This small museum atop Skólavörduholt hill (near the Hallgrímskirkja church) celebrates Iceland’s first sculptor, Einar Jónsson.  The museum features examples of Jónsson’s plaster works made over the course of his 60-year career.  The building, which was built in 1923, was originally Jónsson’s studio and home.  The outdoor sculpture garden is open to the public year-round.

This route along the southwest coast passes a “best of” list of Icelandic attractions, including Thingvellir National Park, where you can walk from the North American to the Euroasian tectonic plate, Gullfoss waterfall and the valley of Haukadalur, where you can see active geysers. If you have more time, stop by Skogafoss, another magnificent waterfall, and the nearby Skógar Museum.

It took thirty-eight years to complete the Hallgrímskirkja church, whose 244-foot tower is visible across Reykjavík. A prime example of Expressionist architecture, the church was inspired by the basalt columns found at such waterfalls as Svartifoss in Skaftafell National Park. The church’s wings start low, then rise dramatically to shape the central high tower. The interior of this Lutheran church is unadorned and luminous. The statue out front is of Norse explorer Leif Eriksson, and a plaque declares that he was the first European to set foot in America.

A stunning contemporary structure on the Reykjavik harbor, Harpa is a multipurpose cultural space housing the National Opera and Symphony along with a smattering of art galleries, shops and a restaurant. The honeycomb façade of the structure, designed in collaboration with famed artist Olafur Eliasson, might initially attract visitors to the site, but it is worth staying for a performance or checking out the rotating art exhibits on the third and fourth floors.

Visiting the geysers (called Geysir and Strokkur) in this valley is a tourist must, but be sure to go early, as the place gets overrun, especially during the high season. Stay on the marked paths; the geothermal field abounds with mud pots and the ground is thin. No need to plan on a huge amount of time; it’s cool to see the geyser erupt at close range, shooting up to 100 feet into the sky in five- to ten-minute intervals, but there’s not much more to see once the initial excitement has worn off.

This white-wall gallery near the port and the Reykjavík Art Museum is the city’s most prestigious and cutting-edge exhibition space. The gallery represents such well-known international artists as Ölafur Elíasson, Roni Horn, and Lawrence Weiner as well as Icelandic performance artist and rising art star Rangar Kjartansson. Check the website for hours and current shows.

These sturdy equines are a matter of major national pride, and you will see herds of them dotting the landscape. They are not wild but very popular with locals and foreigners for their special five gaits, two of which (the tölt and the flying pace) are extremely rare and deem the Icelandic horse a breed of its own. Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team for help with arrangements.

Indagare’s preferred Iceland operator can help pull together a great first-time itinerary, which will include the best of the Golden Circle as well as some insider spots that are not on everyone else’s lists. Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team for help with a customized itinerary.

There are multiple ways to get out on the water, ranging from a group RIB speed boat tour or a private speed boat or sailing cruise. All options will allow you to see Iceland as the Vikings first spotted it from the sea. In addition, you may be able to spot whales, dolphins, puffins and other wildlife, depending on the season, and see fjords, glaciers and a range of islands, including the one that contains a wonderful museum about a recent volcanic eruption. Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team for help with arrangements.

The area just outside Reykjavík is filled with hot springs and warm pockets.  The best way to reach these delicious natural baths is with a professional guide from Indagare’s preferred Iceland operator.  You will be picked up at your hotel in a luxury vehicle and drive you to the foot of the trail, from which point it is about 1-1 ½ hour hike to a secluded stream where you can soak as long as you like.  (Be sure to pack swimsuits and towels.)

Note: During high season, an early start (8 am pick-up from Reykjavík) will help ensure you get private time in the hot springs, before the rest of the tourists arrive

The Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is one of Iceland’s most spectacular natural wonders.  Here you can watch large and small icebergs that have broken off from the glacier float down the lagoon and eventually out to sea.  Some of the bergs rest on the black sand beaches—where they look like sparking diamonds on this dramatic dark background—before being carried off by the crashing waves.  Exploring the lagoon by zodiac boat is a great way to see the larger icebergs up close.

