Delve Deep: Iceland

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TRIP SNAPSHOT

8 days

1 country

10 meals

Twin-share / double / single room

Delve Deep

20 travellers (max)

Combined Trip Leader & Driver

Minicoach

TRIP VIBE = iconic sights and in-depth adventures with a local Trip Leader.

Hope you’ve packed your spacesuit – this eight-day orbit is about to transport you to another world. Blast off in Reykjavík and discover Iceland’s star attractions: glowing geothermal pools, gobsmacking glaciers and WOW-worthy waterfalls. Then delve deeper into the fascinating folklore, magical myths and traditional treats this one-of-a-kind country has to offer. Ready to REALLY explore the Land of Fire and Ice? We have lift off!

Map & itinerary

Day 1 - Reykjavík

Gobsmacking scenery. Richer-than-rich culture. Bucket-list topping activities. Plus all the weird, whacky and wonderful in between – welcome to Iceland. With these out-of-this-world landscapes, you might as well have landed on the moon. Dump your stuff at the hotel and say halló to your fellow explorers. We may be a mixed bunch but we’re in this together – like it was meant to be. Then? We’ll head to a local haunt to kick things off with an included dinner and tasting (of the local Icelandic beer variety). This is gonna be good.

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Hotel Orkin or similar

Activities

Icelandic beer tasting experience

Meals

Dinner

Day 2 - Reykjavík – Dalvík – Akureyri

Bless (read: bye) Reykjavík – we’ll be back for you later. Ngl, we’ve got a bit of drive today – so snag a window seat and soak up all the screensaver-worthy scenery as we head north. Fun fact: the small fishing village of Dalvík has produced four Eurovision Song Contest entrants. Must be somðing in the (ice-cold) water here. Hum a tune as your expert Trip Leader points out the village highlights. Then: prepare for a whale of a time (we went there) and take to the seas for an UNforgettable whale-watching experience. If we’re lucky, we’ll hear the thunderous crash and see the saltwater spray as these mighty creatures come up for air. Cue: alll the goosebumps. Last but not least, it’s time to make tracks towards Akureyri for the lowdown on the ‘Capital of the North’.

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Hotel Norðurland or similar

Activities

Orientation walk of Dalvík with Trip Leader
Whale-watching tour
Orientation walk of Akureyri with Trip Leader

Meals

Breakfast

Day 3 - Akureyri – The East Fjords

You want fire, water, earth and air all in one day? Greedy, but luckily Iceland’s got all the elements covered. First, we’ll check out Mother Nature’s mad skills at Goðafoss Waterfall – aka the Waterfall of the Gods. Then we’ll switch to the dark side at Dimmuborgir lava field. This jigsaw of spiky rocks was formed by a volcanic eruption over 2,000 years ago, and it’s said the devil landed here when he was chucked out of heaven. Ouch. Next: hold your nose. Don’t blame your trip mates for that eggy smell – it’s the sulfurous gases rising from Námafjall’s bubbling geothermal pools. This place looks like Mars, and you’ll deffo wish you had a space helmet on. Finally, we’ll treat our peepers to rip-roaring Dettifoss waterfall before rolling into our hotel for the eve. What. A. Day.

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Eiðar - Hostel & Apartments or similar

Activities

See Goðafoss and Dettifoss waterfalls
Visit Dimmuborgir lava field
Visit Námafjall geothermal area

Meals

Breakfast

Day 4 - The East Fjords – Vatnajökull Glacier – Jökulsárlón Region

Ready to see Iceland live up to its name? We’ll ooohh and aaahhh our way through the mystical East Fjords for a slice of real Icelandic life. Think snow-capped mountains, charming AF villages, and maybe even a puffin or two. Next up: Vatnajökull glacier. This jaw-dropping, GINORMOUS ice cap covers approx 8% of the country in a blanket of kryptonite-style blue ice and thick layers of volcanic ash. Watch out for White Walkers – Game of Thrones’ ‘North of The Wall’ was filmed here. Tonight, dinner's on us when we settle into the b-e-a-u-t Jökulsárlón region this evening.

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Gerði Guesthouse or similar

Activities

Drive through the East Fjords
View of Vatnajökull glacier

Meals

Breakfast
Dinner

Day 5 - Jökulsárlón Region – South Coast Region

Another day, another mind-blowing frozen landscape. Keen to delve deeper (literally)? Channel all the Indiana Jones vibes and explore Vatnajökull’s eye-popping ice caves. It’s like being dropped into a snow globe. Or opt for a boat trip around Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon to gawp at some enormous icebergs (not in a Titanic way) and maybe spot a resident seal. Next? We’ll seek out the immense Svínafellsjökull glacier before rounding off the day in a sweet spot along the South Coast. All the icy adventuring got you yawning so loud it rivals an orca? Grab a bite to eat and get to bed. We’ve got another jam-packed day tomorrow!

