On your own – The South – 7 days

A car can be picked up in Keflavík airport terminal and agenda organised this day according to arrival time, interest and circumstances. An option is exploring Reykjanes peninsula, enjoy the Blue lagoon, or mix of nature and the city. Another option is using a convenient transfer to Reykjavik and pick-up the car there the next morning. Overnight in the city of Reykjavík.

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First stops of the day are the highlights of the Golden Circle: Þingvellir National Park – locationn of the first parliament of the world and of the most impressive tectonic fissures – the geothermal area of Geysir – after which this natural phenomenon was named – and the photogenic Gullfoss – the queen of the Icelandic waterfalls with its double drop. Going south coast, you can visit two symbols of Icelandic clean energy: a greenhouse where tomatoes are grown using geothermal heat and a major hydroelectric plant. Overnight in Flúðir or nearby.

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First thing today you encounter the suggestive Kerið crater, before heading towards the south coast. LAVA Visitor Centre allows you to get to know more about Icelandic volcanology. Then, it is waterfalls time. First one is romantic Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind and around its gush, and then is perfect Skógafoss, located in the tiny village of Skógar, where it is possible to visit an eccentric folk museum. Before getting to Vík, a couple of short detours are recommended: Landeyjahöfn, from where you can reach the famous airplane wreck, and the black beach of Reynisfjara. Overnight in Vík or nearby.

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From Kirkjubæjarklaustur it is sometimes possible to spot the silhouette of Vatnajökull glacier, Europe’s biggest and world’s third largest ice cap. This day completely focuses on the icy giant, first stop being Svínafellsjökull, the most spectacular glacier tongue, not far from Skaftafell. More ice, of a different kind awaits you at Jökulsárlón lagoon where hundreds of icebergs of all different size and shape float and shine under the sun or hide in the fog. Overnight in Skaftafell or nearby. 

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First stop of the day is Skaftafell National Park. Recommended is an easy circle hike leading to elegant Svartifoss and back (5,5km – small elevation gain). Heading back southwest, you can venture inland towards Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, for an unusual landscape. Back in Vík, a walk along the black beach allows you to cherish the famous basaltic sea stacks in all their beauty. Not far, Dyrhólaey promontory is an excellent place to spot puffins and, depending on the visibility, it might reveal unforgettable views of Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull volcanoes. Overnight in Skógar or nearby. 

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From Skógar, where it is possible to enjoy majestic Skógafoss once more, you head to the twin gloomy villages of Eyrarbakki e Stokkseyri, where two local restaurants are in bitter competition for the title of the best lobster soup of the country. In Stokkseyri, you can pay a visit to the only Icelandic pipeorgan builder’s workshop and, why not, enter the original Ghost Centre. In the afternoon you then head north until Borgarnes where the cherry on top this journey is a visit to the workshop of a botanist who colours wool according to the old colouring tradition. Overnight in Borgarnes or nearby. 

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From Borgarnes, you can choose to drive on the main road to the city or possible to go a bit out of the beaten track with a detour around Hvalfjorður. This day might possibly end in Keflavík, depending on the plan of departure from Iceland.

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