Private Tour in Iceland: May 2018

Saturday, May 26, 2018

In Iceland, a Literary Tour Explores Rich History

Iceland is not only Geysers, northern lights, world cup or whale hunting! It´s literature also, a literary history that goes back to the 11th century.

The journalist Dean Nelson wrote an article in New York Times about the cultural life in Iceland:
“Standing in the dark outside the Reykjavik public library in the relentless damp chill that comes with a light rain at 40 degrees, I kept trying to zip up my jacket. The charcoal sky was a shade lighter than the inky ocean a few blocks away, but it was noon, not twilight. I had a few minutes to bundle up before an outdoor walking tour on literary Iceland began. As if on cue, the zipper snapped off in my hand.”

See the full article here.

For more details visit our site: Iceland highlands tour, Iceland private tour, Gullfoss waterfall tour, Iceland Super jeep tour, South Coast tour, Luxury travel Iceland, Ring road tours & Reykjavík tours.

Secret to Iceland’s Tourism Boom? A Financial Crash and a Volcanic Eruption

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Iceland has discovered the secret to a booming tourist industry: First have a mammoth financial implosion, then an enormous volcanic explosion.The collapse of the Icelandic krona after the 2008 financial crisis transformed this Arctic island packed with 35 active volcanoes into a top destination by making it cheap for visitors.

A great article in New York Times by KIMIKO DE FREYTAS-TAMURANOV about how volcanic eruptions attract guests and travellers to Iceland!

The article is here.

Can puffins fly?

Somtimes we are asked if puffins can fly! And the best answer is to go see the puffins fly.

Puffins are not good flyers, like eagles or hawks, but they fly! They have short wings and thus have to move them fast in order to move their heavy body around. During the nesting time they fly back and forth from their nest. Their nest is in a hole they dig into the ground and from the hole they fly to the sea hunting small fish they then bring to the young ones.

The reason for the question is probably the likeness between the puffins and penguins. Travelleres sometimes see the puffins as very small penguins, as well as other species of what we call “black birds”, svartfuglar in Icelandic.

Why so many animals on the highways?

One of many things that surprises travelers in Iceland is seeing sheep crossing highways and walking freely everywhere. And this isn‘t limited to sheep. During winter time you can expect reindeer walking along the road, or you might see them while driving in South-East Iceland or on the East coast.

In May the lambs are born, stay for one or two weeks at the farm, and then the gates are opened! The Icelandic sheep goes wherever she wants with her offspring the whole summer. Nothing stops her. She goes up and down mountains and valleys, crosses rivers and bridges, and is very difficult to catch. The benefit is that the lambs eat wild plants and grass, which is why the lamb meat is sosucculent. This is why travelers in Iceland can expect to see sheep and lambs almost everywhere they travel.

When driving on Icelandic roads it is important to be watchful and cautious when you approach sheep close to the road, especially when you discover that the mother sheep is on one side of the road and her lambs are on the other. One will probably run over the road just before you pass them. Quite a number of lambs are killed this way every summer.

Sheep with horns are rams, right?

No, that‘s not the case. Sheep can be divided into two groups: those with horns (Icelandic: hyrnd) and then those with no horns (Icelandic: kollótt). Travelers normally don‘t see the rams because they‘re kept at the farms, often in a group of 5-10. You know them by their bold and strong face and they‘re bigger than the females. And they also either have horns or not.

Artwork and Architecture of Iceland

One thing you may notice as you walk the streets of Reykjavik and other urban areas of Iceland is that most of the artwork looks and feels like the landscapes of Iceland. The art galleries are filled with sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs all showing either an emotion evoked or a literal interpretation of the landscapes you experience as you explore the island. You may see sculptures that look like the waterfalls crawling their way down the mountaintops. You may also see others that defy gravity and are inspired by the geysers bursting up through the earth. Or you may notice dark quirky portraits of individuals that elicit emotions similar to those you feel as you drive through the moss covered lava lands. Even sculptures inspired by Icelandic history tend to merge with their surroundings; for example the work of Jón Gunnar Árnason, The Sun Voyager, in Reykjavik is enveloped by the ocean and the skies and is placed in a way that allows it to sing to the sun a dream of hope and progress as intended by the artist.

