Reykjavik Iceland & Solar Eclipse at Sea (Small Group)

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 - Blue Lagoon - Reykjanes - Reykjavik. After breakfast, we head to one of Iceland's most popular attractions, the Blue Lagoon. Enjoy a relaxing soak before we embark on a sightseeing tour of the Reykjanes Peninsula, home to famous sites like Gunnuhver, Iceland's largest mud pool. We also see the lava rock pool of Brimketill and the iconic lighthouse of Reykjanesviti.

Later, we return to Reykjavik, where our included city tour takes in all the highlights, including Hallgrimskirkja church, the Old Harbour and the Harpa Concert Hall. We also get to enjoy a tasting of traditional Icelandic delicacies. Your evening in Reykjavik is at leisure.

Your morning and early afternoon are at leisure in Reykjavik. You could head out on a whale watching cruise, or take a wander down Laugavegur, one of the city's main shopping streets.

At around 16:00 we will head down to the ocean with our guide and will board a boat bound for the waters of Faxafloi Bay, off the coast of Reykjavik. Bobbing on the quiet waters of the bay, we will be well away from the crowds gathering on the shoreline, and in the perfect spot to enjoy uninterrupted views of the total solar eclipse. A telescope will also be positioned onboard. Some light snacks and a glass of wine will be available on board.

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 along 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

When the eclipse has ended, we'll head back to shore and you can opt for a walk into Reykjavik for dinner and a celebratory drink.

Reykjavik - Thingvellir National Park - Gullfoss - Geysir - Reykjavik. Departing Reykjavik, we head first to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the oldest existing national parliament in the world, the Althingi, alongside spectacular geological formations. See the Mid-Atlantic Rift, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are tearing apart, and marvel at Thingvallavatn lake.

Next, we visit Gullfoss, the Golden Falls. This is perhaps the most picturesque waterfall in Iceland (and there is a lot of competition!). At Geysir, witness the erupting Strokkur geyser, which projects boiling water more than 25 metres into the air every 5-7 minutes.

For lunch, we enjoy an included meal of hot spring-baked bread served with butter, boiled eggs, and local herring. Our day ends at back in Reykjavik, where your final evening is at leisure.

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.