Iceland Express

Intrepid Travel Premier
Has very high quality customer experiences and demonstrated commitment to responsible travel practices. read more
4.6 . Excellent
94%
Travel Style: Array Mixed
Physical Level: Walking or physical activity half to most of day - no carrying equipment. Easy
Lodging Level: You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping. Basic (2*)
5 days
From: $ 1,605 $ 321 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • This five-day tour is perfect for those who are after an express jaunt around to Iceland’s hotspots. See the wonders including the Golden Circle, southern Vik, and Jokulsarlon’s glacial lagoon.
  • Explore Reynisfjara, the famous beach where black sand meets towering basalt columns and rocky cliffs where seabirds rest.
  • Spend time exploring Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, perhaps walking along nearby Diamond Beach where chunks of icebergs wash up on the black sand, or opting for a lagoon cruising experience.
  • Stand at the bottom of Skogafoss – a waterfall with a 60-metre cascade – then hike along a winding wooden staircase to the fall’s crest for views of the coastline.
  • Spend the night in a local guesthouse that is leading the way in sustainable Icelandic tourism, with the chance to give back to the environment by planting trees to combat deforestation and soil erosion.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Eden Reforestation Projects. Donations help them provide local employment opportunities and tackle climate change one tree at a time as they restore forests across 10 different countries.

Short Description

Want a big adventure in a short amount of time? Travel to Iceland and explore the ancient land of Vikings and volcanoes on this five-day trip. Traverse the Golden Circle and marvel at the explosive power of the Geysir Geothermal Area and Gulfoss waterfall. Walk the black sand beaches of the Jokulsarlon lagoon and decide whether take an optional walk on the mighty Myrdalsjokull glacier. This fast-paced adventure focuses on the natural, untamed beauty of Iceland – taking you straight to the heart of the action with a local leader by your side.

Style Small group tour
Off the beaten track trips will stretch your comfort zone. They don't always feature tourist highlights, but dive deeper into local life and culture.
Itinerary Focus Off the Beaten Path
You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping.
Lodging Level Basic (2*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions All internal ground transport
Start City Reykjavik
End City Reykjavik

Destinations

Iceland

Attractions & Cities Visited

Blue Lagoon Geysir Jokulsarlon Skogafoss

Activities & Interests

N/A

Age Requirement

15-99

No Single Supplement
See more

Itinerary

Day 1 Reykjavik

Hallo! Welcome to Iceland. The world's northernmost capital of Reykjavik lies just below the Arctic Circle. The city sees around four hours of sunlight a day in winter and 22 hours or more in summer. Surrounded by volcanic peaks and crystalline ocean, and boasting a vibrant arts and nightlife scene, Reykjavik's contrasts are utterly beguiling. Why not arrive early and head to the National Museum, which depicts the history of Iceland from the ninth century (when the first Vikings from mainland Scandinavia arrived and settled) to the present day, or join locals who gossip and chatter in the Laugardalslaug Geothermal Pool.

Day 2 Golden Circle / Hvolsvollur Area

Head out of town early this morning to follow the Golden Circle driving route towards Thingvellir National Park. Thingvellir was the location of Iceland's first parliament, founded in AD930, and is also the site of the Silfra Fissure, where tectonic plates are pulling apart and exposing some pretty wild rock shelves. Continue on to the Geysir Geothermal Area and check out the Strokkur Geyser – it swells with blue water before erupting and shooting a spout some 20–30 metres in the air. Finally, witness the sheer power of the Gullfoss (Golden) Waterfall on the Hvita River. You'll even get a chance to stop by Secret Lagoon, a natural hot pool that will beckon you to take a dip, on your way to tonight's accommodation. After your Golden Circle tour, head to your stay in the Hvolsvollur region for the evening. This guesthouse is a leader in local responsible tourism and sustainability. The owners started a tree planting project on their land to contribute to lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide and counteract soil erosion. Tonight, you’ll have the option to join the effort and head out into the hills surrounding the property to plant trees yourself.

