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HOLIDAYS TO ICELAND
WHALES, FJORDS & HORSE COUNTRY
9 days from £1015 pp
Go whale spotting for humpbacks, orca and minke; snowmobile up on Snæfellsjökull glacier dubbed the ‘eternal pyramid of snow’ or take a trip out to Breiafjörur with your boat overflown by puffins, elders, kittiwakes and white tailed eagles. Move on to Iceland’s most ruggedly hardcore corner: the western fjords with their signature fan shaped waterfall Dynjandi and ruggedly indented coastline before visiting Skagafjörur, the centre of horse breeding on the island. As well as riding (of course), the glacier rivers Jöökulsá Vestari and Austari have some of the best river rafting in Iceland and both Drangey & Málmey Islands are worth a visit.
DAY 1 UK-REYKJAVÍK Scheduled Icelandair flight to Reykjavík. Transfer to Hotel Reykjavík for 2 nights.
DAYS 2 REYKJAVÍK Time to chill out, hang out or take a city tour including Hafnafjörður.
DAY 3 REYKJAVÍK - RUNDARFJORDUR Courtesy transfer to collect your hire car, drive out of Reykjavík via the Whale Bay tunnel to Borgarnes (the newly opened Settlement Centre there is a good place to catch up on your Saga’s), along the southern side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and round its very tip to Grundarfjordur. Overnight at Hotel Framnes for 2 nights.
DAY 4 GRUNDAFJORDUR A take your pick day! Whale spot from Ólafsvík (10 June – 15 September); bird watch on Breiðafjörður; take the car round to the vertiginous bird cliffs at Arnarstapi (the hike between there and Hellnar is beautiful) or snowmobile on the Snæfellsjökull glacier.
DAY 5 GRUNDARFJORDUR -ISAFJÖRÐUR Drive along the peninsula’s north shore, dropping in on Stykkishólmur with its eclectic mix of modernistic church and traditional wooden buildings, before continuing round on the southern side of the fjords, past Dynjandi (a series of falls, uppermost of which is the much photographed fan shaped one) to Isafjörður. Overnight at Hotel Isafjordur for 2 nights.
DAY 6 ISAFJÖRÐUR Time to explore this, the most remote of Iceland’s towns. Once home to a prosperous fishing industry, the decline of same has thrown up some quirky alternatives including swamp mud football!
DAY 7 ISAFJÖRÐUR - HVAMMSTANGI Drive along the fjord roads, crossing over to Steingrimsfjörður and across to Laugarbakki for 2 nights at Gauksmyri Lodge in the heart of horse breeding country.
DAY 8 HVAMMSTANGI The hotel has its own Horse Centre offering riding tours, horse shows and riding lessons. Relax in the hotel’s hot pot or enjoy some bird watching by Gauksmyrartjorn pond.
DAY 9 HVAMMSTANGI – KEFLAVIK AIRPORT Drive to Keflavik airport, drop off hire car and return flight back to the UK.
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Map of tour
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