2 Days South Coast – Ice Cave, Skaftafell & Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon
Additional Information
Departure from | Reykjavik |
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Destination | Black sand Beach, Glacier Lagoon, Ice cave, Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, South Coast, Vatnajökull, Vik |
Feature | 2 days |
Why we love this tour
Visit the nature ice cave Go to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, see waterfalls, black sand beaches and many other natural wonders We will hunt for Northern lights if the weather conditions are right Small group Experience Free pickup and drop off in Reykjavik One-night accommodation with private bathroom
Detailed description
Lace-up your hiking boots and join us on this two-day trip for close encounters with the wonders of Icelandic nature. Explore the South Coast with its iconic waterfalls and black sand beaches, and be the first to step into a blue ice cave of Europe’s largest icecap. To top it all off, we’ll have ample moments to hunt the magical, ever-elusive Northern Lights!
Day one – The Grand South Coast and Northern Lights
This jewel of Iceland tour packages will take you south before continuing to the east as we whisk you away for two days of amazing adventure sightseeing. We drive towards the slowly rising sun on the way to our first stop, the very unusual Seljalandsfoss waterfall, you can actually walk behind the gracefully falling cascade. It is well worth getting a little damp for such an exciting experience!
Our next highlight is another waterfall, Skógafoss, located at the foot of a very famous volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. On a clear day, you will also get a great view of another volcano mountain glacier, Mýrdalsjokull. As we continue on, we come to Reynisfjara, a black beach where some fantastic sights, such as the picturesque basalt column formations and the famous Reynisdrangar peaks, will greet us. We will drive through the charming small town of Vík on our way to our accommodation. Throughout the entire day, you can expect to see breathtaking landscapes consisting of vast lava fields, waterfalls, black sands and glacier tongues. We will enjoy a relaxing evening, if the conditions are right we will hunt for those northern lights! The countryside close to Vatnajökull glacier, away from the city lights, is perfect for spotting this natural phenomenon. Your hotel will be in the Hof area.
Day two – Land of Ice
Today you will really get to know the glacier, venturing into the sparkling, blue/white world of an ice cave with a qualified guide, and visiting the extraordinary glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón. Getting up close and personal with a vast glacial tongue of the great Vatnajökull glacier does not get any better than this!
The renowned Jökulsárlón Ice Lagoon, made famous by several blockbuster movies including Batman Begins and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, to name just a couple, is a totally mind-blowing place. Splendid icebergs of amazing shapes, some incredibly large, have calved off the receding Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. They jostle one another in the huge lagoon before gliding on their surreal and stately journeys to the Atlantic ocean. Many of these natural ice sculptures are washed onto the nearby Diamond Beach, you will see them glittering like diamonds, as they rest on the dramatic coal blackness of the beach.
Next, you go into the glacier with a qualified guide! Ice caves are fascinating. New caves are formed each winter by the melt/freeze cycle of the glacier, they are always changing, both from year to year and within each winter. The journey into an ice cave will give photographers the most amazing opportunity to capture the shimmering blue light which passes through the glacial ice. Surprisingly deep shades of jewel blue will surround you, these tones are caused by ice compression, the way we perceive light and color, and the blueness can sometimes be intensified by algae.
After visiting the ice cave we head towards Reykjavík. We stop at Skaftafell Nature Reserve in Vatnajokull National Park, a green area in the midst of amazingly jagged mountains and glacier-topped peaks, the splendid scenery of Skaftafell is certain to be a highlight of your tour. We will keep an eye out for the Northern Lights on our way back to the city and will make a short stop if conditions allow for it.
We return to Reykjavík around 21:00 pm.
Meeting Information
- Pick up: 9:00am
- Drop off: between 9pm on the second day
Due to the regulations implemented regarding the shuttle traffic in the downtown Reykjavik, we have offered 13 pick up points instead of directly picking up guests from accommodations . Please click here for further information.
What's included
- Free pickup and drop off in Rekjavik
- English-speaking guided group tour in minibus (small group experience)
- A certified glacier guide
- Guided Ice Cave Tour
- Visit to all main highlights of the South Coast
- Hotel accommodation with private bathroom, and breakfast. *Single room supplement is required for solo travelers.
What's Excluded
- Lunch and dinner
Accommodation
Adventure Hotel Hof or Similar
Please note that all accommodations are subject to change based on the availability.
Accommodations of similar quality would be offered in case of full booking.
Luggage Arrangement
Each participant is allowed a day backpack and one luggage bag weighing a maximum of 20kg. Luggage storage is offered for a small fee and can only be guaranteed if booked beforehand.
What you need to know
- Rated: Easy
- Duration: 2 days
- Minimum age: 8 years
- For Single Traveler: If you do not choose the single supplement you will be paired in a twin room with another participant of the same gender.
- The infamous Icelandic weather can sometimes influence the schedule a little in winter (i.e. Ice Cave), but our expert travel planners always have a plan B!
- Please note that ice caves are an ever changing natural phenomenon and, therefore, unpredictable. We will visit one ice cave during the tour and the choice of a cave is based on conditions and safety.
- Entrance to the crystal cave is subjected to weather conditions.
- Ice caving is refundable in portion if the weather condition isn’t possible for visiting. In return, we will have other itineraries for substitution. Please note that the refund varies with the operator’s decision, IcelandEasy solely acts on behalf of the operator in refunding.
- Please note that northern light hunting is non-refundable if the weather conditions don’t allow for it.
Hiking Shoes
Crampons are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes, these enable you to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. Crampons will be used during glacier hiking, please make sure you have good hiking shoes. We recommend hiking shoes that are thick, sturdy and waterproof.
Please refer to below photos as reference:
FAQs
Are meals included on the tour?
Breakfast is included on day two at your hotel restaurant. Meals and beverages are otherwise not included on this tour. We will, however, be making stops where you will be able to purchase all necessities.
Will I definitely see Northern Lights on the tour?
The Northern Lights are natural phenomena and we unfortunately cannot promise you will see them. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions.
For more information on the Northen Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights information.
Can the itinerary for the tour change?
Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, we reserve the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.
Cancellation Policy
- All cancellations must be emailed to hello@icelandeasy.com. Cancellation by Whatsapp, Facebook, or other channels will not be accepted. A cancellation fee charge as follow:
Days | Cancellations charge |
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More than 18 days’ notice | 10% |
Less than 18 days’ notice | 50% |
Less than 96 hours’ notice | 100% |
**Working days notice (excluding Saturday, Sunday & Public holiday in Hong Kong)
IMPORTANT NOTE:
- Itineraries may be subject to change at short notice during severe weather conditions and certain outdoor activities/day trips may be canceled during the winter season in Iceland. In these rare cases, where situations of force majeure apply, excursions/activities cannot be refunded but the local guides will try their best to find reasonable alternatives where and whenever possible.
My girlfriend and myself joined this tour and it was really well organized. We have seen some of the best parts of the country including waterfalls, horses, glaciers, floating ice, Black sand beaches. The weather was quite windy and changed all the time, so we were glad to have brought warm jackets. The best part was that our guide took us to see a much better lagoon than the Jokulasarlon one they usually go to, because the wind had blown all the floating ice to the other side. The name is Fjallsarlon and is just down the road. I can definitely recommend doing this tour!