Many cruise ships come to Iceland during the summer, and after days at sea the passengers will often want to experience a little of Iceland.
With many tours on offer it can be hard to figure out which company to pick and where to go.
Also there are some very important factors cruise ship passengers need to consider when booking a tour.
- You need to back before the ship leaves
- You really don’t want to be crammed into a huge bus
- You want to see things off the beaten track
- You need to be picked up and dropped off where the cruise ship docks.
Here at Glaciers & Waterfalls we get lots of requests from cruise ship passengers wanting to do some of the many activities and tours that are on offer here in Iceland.
Whenever we get a request from cruise ship passengers we always recommend choosing one of our private tours and here is why.
- With a private tour there is just one pick up and drop off – for you.
- Our private tour vehicles are modern and comfortable
- We can tailor make your trip, and make extra stops as you wish
- We ALWAYS make sure you are back at the harbour in time.
- The price you pay for the car not per passenger, so you can have friends come along and share the cost.
Well that depends upon how long you have here in Reykjavík. Not all cruise ships have the same timetable, but it is likely to be one of the following:
- You may have only 7 to 8 hours
- You have the whole day
- You have 2 to 3 days
Here below I´ll help you choose a private tour depending upon how long you have.
7 – 8 hours only
The private golden circle with a visit to the secret lagoon
This is a tour that takes only 6 to 7 hours in total from pick up to drop off.
Our guide will take you to Thingvellir national park, Geysir hot spings, Gullfoss waterfall, and then to a geothermal pool to allow you to relax.
The Secret Lagoon was made, from natural geothermal resources, in 1891 and is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. The Golden Waterfall. Sometimes the Rainbow appears in the spreying from the waterfall. A look at Þingvellir Church and the Minister’s residence. It is an official summer residence of the Minister but is also used for various receptions under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Office. In Geysir geothermal area, Strokkur erupts regularly. Mt. Bjarnafell in the background. The whole day
This is an opportunity to pack as much as you can into the day and I’ve got a couple of great suggestions.
Our private Jökulsárlón tour takes you way down the the south coast and the itinerary is great. You’ll see all the popular sights the area has to offer, waterfalls, small towns, black sand beaches, and glacial iceberg in the lagoon, and also washing ashore on the beach.
Sun set on a black diamond beach. Most of the year you can actually walk behind the cascading water. Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon where Iceberg float out into the sea. 2 to 3 days
Then you’ll want to see as much as you can, and avoid going to the same area twice or more.
Over the years of guiding here in Iceland I’ve often noticed travelers booking different named tours in the same area by mistake.
For example, a glacier hike on day 1, and a south coast sight seeing tour on day 2 would actually take you to the exact same area and scheduled stops.
Another example would be the Golden circle tour on day 1, and snowmobiling on Langjökull on day 2. This too would take you to the exact same area with the same scheduled stops.
I understand why this happens, it can be a little confusing booking tours and there are many to choose from.Here’s how it should be done to maximize your time here.
- Day 1 – Go south
We offer various south coast tours, such as:
Ice caving
Glacial hiking
South Coast Sightseeing
Looking back at the view after hiking at Sólheimajökull. The waterfall dressed up in winter. - Day 2 – Go West
The Snæfellsnes peninsula. This is a great sightseeing tour and the itinerary is packed. Check out the full tour schedule here.
Gatklettur means the cliff with a hole through. View of Stykkishólmur from the island Súgandisey. Day 3 – Go North East
Since Reykjavík lies in the very south west of Iceland, going north east means you will head towards the interior, and into the Icelandic highlands.
We specialize in these kinds of tours and use modified super jeeps to forge rivers, driving through deep snow, and go onto the glacier.An Icelandic modified super jeep, standing on 46 inch tyres. You can never take too many pictures in this magnificent nature. Going once again to Þórsmörk… and we never get tired of it. Contact us if you’d like help arranging your tour, we are always very happy help and look forward to make your cruise in 2021 a vacation of a lifetime!
