Escorted Tour to Iceland

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Land of the Midnight Sun Escorted Tour

33 day escorted tour of Iceland and the Faroe Islands

16 Jun - 18 Jul 2013
15 Jun - 17 Jul 2014

From £5,670 Motorhome + 2 people
From £7,590 Caravan + 2 people

Your Club Tour Escorts Derek and Iris Smith

Tour highlights

This fabulous itinerary, with a full three weeks in Iceland, travels anti-clockwise around this unique and beautiful Viking wonderland, the Land of Ice and Fire – spouting geysers, soothing thermal pools, glaciers, and fertile farming valleys overshadowed by ancient volcanoes. As if all that were not enough, a weekend stop-over in the quiet archipelago of the Faroe Islands is also included. If you want to see a remote country that is like no other on Earth, and a real pleasure to visit, or if you are a birder, botanist or geologist, this is for you.
The longest days of the year spent in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
Whales and puffins cruise, less than forty miles from the Arctic Circle.
Reykjavik City Tour and visit to the Reykjavík 871±2 Settlement Exhibition.
A long weekend on the remote archipelago of the Faroe Islands, in the heart of the North Atlantic’s warm Gulf Stream.
Tour group get-togethers Two or three to be arranged while on the tour, with the exact nature and dates to suit the tour group.

Tour itinerary

Day 1

1745 Depart Harwich aboard DFDS luxury ferry Dana Sirena. 1 night aboard Dana Sirena.

Day 2

1300 Arrive Esbjerg on Danish west coast. Drive to Hirtshals (215 miles). 1 night at Hirtshals campsite.

Day 3 - 4

1130 Depart Hirtshals aboard Smyril Line luxury cruise ferry Norröna. Stay aboard for a brief stop at Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. 2 Nights aboard Norröna.

Day 5 - 8

0930 Arrive Seyðisfjörður in east Iceland. Take your time driving to Lake Mývatn (154 miles) via Jökuldalur valley and Möðrudalsheiði plateau heath. Side trips include Fljot lake and valley.
Day 6, 1630: a real treat on the longest day, with a whales and puffins cruise starting from the port of Húsavík, about 34 miles and one hour’s drive from lake Mývatn, and less than 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
There is also ample time to enjoy the very many attractions of the Lake Mývatn area. Visit Krafla, the site of eruptions as recent as the 1980s, the Námaskarð solfataras, the nearby local thermal pool, Dimmuborgir Lava Labyrinth or the craters at Skútustaðir. Be sure to visit Dettifoss, one of Iceland’s mightiest waterfalls, and the horse-shoe shaped canyon of Ásbyrgi and even prettier waterfalls.
4 Nights at Lake Mývatn campsite.

Day 9

Head to Hrafnagil (62 miles) via Goðafoss, Waterfall of the Gods. A short side trip up the Eyjafjörður fjord to the Laufás turf farm is well worthwhile. Akureyri, ‘The Capital of the North’, includes a botanic garden and some good shopping, with a factory outlet for Icelandic woollens. 1 night at Hrafnagil campsite.

Day 10

There is plenty of time for you to take over your route today, via the famous turf house museum at Glaumbær to Blönduós (112 miles). Highly recommended is taking the long way around instead (145 miles), by the coast and tunnels of the Trollaskagi peninsula, via Dalvík, Ólafsfjörður and Siglufsfjörður. 1 night at Blönduós campsite.

Day 11 - 12

A gorgeous, long drive, via the Laugarbakki area, then a loop to the south with views of the Langjökull ice cap, and finally the north shore of the Snæfellsnes peninsula (151 miles). Follow the lovely coastline along Skógarströnd to the charming fishing village of Stykkishólmur. Don’t miss the fascinating shark curing museum at Bjarnarhöfn. Explore the end of the peninsula – the lava fields, Djúpalónssandur beach, the Þúfubjarg cliffs and the Arnarstapi basalt columns where many kittiwakes nest.
2 Nights at Snæfellsnes peninsula campsite.

Day 13 - 16

Cut across the peninsula via the impressive Gerðuberg basalt columns, on to the village of Borgarnes, to your site in Akranes (87 miles).
A great side trip leads up the lovely Hvítá valley from Borgarfjördur – visit the Deildartunguhver thermal spring power station, and Hraunfossar where multiple small waterfalls tumble out of the lava. Return along the Hvalfjörður fjord to Akranes.
Day 14, 0900: coach pick-up from the campsite for a two-hour city tour of Reykjavík, including the Reykjavík 871±2 Settlement Exhibition, followed by free time in Reykjavik until coach departure for the site at around 1730.
Visit the Reykjanes peninsula’s Bessastaðir church, or Krísuvík’s steam vents and boiling mud pools, or take a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon hot springs.
4 Nights at Akranes campsite.

Day 17 - 18

Travel on into Iceland’s Golden Circle, via Þingvellir National Park, seat in 930 of the world’s first parliament, and where the Eurasian and North Atlantic plates pull apart – walk across the continental divide! Continue on to Geysir and visit the geyser Strokkur, which conveniently erupts every few minutes. (72 miles).
Explore the mighty Gullfoss waterfalls – also among Iceland’s most beautiful – and the lovely valley of Þjórsardalur. Visit the excavated ruins and reconstruction of the farm of Stöng and the nearby twin falls of Hjálp, or the falls at Háifoss.
2 Nights at Geysir campsite.

