A Nordic New Year – Iceland!

Meet Borton Overseas Nordic Specialist, Betina Kohler, who will escort the group to Reykjavik on Icelandair. Departure from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport at 6:25pm. Borton Overseas can assist with arrangements for departures from other US locations – please inquire!

Morning arrival into Iceland. After luggage collection, group transfer to Viking World for a welcome breakfast and a brief history of Leifur Eiríksson’s journey to the New World. Following breakfast, transfer into Reykjavik to our hotel for check-in. Remainder of morning and early afternoon are free. Late this afternoon, we will combine sightseeing with our dinner experience as we sample authentic Icelandic cuisine on a walking food tour of Reykjavik. This is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the city and its culture. In addition to a walking tour of the city with a local guide, we will also stop at various dining establishments across the city and sample some of the best native Icelandic treats.
Overnight at Exeter Hotel

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart Reykjavik and travel the famous Golden Circle route. This tour takes you on a wondrous circular journey through the heart of Iceland’s Southern Region, stopping at some of Iceland’s most iconic sites. Þingvellir National Park is an attraction of great historical, geological, and cultural significance.
Located in a rift valley where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet, the UNESCO designated world heritage site is also the birthplace of the Althing—Iceland’s parliament founded in 930 AD—where the nation’s most powerful leaders would meet to decide on legislation and carry out Viking-age justice. The tour continues across an area of picturesque scenery to the mighty Gullfoss waterfall. Once there, you can take several paths around the two tiers of cascading water to explore several vantage points. Extra time is allotted at this location for a lunch break at Gullfoss Café. Home of “The Great Geysir” hot spring, which all geysers are named after, this area is an impressive collage of bubbling mud pools, hissing steam vents, and colorful algae deposits. Strokkur geyser puts on quite the show every few minutes blasting boiling water high up into the air.
Overnight at Exeter Hotel

The morning and afternoon are free for sightseeing, and shopping or explore Reykjavik on your own. We will meet for a New Year’s Eve dinner to start our holiday celebration. After dinner we will tour the Bonfires of Reykjavik where we will experience the Icelandic New Year’s Eve traditions dating back to the Viking Age. The family-friendly atmosphere and the fire will warm us up as we sing along together, to bid farewell to the old year and prepare to welcome in the new. We will celebrate with the locals at several bonfires and then, after a stop back at the hotel, we will take a short walk to our New Year’s Eve Fireworks Cruise on Faxaflói Bay. We will escape the city lights and enjoy the spectacular fireworks views from open-top decks seeing all the fireworks of the city. There is also an indoor lounge and seating if you need a break to warm up from the cold and a chance to see the elusive Northern Lights before the fireworks.
Overnight at Exeter Hafnia

Today is free to sightsee independently in the city or you can choose to participate in an additional tour.

Optional Day Tour
• South Coast Tour:
Venture out to the south coast of Iceland. Here you will visit amazing sights seeing; the lava fields and Eyjafjallajökull, a volcano last erupting in 2010. The tour will visit Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, Sólheimajökull glacier, and the black sand beaches and basalt column cliffs of Reynisfjara, which are rich in bird life, and an amazing beach cave called Hálsanefshellir.

• Sky Lagoon – Geothermal Spa
The Sky Lagoon is breathtaking a geothermal spa in Reykjavik capital area. Relax and unwind in the great outdoors and experience the 7-step ritual for rejuvenated mind and body.

Overnight at Exeter Hotel

Partake in one last Scandinavian breakfast this morning. We will then depart the city for the famous Blue Lagoon where we can enjoy relaxing in the geothermal waters before our long flight home. The mineral rich water is a milky shade of blue and the soothing and healing effects on the skin have been experienced by visitors during its 40 years of existence. Your entrance includes the self-applied silica mud mask to soften and clean the skin, towel usage, and your first drink in the lagoon free. You will leave the lagoon feeling clean, relaxed, and satisfied!

We will then continue on the coach to the airport in connection with our flight with Icelandair, departing at 4:45pm.

Farewell Iceland