies. This has helped stem the migration out of the countryside to Reykjavik, and thus contributes to their survival. Environment The itinerary is designed so that the group can stay at fixed campsites. Many of the areas visited are delicate and would deteriorate quickly if wild camps were struck. The fixed campsites have all the required facilities to ensure all waste is disposed of correctly. We have at our UK offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on responsible tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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