“Arctic Adventures has proven to be a very reliable and professional tour provider. With the impeccable itinerary Iceland has to offer, Arctic Adventures manages to transform a 7-day tour into a magical voyage through the fairy tale like nature around Iceland that will feel like 7 years worth of experience. From Iceland’s majestic nature wonders and its people’s specific lifestyle and all the way to its healthy meditative ambient (and yes, I am talking about the freshest water on planet Earth and the air that feels like no human had touched before), Arctic Adventures does successfully summarize in the 7 day around Iceland tour.
A cozy 18 people van will pick you up at the selected bus stop in Reykjavik (there is a list of bus stops offered by Arctic Adventures, mine was bus stop #6 close to my accomodation in the Hi Loft Hostel. Try to grab the first row spot as it has a better view on the surroundings! Any extra luggage will be put in the back of the van (recommend to check the permitted size of the luggage as for too big luggage there is some sort of luggage deposit that needs to be paid extra) and one backpack is taken with you. The overhead compartment has plenty of space to store some objects that could frequently be used (or infrequently, depending on your preference).
There are plenty of drivers for Arctic Adventures, so they probably don’t even know each other that well. Ours was Johannes (but for us it’s Joi 🙂 ) Joi is a very kind and warm person. He is professionally a driver that suddenly became a guide for Arctic Adventures. He can appear as shy and it is noticeable that his speech could be hard to comprehend. But on the other hand, he makes it feel less like a professional relationship and more as your very good-willing friend or neighbour who just decided to show you around Iceland 🙂
Then there is the accommodation. Every night travellers are staying in a different accommodation. Some are fancy and slightly luxurious hotels such as the one in Akureyri, the capital of the northern Iceland. The view there is just stunning and it is located in the sole centre of the city. But mostly they are guesthouses positioned in the far wilderness of Iceland, where you can possibly fall asleep to the sound of sheep bleating and eating grass next to your window. Those are also usually the best spots to see some Aurora Borealis northern lights. Oh, yes, the lights..
I am quite certain that anybody who goes to Iceland has northern lights on their bucket list. First of all, they are natural phenomena that occur in the winter season, so don’t expect to catch them before the end of September. And even if you plan your trip in the winter season, don’t set your expectations of finding them too high. I hate to break it to you, but the northern lights’ visibility depends on multiple factors. Most travellers think that when they get out of city lights the Aurora will just wait for them embracing them in its majestic green-purplish glow. Well, as much as the light plays a big role in the visibility of Auroras, it is also very important to find a clear sky with low cloud coverage, and to hope there are low dust levels in the sky. Also, the appearance of the lights is veeeery random. Thay can come and stop by for some time (hours even), and sometimes it takes about a couple of minutes for them to show their grandeur and slither away. We, however, were quite fortunate to catch them in their full splendour, two days in a row!! Day 4 in Akureyri, we booked a northern lights tour (that was not included in our package). The guide took us a bit away from the city and stopped in the middle of some land. At first, we couldn’t see anything. He told us, 3 things are essential to see the northern lights: patience, patience and patience. After an hour and a half, I have to admit, I lost all hope. I remember being very sleepy from the whole trip, and outside was very chilly. So I got in the van, closed my eyes, and the next thing I remember was Tenzin, a girl from my tour group, calling me: “Karlo, come out, so we at least take a group photo!” Well, I have to thank her for that, because as I was coming out of the van, thinking to take those photos as quickly as possible and returning to our cozy and warmer van, a rhapsody of serpent-like green lights just exploded in the sky over our heads. They formed a crown of needles (the guide called it “corona”, obviously for a reason) that were stinging and backing up one by one. I have never seen something like that, and even the northern lights I have seen on pictures couldn’t match even closely the ones we’ve seen there. Next day, we saw them again in front of our hotel in Laugarbakki. Seeing them from a hot bathtub in front of the hotel, with a glass of wine, wasn’t really the worst feeling in the world :))
The range and variety of animals you get to see in Iceland in the span of a week is just astonishing. With Arctic Adventures, you visit the horse farm, go whale hunting, sleep among the sheep and even see some seals. And I am not even mentioning the puffins, which was one thing we missed. They are present during the summer season and are one of Iceland’s symbols. And all those animals you see constantly on the road while travelling. Icelandic law is very strict when it comes to animal rights. Basically, you must not do any harm or damage to the sheep on the road, if you don’t want to get harshly penalized. That is one example of how bonded are the Icelanders with their animal cohabitants.
Lastly, I must mention the amazing group of people I got the possibility to share my trip with. As a first time solo traveller, I didn’t really expect anything in terms of social connections. I flew to Iceland with the mentality that the trip was some sort of a personal connection with nature, exploration of the unknown outside my comfort zone and, maybe most importantly, connection with myself and learning about self-worth. But as life gives when you least expect it, I met a Mexican couple, a father and son from America, and 5 other fantastic solo travellers, all generationally close to me (if not by age, then by mentality hehe). Experiencing 6 days of Icelandic wonders with them and spending time and getting to know them just made the whole trip more wholesome. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better group.”
Karlo