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Sólheimahjáleiga Guesthouse or similar

Activities

See Svínafellsjökull glacier

Meals

Breakfast

Your Options

Hike Vatnajökull glacier: from 14500 ISK
Public amphibian boat tour of Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon: from 6700 ISK

Day 6 - South Coast Region – The Golden Circle – Reykjavík

If beaches went goth, they’d look like this. This morning we’ll sink our toes into the black sand of Reynisfjara. The dramatic basalt columns here are actually trolls that got turned into stone (allegedly). Next, we’ll lay eyes on super-scenic Seljalandsfoss waterfall before exploring the legendary Golden Circle. 300 kilometres of phenomenal Icelandic landscapes. Natural wonders don’t get any better than this. Trust us. We’ll check out the roaring Gullfoss Falls. ‘Holy sh*t’ our way around the Great Geysir. And soak up all the amazingness at UNESCO World Heritage–listed Thingvellir National Park. SD cards full and tummies rumbling, it’s time to hunt down some street food – traditional sheep soup and fish stew are a must. Then? Locate a local bar and hit the d-floor with your trip mates.

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Hotel Orkin or similar

Activities

Visit Reynisfjara black-sand beach
Visit Seljalandsfoss waterfall
Golden Circle expedition (including Thingvellir National Park)

Meals

Breakfast

Day 7 - Reykjavík

This is your day to delve deeper into Iceland’s quirky capital. Need some suggestions? Get the blues in the BEST way possible soaking in the magical geothermal pools of the Blue Lagoon. (If you don’t wanna miss out, we recommend you book this activity in advance as it sells out during busy times. You can book it through the official Blue Lagoon website – pick the option including transport!) Make eyes at the magic of The Lava Tunnel – a volcanic work of art – on an optional tour (it’s been there for a mind-blowing 5200 years). Check out the Saga Museum, National Museum of Iceland or Phallological Museum (for something a bit... different). Or sink your ‘Jaws’ into a traditional local delicacy – fermented shark. Tonight: we’ll give this incredible Icelandic adventure the send-off it deserves at our final group feed.

Your Inclusions

Accommodation

Hotel Orkin or similar

Meals

Breakfast
Dinner

Your Options

Visit the Blue Lagoon (including transport): from 20980 ISK (booking in advance recommended)
Tour of The Lava Tunnel: from 14400 ISK

Day 8 - Reykjavík

You tried the food. You met the locals. You said yes to culture. Yes to history. Yes to the new and the unique. You embraced it all. And now, it’s over (no crying). Head down to breakfast and swap those socials – you’re gonna need them for that meet-up on mainland Europe. Where to next?

Your Inclusions

Meals

Breakfast

WORTH NOTING

On this trip, you’ll get two in one – your Trip Leader is also your Driver. Fact: Iceland is mind-blowing. But it’s also rain, snow and wind-blowing. Occasionally, the itinerary may change due to weather conditions. DW – your Trip Leader always has a back-up plan.

Read the reviews

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This trip is absolutely amazing! Had the best time. With the 24 hours of sunlight you can really make use of the day. This trip covers so many different things from whale watching, exploring waterfalls, walking on glaciers to relaxing in hot springs. Our tour guide Thor went absolutely above and beyond for us. 12/10 stars for Thor ⭐️

The accomodation was also great. Much better than I expected...

Had a great time in Iceland! Our guide, Thordur, was full of great stories about Icelandic folklore, and able to answer tons of questions about our group's careers and interests (I wanted to know about Icelandic birds and geology, another group member wanted to know about Vikings, another member wanted to know about women's education). He was also very flexible with our schedule and managed to...

What a trip!! So much jam packed in just over one week. Anyone on the fence about seeing Iceland should bite the bullet and do it. Such an amazing country, with diverse landscapes and add on activities within this trip to complement these. Our glacier hike was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done. Thor was an incredible guide/driver (doubly talented) and gave us really good cultural...

Beautiful country, lovely people and the guide Siggy was awesome

What an absolutely incredible trip! Our guide Henry was great, knowledgeable, entertaining and down to earth. Perfect guide! The trip is well thought out, and is the best tour to see the most of this incredible country! The views are everywhere so makes the drive between spots enjoyable. Some plans had to change due to weather but other stuff was organised straight away so wasn't a problem...

