Iceland is home to
some of the most dramatic geography in the world – volcanoes,
glaciers, geysers, bubbling mud pools, fjords, waterfalls, glacial
rivers and hot springs. Canyon Calling takes you on an
amazing trip clockwise around this stunning island to experience
it all! Walk a glacier, white-water raft grade 3 rapids,
whale-watch at one of the best viewing locations in the world,
cruise beside icebergs in a glacial lagoon, take a hayride to see
puffins, ride the gentle Icelandic ponies and soak in the famous
Blue Lagoon. We’ll stay on holiday farms and meet the
proud locals, learn of their sagas and how they’ve adapted to
this harsh land. Lava fields and lakes, mountains and
moonscapes, volcanoes erupting beneath glaciers – join us in
this unforgettable land of fire and ice!
Nancy
F, (WI) “This is my
first all-women’s trip and I will definitely do it again.
The farm stays and down-home cooking were wonderful. If
forced to pick a favorite experience it would have to be the
ride through the icebergs. Thanks for a brilliant week in
the “Land of Fire and Ice.”
Sam
P (NJ) “Thanks again for
taking the worry out of travel. What fun tolting on a
horse and making all these new friends. The final dinner
was wonderful, singing our made-up song to the Icelanders.
I’ll never forget that moment.”
Thursday
Your
Icelandic Air flight will leave about 8.30pm from one of three
North American departure cities - New York, Boxton or Toronto. The
flight is approximately five hours.
Friday
There is a
five-hour time difference between Iceland and the east coast of
North America so all these flights arrive within minutes of each
other around 6.30am at Keflavik Airport. Your trip leader
will meet you in the arrivals lounge. We’ll gather our
luggage, change some spending money into Icelandic kronas and
board our van. We’ll drive into Reykjavik, home to a large
portion of the 280,000 people who inhabit Iceland. Breakfast
while the town is waking-up. Our local guide will accompany us on
an introductory trip around Reykjavik. Drive
north to Reykholt and check into our accommodations. Visit
a local Saga museum where we'll develop an appreciation
of the importance of literature to Icelanders. You may then want
to catch up on a few hours sleep before dinner.
Saturday
After
breakfast it’s a scenic drive north through rich farmland to the
town of Varmahlio, the rafting capital of Iceland. We’ll settle
into our new cabins up in the hills then eat lunch in town. Pull
on drysuits and helmets for our afternoon of white water
rafting on the class 3 rapids of the West Glacial River.
It’s a 30-minute ride to the put-in and we’ll spend 2 hours on
the water paddling 10km through a scenic gorge. Back at our cabins
we can soak in the hot pot (thermal pool) and watch the midnight
sun on the horizon. Dinner at a nearby hotel.
Sunday
A short drive
brings us to the port town of Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest
city. There’ll be time for shopping and strolling before lunch. Godafoss
waterfall is a nice stop on the way to the port of Husavik.
This afternoon we’ll join a whale-watching trip in an
area that has a 98% success rate seeing whales. Minke and
Humpbacks are the most common whales sighted. After a seafood
dinner we'll head to our farm accommodation. Even though the sun
doesn’t seem to want to go to bed, you surely will!
Monday
Today we
drive from the north coast to the south coast of Iceland! It’s a
stimulating day of ever changing scenery. We’ll wander
through the volcanic field of Hverarond watching the boiling
mud pools and steaming vents. Close by we’ll view the
colorful Viti crater. It’s a wonderful journey across moonscape
of stark beauty to lunch in Egilsstadir. South through farmland,
the road leads us around scenic fjords to Hofn and a restaurant
dinner before heading to our cozy accommodations. This evening
we'll get our first glimpse of Vantnajokull, Europe's largest
glacier.
Tuesday
After
breakfast it’s an hour’s drive to Jokulsarlon. We’ll board a
small boat and cruise beside icebergs on this glacial
lagoon. The icebergs have calved off Vatnajokull. This is a quiet,
surreal experience and an opportunity for some marvelous
photography. A few miles down the road is Ingolfshofdi, an
isolated headland between black sands and the Atlantic Ocean where
thousands of seabirds nest. We’ll travel on a hay cart to see
the colorful puffins up close. The tractor-drawn cart pulls us
across 10km of marsh, water and sand to this bird-watching haven.
This is the most scenic afternoon of the whole trip, as we see
myriad fingers of ice from Vantnajokull. Accommodation in Skogar.
Wednesday
Today we take a guided hike for two hours on the
Myrdalsjokull glacier. Crampons tied to our boots will keep
us nice and secure. The views are amazing! Lunch in Skogar
where we'll visit the Folk Museum, one of the
treasures of Iceland. A guide will show us how the people of
Iceland lived in old turf houses and will incorporate the
importance of the sagas. An extra treat here is Skogarfoss,
a dramatic 180' waterfall. Our drive this afternoon is along
the lush south coast into Reykjavik for a two night stay at our
guesthouse. We'll drive to the famous Blue
Lagoon. Soaking in these pale blue mineral laden waters
is incredibly luxurious. Spreading the white silica mud over
you is fun and cleansing and makes for great photos!
Thursday
After a lazy
breakfast we’ll stroll to the barn and saddle-up for a two-hour Icelandic
horse ride. These small, gentle yet sturdy horses are famous
for their gait known as a “tolt” which is a sort of half run,
half walk. The ride will take us through rolling hill country,
across a river and along a riverbank. These are such enjoyable
horses to ride. Later we’ll visit two of Iceland’s most famous
natural attractions - Geysir hot springs and Gullfoss
waterfalls. Geysir gave its name to all other geysers around
the world but is generally inactive. However Strokkur geyser will
likely send a 60’ spout into the air during our visit. The River
Hvita tumbles 100’ into a ravine at Gullfoss and a short trail
allows us to feel the power of the falls up close. On the way home
we'll visit Thingvellir National Park and learn why this is the
most sacred land in Iceland. Drive into Reykjavik and check
into our guesthouse. Farewell dinner at a seafood port restaurant.
Friday
After
breakfast transfer to the airport for our mid-morning flights to
the US.
