Nature, nightlife and Northern LIghts

Join us for an adventurous, rainbow coloured tour of West and South Iceland, home of some of the most stunning landscapes in an already awe-inspiring country.

 

Each day promises unique and authentic encounters with spectacular nature, local traditions, delectable cuisine, geological wonders and geothermal baths. During the unforgettable 5 day tour you will get to know Iceland’s most famous natural treasures including the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Golden Circle, Geysir hot spring area, Gullfoss waterfall, Thingvellir National Park and the Blue Lagoon. You will see and experience black beaches, glacier views, stunning coastlines, magnificent bird cliffs, charming towns, amazing waterfalls, erupting geysers, tectonic plates and possibly Northern Lights and, if we’re lucky whales and seal spotting.

 

The tour is designed by LGBT Travel specialists Pink Iceland and will be led by a Pink Iceland guide. Small group sizes, attention to detail and an air of openness and camaraderie characterize what promises to be an unforgettable tour. 

 

Highlights:

 

• Get together with member of the local LGBT Community

• Reykjavik exploration, sprinkled with LGBTQI history 

• Hunting for the Northern Lights in optimal rural locations

• Visit the world-renowned Blue Lagoon

• Walk along the continental rift at Thingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

• Visit Snaefellsjokull National Park with its world famous glacier and stunning coastline

• Sustainable and locally sourced cuisine at every turn

• Carefully chosen, queer friendly accommodation

• Icelandic horses and hopefully some seal and whale spotting

• Geothermal sites and baths

 

Day by day itinerary:

 

Day 1: Bright lights, small city!

 

Gay city walk, get together toast, meet the locals.

 

Check in to the vibrant and very popular Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina and catch up on some sleep before joining a Reykjavík City Walk where we’ll explore the downtown area from top to bottom, visit some of her most famous landmarks and learn about Iceland’s LGBT history over a coffee or drink of your choice.

 

That night you can join an optional group dinner, followed by a get-together toast for all participants of the tour and members from the local community

 

Overnight: Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina

Not included: Optional group dinner

 

Day 2: Herstory lesson and hot tubs

 

Hot springs, waterfalls, Game of Throne goats and northern lights from a hot tub.

 

We start the day driving through picturesque Hvalfjordur (Whale Bay) where we'll see the ruins of the fjord's whaling facilities as well as learn about the British occupation of Iceland during WW2. Next we drive over the Skardsheidi heath to Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful hot spring which provides heating for most of the homes and businesses in the area. We nourish our thirst for culture in Reykholt, the home of renowned Icelandic Saga writer and medieval scholar Snorri Sturluson. Next up is a scenic visit to a duo of exceptionally beautiful and unique waterfalls, called Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, each with a mysterious secret to reveal. On our way to the hotel we stop at the Haafell Goat Farm whose inhabitants are regulars on the hit TV show Game of Thrones. The evening’s northern lights hunt will be conducted from the geothermal hot tubs at your hotel.

 

Overnight: Icelandair Hotel Hamar in Borgarnes

Included: Entrance to Háafell Goat Farm and Reykholt Saga Centre 

Not included: Lunch and dinner

 

 

Day 3: Journey to the Center of the earth, and shark

 

Stykkishólmur town - Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Glacier - Lava Cave Tube

 

Get ready for a ‘tour de force’ of a day! With so much to see and experience we will depart early, starting with a visit to Gerduberg, a belt of basalt columns on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The peninsula is often dubbed ‘Little Iceland’ as it provides visitors with a taste of so many geological and natural wonders concentrated in a relatively small area.

After visiting the delightful town of Stykkisholmur we continue our journey to Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum for a taste of fermented shark meat at a quirky museum filled with maritime paraphernalia. Our tour continues with multiple stops where you’ll see black sand and pebble beaches, stunning coastlines, magnificent bird cliffs, charming fishing villages, numerous waterfalls and quite possibly Orca whales and seals.

 

We’ll visit Vatnshellir Lava Tube Cave and enjoy a picnic in the middle of nowhere. Throughout the day you’ll be aware of the palpable force of the Snæfellsjökull Glacier Volcano, one of Iceland’s most revered spots and the inspiration for Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. The day ends with a visit to a local organic farmer, entrepreneur and accomplished chef who will serve what will probably be the most locally sourced meal you’ve ever had! After returning to the hotel we’ll once again commence our northern lights hunt from the hot tubs.

 

Overnight: Icelandair Hotel Hamar in Borgarnes

Included: Entrance to the Shark Museum and Vatnshellir cave. Dinner.

Not included: Lunch

 

Day 4: The Crown Jewels and The Rift

 

Golden Circle - National Park - Geothermal gourmet

 

We start the day with a visit to Þurufoss Waterfall followed by a Golden Circle tour which showcases a trio of celebrated natural attractions including the dramatic Gullfoss waterfall and the geothermal fields of Geysir Hot Spring Area alive with boiling mud pits, steam vents, and exploding geysers. The crown jewel of the Golden Circle is Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where Viking settlers established the world’s oldest parliament. The National Park is also home to one of only two places in the country where you can see the mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian continental tectonic plates meet.

 

The area we cover on this day is often called the ‘bread-basket’ of Iceland due it’s fertile countryside and abundance of natural energy. During the Golden Circle we’ll stop at the Efstidalur Organic Farm for a locally sourced lunch and later that same day we’ll stop at a farm where, with the help of geothermal energy, organic tomatoes are grown year-round. What better place to enjoy a Bloody Mary at the end of a rewarding day?

 

Our journey continues to Hveragerdi, the charming gateway town to South Iceland set in a highly active geothermal area where pillars of steam rise up from the ground. Hveragerdi has the highest concentration of greenhouses in Iceland where residents provide the country with much of its home grown produce, including exotic varieties like papaya and banana. In the evenings greenhouses light up giving the town of Hveragerdi a distinctive glow. We overnight at the aptly named Frost and Fire Hotel in the hills above Hveragerdi, next to a river named Varma, or Warm River, due to the geothermal vents in the riverbed. While the river will probably be too cold to brave you’ll be able to warm up in one of the hotels riverside hot tubs, or steambath.

 

Overnight: Frost & Fire in Hveragerði

Included: Bloody Mary at Friðheimar Tomato Farm

Not included: Lunch and dinner

 

Day 5: Time to say goodbye. “The Blues” Lagoon.

 

Reykjanes – Blue Lagoon – Departure

 

All good things come to an end, but we make sure your last day of the tour is just as spectacular as the ones preceding it. Traveling along the breathtaking coast of Reykjanes Peninsula we visit Strandarkirkja, a small wooden church popularly believed to radiate special powers for increased luck and success. The area offers amazing views of the turbulent ocean meeting with volcanic rocks and black sands, and usually a few seals dotted around.

 

After one last hot spring field we end our tour with a visit to the world-renowned Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa set in a black lava field filled with pleasantly warm mineral-rich seawater which provides the ultimate interaction and relaxation with Iceland’s raw nature.

 

Guests will enjoy a sauna with lagoon views, a cozy steam-bath carved into a lava cave, and a warm waterfall which provides an energizing massage. Be on the lookout for white buckets located throughout the lagoon which contain the famous silica-mud, an essential part of the spa experience.

 

For those leaving on this day we stop by Keflavik International Airport before returning to Reykjavík.

 

Included: Entry to the Blue Lagoon, towel, skin care trial pack, drink from the Lagoon bar and algae mud face mask.

Not included: Lunch