Located midway between Reykjavík and the Golden Circle, the Thrihnukagigur volcano has been dormant for 4,000 years and can be explored by hearty hikers. Getting to the mouth of the volcano requires crossing over a flat lava field—covered by moss in some places, snow in others—by foot, which takes about 45 minutes to an hour. (The total distance from the parking lot is approximately 2 miles each way. And though it is not steep or particularly rough terrain, the walk can be difficult in bad weather.)

Upon arrival at the base camp (a small cabin near the mouth of the volcano) coffee and hot tea will be served before guides to help you suit up with a helmet and harness before taking small groups (4 at a time) on a specially designed elevator platform that slowly lowers you down to the bottom of the crater. Once down (the ride takes about 6 minutes), you are free to scramble about the rock piles and admire the mineral stained walls, whose vibrant blues, yellows, and reds are the result of sulfur and iron residue left behind after the most recent eruption. Upon returning to the base camp, you will be happy to discover that the staff has prepared a warming and nourishing traditional lamb stew.

This is an experience that should not be missed.  At time of writing there were rumors that a road would soon be built to connect the parking lot to the base camp.  While this would certainly make the tour easier, it will also increase the number of tourists substantially. Come soon to take advantage of what is still, for the time being at least, a just reward for a rugged adventure.

Indagare Tip: Though the hike is only of moderate difficulty, it is wise to gear-up as the weather can be wet up in the mountains and the air significantly colder than at sea level.  A pair of good hiking boots (not sneakers) as well as wind/rain proof pants (not jeans) and jacket are recommended, as are a warm hat, gloves, and socks. For those who wish to go inside the volcano, but are not up for the hike, it is also possible to arrange a helicopter drop off near the base camp.  Children under 12 are not permitted on this tour.

Cape Ingolfshofdi is a beautiful isolated headland on Iceland’s southwest coast between Skaftafell (in the Vatnajokull National Par) and the Jökulsárlón ice lagoon.  The land is part of a protected nature reserve that is home to thousands of sea birds who come to nest, including puffins and great skuas. A local guide will take you on a wonderful birding tour via her tricked out tracker that has been adapted with a large wooden flatbed that can carry up to forty passengers across the marshy sands and tide pools to the base of the bluff (about a 25 minute drive each way.)  After hiking up a dramatic black sand dune, the flat walk around the nature preserve lasts about 1 ½ hours, during which time you will learn to watch where you step to avoid crushing eggs laid by the puffins, who make their nests in small holes along the edge of the bluff.

Note: You will want to have good all-weather gear for this trip, as it can be windy and or rainy on the cape.  In addition to good hiking boots, wind/rain proof pants and a jacket are recommended.

One of the newest adventure offerings in Iceland involves descending into the world’s largest ice tunnel to walk 25 meters below Europe’s second largest glacier. The activity launched in the summer of 2015, and was originally going to operate only during the summer months but has proven so popular that it is now offered year-round. For those staying in Reykjavik, it is a full-day outing; the base is nearly a two-hour drive from the city and involves a drive onto the glacier in a converted German missile launcher, which can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours depending on the snow conditions on the glacier (drives tend to be longer in the winter months).

The trucks hold thirty-five people who are split into two groups for the guided visit, which includes time for photos on top of the glacier followed by an hour-long walk through the various ice caves within the tunnel, where you see crevasses, icicle formations and other frozen spectacles. Along the 500-meter walk, you will enter various chambers, including a small chapel. LED lights behind the ice walls light up the tunnel and rooms, and guides discuss glacier formation, safety and global warming. Crampons are provided, but it is advisable to dress for very cold temperatures; at the base, warm-weather suits are offered to those who are underdressed.

Who it’s right for: Thrill seekers and nature enthusiasts.

Who it’s wrong for: Impatient sightseers (of any age), as the excursion takes a full day (unless you hire a helicopter to land on the glacier, which can cut the timing down significantly).

