Amazing Iceland

Thinking of going on an adventure? A place with a changing landscape of lush green, dark volcanic ash, gushing waterfalls, puffins, glaciers, beautiful lavender colored flowers and so much more! If that’s what you’re looking for then Iceland is your place. We recently visited Iceland and booked a 2 day tour in late June. It was an amazing experience. We booked the Nicetravel 2 day tour to Jokulsarlon with a Glacier Hike & South Coast Waterfalls with the option of a Boat Tour through TripAdvisor.

So, we arrived in Iceland on a Friday (the day before the tour) at Keflavik International Airport where we took the Flybus to our hotel – Grandi by Center Hotels in Reykjavik. We booked through Booking.com. The hotel itself was very nice, but what we really appreciated were the large lockers where we were able to store our extraneous luggage when we went on our 2-day excursion with Nicetravel. So many wonderful things to say about this tour, starting with the tour guide.

Well the tour guide basically made the whole experience amazing and unforgettable. He literally packed each day with stops at breathtaking sites that we probably would never have been able to see on our own. He also sprinkled in his knowledge of each site and gave us background information about Iceland and even had us practice a few words and phrases in Icelandic. He had a great personality with a lot of energy and it made the trip that much more memorable.

The tour included the following sites: Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui Waterfalls, Skogafoss Waterfalls, Sólheimajökull Glacier, Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjara (The Black Beach), Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach, Hofskirkja Church & Lava Fields, Fjaðrágljúfur River Canyon, Eldhraun Lava Fields and Vik Village.

On Saturday morning the tour guide picked us up in a minibus at a bus stop close to our hotel. We knew which bus stop to go to, because Nicetravel emailed us with the time and closest bus stop with a map where we would be picked up. Our stop was BUS STOP 15 which was a short walk from Centerhotel Grandi and we were told that the pickup time was between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. but that we should be ready at the BUS STOP at 8:30. We were promptly picked up and our adventure began! We were the first to board the minibus and at each stop we met interesting fellow adventurers who made the trip even better. Along the way and in between sites, the tour guide made periodic restroom and food stops. After a long day, we stayed at a hotel that was included in the tour and rested up for the next day.

Describing the sites and points of interest really doesn’t do them justice. I have included some photos below – but you have to see them and experience them in person. Everything was memorable, but the Glacier Hike and the Boat Tour were indeed highlights of the trip. We rented our hiking boots ahead of time through Nicetravel and we made sure to bring waterproof and warm clothing — very important!!!

At the airport on our way home we picked up The Little Book of Icelandic by Alda Sigmundsdóttir.

Perhaps you’re ready for your own Icelandic adventure!