Iceland small group tours with added comfort
Late availability on these dates: 22 Aug, 29 Aug, 05 Sep, 10 Sep, 17 Sep, 19 Sep, 24 Sep, 26 Sep
Description of Iceland small group tours with added comfort
On this Iceland small group tour, you’ll spend a week exploring remoter areas that fewer tourists reach, circumnavigating ‘the land of fire and ice’ for a deeper experience of its natural features and culture.
Meeting your tour leader and the rest of your group in the capital, Reykjavik, you’ll head to the spectacular Thingvellir National Park. The park is remarkable not only for its thermal activity and geological features, but also as the site of Iceland’s first parliament.
You’ll continue north, to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, pausing in fishing villages and small communities such as Grundarfjordur, where you’ll meet an artisan stone carver, or Saudarkrokur. Here by the side of the fjord, you’ll bed down for the night in Iceland’s oldest hotel. Don’t miss the courtyard hot tub!
Midway through the tour you’ll be travelling east across northern Iceland into areas that few holidays reach. On the Trollaskagi Peninsula, a memorable day awaits as you embark on an whale watching trip with experts who know how to observe and not disturb these graceful giants. Warm up beforehand with a tasting of Icelandic schnapps.
More geological wonders follow as you move east, including the otherworldly landscapes around Lake Myvatn, and the huge icebergs of the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. You’ll continue on to the Skaftafell wilderness area and visit a farm whose owners are leading the charge to plant trees in Iceland. You’ll have the chance to give a little back as your group heads into the hills to do a little planting of their own.
And then, finally, as you approach Reykjavik having completed a full loop of the island, you join the Golden Circle route – geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, and the Blue Lagoon thermal bath. The increase in traffic on the road may come as a shock – the last few days you will have got used to only seeing the odd vehicle now and again, you’ll have got so far off the beaten track.
Map
Price information
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Holiday information
Reviews
1 Reviews of Iceland small group tours with added comfort
Reviewed on 01 Nov 2023 by Jackie Whittakee
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing Samarkand and Khiva, the latter where we stayed inside the ramparts. Seeing the lovely tiled mausoleums, mosques, and palaces.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
It is very busy, You are on the go, morning, noon and night and with the group virtually every moment of the holiday so be prepared for this.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we went around several local handicraft places in each city where artisans were making pottery or painting or weaving so it could have benefited them, although most of the things were too heavy or big to pack into a suitcase, so very few purchases were made.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very informative, the guide was excellent, a new experience
Responsible Travel
Planet
We continue to search out activities that are suitable for our travellers, while also finding suppliers that are making concerted efforts to reduce their environmental impact. This trip includes a visit to an eco-farm in the Hvolsvollur Valley. The farm owners are the leaders in responsible tourism and sustainability in Iceland and will share with travellers the history of settlement in Iceland and the deforestation that took place, making way for farmland. They’ll then show travellers their tree planting project, implemented on their own farmland, and contributing to lowering carbon dioxide and counteracting soil erosion. Travellers are encouraged to get their hands dirty and participate in planting more trees during the visit.We provide training to trip leaders on water consumption best practices and how to encourage their travellers to follow these principles too. As tap water is safe to drink in Iceland, we encourage travellers to bring a reusable water bottle that they can refill throughout the trip. This reduces the number of single-use plastic water bottles disposed of by our travellers. We continue to work with local suppliers on water management initiatives. For example, encouraging hotel owners to provide water refill stations, and in-room signage requesting short showers, repeated towel use and turning taps off.
People
Our tour leaders provide travellers with an Icelandic language sheet when they join this trip. Leaders conduct a quick lesson to help travellers become more confident with commonly used words and phrases. Travellers can then be polite and friendly in their interactions with locals, using greetings, please and thank you to show their respect. Tipping isn’t customary in Iceland and our local leaders will discuss this with the group during the welcome meeting. This ensures that neither locals nor visitors are made to feel uncomfortable in situations where it might be common practice to tip in other countries.Our trips maximize the opportunity for travellers to engage meaningfully with local culture and communities. Many experiences on our trips also support traditional cultural practices – whether artisanal, culinary or otherwise. In turn, this helps to sustain and preserve these traditional practices so that future generations may continue to learn, enjoy and benefit from them. During this trip around Iceland, travellers will meet a local stone carving artist, Liston, at his studio in Grundafjordor. He will explain his technique, inspiration and the history of this art form in Iceland.
?
Popular similar holidays
Iceland holiday, small group
From £2482 - £3605 8 days excluding flights
Delve into the ancient land of Vikings and volcanoes
Northern Lights tour in Iceland
From £1805 - £2230 6 days excluding flights
Springs, waterfalls, volcanoes and Europe’s biggest glacier
Iceland short break Northern Lights tour
From £1759 - £2249 5 days excluding flights
Glaciers, lava tubes and nature's spectacular light show