Indagare members can contact our Bookings Team for help with arrangements.

A smaller and less touristy alternative to the Blue Lagoon, Laugarvatn Fontana makes for the perfect relaxation stop on the Golden Triangle Route. Unwind in the geothermal pools located directly beside a large lake – if you’re up for it, you can plunge into the cold waters of the lake after spending some time in the naturally-heated sauna and steam room.

This site is a worthwhile stop during a day exploring Iceland's South Shore. The center offers an interactive, educational experience that sheds light on the volcanoes of Iceland and the country's hotbeds of geological activity.

Those looking for a general introduction to Iceland’s history and culture should plan on an hour’s visit to this museum (you won’t need more), within walking distance of Reykjavík’s shopping streets. Don’t miss the boutique, which has a fine selection of books in English, including Independent People and World Light, written in the 1930s by Icelandic Nobel Prize–winner Halldór Laxness.

Set atop the Oskjuhlid bluff overlooking central Reykjavik, the Pearlan complex (home to a café, restaurant and outdoor observation deck) provides spectacular 360-degree views of the city and surrounds. The striking structure is supported by six huge water tanks and capped by a futuristic glass dome. Opened in 1991, Pearlan is due for a revamp, but the views and whimsical indoor fountain (constructed to mimic a Geysir) make it well worth a visit.

The city’s contemporary art museum was founded in 1973 and now spreads across three locations in the city. Paintings and sculptures by established artists are on view at the Kjarvalsstadir exhibition hall at Miklatún. The Hafnarhus (Harbor House), inaugurated in 2000, is located in downtown Reykjavík near the waterfront, and is dedicated to new developments in art.  Finally, the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum, a showcase of work by the Icelandic sculptor, is located near Laugardalur. The permanent collection at Kjarvalsstadir and the temporary exhibitions at Hafnarhus are worth a visit.

Too often, folk museums in remote locations disappoint with dusty, incomplete collections and disgruntled staffers, but the Skogár Museum is a glowing exception. It’s the labor of love with more than 12,000 pieces in the collection and about 8,000 on display. Tour guides lead visitors through the rooms where the items are lovingly displayed, vividly making past centuries come to life. For instance, we learned that 19th-century Icelanders predicted weather patterns by hanging a cow bladder in front of their doors: if it expanded, a high was approaching; if it deflated, bad weather was coming. There’s also an entire room dedicated to fishing, still Iceland’s largest industry, including a one-mast wooden boat built in 1855.

Don’t miss the restored turf farmhouses behind the museum: single-room homes with an adjoining barn that were used by Icelandic farmers in the 1800s and call to mind The Hobbit. Visitors can also tour a larger restored wooden house that was in use until 1949 and Skógar Church. Opening hours vary throughout the year; contact the museum before you visit.

The Marshall House cultural center in Reykjavik houses two contemporary art galleries, Studio Olafur Eliasson and an eponymous bar and restaurant with a Brooklyn vibe.

A prime spot along the Golden Circle route, this breathtaking national park is where the Vikings founded the Althing in 930, effectively the world’s first parliament, where a speaker would climb onto a rock (marked today by a small white flag) and enact laws as well as arbitrate disputes. Equally impressive is that at Thingvellir, the North American and Euroasian tectonic plates face each other (they are separating at a rate of about half an inch annually). A short scenic hike takes you from one to the other, a fascinating endeavor, especially when you think that in the more than 9,000 years since this lava field was formed, the plates have moved more than 200 feet apart. En route you also pass the so-called “pool of drowning,” where adulteresses and suspected witches were killed in the 17th and 18th centuries (the madness of Europe’s witch hunts made its way even into the remote corners of Iceland).

There are some 10,000 waterfalls on Iceland, but the most popular are in driving distance to Reykjavík: Gullfoss, one of Europe’s largest waterfalls; Skógafoss, one of the most scenic, with a perpetual single or double rainbow on sunny days; and Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the waterfall à la Daniel Day-Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans (don’t attempt this in the winter when the path is dangerous due to ice).