Join our small group and explore Iceland’s most stunning natural attractions with us! Gloomy black sand beaches, giant waterfalls, crystal blue ice caves, and floating icebergs await our visit along Iceland’s epic South Coast.
Join us on an unforgettable journey to Iceland’s South Coast. We’ll visit all the iconic landmarks over a period of two days, making sure you won’t miss a thing! This perfect tour will introduce you to the lonely beauty of black sand beaches, the shimmering glow of an ice cave, and the uncapturable stillness of Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.
This wonderful two-day tour shows you the best of the famous South Coast: a world of glaciers and volcanoes that epitomizes the magic of Iceland.
Day one will take you on a coastal journey that encompasses Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, and the iconic Reynisfjara black sand beach.
Day two will introduce you to a world of ice, including Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Vatnajökull Glacier National Park and a local ice cave. If your aim is to see the South Coast in all of its glory, then this is the tour for you.
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Find out more details about the tour and its highlights.
Ice caves are unpredictable and the tour guide chooses the one based on weather conditions, accessibility and safety. Generally, though, April-October the tour visits Katla Ice Cave, and November-March the tour visits the Crystal Ice Cave.
April to October, the tour We usually visit the Crystal Ice Cave, however, sometimes it may be inaccessible – in this situation, we will visit another ice cave. We visit the Under the Volcano Ice Cave in the summer months.
Solo Travelers: If you do not choose to pay the single supplement, then you will be partnered in a twin room with another tour participant of the same gender.
Pick Up Information: We’ll collect you from your hotel or one of our designated Reykjavik pick-up points at 9:00 am. Please note, this process can last up to thirty minutes and we thank you for your patience in advance.
After we have picked you up near your accommodation in downtown Reykjavík, we will leave civilization behind and make our way eastbound along the South Coast. We will pass beautiful lava fields covered with green moss and travel past quaint little fa...)
After we have picked you up near your accommodation in downtown Reykjavík, we will leave civilization behind and make our way eastbound along the South Coast. We will pass beautiful lava fields covered with green moss and travel past quaint little farms and tiny villages. Eventually, we will pass several major volcanoes such as Hekla, Katla, and Eyjajfjallajökull. These are some of the biggest volcanoes in Iceland!
Our first stop will be at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, one of Iceland’s most famous cascades. It sits at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull and its water originates from the glacier. In the summer, it is safe to take the path leading behind the waterfall, but in winter, it is usually frozen and therefore closed.
Not far from here comes the next stop at Skógafoss waterfall, another majestic cascade where the water plunges down from the 18-story tall cliffs. Skógafoss was used as a filming location for the TV show “Vikings” as well as the last season of “Game of Thrones”. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland.
Soon we will stop again, this time at the sea coast. The famous Reynisfjara black sand beach is one of the most visited places in Iceland. Its thrilling rock formations, hidden caves, outstanding sea stacks, and long, black sand coastline enchants everyone’s minds!
For lunch, we will stop at a nearby town called Vík í Mýrdal where there will be a spectacular view of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks from the window of our restaurant. The town is home to an idyllic little church which we will also visit.
As we drive onwards through the largest lava field in all of Europe, we will pass by some truly magical landscapes. Soon we will make another stop at Kirkjubæjarklaustur, which translates to “Church Town Monastery”, a small village with quite an interesting history. After some refreshments, we will continue east through a large extension of sand plains, an area of black lava, sand, and ash of around 700 square kilometers (270 square miles).
While we enjoy the unmatched panoramas, our skilled guide will explain the history and geology of the area. They will tell us more about the most famous volcanic eruptions and how locals dealt with the harsh conditions in the old times.
As we continue our drive eastwards, glaciers will soon come into view. After we have passed through the enormous sand plain, we will see the outlets of the mighty Vatnajökull, the largest icecap in Europe.
Approaching the glacier, we will stop at the beautiful Skaftafell Nature Reserve in the National Park of Vatnajökull. It is one of the most picturesque areas in Iceland and a perfect photography spot for amateurs and professionals alike. We will also drive by Iceland’s highest peak, Hvannadalshjúkur, which is 2,110 meters (6,992 feet) high.
The next stop is at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, the crown jewel of Iceland’s natural wonders. This glacier lagoon was formed by a melting glacier called Breiðamerkursjökull. At the point where the melting glacier reaches sea level, massive pieces break away from the glacier tongue.