Day 3 Myrdalsjokull / South Coast / Reynivellir

Begin the day with a visit to the breathtaking Skogafoss – a giant waterfall, 25-metres wide and dropping 60 metres. Get up close and feel its power, then climb a long and windy set of stairs to a stunning viewpoint. Next up is one of Europe's biggest ice caps – Myrdalsjokull – which covers the active volcano Katla. Choose whether to join an optional hike over the glacier tongue – no experience is necessary. It’s sobering to think that the glacier is retreating due to rising world temperatures and may soon be gone. If you don't want to take the glacier walk, perhaps explore the area around the glacier tongue. Alternatively, Skogafoss waterfall has a number of walking trails, or you can visit the Skogar folk museum. Along today's drive you'll get to check out the Laki Lava fields as you continue along Iceland's South Shore, spotting bird colonies on the promontory of Dyrholaey, Iceland's southernmost point. You’ll also see the amazing stepping-stone rock formations of Reynisdrangar and its black sand beach, Reynisfjara. Continue to your overnight stop in the countryside near Reynivellir.

Day 4 Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon / Vik / Reykjavik

This morning, visit one of Iceland's undisputed highlights: the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Consider jumping on an optional cruise among the icebergs, or just take a walk along the shore down to Diamond Beach, where icebergs from the lagoon wash up on its black sands. Later today, head to Vik for lunch. With the sea on one side and high cliffs on the other, this dramatically positioned small village is Iceland's most southern mainland settlement. In the afternoon, complete your southerly loop by heading back to Reykjavik with a quick stop at Seljalandsfoss on your way. On arrival in Reykjavik, join your local leader for a short guided walk of the capital to visit the old harbour, city centre and snap some photos of Hallgrimskirkja church. The evening is free for you to enjoy all the capital has to offer, so why not get your group together for dinner! Perhaps, stop in Reykjavik`s most famous hot dog stand Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur on the main square or head over to one of the many bars in town serving Icelandic craft beers.

Day 5 Reykjavik

With no activities planned for today, it’s time to say 'sjaumst' to your group leader and fellow travellers. That doesn’t mean your adventure has to come to an end! If you’d like to spend more time in Reykjavik and surrounds, we’ll be happy to book additional accommodation (subject to availability). What happens next is up to you – maybe a snorkelling adventure in the Silfra Fissure or a soak in the famous Blue Lagoon.

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 1,605
Price Per Day: $ 321 per day
Checking price
Start DateFinish DateBase PriceAvailability 
May-16-2024May-20-2024$ 1,71514 spots left Reserve
May-23-2024May-27-2024$ 1,71516 spots left Reserve
May-30-2024Jun-03-2024$ 1,71516 spots left Reserve
Jun-06-2024Jun-10-2024$ 1,71516 spots left Reserve
Jun-16-2024Jun-20-2024$ 1,71516 spots left Reserve
Jun-20-2024Jun-24-2024$ 1,71516 spots left Reserve
Jun-27-2024Jul-01-2024$ 1,71516 spots left Reserve
Jul-04-2024Jul-08-2024$ 1,78516 spots left Reserve
Jul-11-2024Jul-15-2024$ 1,78514 spots left Reserve
Jul-18-2024Jul-22-2024$ 1,78516 spots left Reserve
Jul-25-2024Jul-29-2024$ 1,78516 spots left Reserve
Aug-01-2024Aug-05-2024$ 1,78516 spots left Reserve
Aug-08-2024Aug-12-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Aug-15-2024Aug-19-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Aug-22-2024Aug-26-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Aug-29-2024Sep-02-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Sep-05-2024Sep-09-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Sep-08-2024Sep-12-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Sep-12-2024Sep-16-2024$ 1,85016 spots left Reserve
Sep-19-2024Sep-23-2024$ 1,78516 spots left Reserve
Sep-26-2024Sep-30-2024$ 1,78516 spots left Reserve
May-01-2025May-05-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
May-15-2025May-19-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
May-29-2025Jun-02-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jun-05-2025Jun-09-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jun-12-2025Jun-16-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jun-19-2025Jun-23-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jun-26-2025Jun-30-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jul-03-2025Jul-07-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jul-10-2025Jul-14-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jul-17-2025Jul-21-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jul-24-2025Jul-28-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Jul-31-2025Aug-04-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-04-2025Aug-08-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-07-2025Aug-11-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-14-2025Aug-18-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-18-2025Aug-22-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-21-2025Aug-25-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-25-2025Aug-29-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Aug-28-2025Sep-01-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Sep-04-2025Sep-08-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Sep-11-2025Sep-15-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Sep-18-2025Sep-22-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Sep-25-2025Sep-29-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
Sep-29-2025Oct-03-2025$ 1,60516 spots left Reserve
See more

