International · Iceland
Iceland
Volcanoes, glaciers, and the longest light you'll ever see.
Ideal length
8–11 days
Bespoke from
₹5.8L / pax
Time zone
GMT 0
Visa
Schengen
Featured packages
Featured packages for Iceland.
The Place
Summer means 22-hour days, puffins, and the Westfjords with no one in them. Winter means aurora, ice caves under Vatnajokull, and a single perfect lagoon. We split the Ring Road across 10 days with one big detour into the highlands.
Language
Icelandic, English everywhere
Plug
Type F · 230V
Driving
F-roads need 4x4
Daylight
21 hrs in June · 4 hrs in Dec
Best time
June to August, February to March
Getting there
Connect via London or Frankfurt to Reykjavik
Currency
ISK
Why we go
Three reasons Iceland stays on our atlas.
When to go
Signature experiences
The reasons you came for, and a few you didn't.
WinterVatnajökull ice cave
Into a translucent blue chamber under Europe's largest glacier, with the guide who carved the access.
SkyAurora chase with a meteorologist
Not a tour bus, a private 4x4 with a guide reading the KP index and cloud cover live.
WalksHighlands at midnight sun
Landmannalaugar's rhyolite hills and a hot-spring soak, walking at 11 p.m. in full daylight.
WildWestfjords by 4x4
Three days on roads few people drive, Dynjandi waterfall, Arctic foxes, total quiet.
SlowSky Lagoon at dusk
The Blue Lagoon's smarter sibling. Infinity pool into the Atlantic, no day-tour buses.
WildlifePuffin colony at Látrabjarg
Europe's largest seabird cliff. Lie on the grass, lean over, they pose.
A possible shape
One way to spend your time in Iceland.
Not a fixed trip, a sketch to argue with. Every Gallivant journey is rebuilt around your dates, pace, and people.
Day 1–2
Reykjavik
Hotel Borg. The Harpa, a Kjötsúpa lunch, dinner at Dill.
Day 3
Golden Circle
Thingvellir tectonic rift, Geysir, Gullfoss, but at dawn, before the day-tours.
Day 4–5
South coast
Vik, Reynisfjara black-sand, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Stay at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon.
Day 6
Glacier ice cave
Snowcat into Vatnajökull. Three hours inside the cave, lunch on the moraine.
Day 7–8
Snæfellsnes peninsula
Iceland in miniature: volcano, beach, fishing village, basalt cliffs.
Day 9
Sky Lagoon · home
Two hours in the lagoon before the airport. The best layover bath in Europe.
Where you'll sleep
Three archetypes, one shortlist.
Eleven Experience lodge
Deplar Farm, Troll Peninsula
An ex-sheep farm turned heli-ski / heli-fly retreat. Outdoor geothermal pool under the aurora.
Aurora hotel
Hotel Rangá
A four-star country house with a wake-up call when the lights come on, and the country's best food halfway between Reykjavik and Vik.
Subterranean spa hotel
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon
Sixty suites carved into the lava field, private lagoon access, a Michelin-aspiring kitchen.
On the plate
Food, drinks, and the rituals around them.
Which season
The year, in four moods.
Field notes
Small things that change the trip.
Practical Iceland knowledge from people who keep going back.
- 01
The Ring Road in 7 days is too fast. We argue for 10.
- 02
F-roads (highland routes) require a 4x4 and only open mid-June.
- 03
Aurora is not guaranteed, even on a clear night. Three-night minimum to stack the odds.
- 04
Petrol is sold by the pump only with a chip-and-PIN card. We provide one if needed.
- 05
Tap water is the best in the world. Buying bottled water in Iceland is a small crime.
Questions
What we get asked about Iceland.
Pair this with
Trips we often run alongside.
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