Iceland Winter Discovery 4x4 Highland Adventure

In winter Iceland’s mountainous interior hides several rare treasures under a layer of snow and ice. Among them Hveravellir and Landmannalaugar with their hot springs, and the famous Geysir and Gullfoss, to name a few. However these magical places are not to easily accessed. That is why on this tour we use impressive 4x4 super-jeeps that have been modified and adapted for winter conditions (raised chassis and giant underinflated tires that allow the vehicles to “float” on the snow) to reach these locations and experience adventures filled with different impressions. Travelling in these vehicles is an adventure in its own right, a ride into an enchanting winter world and sometimes in extreme conditions. At our destinations other adventures await: hiking in snowshoes through landscapes held in winter’s frozen grips, open air baths in natural hot springs, the sight of waterfalls of all shapes and sizes where water and ice form magical sculptures, vapor clouds that burst out from earth’s interior, solfataras, mud pots, and geysers that are strangely spectacular in the winter season. A completely different universe and unique scenery!

Departure Dates:*
27.02 - 02.03.2012 - Confirmed departure!
02.04 - 06.04.2012
16.04 - 20.04.2012 - One needed to confirm
* All departures are operated in English/French

Touring: 5 days
Walking per day: 2-5 hours
Groups: 4 to 16
Accomodation: Mountain huts

Equipment List

Included : Guide for 5 days, food for 5 days (from lunch day 1 to lunch day 5), sleeping bag accommodation in mountain huts, cooking gear, transportation.

Meeting Point : Participants are picked up at their accommodation in Reykjavík from 8:30 the morning the tour starts.
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Package price for accommodation in Reykjavík before and after the tour:

In a guest house with shared facilities:

- Based on double occupancy 11.000 ISK per person (for persons traveling together, both persons
  have to purchase this item for it to be valid).

- Single room: 16.500 ISK.

Day 1: Þingvellir National Park-Deildartunguhver Hot Spring- Barnafoss- Hraunfossar
Our day begins with a hike in Þingvellir National Park, the site of the old viking parliament and a place of great historic importance. The birth place of democracy in Iceland it is a symbol and an emblem of Democracy with a capital “D”. The park is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a magnificent location with a beautiful lake skirted by a small canyon, a fissure that is in fact part of the Mid-Atlantic Rift.  Next, a visit to Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Iceland, followed by the waterfalls of Barnafoss and Hraunfossar, a row of waterfalls that over a few hundred meters emerge from underneath a lava field. From there we visit one of the numerous lava caves in the region. In winter the caves are decorated with ice stalactites. We stay the night in a hut in the area where a bath in the “hot pots” of a local swimming pool is optional.
Hiking: 2-3 hrs. total divided into numerous shorter walks.

Day 2: Hveravellir
We set course for Hveravellir! Depending on weather and snow conditions, we go north of Langjökull glacier either by route 1 and the mountain road Kjölur (a road that crosses the island from north to south between the glaciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull), or by crossing the lava fields of Hallmundarhraun. Hveravellir is above all known for intense geothermal activity, fumaroles, hot springs and colorful ponds filled with boiling water. We visit the site’s famous hot springs before putting on our snow shoes for a walk to the volcano Strýtur, and majestic views of the icecaps of Langjökull and Hofsjökull. In the evening we relax, soaking in the Hveravellir natural geothermal pool, where on a clear night we might see the Aurora Borealis light up the dark winter sky! Night in a mountain hut.
Hiking: 3hrs.

Day 3: Gullfoss-Geysir-Háifoss waterfall- Þjórsárdalur –Hekla
From the plateau we descend towards Gullfoss (the powerful “Golden waterfall”) where the turbulent waters of the river Hvítá plunge into a fault (canyon). Then we head to Geysir, which gives his name to all other spouting hot springs in the world! We come to the valley of Þjórsárdalur, which borders the lava field created by the volcano Hekla. We visit the grand waterfall of Háifoss where the water drops down a 122m high cliff, and the small valley Gjáin, before arriving at a hut near Hekla one of the Iceland’s most active volcano. When the Danes ruled the country they believed that its crater was a gateway to the Nether world. The local farmers, clever as they were, told them it was all true, and for that matter, one could hear Danish being spoken down there.  The last eruption goes back to… February 2000! 
Hiking: 3-4 hrs total, numerous small walks interspersed with transfer in vehicles.

Day 4: Landmannalaugar
We head south-west in to Landmannalaugar, a route that in certain conditions will put the capacity of our vehicles to the test!  If weather and snow conditions allow, we visit the immense crater of Ljótipollur before arriving at the mountain hut in Landmannalaugar at the foot of a lava field from an eruption in 1480. After a hike in snowshoes through this extraordinary landscape, of colorful rhyolite mountains, a bath in the warm waters of river that runs next to the mountain hut is an ideal way to end our day. 
Hiking: 3-4 hrs.

Day 5: Landmannalaugar-Tungná river- Hjálparfoss waterfall-Reykjvík
The day begins with a visit to the hot springs that lie at the foot of the hill Reykjarkollur before retracing our steps from the day before in our vehicles. We pass by the crater of Hnausapollar and come down into the great valley of the river Tungná. There, in the past farmers used to cross this vast river on boats with their sheep at the ford of Hófsvað. On the road to Reykjavík we stop at the Hjálparfoss waterfall where one stream splits into a twin waterfall that comes together in a circular basin surrounded by twisted basalt columns that form beautiful asymmetric wall. Arrival in Reykjavík in the late afternoon. 
Hiking: 2 hrs.

Departure Date	Availability
27. Feb 2012	Confirmed departure
02. Apr 2012	Available
16. Apr 2012	One needed to confirm departure