Iceland's Golden Circle in Depth

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 Full on
Physical Level: Walking or physical activity half to most of day - no carrying equipment. Easy
Lodging Level: 3 to 4 star western hotel equivalents. While not all lodging will be 'luxury' they will be quite comfortable by western standards. Comfort (4*)
5 days
From: $ 2,376 $ 475 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • See the sights that make Iceland’s famous Golden Circle so celebrated, from Gulfoss Waterfall to Strokkur Geysir and Thingvellir National Park.
  • There are few things more quintessentially Icelandic than soaking in a geothermal pool – experience it for yourself during a visit to the lesser-known Secret Lagoon.
  • Get a taste for Iceland’s local flavours with a visit to a workshop where they use native ingredients to make herbal teas, jams and salts, all created by a family of sustainability champions.
  • Stand in the spray of Iceland’s most iconic south coast cascades – from the thundering Skogafoss to the enchanting Seljalandsfoss.
  • Explore one of Europe’s largest ice caps on an adventurous walk over the alien landscape of Solheimajokull Glacier.

Short Description

Experience the highlights of Iceland’s Golden Circle on a five-day loop from Reykjavik. When we say you’ll see the hotspots, we mean it – whether you’re soaking in the steamy geothermal waters of the Secret Lagoon or marvelling at the eruptions of the Strokkur Geysir. But this is the land of not only fire, but ice too – and where better to experience the latter than Solheimajokull Glacier, and the south coast's series of pristine waterfalls?

Style Small group tour
See all the highlights and popular spots on a classic tour.
Itinerary Focus Classic Highlights
3 to 4 star western hotel equivalents. While not all lodging will be 'luxury' they will be quite comfortable by western standards.
Lodging Level Comfort (4*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions All internal ground transport
Start City Reykjavik
End City Reykjavik

Destinations

Iceland

Attractions & Cities Visited

Blue Lagoon Geysir Solheimajokull Glacier

Activities & Interests

N/A

Age Requirement

15-99

N/A
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Itinerary

Day 1 Reykjavik

Welcome to Iceland! Your adventure begins in Reykjavik, the world’s northernmost capital and an eclectic place full of charm. At 6 pm you’ll meet your local leader and travel companions at an important welcome meeting at your hotel. If you arrive in Reykjavik with time to spare, why not hit the streets and explore the city's quirky boutiques and cosy cafes. After your welcome meeting, you may like to head into town with the group and get to know each other over dinner.

Day 2 Reykjanes Peninsula - Hveragerdi

Wake up and take a moment to breathe in the fresh Icelandic air before heading out towards the Reykjanes Peninsula. Stop at family-run workshop where they use native Icelandic ingredients to make herbal teas, jams and salts. Tour their production area and learn more about their sustainability initiatives while sipping on a cup of their delicious tea. Next up you’ll see the Bridge between Continents, a footbridge that spans a fissure between the North American and Eurasian continental plates, and visit the eerie mud pools and steam vents of Gunnuhver, named for the angry ghost that is believed to have been trapped in the hot springs 400 years ago. A steaming bowl of lobster soup awaits you in the fishing village of Grindavik for lunch (vegetarian alternatives available), before you continue to Strandarkirkja, a Lutheran church that has been a landmark for seafaring travellers since the 12th century. After a busy day you’ll head for Hveragerdi, our base for the next three nights.

Day 3 Hveragerdi / Golden Circle

Today is all about exploring Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. Head to the geyser geothermal area to check out Strokkur and watch as the geyser swells with blue water before erupting and shooting some 20-30 metres in the air. Marvel at the immense beauty and sheer power of the Gullfoss double waterfall on the Hvita River. After witnessing these natural wonders, it’s time to reap the benefits of Iceland’s geothermal activity for yourself, with a soak in the warm waters of the Secret Lagoon. Fed by various hot springs in the surrounding area, this spot is the oldest pool in Iceland – though it’s had a facelift since first opening in 1894. And as the name suggests, it sees fewer visitors than its blue counterpart, meaning you can truly unwind, without the crowds. Once you're fully destressed (or before your fingertips start to prune), return to Hveragerdi for the night.

Day 4 Hveragerdi / South Coast

Start the day by visiting the magical Seljalandsfoss waterfall and take a walk behind its cascade for a different perspective, followed by the powerful Skogafoss waterfall, one of Iceland's biggest at a width of 25 metres and a drop of 60 metres. From here embark on a short hike to another breathtaking waterfall, Kvernufoos, hidden in a nearby valley, and unbeknownst to most. The waterfall is framed by moss-coated cliffs of lava rock, adding to its otherworldly appearance. After you’ve had your fill of gorgeous waterfalls, prepare to take a walk on one of Europe's biggest ice caps – the mighty Solheimajokull Glacier. No experience is necessary to partake in the hike – your guide will brief you on all you need to know so you can explore the icy caves and crevasses safely.

Day 5 Thingvellir National Park - Reykjavik

It’s time to head back to Reykjavik. En route, stop at Thingvellir National Park to see the Parliament Plains, the site of Iceland’s first parliament. Thingvellir also contains the Silfra fissure, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart, the resulting gap partly filled with fresh water and clearly visible. Once you get back to Reykjavik, your leader will take you out on a walking tour to discover more of the history and culture of this fascinating city. Once this concludes, you will say your goodbyes and your adventure will come to an end.

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 2,376
Price Per Day: $ 475 per day
Checking price
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Sep-28-2023Oct-02-2023$ 2,376Sold Out Reserve
Oct-05-2023Oct-09-2023$ 2,3762 spots left Reserve
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Aug-15-2024Aug-19-2024$ 2,78010 spots left Reserve
Aug-29-2024Sep-02-2024$ 2,78012 spots left Reserve
Sep-05-2024Sep-09-2024$ 2,67512 spots left Reserve
Sep-12-2024Sep-16-2024$ 2,67512 spots left Reserve
Sep-19-2024Sep-23-2024$ 2,67510 spots left Reserve
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May-29-2025Jun-02-2025$ 2,81512 spots left Reserve
Jun-05-2025Jun-09-2025$ 2,81512 spots left Reserve
Jun-12-2025Jun-16-2025$ 2,81512 spots left Reserve
Jun-19-2025Jun-23-2025$ 2,81512 spots left Reserve
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Aug-28-2025Sep-01-2025$ 2,81512 spots left Reserve
Sep-04-2025Sep-08-2025$ 2,81512 spots left Reserve
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4,326 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings

94%
4.6 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 3,255
Great 675
Average 140
Disappointing 77
Terrible 179
Value
4.6
Guide
4.6
Activities
4.6
Lodging
4.6
Transportation
4.6
Meals
4.6

Iceland's Golden Circle in Depth

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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 .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour…

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Our Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour exceptional! He has encyclopedic knowledge of Ecuador and Latin America. Because he has traveled the world, Eitel placed this information within contexts that we could appreciate. That says a lot because we were a diverse group of travelers. The experience deepened my appreciation for the country's marvelous people, history, cultures, and resources.
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Details

Flight & Transport Inclusions

All internal ground transport Private vehicle

Group Size

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum Number of People in Group: 12

Accommodations

Hotel (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

  • Reykjavik
  • Array
  • Reykjavik
  • ICELAND

Trip ID#:

intrepid-BIKH

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