The Highland Circle is the ultimate self-drive adventure trip. In only 8 days you‘ll get to explore places around Iceland most travelers dream to see but only few actually do! During this trip you will not only cross the country once but twice, catching a glimpse of the unique, beautiful and rarely visited Icelandic highlands! Besides these unique views you‘ll get the chance to explore the top sites around Reykjavik in the south-west, Akureyri and Mývatn in the north, the famous south cost and Skaftafell national park in the south-east. On each location you‘ll get to undertake an adventure specific to each area. To name only a few things you‘ll get to visit the Golden Circle in south-west, view the deserted highlands while undertaking some awesome 4X4 roads, go river rafting on a world class white water rafting river in Skagafjörður, snorkel on the meeting of the tetonic plates of North America and Europe, go whale watching in Húsavík, walk on the largest glacier in Europe and so much more!

Your tour starts early morning at Reykjavik Backpackers where you collect your travel documents if you have not done that already. After leaving the city you‘ll visit the Golden Circle, starting with Þingvellir National Park. There you can see  the tectonic plates of Europe and North America meet and the site of the Viking parliament before seeking out the Geysir hot spring, the spouting Strokkur and Gullfoss waterfall. This day includes a choice between three activities, you can go river rafting on the beautiful Hvítá River, snorkeling in the Silfra fissure in Þingvellir or horse riding. The first night you’ll stay in the south west area, strategically located for your plan for the following day.

DAY 2
Now you cross the Kjölur highland route with it‘s beautiful landscape. You pass Hvítárvatn lake, the source of Hvítá river and Kerlingarfjöll mountains, famous for it‘s hiking routes and hot pool. Hveravellir nature reserve with it‘s amazing geothermal activity is a great place for a stop. You can take a dip in a geothermal pool which has natural hot and cold water. At Hveravellir you are situated right between the glaciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull and the scenery is stunning. You‘ll then continue north until you reach the Skagafjörður district where you‘ll spend the night.

DAY 3
Today you‘ll go river rafting on one of the two glacier rivers Skagafjörður boasts. The East Glacial River and West Glacier River are two of the most visited river rafting rivers in Iceland. Each one of them offers different difficulty levels of river rafting. The first river is top class rafting (ranking 4 to 4+) and the second one is a family friendly river with grade 2 to 2+ rapids. After enjoying the outdoors and the refreshing activity you‘ll continue to Akureyri for your overnight stay. Akureyri has alot to offer, it is called the capital of the north. 

DAY 4
We recommend you start your day early as there are a lot of interesting sights to see today. Make a short stop at Goðafoss waterfall before continuing to the magical area of Myvatn. Lake Myvatn is famous for rich birdlife and volcanic activity. Just a view of the lake and its surroundings is an experience by itself but there are numerous sights that are worth your time. Dimmuborgir (dark castles) lava fields, Víti explotion crater, the steaming hot volcano crater Leirhnjukur  and Námafjall geothermal area with it‘s bubbling mud pools are definitly highlights. After checking out the Mývatn lake you will drive further east to Jokulsargljufur Nation Park where you will visit Dettifoss Waterfall and Ásbyrgi canyon. At last you visit Húsavík town, famous for it‘s whale watching tours. A preferred overnight stay is in the Húsavík/Mývatn area (taking the Tjörnes circle).

DAY 5
This is the longest stretch between the south and north so we have to keep the pace on this day. The route lies between Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers in a very remote and barren enviroment. The landscape is rough and often it‘s a challange to cross it but taking your time in a good 4x4 this might be the 4X4 adventure of your life. You start by driving the Bárðardalur Valley which is one of the longest valleys in Iceland. You then continue the Sprengisandur route passing lakes and magnificent mountain views until you reach Hrauneyjar highland center. From here you are a short distance away from many beautiful locations like Landmannalaugar, Thjórsárdalur and Mount Hekla. You‘ll overnight in the area.

DAY 6
Explore the Landmannalaugar area with it‘s unique surroundings, hot springs and colourful rhyolite mountains. After the magnificent views in Landmannalaugar drive the Fjallabak Nyrðra mountain road behind the massive Mýrdalsjökull Glacier. On the way you‘ll cross various rivers, pass the Ljótipollur highland lake and drive under imposing mountains in an utterly unforgettable wilderness. When reaching Route 1 you will continue east along the coast to Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park with its alpine spires and massive glaciers.

DAY 7
Today you‘ll leave your jeep in the Skaftafell National Park and join our expert glacier guides on a day tour from Skaftafell. This tour includes glacier hiking on an outlet glacier of the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull, which is an experience of a lifetime. After finishing the glacier hiking you’ll head over to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon for a worth your while boat tour among the floating icebergs. Another night will be spent in the Skaftafell area.

DAY 8
Use the last day of your road trip to travel back to Reykjavik. There are many interesting sights and stops on this 300 km route along the famous south coast of Iceland. Among them are Reynisfjara black lava sand beach, Dyrhólaey peninsula, Reynisdrangar cliffs and Skógar and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. Return back to Reykjavik in the afternoon marks the end of your road trip.