Seven days from the Blue Lagoon to the glacier lagoon — by helicopter, by zodiac, on foot across blue ice — with one guide who knows when to slow down.
This is the Iceland people imagine — waterfalls you can walk behind, a geyser that erupts on schedule, icebergs calving into a lagoon — travelled the way it should be: privately, unhurried, and with every door already open.
A starting point, not a script. Every day can be stretched, swapped or slowed down; your guide will suggest it before you ask.
Your guide meets you at Keflavík and drives twenty minutes across the lava to the Retreat at Blue Lagoon. A slow afternoon in the geothermal water, a treatment if you like, and a light dinner before continuing to Reykjavík.
A private helicopter lifts off from Reykjavík harbour and follows the rift over the Hengill volcanic system — steaming valleys, craters, a hot river — with a landing for a quiet half hour far from any road. The afternoon is yours in the city: the harbour, the Harpa concert hall, a tasting-menu dinner we've booked.
We leave before the tour buses. Þingvellir, where the continents pull apart and Iceland's parliament met for nine centuries; the Geysir field, where Strokkur erupts every few minutes; and Gullfoss, heard long before it is seen. Lunch at a farm restaurant, then south to Hotel Rangá.
Walk behind the curtain of Seljalandsfoss, stand in the spray of Skógafoss, then follow the coast to Reynisfjara's basalt columns and black sand. We continue east through Iceland's emptiest landscapes — mosses, glacial rivers, the sandur — to the edge of Vatnajökull.
Morning on the water: a zodiac threads between icebergs the size of houses, close enough to hear them crack. Across the road, Diamond Beach — ice sculpted by the sea on black sand. After lunch, crampons on for a guided walk on the glacier itself. Dinner back at the hotel facing the ice.
The drive back is a second look at the south coast with fresh eyes — the canyon of Fjaðrárgljúfur, the cliffs of Dyrhólaey, a stop for Icelandic horses. A farewell dinner in Reykjavík.
Breakfast at leisure, then a private transfer to Keflavík. If your flight is late, we can add a final stop at the Sky Lagoon.
The city's best address, on the old harbour beside Harpa. Quiet rooms, a rooftop bar and a Michelin-guide restaurant.
A log-built lodge on the Rangá river with the Hekla volcano on the horizon, an observatory and a kitchen that takes Icelandic produce seriously.
The only comfortable stay within minutes of Jökulsárlón — floor-to-ceiling glass facing Vatnajökull.
From €11,900 per person based on two travelling together in deluxe rooms. Parties of four or more, single travellers and upgraded suites are priced individually — ask and we'll send a clear, itemised quote.
Icelandic weather is part of the experience. If we can't fly on Day 2, we swap it with another day of the itinerary, or replace it with a super-jeep day into the Þórsmörk valley at no extra cost. Your guide makes the call the evening before.
The glacier walk is the most active element: two to three hours on gentle ice with crampons, suitable for anyone who can walk comfortably for a morning. Everything else is at your pace — nothing is compulsory.
Yes, from about eight years old. We adapt the glacier walk and swap the Retreat Spa for the family side of the Blue Lagoon if you prefer. Tell us their ages when you enquire.
Of course. The itinerary is a starting point. Some guests prefer ION Adventure Hotel in the Golden Circle area, or a private lodge. We'll reprice it transparently.
