Expedition Master

After arriving on the island and spending your first night in Reykjavík, your journey to discover the most authentic Iceland begins. You leave the world's northernmost capital via Highway 49, which leads out of the city towards increasingly wild landscapes. After a few kilometers, you take the Ring Road and cross a spectacular geothermal area, where steam rises from the earth like warm breath. The road winds its way up to the plateau that runs alongside Lake Þingvallavatn, whose calm waters reflect the northern sky.

Descend along winding curves to reach Þingvellir National Park, the historic Assembly Plain. Here you can walk between tectonic plates, admiring the fault line that separates the American and Eurasian plates, and pause in front of the site of the Althing, the oldest parliament in the world, founded in 930 AD.

The journey continues along secondary roads that run alongside the lake, before returning to the main road and heading towards the Geysir nature reserve. Strokkur welcomes visitors with its power: a jet of water that rises thirty meters every few minutes in a ritual that seems eternal.

The ride goes on to Gullfoss, the majestic “Golden Waterfall,” where rushing waters plunge into a canyon, creating rainbows of steam. After admiring this spectacle, we head south again, crossing landscapes of lava and green meadows, until we reach Hella. Here, a well-deserved rest awaits us, with images of a day that has revealed the power and primordial beauty of Iceland still fresh in our minds. 

Continue for a few kilometers until you reach the F210 N, entering the Landmannalaugar reserve along one of Iceland's most spectacular off-road tracks. The road winds through rolling hills and primordial landscapes, where the black lava sand creates a striking contrast with the phosphorescent green of the moss. Climb to the top of the Hnausarpollur volcano, where you can admire the caldera from above, before continuing on to the Landmannalaugar refuge, which is about 10 km away.

The route continues along the F208 N for 6 km, until the junction with the F225, which crosses the Fjallabak nature reserve for about 50 km. Here, nature shows itself in all its glory: colorful mountains, rushing streams, large snowfields, and views that evoke the feeling of being in a prehistoric world. You cross two small fords and lava flows produced by recent eruptions until you reach the summit of Hekla volcano, one of the most famous on the island.

Finally, take the F210 S and continue for about 50 km through wild and silent landscapes until you return to Hella. 

You enter the Landmannalaugar reserve along beautiful dirt roads of black lava sand, which contrast strikingly with the phosphorescent green of the moss. You enter a world apart, which fascinates and gives you the feeling of traveling to a prehistoric place. This is also the region of fords, which follow one another along the entire route (about 30 fords), until you reach the Arctic Ocean. 

After visiting Reynisfjara black sand beach, with its spectacular basalt columns rising like ancient sculptures, the route continues along the Ring Road until it reaches the Solheimajökull glacial lagoon and the famous Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. Skógafoss waterfall, 62 meters high and 30 meters wide, is set in an impressive natural setting: the water cascades onto a bed of black stones that contrasts with the emerald green of the surrounding slopes. A little further on, Seljalandsfoss, 60 meters high, reveals itself in all its wild beauty. One of its unique features is that you can easily walk behind the waterfall, observing it from a unique and evocative perspective.

The journey continues along the North Atlantic Ocean, amid breathtaking landscapes and views that look like paintings. Take Route 427, a spectacular 60-kilometer road that runs along the Arctic Sea, with ups and downs and breathtaking views, until you reach Grindavík. In the afternoon, you will arrive in Reykjavík, before transferring to Keflavík International Airport for your return flight.