4,331 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings

94%
4.6 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 3,259
Great 675
Average 140
Disappointing 77
Terrible 180
Value
4.6
Guide
4.6
Activities
4.6
Lodging
4.6
Transportation
4.6
Meals
4.6

Iceland Express

Avoid at All Costs- Unacceptable Transport and much of Itinerary not covered

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide2.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation1.0
Meals2.0
$1750 for 3 days of touring and 4 nights accommodation. What a rip off, especially considering only 2 breakfasts were included and 16 adults plus a driver were squeezed into a Ford Transit minibus. I spent a whole day sitting twisted with one leg up 30+cm on the wheel which took up my leg room- still receiving treatment for inflamed muscles. Bus steamed up and aircon didn't work so only people in front seats could see the landscape or hear what the tour guide had to say. We were given 1 squeegee to share to try and clear the windows which was useless. Luggage put in a rusty trailer at the back that leaked so my feather down coat was saturated and stinky at the end of the first day. Tour Guide showed us the trailer from his last tour, which apparently was blown off by the wind and still lay on the side of the road. We were recommended to go on the Glacier Walk, which was a significant extra cost and booked in for 3pm. We only got to the glacier at sunset, which seemed an accident waiting to happen with poor light. 5 mins into the glacier walk and a 70+year old lady fell over, split her lip and broke her wrist. Mission aborted and a long walk back to the bus, including walking on loose planks over a river using phone torches to find our way. No walking tour of Reykjavik, no opportunity to do the Iceberg Boat Tour, no tree planting, no spotting bird colonies, no Skogar folk museum, even though all these were part of the itinerary. We were even told we didn't have time to climb the long windy set of stairs up to a stunning viewpoint at Skogafoss. Iceland is magnificent but this is the worst way to see the sites.
Read more

Company Reviews

Sardines in a can

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
Love adventures but the size of the cabins on our trip to the Cyclades Islands are extremely cramped . We have three mature adults in one cabin with no space to move and no space to hang or store anything ( including wet towels ).
If any of us had been physically inflexible or overweight we could not have coped with the sleeping arrangements . It is impossible to sit on the top bunk and even turning over in bed requires considerable planning .
An adventure does not mean cutting back on basic essentials …
In our view there were too many people in too small a space .
Two complete strangers were also asked to sleep together in an extremely small double bed , which meant that one of them decided to sleep on deck or in the living space .
The only redeeming factor was our Skipper who is professional, friendly , informative and skilled .
I would recommend this trip if the numbers were reduced .
Read more

I feel totally cheated

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
I feel totally cheated. Just finished the Spain and Portugal 14 day trip. The itinerary does not match the actual experience and is I feel deliberately miss leading. When I says a “local bus” and an approx 3 hour journey the reality is a 6 hour trip door to door in the middle of the day. You miss valuable time at the actual destination in favour of being jammed in a bus with dozens of people traveling on a freeway with nothing worth seeing at all. The bush are not even express so you stop in the industrial outskirts of a number of towns and even the airport. By the time you finally reach the destination you are tired and frustrated. I want my money back. It’s a cheap experience that you pay a lot of money for.
Read more

Have not even started and not impressed

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
Booked a premium tour to Israel and paid in full. Once I paid Intrepid changed the tour, not because of operational or safety reasons but on the basis of previous customers feedback. We asked them to keep the tour as it was advertised originally and they suggested we ask our group to see if we can persuade them to go to the original destination once we had arrived in Israel which is simply ridiculous and then I complained so they offered my money back. Not exactly the best resolution now that I already paid for my flights and booked time off separately. Hopefully the tour will be better than my experience so far.
Read more

No help when things go wrong (seriously ill on trip)

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
Unfortunately, Intrepid is a company I would recommend being wary of. They are fine as long as everything is going ok, but if anything goes wrong? Don't expect any help or decent customer service. I made the mistake of booking two trips, and both times I ran into problems:

Trip 1- I was taken very ill while in Vietnam and had to drop out of the tour. I had no help from the guide- no help with getting to a doctor (I don't speak Vietnamese and was too ill to get out of bed anyway), he didn't even assist with arranging a hotel room.

