Secrets of the Highlands (10D/9N)
by Icarus Rising ehf · Sightseeing day tours · Multi-day packages · Highlands
- Luxury
One main thing most days, with time that is genuinely yours.
10 stops across 10 days in the operator's own itinerary — 1 a day.
from €19,086.08 per person
Next departure: Tue 1 Jun
1 / 86
Duration
10 days
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
May – Sep
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Hotel pickup included
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
08:00
Minimum age
6
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 730 days of departure.
About this experience
This comprehensive 10-day Iceland tour combines history, adventure, and natural wonders, showcasing iconic locations like Þingvellir, Gullfoss, and Landmannalaugar. Travel through the highlands on remote roads, explore glaciers, and relax in natural hot springs. Highlights include Kerlingarfjöll, the South Coast, the Golden Circle, and the Diamond Circle.
Highlights
Experience the essence of Iceland with this 10-day journey, blending thrilling highland adventures, serene countryside escapes, and iconic historic landmarks.
- Day 1: Arrive and explore the Viking Circle, featuring Hjálparfoss and the Caves of Hella. Overnight at LandHotel.
- Day 2: Hike the colorful geothermal landscapes of Kerlingarfjöll. Stay at Highland Base.
- Day 3: Traverse Sprengisandur Highland Road, exploring central Iceland and relaxing at Mývatn hot springs. Overnight at Berjaya Mývatn.
- Day 4: Discover Mývatn’s geology at Hverfjall Volcano, Dimmuborgir, and Grjótagjá. Stay at Berjaya Mývatn.
- Day 5: Experience the Diamond Circle, from Ásbyrgi Canyon to Dettifoss. Overnight at Berjaya Mývatn.
- Day 6: Visit Goðafoss and unwind in Akureyri with options like whale watching or the Forest Lagoon. Stay at Berjaya Akureyri.
- Day 7: Journey the scenic Kjölur Road and relax in the Highland Base hot springs at Kerlingarfjöll.
- Day 8: Discover the rhyolite mountains of Landmannalaugar, hiking, and bathe in secret hot springs. Overnight at LandHotel.
- Day 9: South Coast adventure featuring a glacier hike and ziplining. Overnight at LandHotel.
- Day 10: Golden Circle highlights including Hvíta Canyon, Geysir, and Þingvellir. Overnight in Reykjavík.
Practical Info
Accommodation: 8 nights in countryside hotels, 1 night in Reykjavík.
Inclusions: Guided tours, entry to hot springs, 10 Shot Photo Package included (Per Person)
*All photos will be edited and sent to our guests within 14 days via Google Drive.
Package includes personalized portraits, group, and landscape shots
Description from the operator, Icarus Rising ehf. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Arrival + Viking Circle
- Day 2: Kerlingarfjöll
- Day 3: Sprengisandur Highland Road
- Day 4: Mývatn Tour
- Day 5: Diamond Circle
- Day 6: Akureyri
- Day 7: Kjölur Highland Road
- Day 8: Landmannalaugar
- Day 9: South Coast and Glacier Wonders
- Day 10: Golden Circle Reimagined
Included
- Certified Driver and Professional Photographer
- All Transportation including pickup and drop-off from Reykjavik
- 3-4 Star Hotel for 9 nights with breakfast included
- Single Occupancy or Double Occupancy for two if requested
- 60 Shot Photo Package included (Per Person)
Not included
- Food and Drinks
Good to know
✓ Water Bottle (Recommended)– you will have many spots to fill it up with glacier water.
✓ Food (Optional)– Stops will be made at gas stations for snacks and restaurants for lunch.
✓ Proper Seasonal Clothing– warm layers for freezing or wet conditions. Warm hat and gloves.
✓ Waterproof Jacket– Rentals are available under extras.
✓ Waterproof Pants– Rentals are available under extras.
✓ Hiking Boots– Water resistant is preferred. Rentals are available under extras.
- Lunch and Dinner are not included in the price of this tour.
- Pickup and Drop off are exclusively from the greater Reykjavik Area.
- The length of each day and order that you visit these attractions can vary depending on weather and road conditions.
- Photo packages may sometimes take more or less than 14 days to edit. This is just our average turn around time.
Cancellation for this tour
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 730 days of departure. 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 closed F-roads or a highland storm — decided by the Road Administration and the driver. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1Icarus Rising ehf 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 the cutoff shown above, 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
- Children under 6 cannot join this one.
- Not available in winter; the operator runs it roughly May to September.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
Icarus Rising ehf is one of 204 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 →
Read before you book
- Kjölur or Sprengisandur: which highland crossingKjölur is bridged, shorter and has hot springs; Sprengisandur is emptier and harder. Both are summer only, and for most people a guided day is wiser.
- Sightseeing flight in Iceland: plane or helicopter?A small plane costs about half as much per minute as a helicopter and covers more ground. Pay for the helicopter only when you want the landing.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
Multi-day packages — questions people ask
Are multi-day tours in Iceland worth it compared to day trips?
For the southeast, yes. Jökulsárlón and the ice caves are five hours from Reykjavík, so a day trip is fourteen hours of mostly bus. A two- or three-day tour (/experience/6131/, /experience/923386/) sleeps out there, sees the lagoon at a sane hour and adds an ice cave in winter. For the Golden Circle and South Coast alone, day trips are fine. Multi-day tours cost more per day but include the hotel.
What is included in a multi-day tour?
Transport in a minibus with a driver-guide, accommodation with breakfast, all the listed activities such as glacier hikes and ice caves, and the entrance fees on the route. Lunches and dinners are usually not included; you stop at guesthouses and cafes and pay your own way. Single travellers pay a supplement for their own room. Check the tour page for exact inclusions, the hotel standard and luggage limits, which are tight on small buses.
How many days do you need for the Ring Road on a tour?
Six to eight. Six-day tours (/experience/785082/, /experience/876949/) get round with one night in most regions and long driving days. Seven and eight days (/experience/20483/, /experience/33665/) add the highlands or Snæfellsnes and give more time out of the bus. Anything shorter than six is not a Ring Road tour. Summer versions have the highland detours; winter versions swap them for ice caves and shorter daylight.
Should I arrive in Iceland the day before a multi-day tour starts?
Yes. Multi-day tours leave Reykjavík between 08:00 and 09:00 and do not wait for delayed flights. Land the day before, sleep in the city, and start fresh. On the other end, tours arrive back in Reykjavík in the evening, so do not book a flight home the same night. In the planner, put arrival on day one, the tour from day two, and leave the last day for the flight.
One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it
Pairs well with
Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €578 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.
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