Another thing you may notice is that Icelandic architecture is filled with geometrical designs found in the natural landscape. For example, the basalt columns of the Black Sand Beach in Vik can be found as inspiration for the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavik and many other buildings. It is most rewarding to walk through the cities and notice these inspirations and how the homes and buildings typically have a direct relationship with their surroundings. Many of the homes use large windows to reflect the snowy landscapes or the oceanic backdrops allowing them to merge beautifully with the nature. For example, the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavik built on the western coast of the North Atlantic Ocean has a dark glass façade with drops of color inspired by the basalt landscapes of Iceland. It additionally merges beautifully at certain times of day with its oceanic landscape.

While there is not necessarily many colors found in the natural landscapes, Icelandic artwork tends to explore color in unimaginable ways. The murals throughout Reykjavik, convey political or inspirational messages with combinations of colors that provide a stark contrast to its landscape. While minimally found in the natural surroundings, the expansive colors used are often inspired by the colors found in the northern lights throughout certain times of year. While this may not always be intentional, these inspirations are often seen built into the cultural landscapes of the country. As you adventure through Iceland, make sure to observe the architecture and artwork, its relationship with its surroundings, and their inspirations of natural landmarks and this will make your trip that much more enjoyable!

For more details visit our site: Private Tour in Iceland, Reykjavík guided tours, Reykjavík private tour, Iceland luxury trips, Private luxury tours Iceland & Luxury tours in Iceland.

Wonders of the Highlands

A super-jeep tour to the Icelandic highlands is your dreams coming true! You´ll be travelling over one river after the other (no bridges!), from one mountain to another, from one breathtaking view to another.

This is a dream tour that few people do. The six days tour include four days on the highlands, away from the national roads where we´ll have to cross quite a lot of rivers, hike to beautiful places and just stop, go out of the SUV, turn the engine off and enjoy the silence. A 1-3 hours hike is involved in every one of the four days, all depending on your physical level and interests.

First day is day of arrival og the day is planned depending on your time of arrival. If you are coming from the United States you´ll probably arrive early in the morning and why not go straicht to the Blue lagoon? You won´t anyway be able to check in to your hotel until 2 pm (unless you pay for it).

We start our trip from Gullfoss waterfall, that´s where the highlands begin, and we drive to Kerlingarfjöll, a beautiful place with accommodation, geothermal energy and mountains and hills in all colours. We stay there overnight in a newly built guesthouse.

We continue north and east of Kerlingarfjöll and drive along the Thjorsá river to Sultartangi. From Sultartangi we enter the Landmannaleið road towards Rauðufossafjöll and there we stop and hike to the magnificent waterfalls, Rauðufossar (means Read Waterfalls).

We then drive to our accommodation in Hrauneyjar, The Highland Center.

After a good night rest we continue the tour towards the Eldgjá Canyon, passing the Landmannalaugar where we´ll hike to the Green mountain.

The last day is back again and driving the beautiful road Fjallabaksleið syðri, passing mountain Mælifell, Strútslaug and Álftavatn lake. This is the last day of four days driving the unbeaten path, where very few people experience ever in their life. We drive to accommodation on the south coast.

The last day is day of departure with the option of visiting the Blue lagoon on the way to the airport, if you didn´t do it on the first day.

For more details visit our site: Private Tour in Iceland, Reykjavík guided tours, Reykjavík private tour, Iceland luxury trips, Private luxury tours Iceland & Luxury tours in Iceland.

Seven wonders of the South

The 8 days South Coast tour is a fantastic way to see and experiences some of the most beautiful sites of Iceland. This 8 day tour is a outline, we tailor make the right tour for you.

This tour takes you to the wonders of the souht coast: The Thingvellir National Park, The Vatnajökull National Park, the waterfalls, the Black Beach and even the Vestmannaeyjar islands.

After arriving to Reykjavík, where we´ll show you the city, we hit the road on day 2. We travel the south coast in steps, staying in some of the best hotels and guesthouses in Iceland.

One of the days is a super jeep day! We leave the highway and drive on a modified SUV on big tires to Thorsmörk, visiting an empty glacier lagoon on the way, one that emptied in the Eyjafjallajökull erruption in 2010. Now we can enter it and arrive all the way to the glacier. We´ll BBQ in the beautiful place of Básar for lunch.

