Iceland: The Golden Circle & Ring Road

Itinerary

• Day 1: Overnight flight

  Board your overnight flight, bound for Iceland. Sit back, relax, and learn how to say ‘vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúraútidyralyklakippuhringur’, the longest word in Icelandic.

• Day 2: Arrive in Reykjavik + optional Blue Lagoon visit

  Welcome to Iceland, the "Land of Fire and Ice,” and the home of active volcanoes, striking glaciers, really tall people descended from Vikings, and really tiny horses.

  Today's highlights:

  • Meet an EF representative and fellow travelers as they arrive at the airport.
  • Transfer to your hotel to check in and check out your room.
  • Enjoy a Welcome Lunch with fellow travelers at an authentic local spot.
  • Get familiar with Reykjavik on an introductory walk with your Tour Director through the Old Town Center.

  Blue Lagoon (extra cost)

  Lather on a mud mask and float weightlessly in the warm waters of this world-famous geothermal spa.

• Day 3: Travel the Golden Circle + arrive in Selfoss

  Aah, the Golden Circle—a route that hits Iceland’s most magnificent natural wonders. Is there a waterfall? Yep. Geysers? Multiple. The meeting point of continental plates? Of course.

  Today's highlights:

  • Check out Thingvellir National Park, the boundary between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates.
  • Watch the Great Strokkur geyser erupt at Great Geysir Geothermal Area.
  • Enjoy a delicious lunch filled with Icelandic treats.
  • Discover Gullfoss, known as the "Golden Waterfall,” one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe.
• Day 4: Explore the south coast + included dinner

  Let your Ring Road adventure begin! Head for the south coast, a lowland region of lush farmland, striking waterfalls, beaches, glaciers, and picturesque villages.

  Today's highlights:

  • Stand behind the powerful Seljalandsfoss waterfall and discover what’s really on the other side.
  • Stick your feet in the black sand at Reynisfjara Beach.
  • Search for gold behind Skogafoss waterfall (it’s there, according to legend).
  • Peep the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which erupts once every few hundred years. Don’t worry—it erupted in 2010.
• Day 5: Glaciers, lagoons & Skaftafell nature reserve

  Iceland’s natural beauty is gonna keep stealing the spotlight, but tbh, it’s pretty warranted. Today is all about water—of the frozen and liquid varieties.

  Today's highlights:

  • Cruise around icebergs in Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
  • Follow your guide on foot for stunning views of Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier.
  • Walk along the serene Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
  • Check out Skaftafell nature reserve, a lush oasis you’ll have to see to believe.
• Day 6: Travel to the East Fjords region via Djúpivogur

  In the East Fjords, mountains descend straight into the sea. It’s a calm, tranquil part of Iceland with nothing but beauty and good vibes.

  Today's highlights:

  • Spend a few hours in the charming coastal village of Djúpivogur.
  • Sample homemade cakes at Langabúð, a cultural center and the town’s oldest building (built in the 18th century).
  • Snap photos of a bunch of giant eggs—a unique art exhibit called the Eggs of Merry Bay.
  • Continue on to the supremely chill town of Egilsstaðir.
• Day 7: Travel to Akureyri via Dimmuborgir and Mývatn Nature Baths

  If Iceland’s out-of-this-world terrain hasn’t thoroughly scrambled your brain by now, it certainly will today! I mean, have you ever seen an expansive field filled with surreal, almost eerie-shaped hardened lava?

  Today's highlights:

  • Gawk at the natural crags and pillars of Dimmuborgir lava field, formed during a volcanic eruption 2,300 years ago.
  • Bathe like your ancestors—only if your ancestors were Vikings—in the Mývatn Nature Baths.
  • Arrive in Iceland’s “capital city of the north,” Akureyri, and take in all that charm.
• Day 8: Explore Mývatn Lake & Siglufjörður + optional whale watching

  Another day in Iceland, another day of discovering mind-boggling landscapes—like pseudocraters, which might resemble volcanoes, but you’ll learn why they aren’t.

  Today's highlights:

  • Revel in the beauty of Lake Mývatn and Skútustaðagígar pseudocraters, where an astounding number of bird species thrive.
  • Travel to Siglufjörður, one of Iceland’s northernmost towns.
  • Get your daily dose of fish history with a local guide at the Herring Era Museum.
  • Enjoy a herring tasting and wash it down with some Brennivín schnapps.

  Akureyri fjord whale watching (extra cost)

  Note: This excursion is seasonal and only runs from June through September. Availability is subject to your tour’s departure date.
  
  Soak in northern Iceland’s beauty on a 3-hour cruise in search of a variety of whales and dolphins.

• Day 9: Travel to Húsafell via Víðgelmir lava tube

  Your journey around Ring Road continues—west, towards Víðgelmir cave, yet another geological wonder caused by volcanic eruption.

  Today's highlights:

  • Visit Víðgelmir lava tube, the largest of its kind in all of Iceland.
  • Admire the stunning colors and dramatic cave features, like stalagmites and stalactites, all around you.
  • Head to Húsafell for an included dinner and one-night stay.
• Day 10: Explore waterfalls + Farewell Dinner in Reykjavik

  It’s your final day in Iceland. That means one last day of bizarre unearthly landscapes, one last day of being welcomed by its friendly inhabitants, and one last day to share with your new travel family. Ready? Let’s go!

  Today's highlights:

  • Grab a window seat on the bus as you depart Húsafell.
  • Check two more waterfalls off your list—Hraunfossar and Barnafoss.
  • Arrive back in Reykjavik and settle in for one final dinner with your group.

  Free time suggestions

  Hot dogs: Grab a dog with everything on it at the Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stand for a true taste of Iceland.

  Bevvies: For the best craft beer in the city, look no further than Microbar, with 5-10 Icelandic beers always on draft.

• Day 11: Fly home

  Bless, vinir! 
  Translation: Goodbye, friends. Your next destination awaits—home. But this isn’t goodbye. It’s “See you later.” The only question is, where?