Just WOW!!! Such an amazing trip, couldn’t recommend it more. Our Guide ‘Henry’ was very knowledgeable, kind and debatably funny, just great. Had so much fun with the group doing the plethora of amazing activities and sites around Iceland. Though I will say there were a couple slow days of driving and little sites but even those days were great just because of Iceland being such a beautiful...

Amazing trip and a lovely group. Got to see everything I wanted to and more with a local guide who was clearly passionate about the country!

The tour achieved what it was meant to. A quick 8 days around Iceland. The tour guide Thor improvised well as the schedule was changed due to weather conditions. This worked out well, the whale watching company cancelled on us but we went instead to Forest Lagoon which was better than Sky and Blue Lagoons in Reykjavik.

Everyday of the tour was a travel day as there was little time and so much to...

Amazing trip - words can't describe. However a few things on the itinerary we couldn't do due to road closures or heavy snow in general. The itinerary should be changed to suit Iceland in winter to avoid any disappointment in the future.

Loved this tour, it’s a brilliant and beautiful country
Excellent leader who had great stories. Could have engaged with us more, but as it was his first top deck and I think he was used to an older crowd maybe we were a bit of a shock to him.
Only annoying thing was an optional extra - blue lagoon we had to organise ourselves (find times, book etc) our leader only stepped in when we were saying we...

This trip was amazing. The tour guide was a local and showed us so many great spots. He told us so many great stories about Iceland and gave us the best trip i could have ever asked for.

We saw so much on this tour plus we got to go to extra places. Iceland is such a beautiful country.

It was amazing!! A+ on my guide Larus - that man needs a raise! The only off comment I have was that the Blue Lagoon trip was a figure it out yourself deal. Like other optional pay yourself activities, I thought it would be booked through and arranged by topdeck. Not 16 people trying to scramble to get the same bus transfers and same enter time so we could stay together. Like I said we had an...

The tour leader was more just a coach driver , didn’t really speak to us or engage with us . It was only due to the other people on the trip that made it so good .
Done a few group tours with different companies so I do have something to go by and this top deck tour was nothing like the others , mainly down to the tour leader .
The tour itself was good , accommodation was all amazing , the...

This was the first Deep Delve in Iceland for Top Deck as far as I know. The structure of the tour was unfortunately not always accurate in the description, as a lot of the activities were not available or not worth visiting according to our guide. I think it would be worth it for Top Deck to consult with a guide in Iceland to determine which spots to visit. Our guide was incredible, and often went...

Such an amazing trip full of activities and sites in such a short time; only wish it went longer

Good value for money- however, annoying that additional tours were extra and I was ill prepared for how expensive Iceland was! My own fault!

Poor organisation on bucket list inclusions

not enough included for the price, could have done cheaper myself and got more from it

So well organised great options and our guide Eileen was AMAZING such a happy fun person and knew her stuff couldn’t of asked for a better person to have taken they tour

Wasn't long enough, or enough time spent with the actual group.

£60 deposit

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FAQs

The Blue Lagoon is a must-visit. As it’s a super popular spot and often sells out, if you wanna visit, we recommend booking your tickets in advance through the official Blue Lagoon website. Be sure to choose the option that includes transportation – nobody wants to be stranded, right?

The currency in Iceland is the Icelandic Króna (ISK).

Absolutely! It’s a requirement that all Topdeckers have comprehensive travel insurance to cover the likes of cancellation, personal injury and medical expenses. You’ll be barred from travelling with us without it. It’s also super important you read the fine print of the policy you’re taking out, so you know exactly what activities you are covered for (looking at you, adrenalin junkies!) and what your excess limits are in cases of emergency – before, during and after your trip. As a rule, you should book your travel insurance at the time of booking your trip.

Obtaining the correct visas for your trip is your own responsibility. Not having correct visas could mean missing out on part (or all) of your trip. Ask your travel agent or check with the appropriate embassies before you depart, remembering that visa requirements can change at short notice.

Please note: For most countries where visas are required, it's NOT possible to obtain a visa while on the trip. Some visas take 3-4 weeks to obtain – so get on it early!

Tipping customs vary by country but can be expected for certain services. Your Trip Leader will advise you on when and how much is appropriate to tip. In true Topdeck style, your Topdeck Crew will not ask for a tip at the end of your trip – as per our ‘No Tipping Policy’.

At most hotels on this trip, you’ll snooze in an en-suite room. However, some accommodation may have shared bathroom facilities – such as the hostel in the East Fjords.

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Topdeck tour group trekking across the snowy fields of Thingvellir National Park in Iceland.

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