Reykjavik

We were supposed to arrive before 8:00, but actually got there at 8:15, so be prepared to wait. It turned out some people in the group had a different itinerary: after visiting the geothermal area and doing the volcano walk together, they went straight to the Blue Lagoon, while the others continued with the rest of the tour. At 15:45, the tour returned to the Blue Lagoon to pick up the others, and then everyone headed back to the city center together. Throughout the trip, the tour guide was very dedicated in their explanations. Due to extremely strong winds on the mountain, we didn't reach the summit for safety reasons. Overall, it was a good experience.

The tour guide was extremely professional, placed great emphasis on everyone's safety, and shared information and history about the glacier. I was initially worried that I wouldn't have the stamina for the 6-hour tour, but actually, after every stretch of walking, the guide would stop to share various information, which gave everyone a chance to catch their breath. The scenery is truly beautiful and well worth a visit.

En flott opplevelse (spesielt isklatringen) og en godt organisert dag. Guiden for isklatringen, Steven, var kunnskapsrik, sikkerhetsbevisst og grundig i sine forklaringer, noe som ga meg selvtilliten til å presse meg selv inn i noen utrolige situasjoner på isbreen. Hadde det ikke vært for hans profesjonalitet og sans for detaljer, tviler jeg på at jeg ville hatt den samme opplevelsen. Anbefaler dette på det sterkeste for en eventyrlig dag tett på isbreen, spesielt hvis Steven er ved roret!

Dette er den beste dagsturen blant de andre 4 dagsturene jeg hadde på Island. Det er en liten gruppetur som drives av Big Bus Tour, hvor de bruker jeeper for å komme inn i høylandet via F-veier og elvekryssinger. Landmannalaugar er et paradis for turgåere, med ulike turstier fra enkle, moderate til vanskelige. Gruppen vår delte seg i to team, der noen erfarne turgåere tok den moderate stien på egen hånd, mens de fleste av oss valgte den enkle stien, og guiden vår tok oss med og passet godt på oss. Turen er ikke vanskelig; det meste er flatt terreng med noen få bratte opp- og nedstigninger. Men det anbefales på det sterkeste å bruke tursko med godt grep. En normal person uten medisinske tilstander vil ikke ha problemer med turen. Den er 4 km lang, og vi brukte 2 timer på å gå sakte og ta bilder, da naturen er så vakker – det er som å være på en annen planet. Guiden vår er veldig flink. Vi fortsatte til andre stopp for å se canyon, fossefall og vikinghus uten noe hastverk. Denne turen er en veldig lang dagstur, men absolutt verdt det, og den endte kl. 21.00+. Anbefales definitivt.

Ikke dårlig. Da vi ankom, var flyten veldig jevn. Før vi gikk i vannet, forklarte de ruten vi skulle svømme. Guiden vår sa at hvis vi ble slitne, kunne vi ta en pause, og han ville fortelle oss hvilke områder vi ikke kunne svømme i (fordi det var for dypt). Jeg tenkte at det var greit å bare følge guiden, men han stoppet nesten aldri, så hvis du ikke svømte etter ham, ville du falle bak. Vi måtte svømme helt til sprekken, hvor han tok et bilde av oss, og deretter svømme rundt tilbake til et annet ilandstigningssted. Det tok omtrent 1,5 time med svømming uten mange pauser. På land fikk vi energibarer og varm sjokolade. Guiden var veldig hyggelig. Hvis jeg hadde vært i bedre form, ville jeg ha likt det enda mer! En av mine venner fikk vann i tørrdrakten sin og ble veldig kald halvveis, så hvis du kan, husk å ta med et ekstra sett med klær og forkjølelsesmedisin.

The entire experience with pickup is about half a day, you only spend less than an hour in the water. The drive from Reykjavik is about 45 minutes, prep time of getting into the suits, and briefing is about an hour. When you finally get in the water you are treated to some of the most beautiful and drinkable water I’ve ever seen - don’t drink too much or you may end up buying your suit. If you are lucky to get some sunshine while you snorkel the water elevates to something mind blowing. The only downside to this adventure is that the area is inhabited by minges who are incredibly annoying so be prepared to constantly swat them or look silly so they don’t bother you. You end up in a small group with a guide which makes the experience even better. I would easily do this experience again.

An indescribably wonderful trip and the best day tour I have ever taken. First of all, the bus tour guide himself had white hair and wore a traditional Icelandic patterned wool sweater, looking like a Viking stepped right into reality and instantly creating a strong sense of immersion. Along the way, we saw the magnificent daytime waterfall shining brightly under the brilliant sunshine. When taking the boat tour of the glacier lagoon, the captain gave each of us a piece of transparent, thousand-year-old iceberg to hold for photos. The apocalyptic feel of Diamond Beach was then brought to life with a ray of bright sunshine. We enjoyed delicious volcanic rock black pizza and endless refills of soup in a bread bowl in the town of Vik. We saw the Seljalandsfoss waterfall at night, surrounded by stars and the aurora borealis amidst the mountains—a rare and wonderful experience in a lifetime. On the way back, we were very lucky to encounter a major aurora outburst. The guide said that according to the rules, he was supposed to return the bus on time without stopping, but he felt we shouldn't miss such a gorgeous aurora, so he decided to take the risk to give us a lucky moment! He finally found a super viewing platform, and we all stopped to capture the most stunning night of the northern lights. It was an extremely memorable journey. Plus, there was free Wi-Fi throughout the entire trip, and the heating was so warm that wearing just a single sweater inside the bus was more than enough. The guide not only introduced every attraction to us, but before parting ways, he also shared his favorite local itinerary as an Icelandic native, including municipal hot springs, sculpture art, and the whale museum, among others. All in all, it was a perfect journey combining nature and culture, entirely deserving of a full score. If you are staying in Reykjavik, taking a tour like this means you won't miss a thing on the South Coast.

So many similar buses come to the meeting place that it was hard to tell which one was ours. After about an hour on the bus, we arrived at a pitch-black location! At first, there were quite a few clouds, and I think we all pointed our smartphones at the sky for about 10 minutes trying to see something. Around that time, they handed out cocoa, and refills were available! Just as people were starting to head back to the bus, saying we probably wouldn't be able to see anything, someone shouted that they caught the aurora in a photo! We all ran over there and took pictures✨ A green aurora showed up in the photos, but to the naked eye, it looked like white wisps! Still, as an experience of seeing the aurora, I am extremely satisfied!

Great trip! Our guide was a retired Icelandic man who is very knowledgeable. I have brought some snacks with me and decided to skip the dine-in lunch. The guide arranged me to take a scenic hike trail around the town of Arnarstapi. Highly recommended!