National Geographic's Iceland Trip

National Geographic has a trip that you can take with them – a cruise around Iceland. It is a 10-day Itinerary, with an optional pre-trip extension of 3 days. To me, in combination with the knowledge that a Ring Road exists around Iceland, and at first glance, this translates fairly simply into a really great road trip.


National Geographic Itinerary (including the pre-trip extension)

Day -3: Fly into Keflavik airport. Stay at the Blue Lagoon Spa overnight.
Day -2: Drive to Reykjavik, check into Grand Hotel. Guided walking tour of the capital in the afternoon.
Day -1: The Golden Circle: Geysir/Strokkur, Gullfoss, National Park of Thingvellir, return to Reykjavik
Days 1 & 2: Walking tour of Reykjavik’s Old Town – highlights include: Hallgrimskirkja, National Museum
Day 3: West Coast of Iceland: Latrabjarg cliffs, Flatey Island; explore coast by Zodiac
Day 4: Isafjordur
Day 5: Northern Coast of Iceland: Siglufjordur – Herring Museum, Akureyri – Walking tour, botanical garden
Day 6: Myvatn and Husavik: Hverarond mud pools, Krafla geothermal area, Viti crater, Godafoss, Grimsey. Explore the coast by Zodiac. *Midnight sun of summer*
Day 7: Exploring the Langanes (East Coast of Iceland): hiking, coastal exploration by Zodiac…
Day 8: Djupivogur: Vatnajokull ice cap, boat ride through Jokulsarlon
Day 9: Westman Islands:
Day 10: Blue Lagoon, Fly out of Reykjavik.

After more in-depth analysis, the National Geographic trip, being a cruise, includes quite a bit of coastal exploration that might not be possible if you are doing a road trip. I’ll have to compare that with the road map, and will also compare it to the itinerary and sights that Rory mentioned in his blog.