Glacier, Cave and Steam Adventure

Embark on the Glacier, Cave, and Steam Adventure, where you explore Iceland’s magnificent glaciers, mystical lava caves, and rejuvenating geothermal hot springs. Customize your luxurious tour for a truly unique experience.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING AND WHAT IS...

The Plan

Glacier, Cave and Steam Adventure

This adventure gives you a little taste of everything Iceland is renowned for: glaciers, caves and hot springs, with the odd waterfall here and there along the route. A popular option is to go on the Into the Glacier tour on the top of Langjökull, Europe’s second largest glacier.

We will bring you to the top of the glacier where local guides take over and will escort you through the tunnel. You will discover the effects of climate change along with short lectures about the geology of Iceland and its glaciers.

Deildartunguhver Hot Spring

After a quick stop in the fishing town of Borgarnes, we will drive across one of Iceland's most picturesque and historical bridges across the Hvítá River. Built as a single lane bridge in the 20s, it was rendered obsolete and redundant in 1981 when the two-lane bridge across Borgarfjord (we will cross that bridge earlier in the tour) was opened.

Soon after crossing the Hvítá Bridge, we arrive a Europe's largest hot spring, Deildartunguhver. Providing hot water for the surrounding farms and villages, water gushes out a record high of 180 liters per second. And for our most curious guests, yes, it is hot, just below the boiling point at 97°C so use caution particularly for those traveling with small children.

For those that do not have tours booked that day, it may be an idea to stop at the beautiful Krauma Spa for relaxation and perhaps lunch at their wonderful restaurant.

Hraunfossar Waterfall

As we head towards Húsafell Valley, we will make a few stops along the way notably at the waterfalls of Hraunfossar and Barnafossar. These unique waterfalls seep through the sidewalls of an arrested lava field Hallmundarhraun, which is estimated to have flown in the 900s.

A subterranean water system flows underneath the over 1000-year-old old lava field and makes its way towards the Hvítá River in a picturesque environment worthy of many photos.

Húsafell and Víðgemlir (summer)

From the waterfalls, we arrive in the valley of Húsafell. If the Into the Glacier tour was not selected as a part of the tour, an option would be to visit the lava tube cave at Viðgemlir. At just under a mile long, it is one of the longest caves in Iceland. A local operator will guide us into the cave (torches/flashlights and helmets provided) exploring parts of the 10-meter high ceiling. The rock formations in the lava walls are an added bonus.

After exploring Viðgemlir Lava Cave, we return to Húsafell where we will have lunch.

Kaldidalur Mountain Pass and Langjökull Glacier

We depart Húsafell to the south where the road soon turns to gravel and up along a route known Kaldidalur (Cold Valley) and down towards Uxahryggjaleið. This road will take us past the second largest glacier in Iceland, Langjökull. Arriving at Langjökull we have a few options depending on weather, time of year and the overall conditions of the glacier, notably the Into the Glacier tour.

Thingvellir National Park

From Kaldidalur, we head towards Thingvellir National Park – which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thingvellir is the setting of the world’s oldest parliament, the Althing. It is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia come together, forming fissures, crevices, as well as Iceland’s largest natural lake, Thingvallavatn. The fissures of the valley are a must-see for all visitors to Iceland.

Due to time constraints, Thingvellir will only be visited on this tour if the Into the Glacier Tour is not selected as a part of the trip and/or if the Golden Circle Adventure is a part of a multi-day package with Adventure Patrol.

HERE GOES THE TAG

Details

EVERYONE'S LOVING IT

About this tour

My wife and I spent three days in Reykjavik and seven days on a guided trip around the southern, eastern and northern coasts of Iceland. The weather was glorious for almost our whole stay. We arranged the trip with the patient help of Arnar Baldvinsson, who runs Adventure Patrol and took care of all the details…

Keith Stevenson

West Hartford, CT

My wife and I just returned from a spectacular trip planned by Adventure Patrol, and we cannot recommend the experience highly enough! The owner of Adventure Patrol, Arnar, was extraordinarily easy to work with as we discussed our hopes and expectations in the weeks before the trip…

Jim S

Massachusett

This was an amazing trip, and we fell in love with Iceland! From helping us plan the trip to the trip itself, Adventure Patrol did an excellent job of crafting a trip that exceeded our expectations and ensured that the trip details were on point. Our guide, Egill, was very knowledgeable, personable, and had a great sense of humor…

Glutes

Atlanta, GA

We were in Iceland in January 2024. We joined a trip that friends of our had organized with Adventure Patrol. They worked with our friends to develop an itinerary for the trip that turned out great. We stayed in both Reykjavik and Vik, and the accommodations they chose and the itinerary they planned were perfect…

paulwalczyk

Bel Air, MD

We took a 10 day trip to Iceland, arranged by Adventure Patrol. The owner, Arnar, was very attentive to our thoughts about what we would like to do and see, and patiently worked with us through several iterations of our itinerary. We greatly benefited from his local expertise and contacts in curating and arranging every aspect of our trip…