We visit the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss as well as the cape of Dyrhólaey where you´ll have no problem seeing the puffins in summer time, May to September.

We pass the vast lava field Brunahraun, the one from the enormous and disastrous erruption in Laki that started in June 1783, and on the way we´ll tell you how it affected the French Revolution six years later.

We visit the Skaftafell park, a part of the Vatnajökull National Park, where we hike to the Svartifoss waterfall.

We have the option of going on a glacier hike in one of the glaciers on the way.

We visit the Jökulsárlón Glacier lagoon in Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. The icerocks are braking away from the big glacier and floating in the lagoon until they end up on the beach and melt. That´s what some call the Diamond Beach.

We´ll help you make your trip an unforgettable experience. Contact us and tell us about your ideas and wishes and we´ll make your dream come true!

For more details visit our site: Private Tour in Iceland, Reykjavík guided tours, Reykjavík private tour, Iceland luxury trips, Private luxury tours Iceland & Luxury tours in Iceland.

Around the whole island - Private Tour

Why not visit the whole island in a 10 days tour? We drive the "ring-road", visit all of the beautiful and interesting sites of Iceland (almost!) and there´s never a dull moment. Let´s go!

It´s a bold move to decide to do the whold Iceland in one 10 days tour. The challenge one is faced with when planning a travel like this one is that you want to see and experience as much as possible and drive as little as possible.

We´ll see all of the south coast attractions, see here, and the east, north and west coasts of Iceland.

East

We´ll travel the many and beautiful fjords of the East Coast, visit the stone museum at Stöðvarfjörður, the French hospital in Fáskrúðsfjörður and stop for the many photo opportunities on the way. We´ll head to Egilsstadir city, the “capital” of East-Iceland and from there we drive inwards, the long valley of Jökuldalur to our remote accommodation.

North

We start our journey towards Myvatn with all its beautiful surroundings, moutains in all colours, geothermal spa and the lake itself: the home to every bird living in Iceland. We´ll visit Dimmuborgir, Námaskarð as well as the Myvatn Nature baths.

On our way to Akeyri city we stop at Dettifos waterfall and Goðafoss waterfall, Dettifoss being the most powerful waterfall in Europe. On Akeyri you have to opportunity to go on a whale watching tour.

We leave Akureyri and continue to Siglufjörður on the tip of the Eyjafjörður fjord, but on the way we make a stop at the Kaldi brewery wher you can have a bath in beer! We´ll enjoy the Siglufjordur town, visit the Heering museum, go with the snow cat to the top of Olafsfjardarmuli mountain to have a unique view over a big portion of the north side.

From Siglufjörður we start our journey to the south to enter the west part of Iceland.

West

We drive to Stykkishólmur for a boat trip between the many islands in the Breiðafjörðurbay. The bay is home to many species of sea birds as well as the king of Icelandic birds: the eagle. We continue to Mountain Kirkjufell, the most photographed mountain in Iceland (try to google it!) and from there along the north side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula to Lóndrangar and the two small fishery towns of Hellnar and Arnarstapi. You can have a nice walk between the two cities along the coast. We go to the Víðgelmir volcanic cave and Into the glacier ice tunnel in to Langjökull glacier on our way to Reykjavík where we´ll close the circle.

For more details visit our site: Private Tour in Iceland, Reykjavík guided tours, Reykjavík private tour, Iceland luxury trips, Private luxury tours Iceland & Luxury tours in Iceland.

Private tours

Let us design your private tour in Iceland. We´ll take you to places you´ve never dreamt of.

We´ll show you the hidden secrets of the island. You´ll travel with the owner of Icedaytours, Mr. Kjartan Valgardsson, a qualified driver-guide, or some of Glacial Experience´s fantastic guides.

Whether you´re interested in hiking on a mountain, a glacier, entering an ice cave, learning about the Sagas of the Vikings, or even meeting some Vikings, or just enjoying the beauty of the icelandic nature: We would be happy to assist you.

Our webpage shows you only the possibilities, where we could take you. But most important of all is that we tailor make your trip:

You tell us what you´re intersted in, what you want to see or experience, and we´ll help you to make your next trip að dream come true.

For more details visit our site: Private Tour in Iceland, Reykjavík guided tours, Reykjavík private tour, Iceland luxury trips, Private luxury tours Iceland & Luxury tours in Iceland.