All About This Trip!

Arrive in Reykjavik by 2pm. Your honorary Chicas Abroad guide will pick the group up from the airport and drive a short ways to the country's capitol of Reykjavik where we will drop our luggage at the hotel set off to explore the town! We will visit the famous Rainbow Street which was originally painted for a pride festival in 2015 and has been there ever since. Every year the public are invited to grab a paintbrush and repaint the road during its annual renewal. 

We will also visit the iconic Hallgrímskirkja Church. This is a fairly new structure as construction started in just 1945 and the church was completed in 1986. We will have the opportunity to go all the way up to the top of the church tower where we will have a stunning view of the city and the ocean. 

In the evening we will enjoy a Welcome Dinner at a charming restaurant in Downtown Reykjavik then slip into bed in our centrally-located hotel for the night. 

Accommodations: Hotel in Reykjavik

Meals: Welcome Dinner

Hopefully we will wake up not too jet-lagged so we can start our busy day! The morning will begin with a quick brekkie and coffee in Reykjavik and then we are on to a whale watching tour. We have the opportunity to spot humpback and minke whales and also dolphins! The scenic coastline of Iceland will also be visible during the boat ride.

Once the whale watching tour ends we will start our drive along the Ring Road with our final destination of the day being the town of Vik. Along the drive we will stop to see waterfalls, turf houses, and even a DC-3 plane wreck! A picnic lunch will be set up by your guide along the drive at a scenic spot. Just before we arrive to Vik we will hike at the Skogafoss waterfall. The path starts with many stairs that climb to the top of the waterfall and then follows along the water. Our accommodation for the night is a beautiful hotel in Vik. After checking in we will enjoy dinner in the town of Vik. After dinner, if the sun has set, we will see if we can spot any northern lights in the night sky! 

Accommodation: Vik Hotel

Activity: Approximately 4 mile hike at the Skogafoss Waterfall
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks

We kick off the day by visiting a black sand beach in Vik. Vikurfjara beach is considered one of the most beautiful black sand beaches in Iceland. Many photographers and nature enthusiasts travel far to come to this very beach because of its unique beauty. After the beach we will head to a local cafe called Skool Beans to get some coffee and food. Skool Beans is unique because it is a school bus that has been converted into a coffee shop. 

From Vik we will drive along the Ring Road to Skaftárhreppur, Iceland where we will do a short 2 mile hike. The hike is along the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon which was estimated to be formed about 9,000 years ago during the last Ice Age!

We will again have a picnic lunch along the way and then stop at the the Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Here we can view the Vatnajökull Glacier along with floating icebergs at its base. This is Iceland's largest glacier! 

We'll hop back into the van to warm up after the glacier viewing and finish our driving for the day and end up in Hofn. Depending on the time when we arrive we may have time to explore the Vestrahorn mountain range and viking village. This will be a great location to see the northern lights so we will keep our eyes peeled when the sun sets. Dinner will be enjoyed in the town of Hofn at the end of the day. 

Accommodations: Guesthouse near Hofn 

Activity: 2 mile hike; walking around a glacier, walking on beach 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks

If we did not have the opportunity to explore Vestrahorn on Day 3 we will take some time to do that today after having breakfast at the hotel. Whenever we feel we have seen what Hofn has to offer, the journey to Egilsstaðir will begin. Along the way we will stop in Bakkagerdi which is about 3-4 hours from Hofn. In Bakkagerdi we can see a puffin colony at Borgarfjarðarhöfn! On the way to the puffin colony there is a mountain castle known as Alfaborg. Elves are a very important part of Icelandic culture and history and Alfaborg is thought to be the City of the Elves. 

Our journey will continue another hour and then we will arrive in Egilsstaðir where we will stay in a hotel for the night. 

Activity: Casual Walking 

Accommodations: Hotel in Egilsstaðir

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks 

Today will include a variety of activities including hot springs, crater hiking, and exploring Icelandic towns! After having breakfast at the guesthouse there will be an opportunity to explore the town of Egilsstaðir a bit before we get onto the road. 

Two hours from Egilsstaðir we will arrive at the Mývatn baths. We will get to soak in the mineral-rich baths and relax while taking in the surrounding views of the Lake Mývatn area. 

Next on the agenda is a hike around the Hverfjall Volcano Crater. The 2.7 mile hike will take us in a loop around the top of the crater and boast amazing views. This crater is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Upon finishing the hike we have just 1.5 hours of driving to reach our destination for the night which is Akureyri. Here we will check into our hotel and have some dinner. Akureyri is one of the best places to view the Northern Lights from September-May so we are going to take advantage of that. Your guide will be tracking the lights while we are here and select a locations around Akureyri to go to get the best chance of spotting the lights. This may be a late night because it is best to view the lights between 10pm and 3am, but we will have the opportunity to sleep in a bit tomorrow. 