These icebergs start to float across the lagoon towards the ocean. The lake itself is some 75 stories deep and some of the floating icebergs can measure up to 20-30 meters (65-98 feet) high. This is where the expression means "the tip of the iceberg" comes from! The scenery is such an otherworldly sight that it leaves none untouched. It is no wonder why Jökulsárlón is one of the visitors’ favorite places in Iceland!
We will reach our country hotel in the Jökulsárlón area around dinnertime. The rooms are friendly, simple, and have the all-important WIFI connection available. A rich breakfast is included in the price. Located between the mountains and the sea, the views from the hotel are simply terrific.
If the conditions allow, this location is perfect for Northern Lights watching between September and March. If the aurora forecast shows activity and the sky is clear, we step outside our accommodation and check for the amazing Northern Lights in the evening.
After a delicious breakfast, we will gear up and go explore a real ice cave inside the Vatnajökull glacier! Accompanied by an expert local glacier guide, we will jump on board a monstrous, modified Superjeep to reach our extreme destination. Glaciers...)
After a delicious breakfast, we will gear up and go explore a real ice cave inside the Vatnajökull glacier! Accompanied by an expert local glacier guide, we will jump on board a monstrous, modified Superjeep to reach our extreme destination.
Glaciers are truly spectacular, but it is not possible to visit them without a specially trained guide and the necessary equipment. Our guide will be one of those who has listened to the “breathing” of the ice for most of their lives. For this adventure, good hiking boots are essential. You will need to wear sturdy, waterproof hiking shoes that cover your ankle as we will strap on crampons for the short hike to the cave.
We will have time to explore the ice cave and stay inside for a while, taking photos and enjoying the moment. It is going to be cold, so do not forget to dress in many layers. Please note that you will be wearing a helmet, so make sure that your winter hat will fit under a helmet.
After the surreal experience of the ice cave, it will be time to head back to Reykjavik. It is a long drive, but we will have another stop at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. It is nice to see it in different light and weather conditions as the place never looks the same twice!
We will also visit the nearby Diamond Beach (also called the Crystal Beach). This is the place where big ice chunks reach the sea and are washed up on shore after being polished. Sparkling ice rocks decorate the black sandy coastline for hundreds of meters, making it an unforgettable experience to walk among them. Some pieces are small like diamonds but others can be as large as the size of ten people.
From here, we will head back to Reykjavík with just a few short stops along the way. We will then drop you off in Reykjavík at around 9 pm, marking the end of our magical two-day adventure!
Still got questions about the tour? Hopefully you will find the answer here.
We always recommend booking a multi-day tour starting at least one day after arriving in Iceland. If you’re flying in from the US or will be landing early (4-6:30 am) you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e if the flight gets delayed) and could, therefore, miss out on the tour.
For multi-day tours, each participant is allowed to bring a small backpack and 1 piece of luggage weighing a maximum of 20 kg (44 lbs).
* The combined dimensions of each bag must not exceed 158 cm (62 in).
* It’s possible to store your luggage with us in Reykjavík while you are on your tour, for a small fee. We highly recommend storing the luggage in Reykjavík to help us reduce our carbon footprint.
* Please note that luggage storage is not refundable.
When booking with Adventures.com, you are guaranteed accommodation at a nice country hotel and/or a guesthouse. The hotels we have partnered up with are all of the same standards and offer nice rooms with made-up beds. The rooms come with private or shared bathrooms, depending on your booking. The standard room is a twin room but it’s possible to request a double room or a triple room, with no extra charge.
If you are traveling solo, you will have to add the single room fee if you wish to have a single room.
All hotels have free Wi-Fi. Towels, a hairdryer, and a kettle are accessible at all of the hotels. Hotel breakfast is included!
If your tour includes accommodation, breakfast is always included during the tour at the hotel/guesthouse restaurant.
Meals and beverages are otherwise not included on your tour. (Unless it’s specifically stated in the description of the tour)
On our multiday tours, we will be making stops at restaurants and convenience stores where you will be able to purchase all necessities.
You should count on spending around 8,000 ISK (80$) on food each day per person. Cash is not necessary, as credit cards are almost always accepted. Having a small amount of cash doesn’t hurt though.
Breakfast is included at all the hotels we stay in during the tour. The breakfast will be a typical breakfast buffet, offering bread, toppings, cereal, yogurt, fruits, coffee, and tea etc.
Your guide will also find a good place for the group to eat lunch. We always try to choose places that have a wide selection of dishes on the menu, so there will be options available for everyone. The dinner is usually at the hotels we stay at for the night.
