Summer Iceland & Solar Eclipse

Welcome to Iceland! Our adventure begins. Once we've transferred from the airport to our hotel via Flybus transfer, the rest of the day is for exploration!

Please note: You will be escorted on this tour by an expert, English-speaking Icelandic tour guide. For this special solar eclipse tour, all of our guides have received dedicated solar eclipse training from award-winning astronomy communicator, science lecturer, author and board member of the Icelandic Astronomical Society, Saevar Helgi Bragason.

Reykjavik - Hella. This morning we embark on a city tour of Reykjavik. Take in sights including the famous Hallgrimskirkja church, National Museum, City Hall, and Houses of Parliament.

Later, we enjoy a 2-hour whale-watching cruise. All manner of species come to the food-rich waters of Iceland to feed in summer, and you may be able to spot dolphins, humpback whales, blue whales, orca, and more during the cruise.

Later, we enjoy a visit to the Sky Lagoon, Iceland's latest attraction, set to rival the famous Blue Lagoon. The Sky Lagoon is man-made, but filled with Iceland's natural geothermal water and looks out over the harbour of Reykjavik. Relax in the warm waters and perhaps enjoy a glass of champagne as you let the lagoon rejuvenate you. We are leaving Reykajvik and heading to Hella for the evening.

Hella - Seljalandsfoss - Skogafoss - Reynisfjara - Hella. Today we experience the true forces of nature which make Iceland so special. Our morning starts with the plunging Seljalandsfoss waterfall. As well as admiring the cascade from afar, you can walk along a path that winds its way directly behind Seljalandsfoss in order to feel the spray from the waterfall. We also visit Skogafoss, where you will be mesmerised by one of Iceland's most impressive waterfalls, reaching over 60 metres high.

In the afternoon, we visit Skogar where we'll see the traditional turf houses of the Skogar Folk Museum. We also travel to the black lava beach of Reynisfjara. Our walk along the beach will allow us to spot some of Iceland's birdlife, as well as impressive rock formations and basalt columns. We head back to Hella for the night.

Hella - The Westman Islands - Hella. We travel to the coast and board a ferry to Heimaey, the only inhabited island in the Westman archipelago. In 1973, half of the island's settlements were destroyed by a volcanic eruption, triggering a huge evacuation effort. Residents managed to save the harbour from destruction by pouring cold seawater on the lava to direct it away from this important infrastructure. We'll take a bus and walking tour of the island, including a visit to the "Pompeii of the North", a volcanic excavation project. We'll also have the chance to walk up the volcano crater.

As well as the 4,500 residents who still live on Heimaey, approximately 8 million puffins make the island their summer home, and you'll be able to see these beautiful birds by the hundred. Many other migratory species also visit the Westman Islands in summer to feed and breed, so who knows which species you may spot!

You'll have plenty of time to explore Heimaey town and its surrounding areas independently before we head back to Hella.

Hella - Raufarholshellir - Reykjavik. We start today with a visit to the Raufarholshellir lava cave, the fourth longest lava tube in Iceland. Admire the incredible rock formations and vivid colours before we complete our journey back to Reykjavik and check in to our hotel. There is free time in the Icelandic capital until around 16:00, when we will head down to the ocean with our guide, the perfect spot to witness the total solar eclipse. As one of the world's smallest capitals, there is minimal light pollution in Reykjavik to intrude on our view, and no skyscrapers either.

A total solar eclipse occurs incredibly rarely, only when the moon aligns perfectly in front of the sun, as the two orbit our Earth. It is a complete cosmic coincidence that this happens at all! The sun is 400 times further away than the moon, but also 400 times larger. This allows them to appear the same size when the alignment is perfect, which is why the moon totally blocks out the sun - known as totality. Just the sun's outer atmosphere, which is called the corona, is visible - a shimmering ring of light in the pitch dark.

After our Blue Lagoon visit, we complete our journey back to Reykjavik and check in to our hotel. At around 16:00 we will head down to the ocean with our guide, the perfect spot to witness the total solar eclipse. As one of the world's smallest capitals, there is minimal light pollution in Reykjavik to intrude on our view, and no skyscrapers either.

A total solar eclipse occurs incredibly rarely, only when the moon aligns perfectly in front of the sun, as the two orbit our Earth. It is a complete cosmic coincidence that this happens at all! The sun is 400 times further away than the moon, but also 400 times larger. This allows them to appear the same size when the alignment is perfect, which is why the moon totally blocks out the sun - known as totality. Just the sun's outer atmosphere, which is called the corona, is visible - a shimmering ring of light in the pitch dark.

We will position ourselves precisely at 64°08'50.1"N 21°54'26.4"W - one of the few optimal viewing points on the entire planet to marvel at this natural phenomena, along the central axis of the eclipse. Solar eclipse glasses will be provided to ensure you can see the eclipse unfold safely - you can remove them during totality to get the best experience.

At precisely 16:47:11, the partial eclipse will commence as the moon begins its slow journey across the sun. By 17:48:15, the total eclipse will take centre stage, plunging the world into complete darkness for an extraordinary one-minute experience. During this brief moment of totality, time seems to pause—the temperature drops, the birds fall silent, and an eerie stillness envelops everything. As the total eclipse concludes and sunlight gradually reappears from behind the moon, the celestial show continues for another hour, until 18:47.

Only here in west Iceland, Greenland, northern Spain and northeast Portugal (and a few spots in the ocean) will mankind experience a total eclipse on 12 August, 2026. This is a historic moment, the last total solar eclipse to take place in Iceland was in 1954, and there won't be another until 26 June, 2196. During the totality, depending on the conditions, it may be possible to spot Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars, and the stars of the Big Dipper should also be visible directly overhead.

TOTAL ECLIPSE
Partial begins - 16:47:11
Totality begins - 17:48:15
Maximum Eclipse - 17:48:45
Totality ends - 17:49:15
Partial ends - 18:47:36

Once the eclipse has ended, opt for a leisurely walk into Reykjavik for dinner with new friends.

And just like that, our solar eclipse tour comes to an end. Enjoy your final morning in Iceland, before an included Flybus transfer takes you to the airport. Make sure to come back soon!