Private South Coast Adventure and Magical Viking Stories & Dinner
by VAREN Iceland · private · South Coast
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Duration
12 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Reykjavík
Meeting
Hotel pickup available
Languages
EN
Departs
12:00
Cancellation
Free until 24h before
About this experience
Most tours of Iceland's South Coast start before sunrise and return you to Reykjavík by late afternoon. This one is built differently. The day begins at noon - you sleep in, take your time, and leave the city at a civilised hour - because the real highlight of this tour does not happen until the evening, in a candlelit barn on a Viking farm deep in the South Iceland countryside.
The afternoon belongs to the coast at its most spectacular. Seljalandsfoss is one of the few waterfalls in the world where you can walk all the way behind the curtain of falling water - a perspective that stays with you long after you have dried off. Just around the corner, Gljúfrabúi hides inside a narrow gorge that most South Coast visitors walk straight past, its cascade pouring unseen into an enclosed stone chamber. Skógafoss follows with pure scale: 60 metres of falling water, a permanent mist, and a staircase alongside that climbs to views across the entire coastal plain. At Sólheimajökull Glacier, the afternoon light hits ancient ice in a way that photographs genuinely cannot capture. The dramatic headland at Dyrhólaey closes the coastal leg with panoramic views across the black sand shore stretching far in both directions.
Then, as the sky darkens over South Iceland, the evening begins.
Efri-Úlfsstaðir is a working farm near Hvolsvöllur that sits on the historic land of Brennu-Njáls Saga - one of the greatest medieval tales ever written, and one of the most violent and beautiful stories in Icelandic literature. The Viking Story Night here is not a show. It is a gathering: guests are welcomed into the stable to meet the Icelandic horses before moving to the saga barn, where long wooden tables are lit by candlelight and a local storyteller named Valdimar shares the sagas alongside tales of Icelandic elves, trolls, and a thousand years of farm life. A tasting of traditional Icelandic foods - shark, dried fish, and smoked lamb - is served as the stories unfold. It is intimate, unhurried, and completely unlike anything else available on the South Coast.
The drive back to Reykjavík passes through the quiet Icelandic night. By the time you arrive, you will have seen the South Coast and heard the stories that have shaped this country for a thousand years - and you will have done it all without a single early morning alarm.
Please note: the Viking Story Night fee at Efri-Úlfsstaðir is not included in the initial price but can be added at the checkout page.
Description from the operator, VAREN Iceland. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Reykjavík Hotel Pickup
- Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
- Gljúfrabúi Waterfall
- Skógafoss Waterfall
- Sólheimajökull Glacier
- Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
- Dyrhólaey Headland
- Viking Story Night - Efri-Úlfsstaðir
- Return to Reykjavík
Included
- Private transportation (sedan for 1-3 / minivan for 4-8, exclusively for your group)
- Dedicated, professional English-speaking guide for the full day
- Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in central Reykjavík
- Flexible itinerary adapted to your group's pace and interests
- WiFi and USB charging ports available on board
- Bottled water provided on board on demand
- Parking fees and local taxes
Not included
- Personal travel insurance
- Gratuities for your guide (optional, appreciated)
- Food and drinks (not included)
- Viking Story Night fee at Efri-Úlfsstaðir (not included - see Important Information)
Good to know
- Warm, waterproof, and windproof outer layer - Icelandic weather can change within minutes regardless of season, and evening temperatures on the South Coast drop considerably after dark.
- Thermal base layer and mid-layer fleece for colder months (October-April).
- Sturdy, waterproof hiking shoes or boots - paths at Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi can be wet, muddy, or icy.
- Warm hat, gloves, and a scarf - especially important for the evening leg of the tour.
- Sunglasses - useful year-round, essential in summer and on bright winter afternoons.
- No special clothing required - the saga barn at Efri-Úlfsstaðir is enclosed and warm.
- An open mind and an appetite for stories. The food tasting features traditional Icelandic flavours - shark and dried fish in particular are acquired tastes, and trying them is part of the experience.
- You will receive a booking confirmation immediately after purchase.
- This tour departs in the early afternoon from Reykjavík. No early morning pickups available.
- Hotel pickup is included.
- Groups of 1-3 travel in a private sedan; groups of 4-8 travel in a private minivan.
- The Viking Story Night fee is not included in the tour price and is payable separately.
- Advance booking of the Viking Story Night is strongly recommended - capacity is limited and evenings fill quickly (please contact our team immediately).
- The Viking Story Night begins at 8 PM at Efri-Úlfsstaðir and lasts approximately 1.5 hours.
- The evening includes a tasting of traditional Icelandic foods: shark, dried fish, and smoked lamb. Please inform us in advance of any dietary restrictions or allergies.
- This tour involves easy walking on uneven natural terrain. It is not recommended for guests with serious mobility limitations.
- The tour is not wheelchair accessible.
- Access to Gljúfrabúi requires wading through shallow water inside a narrow canyon - waterproof footwear is strongly recommended for this stop.
- Children of all ages are welcome - the tour and the Viking Story Night are both family-friendly.
- Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of children throughout the tour.
- Food and drinks are not included in the tour price beyond the tasting provided as part of the Viking Story Night experience.
- Cafés are available at Skógafoss and in Vík along the route for those who wish to stop for a meal during the afternoon.
Cancellation for this tour
Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.
If the weather cancels this tour
Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1VAREN Iceland decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
- 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
- 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.
What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.
Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Not a good fit if you want a relaxed day: 12 hours is a long time on the road, most of it spent getting there and back.
- Priced per vehicle, so it is poor value for one or two people and good value for four or more sharing.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
VAREN Iceland is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
One checkout, any number of operators
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153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
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Pairs well with
Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.
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