We just finished an eight-day tour!

Gunnsi and Tyffi
2 hours ago
3 min read

We just finished a great eight-day tour to the north in Iceland. 11 people and Gunnsi guide.

Midnight sun, puffins, whale watching, waterfalls, lakes, craters, gourmet food, history, and elves! All the beauty Iceland has to offer! Going to the north from Reykjavik, we offer from 4 days to as many as you like, adding different activities.

Here is our itinerary from the tour with a few pictures.

Day one, June 7th, Sunday: Reykjavik to Skagafjörður

9:30 a.m. Pick up from the hotel in Reykjavik

Stop by Mosfellsbakarí, the best bakery in Iceland.

Drive the tunnel under Hvalfjörður.

In Borgarnes we visited historical sites and a Viking grave.

The Glanni waterfall is in the Salmon River, Norðurá.

Lunch at the Staðarskáli restaurant.

Kolugljúfur, the gorge of Kola the troll and her waterfall.

Stay and dine at Hofsstaðir Country Hotel.

At Hofsstaðir the view from the rooms is to the north, even though you are used to seeing the sun rise in the east and set in the west. This isn’t the case in June in Iceland. Here we see the sunset in NNW and the sunrise in NNE. There is no night!

Day two, June 8th, Monday: Drangey island

9:00 a.m.: leaving after breakfast

Pick up sandwiches in the bakery in Sauðárkrókur for lunch on the island.

10:00 a.m. Boat ride from Sauðárkrókur to visit Drangey Island to see puffins and learn about Grettir the Viking (total 4 hours). This is not for people afraid of heights, and the level of difficulty is between medium and hard.

Glaumbær, a turf house complex where people used to live until 1946.

Stay and dine the second night at Hótel Hofsstaðir County Hotel

Day three, June 9th, Tuesday: The Troll Peninsula.

10:00 a.m.: leaving after breakfast.

Hofsós Staðarbjargarvík basalt columns.

In Siglufjörður we visited the herring museum, where we also had lunch.

Drive the tunnels to and through Héðinsfjörður and Ólafsfjörður.

In Dalvík we compared our heights with the tallest person in Iceland.

We enjoyed the great public swimming pool in Akureyri with different temperature hot tubs, lap swimming, steam baths, and… nobody dared to try the great slides.

Finishing the circle around the Troll peninsula, driving back to Hofsstaðir Country Hotel

Day four, June 10th, Wednesday: Lake Mývatn area

10:00 a.m.: leaving after breakfast

Drive through Akureyri towards Lake Mývatn.

We visited Goðafoss waterfall's east side and learned the history behind the name.

Lunch at Dimmuborgir café. Some of us had the locally made rye bread with arctic char from the lake.

A one-and-a-half-hour hike in Dimmuborgir to the majestic nature-made Elf Church.

Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters

Dine and stay at Hótel Vogafjós two nights, dinner at 7:00 p.m.

Day five, June 11th, Thursday: the Diamond circle

Leaving after breakfast at 8:50 to drive to Húsavík.

10:00 a.m. Whale watching where a blue whale and its calf were spotted.

1:15 p.m. Lunch by the harbor in Húsavík at restaurant Gamli Baukur.

The next stop was the Hringsbjarg cliff viewpoint.

At Ásbyrgi, we had a short hike to the pond, where we saw the arctic char.

Dettifoss waterfall. Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland and is equal to the Rheinfall waterfall in Switzerland. They are the biggest waterfalls in Europe.

Grjótagjá is a former local natural bathing place where the temperature is 44°C (112°F).

Return to Hótel Vogafjós. Dinner at the restaurant Mylla by Berjayja at 8:00 p.m.

Day six, June 12th, Friday:

10:00 a.m.: leaving after breakfast.

Víti (Hell) volcanic crater by Krafla volcano. The crater was formed in a single blast in 1724.

Hverir is a colorful geothermal area, like a mini Yellowstone.

Hike at Höfði by the lake for just under an hour to enjoy the forest and nature.

Lunch at the Gamli bærinn restaurant.

We visited Sigurgeir’s Bird Museum.

On our way to Akureyri we stopped by Goðafoss waterfall's west side.

Part of the group went to the Forest Lagoon to relax before checking in to the hotel.

Stay at Hotel Kea in Akureyri town and dine at Múlaberg Bistro & Bar.

Day seven, June 13th, Saturday: Heading south

10:15 a.m.: leaving after breakfast.

Short stop on the way by an old bridge on Öxnadalsheiði.

We enjoyed the view over Skagafjörður by the monument of Stephan G. Stephansson, poet (1853-1927), who lived in Skagafjörður, and later by the Rocky Mountains in Markerville.

Lunch at B&K in Blönduós town.

The Þrístapar monument is about the last death penalty in Iceland (a must-visit).

Borgarvirki is a natural fortress with a great view over the area.

Hvítserkur, a dinosaur-look-alike rock in the ocean.

Stay and dine at Hraunsnef Country Hotel