Family Short Break In Iceland

Arrive Reykjavik and check in to our guesthouse. Please note: certain departures may join at Reykjavik Airport and visit the Blue Lagoon on the way to the hotel – please refer to your joining instructions for full details.

Overnight Guest House (Standard)

Today is essentially free for you to tailor your activities to suit your preferences. First timers to Iceland might like to opt for a guided ‘Golden Circle’ tour of some of the country’s incredible natural wonders, including Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. Thingvellir, meaning ‘Parliament Plains’ was the site of Iceland’s first National Assembly in the year 930. It lies in a rift valley, about 5km wide with Lake Thingvallavatn bordering it on the south side and a mountain range to the north. The river Oxara, which flows past the site of the Parliament, supplied its participants with ample fresh water, and flows over the edge of a 9000 year old lava field, originating in a nearby volcano, into the rift valley. The largest of the ravines bordering the rift valley is called Almannagja Ravine near where the Parliament was held (there were at least three places where the Law Circle convened throughout the centuries however, they were all quite near to each other). Geysir started spouting in the 13th century and suddenly stopped in 1916. It was in fact the first spouting spring which became known to Europeans, and thereafter all such springs were named ‘geysir’, after the one in Iceland. There are some other very small springs in the area which spout one foot high, but Strokkur, meaning ‘The Butter Churn’, erupts every 3-5 minutes up to 100 feet high and is the main attraction of the area. Gullfoss – the Golden Waterfall, cascades into a deep gorge with tremendous force. Regarded by many as one of the most beautiful falls in the world, its spray forms colourful rainbows in the afternoon sun. Alternatively today you can do a pearl tour with an added snowmobile extension (depending on snow cover, usually best between January and April). This tour covers the same area as the Golden Circle tour by jeep and then you will have an included snowmobile ride. You are first equipped with warm overalls, boots, helmets and gloves and then jump aboard a powerful two-man snowmobile and take a wild ride through snowfields. Please note: If there are only a small number of people on the Golden City then our group will share a vehicle with other groups. If there are a significant number then Explore will organise a private vehicle.

Overnight Guest House (Standard) Included meals: Breakfast

Today we waste no time in heading off into the wilderness that makes Iceland so special. And we do it by ‘Super-Jeep’. Super- Jeeps are ‘suped-up’ jeeps with enormous oversize tyres and on board satellite navigation equipment (very handy up on a glacier when the fog comes down!). These outrageous vehicles are perfect for coping with all the wild terrain that Iceland has to offer... and that’s some pretty wild terrain! The drive to Thorsmork involves crossing glacial moraine, fluvial outwash deposits and lava flows as well as, on many occasions, fording fast-flowing rivers. Though you won’t believe a vehicle can do what the drivers make them do, fear not – these guys do this for a living! The valley of Thorsmork itself is widely held to be Iceland’s most beautiful and as we drive in, with the Myrdalsjokull Glacier towering over us and the Eyjafjallajokull and Tindfjallajokull Glaciers ahead and to the right of us, we’d be hard pressed to disagree. To end our day on departures between September and April, weather permitting, it is sometimes possible to view the amazing Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.

Overnight Guest House (Standard) Included meals: Breakfast

An early start gives time for a self-guided walk around the colourful streets of Reykjavik (map and route notes will be provided locally). The world’s most northerly capital, the city was established by the Norse chieftain Ingolfur Amarson about the year 874AD, though real development only started at the end of the 18th century. The oldest part of the town is near the harbour, around the lake known as Tjornin, a favourite spot for strolling. This afternoon we head off to the Blue Lagoon for a recuperative dip in its steaming turquoise blue waters, an appropriately surreal end to a truly memorable weekend. (Land only passengers can choose to return to Reykjavik or continue on to Keflavik Airport with those passengers booked on our group flights)

Included meals: Breakfast