Active Iceland self-drive tour: waterfalls, volcanoes and lagoons

Day 1: Hveragerði

Accommodation: Frost & Fire Boutique Hotel

Collect your car on arrival at Keflavík airport. All insurances have been included for you, and a GPS navigation system can be added locally. You’ll be staying in the Reykjadalur valley, close to the Golden Circle region, an area known for its geothermal activity. Take a hike this afternoon through the valley, ending with a soak in the naturally heated river.

Day 2: Hveragerði

Accommodation: Frost & Fire Boutique Hotel

Explore the highlights of the Golden Circle on a self-drive tour of the region, including the diverging tectonic plates at Þingvellir National Park and an erupting geyser at Geysir Geothermal Area. At Gullfoss waterfall, you’ll go white-water rafting along the Hvítá river, through Brúarhlöð canyon.

Day 3: Vík

Accommodation: Hótel Kría

This morning you’ll be met by your guide at your hotel and taken on a private tour by superjeep to Landmannalaugar, a region deep in Iceland’s highlands known for its striped rhyolite hills and diverse walking opportunities. You’ll explore the valley on foot, before a well-earned soak in natural hot springs surrounded by the vibrant wilderness landscape.

Day 4: Vík

Accommodation: Hótel Kría

Drive along the scenic south coast passing ice-capped volcanoes and waterfalls tumbling down the mountainsides. At Sólheimajökull, join a small-group hike up onto the glacier, to explore the icy landscape and observe the deep crevasses on the glacier’s surface.

Day 5: Hof

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Continue your self-drive tour eastwards towards the remote town of Kirkjabæjarklaustur and the Eldhraun lava field, the largest of its kind in the world. You’ll explore this verdant, mossy wilderness by mountain bike with a local guide, stopping to see waterfalls and drink from natural springs that are spread across this pristine landscape. You’ll also explore one of the region’s many lava caves, formed in the 18th century by a huge volcanic eruption.

Day 6: Hof

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Spend the day exploring the southern side of Vatnajökull National Park, perhaps hiking to see the basalt columns of Svartifoss waterfall or watching icebergs wash up along the shoreline on nearby Diamond Beach. You’ll also explore Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon on a small-group kayak tour, paddling between its bergy bits and spotting seals basking on its icy shoreline.

Day 7: Blue Lagoon

Accommodation: Silica Hotel

Return west back along the south coast, perhaps stopping to admire the striking black sands of Reynisfjara beach or walk behind thundering Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This afternoon, check into the Blue Lagoon and bathe in its milky, minerally-rich waters. Relax with a silica mud mask and a drink of your choice at the lagoon bar.

Day 8: Return home

Make the short drive to the airport, where you’ll drop off your car in time for your onward flight.