Day 19

A very pretty journey to the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss falls area, where you could also visit the Skógar Folk Museum (66 miles).
1 night at Hámragarðar campsite.

Day 20 - 21

Continue along the astonishing south coast, via black beaches and outwash plains, lava fields, Dyrhólaey’s puffin cliffs, basalt columns, and Núpsstaður’s tiny chapel, to Skaftafell glacier (125 miles).
Guided walks may be available on the glacier. Enjoy the Skaftafell National Park – drive to the tongue of Svínafellsjökull glacier or walk to Svartifoss waterfall.
2 Nights Skaftafell campsite.

Day 22 - 23

Continue to the wonderful Jökulsarlón glacier lagoon – look out for seals, and maybe take a lagoon boat trip – and on to the port of Höfn (81 miles). Two nights here means you can further get the most out of the incredible coast and glacier region fringing the huge Vatnajökull ice cap. Quad biking, glacier activities and many other trips can be booked from the site.
2 Nights Höfn campsite.

Day 24

Meander past Lónsvík Bay, with its outwash plain and barrier islands, then via the cliffside roads and fjords, to the little port of Djúpivogur (64 miles). 1 night at Djúpivogur campsite

Day 25

Continue winding along the coast and fjords. The Stone Museum of Petra, in the tiny Stöðvarfjörður, is full of colourful, sparkling Icelandic semi-gemstones, with a lovely garden. Circle around the fjords and via the Fagridalur valley to Egilsstaðir (97 miles). 1 night at Egilsstaðir campsite.

Day 26

An early start over the pass from Egilsstaðir and back to Seyðisfjörður (17 miles), to once again join Norröna. 1130 Farewell to the Land of Ice and Fire, as we depart Seyðisfjörður aboard Norröna for the Faroe Islands. 1 night (a very short night) aboard cruise ferry Norröna.

Day 27 - 28

0300 Arrive Tórshavn, on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands. A gentle early morning drive to Skáli, on Eysturoy, via the Nesvík-Oyrabakki bridge (37 miles). Settle in and catch up with a nap, or start to explore the Faroe Islands. 2 Nights at Skáli campsite
(any units reliant on pegging will instead be booked into a Tórshavn campsite).

Day 29 - 30

Explore the Faroe Islands or relax in Tórshavn. It may be possible to stay on site until the evening sailing check-in in Tórshavn (37 miles). 2330 Depart Faroe Islands.
2 Nights aboard cruise ferry Norröna.

Day 31

0930 Arrive Hirtshals and take your time to drive down the Jutland peninsula to Ribe (210 miles). You could visit the original Legoland at Billund on the way. Evening farewell meal at a restaurant 200m from your site. Option to walk into historic Ribe for the Nightwatchman’s torchlit rounds of the town at 2200. 1 night campsite in Ribe.

Day 32

Drive to Esbjerg (19 miles). 1845 Depart Esbjerg aboard Dana Sirena. 1 night aboard Dana Sirena.

Day 33

1200 Arrive Harwich. End of tour arrangements.

Approximate tour mileage 1,590
Please note that the itinerary may be subject to changes.

Please note that pets are not allowed on this Escorted Tour.

Please note

Icelandic and Faroese sites are very simple and sometimes a pitch may be shared.
On a few sites you may have shared, or no, electricity, but there is far more daylight than darkness on this Midnight Sun tour. An eye mask and ear plugs may keep out sunlight and birdsong during normal sleeping hours.
Most roads on the site to site itinerary are sealed. The further off the main roads you go, the more unsealed roads there may be, but both types of road in the tour itinerary are suitable for motorhomes and caravans.
Good English is widely spoken, Wi-Fi is widely available and throughout Iceland credit cards are a normal form of payment, even for a coffee or a beer, so you need very little cash indeed.

Iceland is a unique adventure! The itinerary for the tour is to be viewed as an overall guide and not necessarily a firm day-to-day programme, as the tour needs to be flexible to take into account natural events or other circumstances that may necessitate changes to the intended schedule.

What’s included

Return ferry crossings for vehicle and towed unit up to 11m long combined length, or for motorhome up to 6m long, and 3.5m high (overlength supplements apply); plus two passengers. DFDS Harwich-Esbjerg (outside two-berth twin cabin. Smyril Line Hirtshals-Tórshavn-Seyðisfjörður (outside two-berth twin cabin; two-berth bunk cabins may be available at a small reduction), including weekend stopover in the Faroe Islands. Other units, dates or cabins on request and subject to availability and supplements
Tour group activities: Whales and puffins cruise; Reykjavík City Tour and Settlement Exhibition; two or three escorts’ tour group suppers or other gatherings to suit the group; Welcome Buffet Meal aboard Norröna; three course Farewell Meal in Ribe
Services of Carefree Tour Escorts
Pitch fees with hook-up where available on these simple sites.
Travel pack with directions, pennon, badges and itinerary.

What’s not included

Personal expenditure including for example food (other than meals specifically included in the price), drinks with meals that are included in the price, fuel, tolls, tips.
Personal Insurance (which is compulsory) and Vehicle Breakdown Insurance must be taken out prior to leaving the UK. Please ask for details.
Ferry supplements for larger vehicles.