Ten days,one ring
The Ring of Fire and Ice is our most-booked route: clockwise from Reykjavík, ten places in ten days, and never more than four hours on the road. It runs on your dates, for private groups of four to eight.
Open a day to see it on the map. 1,450 km in all, 70% of it on the Ring Road.
Day 1ReykjavíkHarbour supper, kit check0 km
Meet at the old harbour at 17:00. We check boots and shells, hand out the satellite messenger, and eat supper at a fish counter on Grandi. You sleep five minutes from the water.
Day 2ÞingvellirWalk the rift between two continents160 km
The Almannagjá fissure at Þingvellir, where the American and Eurasian plates pull apart by about 2 cm a year. Then Geysir and Gullfoss before the afternoon light goes, and a quiet evening in the south.
Day 3LandmannalaugarRhyolite hills, a hot river130 km
The highland road F208, open only from late June, with three river fords. A walk over Brennisteinsalda and Bláhnúkur in the rhyolite hills, then a soak in the warm stream at the hut.
Day 4VíkBlack sand and basalt columns220 km
Back to the coast via Hella. Reynisfjara at the end of the afternoon, when the day visitors have left, and the headland of Dyrhólaey for the puffins from May to August.
Day 5SkaftafellCrampons on, first glacier walk190 km
Across the sands of the Skeiðarársandur to Skaftafell for a three-hour walk on Svínafellsjökull, with ice axes and crampons from our kit. Supper at the farm.
Day 6JökulsárlónIcebergs at dawn, by kayak70 km
Up early for the lagoon. Kayaks or zodiacs among the bergs from 07:00 before the first tour buses, and Diamond Beach at midday. Langoustine in Höfn in the evening.
Day 7StokksnesVestrahorn from the dunes60 km
A rest day with one thing in it: Vestrahorn from the Stokksnes dunes, at the end of the day, in the low light. If the aurora comes, we know a flat piece of sand to watch it from.
Day 8SeyðisfjörðurFjord town, slow afternoon270 km
Over the Öxi mountain pass to the east fjords, with the road falling through nine hairpins into Seyðisfjörður. A blue wooden church, a rainbow street, a small art-house cinema and a slow afternoon.
Day 9MývatnLava fields and a warm lagoon250 km
Across the Möðrudalur plateau, the highest farm in Iceland, to Lake Mývatn. A walk through the Dimmuborgir lava labyrinth and an evening soak in the warm lagoon at Jarðböðin.
Day 10AkureyriLast breakfast, flight home100 km
Goðafoss on the way, a last breakfast in Akureyri and the domestic flight to Reykjavík in the afternoon, or a transfer to the airport at Keflavík.
The route in numbers
The F208 highland road is open from late June to early September, so the Ring runs between 25 June and 12 September. Outside those dates we swap Landmannalaugar for the Golden Circle and a night in the hot springs at Hveravellir. Ask.
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Driving
- 1,450 km, 3 h average
- Group
- 4 to 8, private
- Fitness
- 2 of 5, walks of 2 to 5 h
- Season
- 25 June to 12 September
- Guides
- Gunnar Þórisson, Katrín Ólafsdóttir
Prices for private groups
| Group size | Price per person | Single supplement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 travellers | €5,400 | €690 | One vehicle, two guides |
| 6 to 7 travellers | €6,100 | €690 | One vehicle, two guides |
| 4 to 5 travellers | €7,900 | €690 | One vehicle, one guide, a second in Landmannalaugar |
Includes 9 nights, all breakfasts and dinners, the domestic flight Akureyri to Reykjavík, vehicles and fuel, and guides. Excludes international flights and insurance. Booking terms