Activity: Easy 2.7 mile hiking around a crater

Accommodations: Hotel in Akureyri 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks 

In the morning we can leisurely wake up and have some brekkie and coffee before heading a bit out of town to do the Godafoss Waterfall hike. The hike is about 1.7 miles and fairly easy, but the views are spectacular so we can spend a bit of time watching the waterfall. 

As for the afternoon, it will be a bit of a build your own adventure. There will be opportunity to explore Akureyri on your own. Alternatively, if we are all just having too good of a time together, we can spend the day together exploring the town as a group as well! There are botanical gardens, a harbor, and many museums. 

We will meet up in the evening for dinner and once again we will try to find some Northern Lights! 

Activity: Hike 1.7 miles, casual town walking 

Accomodation: Hotel in Akureyri 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Snacks 

Today we will be proper road tripping! We have a big drive to make today from Akureyri to Reykjavik which is about 5 hours of driving. Not to worry, we will break up the trip by stopping along the way at various Icelandic attractions. One of the stops will be the Glaumbaer Turf Houses and historical site which is a village of turf houses that have been preserved. Turf houses were a traditional way of building houses in the past in Iceland so it will be interesting to see how Icelanders of the olden days used to live. 

We will also stop at the Glanni waterfall which is situated by a lava field. The river feeding into the waterfall is meant to be teeming with salmon and other fish so it is common to spot fish jumping in the waterfall! 

We may add some spontaneous stops along the way depending on timing and how the group is feeling.

In the early afternoon we will arrive at our inn for the night which is a bit outside of the city of Reykjavik. 

We will have our final dinner together tonight and celebrate finishing the entire Ring Road of Iceland!

Activity: Short walks to turf houses and waterfalls 

Accommodation: Inn outside of Reykjavik 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks 

Even though it is our final day we will still squeeze in some last minute activities. We cannot leave Iceland without visiting one of the most famous mineral baths in the country, the Sky Lagoon. The Sky Lagoon has beautiful views of the ocean and you will be able to participate in the seven step ritual to ensure you are all rested and ready for your flight home or on to your next adventure! Here are the seven steps:

1. The Lagoon - soak in the soothing thermal waters taking in the ocean views

2. The Cold Plunge - stimulates the immune system and reduces inflammation

3. Sauna - removes toxins and cleanses skin

4. Cold Mist - revitalizes the mind, body, and soul

5. Sky Body Scrub - exfoliate your skin with a sea salt scrub

6. Steam - opens your pores and maximizes the sea salt scrub effects

7. Shower - cleanse and be ready for your flight!

We have a couple of hours to spend in the lagoon and then sadly we will have to leave to begin the airport transfers. Plan to book your flights after 3:00 pm on this day (September 18th) so we can ensure you get to the airport with plenty of time to check in. 

Activity: Relax in the Sky Lagoon! 

Meals: Breakfast

We will be staying in hotels and guesthouses throughout Iceland. These are not luxury accommodations, but will be clean and comfortable. The rooms are all double occupancy with two twin beds. There may be an option for one single room, please contact us at info@chicasabroad.com to inquire about availability and pricing. 

Meals are included as outlined in the itinerary. Water and other non-alcoholic beverages will be included with all meals. You will be able to purchase additional drinks or alcohol at our dinners. 

Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions on the registration form and we will accommodate. Be prepared to supplement the included meals with your favorite snacks. 

Be prepared to hike around 1-4 miles each day at a 30 min/mile pace. These hikes are all fairly easy and don't have too much elevation gain. Many of the hikes are short walks to viewpoints to see spectacular natural wonders such as craters, waterfalls, and glaciers. You will want to bring comfortable hiking shoes/boots as well as a small daypack to carry water, snacks, and any other essentials. We suggest that you break your hiking shoes in if they are new as we will be doing a fair bit of walking and hot spots on your feet can be uncomfortable even during short hikes. 

Iceland will be cold in September, especially when the sun goes down so be prepared to hike in many layers. 

Fees Include:

• Hotel accommodations as mentioned in itinerary
• Ground transportation beginning with pickup at the Reykjavik airport (KEF) on day 1, around the Ring Road, and drop-off at KEF on day 8
• Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
• Excursions listed in itinerary
• Tips for local guides
• Chicas Abroad swag
• Lifelong memories

Fees Do Not Include:

• International Flights
• Tips for Chicas Abroad guides
• Souvenirs and other personal purchases
• Travel Insurance
• Alcoholic drinks