Trip 2- I've had to cancel an upcoming (2024) trip, but haven't received the refund despite phoning the customer service line several times. The people I talk to are nice, but don't seem to be able to actually get anything done. They just suggest waiting a bit longer- not sure how long they think is acceptable to hang on to someone's money really.
Read more

Check for other companies offtering the same trip

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
I would think carefully before doing business with Intrepid Travel again. In May I went on 2 one-week guided cycle tours in France with Intrepid. They were both great cycles and I enjoyed the cycling very much. However, I had several complaints about the company and some of the guides (not all of them).
Once I had paid for my trips, it was very difficult to get in touch with Intrepid to ask a question.
During the trips, several times I was told something one day only to have the info change without any good reason. The guides need proper training about dealing with the heat. Some of use suffered from dehydration and heat stroke and the guides were quite flippant about it. I was told that the guides would not leave anyone behind, but it happened several times.
There was one guide (a trainee) who really took some of the pleasure out of my cycle tour. She spoke to me with a tone used for a child. This tone and her attitude to me almost bordered on harassment.
I went on a third cycling tour with a different company after my 2 with Intrepid and it was much better than my experience with Intrepid.
As the demand for ebikes rises, tour companies such as Intrepid need to increase their fleet of ebikes. They also don’t need to charge the huge amount to rent these ebikes. We only want to rent them, not buy them. As the cost of ebikes comes down, if should reflect in the rental price.
Read more

Details

Flight & Transport Inclusions

All internal ground transport Private minibus with free wi-fi

Group Size

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum Number of People in Group: 16

Accommodations

Guesthouses & Farm Stays (4 nights)

Guides

All Intrepid group trips in Iceland are accompanied by one of our group leaders, who will also be the driver. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects.

Age Notes :

Min. Age: 15

Max Age: 99

Additional Information

Finish point

  • Guesthouse Aurora
  • Freyjugata 24
  • Reykjavik
  • ICELAND
  • Phone: +354 8991773

Trip ID#:

intrepid-BMRI

×
Great Choice!

Now, Unlock Member Savings

Our Travelstride Select trips allow you and your travel companions to save up to $700. You wouldn’t want to miss that, right?

or
or
Provide email and password

With your FREE membership you get to:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
Already a member?

We respect your privacy and take great care to protect your information. By joining you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

×

You could save $ 300 per person on this trip!

TripSaver
Flexible travel vouchers redeemable on thousands of trips like this one!
×
×
×
Sign in to Save Trips
Welcome back! We're so happy to see you. ? Forgot Password?
Don't have an account? Join
  • Bookmark trips you like
  • Share with your travel companions
  • Track price changes
  • Access private discounts on trips you save
×
Sign in to see your results

TripFinder is a member-only feature. Don’t worry, it’s free!

With a membership you:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
×
Activate your free Travelstride membership

Just use the email address and password provided in the email we sent.

? Forgot Password?

With your free membership you:

  • Save up to $700 per person!*
  • Access private deals and offers
  • See personalized trip recommendations
  • Save favorite trips
*See Member Savings Program details
×
To Follow, sign in or sign up (it's free) ? Forgot Password?
Don't have an account? Join
member benefits

By signing in, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

First name is required!
Last name is required!
First name is not valid!
Last name is not valid!
This is not an email address!
Email address is required!
This email is already registered!
Please enter valid email address
Password is required!
Enter a valid password!
Please enter 6 or more characters!
Please enter 32 or less characters!
Passwords are not the same!
Terms and Conditions are required!
Email or Password is wrong!
Please select the captcha checkbox!
Please select the valid captcha!
Something went wrong! Try again later!

"I'm bored' is a useless thing to say. You live in a great, big, vast world that you've seen none percent of."
Louis C.K.
x
x
Download your brochure

Enter your email to get the "" brochure.

x
Brochure successfully sent!

We've sent the "" brochure to "". Check your inbox!