Diamond Circle tour from Akureyri: which one
Six Diamond Circle tours leave Akureyri. Book the small group from €282 in summer, the 4x4 from €326 in winter, and the €181 express only if time is short.
The short version
- Every Diamond Circle tour from Akureyri is a full day: eight to ten hours, around 250 km of driving.
- Small group from €282 (June to October) or €326 in a 4x4 (January to May); both stop at Selfoss and Hljóðaklettar.
- The cheapest is the €181 coach express, built for cruise ships. Short stops, sandwich included.
- GeoSea in Húsavík is an optional stop on some tours; the entry fee is extra.
- Private from €1,920 for the car. It only pays off for four or more people.
Short answer: book a small-group tour. In summer that’s Imagine Iceland’s Diamond Circle Day Tour from €282, in winter and spring the same company’s 4x4 version from €326. Take the €181 coach only if you’re off a ship or want the cheapest seat and don’t mind being hurried.
The Diamond Circle is the northern answer to the Golden Circle: Goðafoss, Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Húsavík in a loop east of Akureyri. It’s a long loop. Around 250 km, and every tour we sell takes eight to ten hours. The choice between them is mostly about how many stops you get and how long you stand at each.
If you only want Mývatn and Goðafoss, you don’t need any of this. Our Mývatn day tour guide covers the shorter day.
What changes between the tours
They all reach the same five places. The differences are in the extras and the pace.
Selfoss and Hljóðaklettar. Selfoss is Dettifoss’s quieter neighbour, a few hundred metres upstream and wider. Hljóðaklettar, the echo cliffs, are twisted basalt columns in Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. Both are worth the time. The Imagine Iceland tours list both; the express tours don’t.
Tjörnes. The coastal cliffs north of Húsavík, where puffins nest roughly May to August. A viewpoint, not a boat trip. Don’t book the day for puffins.
GeoSea. The sea baths on the headland above Húsavík. The Imagine Iceland tours offer a stop as an optional add-on, with the entry fee on top. Bring a swimsuit and a towel, or rent one there. If a soak matters to you, pick a tour that names it rather than hoping for a spare half hour.
The small-group tours
Diamond Circle Day Tour is from €282, nine hours, pickup in Akureyri or at Mývatn at 08:00. It runs June to October. Minimum age three. The Mývatn pickup is useful: if you’re staying by the lake, you start an hour closer to Dettifoss.
The 4x4 Diamond Circle is from €326 and runs the same route through January to May as well as summer. From late autumn the road to Dettifoss can be snowy, and the stretch between Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi is not always kept open, so expect a winter day to adapt the route. The extra €44 buys a vehicle that can go where a minibus can’t.
Read the cancellation terms on both. Imagine Iceland charges 10% if you cancel at any point after booking, rising to 50% in the last two days. Most other operators here are free until 24 hours before.
The Traveling Viking’s Diamond Circle is from €290, eight hours from 09:00, May to September. It swaps Selfoss and Hljóðaklettar for a walk through the Dimmuborgir lava formations at Mývatn and the mud pots at Hverir. Free cancellation until departure. A fair choice if you’d rather walk than add another waterfall.
The express option
BusTravel’s Diamond Circle Cruise Ship Express is from €181, eight hours on a coach, April to September. Sandwich, chocolate and juice are included. It runs Húsavík first, then Ásbyrgi, Dettifoss, Námaskarð and Goðafoss, and it’s timed around ships in port. Anyone can book it.
The downside is the word “express”. Stops are short and the coach is bigger. You’ll see everything and linger nowhere.
Private
The Private Diamond Circle is from €1,920 for the car, with pickup in Akureyri or at Mývatn and drop-off where you like, including Húsavík. For two people that’s a lot of money for the same stops. For a family of five it’s close to the small-group price and you choose when to move on.
Our honest take
In summer, book 172617. In winter, book 735013 and accept the route may change on the day. If you’re staying at Mývatn, use the lake pickup and save yourself an hour each way.
Take the express if you’re on a ship or on a budget. It isn’t a bad tour. It’s a fast one.
One more thing: in December the day is shorter than the tour. You’ll see Dettifoss in blue half-light and drive home in the dark. That’s fine if you know it going in.
