Fire & Ice - Iceland and Greenland

Day 1: Arrival
Fly with a scheduled airline to Reykjavik. Transfer to your hotel and check in to Hilton Reykjavik Nordica Hotel for the next 2 nights.

Day 2: Reykjavik Sightseeing - Reykjanes Peninsula - Blue Lagoon
Morning sightseeing tour around Reykjavik City, to the old town centre, the harbor, the Pearl and the Cultural House, where we will see the original Saga manuscripts, recently added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Next we travel to the Reykjanes Peninsula, a geothermal field with hot springs, steaming vents, mud pots, volcanic vents and an old explosion crater filled with unusual green water. Visit large bird cliffs and black sand beaches, as well as the famous Blue Lagoon, set in the middle of the black lava field.

Day 3: Geysers - Gullfoss Waterfall - Thingvellir UNESCO heritage site
Passing volcanic landscape with impressive views and geothermal fields where plumes of steam rise to the sky on the way to Thingvellir National Park. The Park is an ancient site of the original parliament and a geologically fascinating area. Walk down the rift valley caused by the separating North-America and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Then head to the famous Geysir hot spring area and view boiling mud pools and one of the most active geysers in the area, Strokkur, spouting up to 30 meters. Continue to Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall, one of the most impressive waterfalls in Europe. We visit a horse breeding farm with a geothermally heated greenhouse, learn about the Icelandic horse and its special qualities and taste local products.

Overnight in Hotel Selfoss for the next 2 nights.

Day 4: The valley of the Saga age farms - Mt. Hekla - Landmannalaugar
Today we travel to the valley of the Saga Age farms, Þjórsárdalur, an area greatly affected by the 1104 eruption in Mt. Hekla, Iceland´s most famous volcano. We stop at the ruins of the ancient farm Stöng that was buried by ashes from the Mt. Hekla eruption. Travel on through this valley with its extensive birch woods, to the dramatic scenery and untouched wilderness of the highlands. Arrive in Landmannalaugar, an area with an amazing range of colors, where the landscape is made from the beautiful multi-shaded rhyolite. You have the option to bathe in a natural warm pool.

Day 5: Ilulissat, a UNESCO heritage site
Fly to Ilulissat from Reykjavik and arrive around noon to this picturesque town. It has a beautiful location at the mouth of a long ice fjord, filled with enormous icebergs from the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. After check-in, enjoy a walking tour in the centre of the town with your local guide.

Learn about modern life close to the Arctic Circle and join in the feeding of a sled-dog team, where the owner will demonstrate dog-sledding and tell about the nature of sled-dogs in Greenland.

Day 6: Old Settlements
In the morning hike to the remains of the old settlement, Sermermiut, which is situated by the Icefjord. Listen to the story about the life and the customs of the Greenlanders before the Europeans´ arrival, whilst enjoying incredible views of the icebergs in the fjord. In the afternoon you have the unique opportunity to sail amongst the gigantic icebergs that are stranded at the entrance of the ice fjord on your way to visit the tiny settlement Oqaatsut or Rodebay. With only about 45 inhabitants it has its own school, church, shop and small restaurant called “H8”, which is located in one of the old buildings from the colonial time.

Day 7: Boat tour to Eqi Glacier
Very few places in Greenland are as beautiful as the Eqi glacier, which squeezes out in a fjord north of Ilulissat. Sail to the very edge of the glacier’s frontline rising 80-90 meters above the surface of the sea. While enjoying lunch on board the boat, watch as big chunks of heavy ice break off the glacier and trembles intensely into the sea. The crashes are enormous and the sight of the icebergs falling into the water, not to mention the sound, is impressive.

Day 8: Optional Tours and Travel Day
Use the morning at your own leisure or participate in optional excursions (not included, but prebookable), such as a boat tour to view the icebergs or a helicopter flight to the icefjord. You might want to visit the museum in the town or use the time to do any final shopping for handicraft souvenirs. Transfer to the airport in Ilulissat and flight to Reykjavik, followed by a transfer to Hilton Hotel.

Day 9: Departure

After breakfast transfer back to the airport for your flight home.