We do welcome participants of all ages older than the listed minimum age for each tour. We have people of ages ranging from 8-99 years joining our multi-day tours. Our average group usually consists of participants between the age 20-55 years. We do get a lot of solo travellers joining our tours, as well as families and friends.
If you have difficulties participating in any of the activities included in the tour, for example, a glacier activity, you are more than welcome to skip it. You can explore your surroundings in the meantime or wait elsewhere. Our guide should be able to drop you off at a nearby place where there are some services available.
A single supplement is available if you want to have your own room, but you are not required to pay a single supplement. If you are a single traveler and do not wish to book a single room, you’ll be roomed with another traveler of the same gender.
Don’t worry, you can always rent sturdy hiking boots, a waterproof jacket and pants in the booking process. We do not rent these items from the location, they must be ordered in advance.
We drive on average around 300 km (186 miles) per day on our multi-day tours. You will be spending approximately 4-5 hours in the car each day. We do of course stop on multiple locations throughout the tour for sightseeing, activities, bathroom breaks and lunch stops.
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 Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights tours.
We, unfortunately, do not have one simple answer to this question.
There isn’t just one single setting for your camera that ensures great photos. However, if you have manual options, you are probably best served with experimenting with various combinations of ISO, aperture, and exposure settings. As a rule of thumb, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2 8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed at between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have proven effective.
A good thing to keep in mind, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have given great results.
Different combinations may give very different results. Higher ISO setting will allow you to capture faster exposures, but the downside to this might be for example grainier images.
If the shutter speed is above 15 seconds it will result in a slight star movement.
Wider angle lenses are usually more versatile in low light settings, but longer lenses give you different options for compositions. Make sure that you remove all lens filters, as they may distort images. You will probably get the best results with manual setting for infinite focal length.
Reimbursement is not given if the northern lights tour goes ahead and no lights are seen but we do offer you the change to join a Northern Lights Minibus tour free of charge.
Please contact our Customer Care to re-book your tour.
When Northern Lights tours are canceled it’s usually due to unfavorable weather conditions.
In that case, your options will be to:
Please go to customer portal to re-book your tour or contact us by phone +354 562 7000
The northern lights are a pretty difficult thing to predict. We recommend you to check en.vedur.is to see the forecast and if the level is high and the skies are clear then it’s very likely that the tour is going ahead. We do update our website’s tour departure sheet with the information at 17:00 pm the latest. If your tour is canceled then you will receive an email from us.
If we think there is no chance at all of seeing the lights we will cancel the tour. We don’t want to bring you out and disappoint if there is no chance of the lights to be seen.
Yes, the guide on your tour will take a photo of you with the northern lights in the background.
These can be single or group photo’s and are free of charge.
The Northern Lights season is from late August until mid-April. However, if you want to increase your changes of seeing them, it is best to wait until the clear winter months of mid-September until March.
The northern lights depend on luck and weather if that is in your favor than you will be able to see the Aurora Borealis above the inviting streets of Reykjavík. Whether you see the lights or not they depend on two different factors. The first being the weather. If the sky is clear, no clouds, then you are halfway there to seeing the astonishing spectacle that is the Northern Lights (although light pollution can sometimes be a problem). Increased solar activity is the second half so, if these two merge together you may well be able to see the Northern Lights from Reykjavik.
Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.
Dressing for that kind sort of weather can always be demanding so we always suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.
Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.
Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.
You will need sturdy hiking shoes that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.
It is good to bring your own backpack on our full day or half day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes and other necessary items.
The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, scenic views that are photographable so you should definitely bring your camera along.
This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.
Lunch is not provided on any of our trips, therefore we recommend you to bring your own lunch especially for the longer trips, snacks and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip).
Crampons make you enable to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.
Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guide on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.
Yes, we provide you with all necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axe, harness, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely.
Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.
Rain is common in Iceland but we never let the rain be in our way to go forward with our tours.
That’s why we highly recommend appropriate clothing so you can be warm and dry on the tours.
Nature is out of our control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. Your safety is our first priority so if your safety is compromised by going on the tour then we will cancel it and you will get full reimbursement.
The guide on your Glacier Hiking tour will provide you with all the information you might need when preparing for a glacier hike.
Yes, the parking fee depends on your car category.
Category A - Passenger car, 5 seats or less: ISK 750
Category B - Passenger car, 6-9 seats: ISK 1,000
Motorcycles: ISK 300
You can always check the newest fees here.
