About this trip
This 8-day small-group trip takes you right around Iceland's Ring Road, covering the Golden Circle, the South Coast, the east, north, west, and finishing with a day in the Landmannalaugar highlands. It's a lot of ground, but the route is built to string together the country's best-known natural sights without doubling back.
Expect waterfalls, black sand beaches, glacier lagoons, geothermal areas and lava fields in steady succession, plus a stop at one of Iceland's largest puffin colonies in Borgarfjordur Eystri. The final day in Landmannalaugar brings you into the highlands proper, with colourful mountains and remote, untouched terrain.
It's pitched as easy-going and family-friendly, so this is sightseeing and short walks rather than serious trekking, with accommodation in private or shared rooms along the way.
What you'll do
- Drive the Golden Circle and South Coast, taking in waterfalls, black sand beaches and glacier lagoons
- Follow the Diamond Circle in North Iceland past waterfalls, geothermal zones and lava fields
- Spot puffins at the Borgarfjordur Eystri colony in the east
- See Hraunfossar waterfall and Deildartunguhver, Europe's largest hot spring, in West Iceland
- Explore the Snaefellsnes Peninsula's coastal landmarks
- Spend a day among the mountains and waterfalls of the Landmannalaugar highlands
- Easy-paced and family-friendly rather than an active trekking trip
- Covers a lot of distance across 8 days, so travel time between sights is part of most days
- Choice of private or shared rooms
Worth it if you book the 6-day core tour and skip the 2 tacked-on day trips. Think twice if you need comfort, flexibility with meal times, or dislike early starts and rushed stops.
- The 6-day Ring Road core delivers genuinely spectacular scenery: canyons, geothermal formations, otherworldly landscapes. Guides consistently praised as knowledgeable and safe.
- The 8-day version bundles a separate 6-day tour with two disconnected day trips—logistically confusing, poorly communicated at booking, creating self-check-in hassles and luggage chaos.
- Time at stops ranges from rushed (30–60 minutes) to wasteful (30-minute bus-wash breaks). Landmannalaugar day trip has no breakfast coordination and limited lunch options.
- Late-May to July means 18–20 hours daylight, unpredictable weather (snow, rain), and early 7am pickups. Pack rain gear and accept potential activity cancellations.
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Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Reykjavik · 8 Sept – 9 Sept
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