Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

Iceland Trip: April 2025: April 12 - April 19
Transportation: Rented a 4WD Landcruiser
Distance Covered: approximately 1800 kilometers.

Jenny from KimKim helped organize this amazing trip for my family of 5. We chose midrange for accommodation and we covered west, south west, and most of south Iceland up to Jokulsarlon - Glacier Lagoon. We followed all of what Jenny had planned for us and also did a few things on our own.

Jenny really understood my family needs and planned accordingly. Her selection of mid and high range hotels, which is what I requested was great. Each hotel and/or the hotel location offered something very unique, such a a geothermal pool, a beautiful hiking landscape, short driving distance to interesting places etc. With 3 active boys with ages ranging from 18 to 5 - I knew breakfast was important and I requested that all accommodations include breakfast, so we can eat quickly and hop on to our daily site seeing adventure. This helped because I was aware of time change challenges and to not waste time looking for a breakfast place in the morning.

Jenny help to match the site seeing locations and provide Google map links and times was very helpful for us to plan our day. This helped the boys pick some extra places to see that was of their interest and also in the area. Without Jenny's help, I don't think I would have been able to plan our trip so well.

Definitely recommend Jenny for Iceland and KimKim for their expert advice. The way things were planned and provided was the best travel advisory services I have encountered to date! Thank you Jenny and KimKim!

Activity Review

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

While we didn't get to enjoy this place as we arrived 2 hours late for our appointment, the front reception was very understanding and recommended we come back the next day morning. Our appointment was at 4pm but we arrived onsite closer to 6pm. My family was tired from our long hike at Thingvellier National Park and we lost track of time. The following morning due to our trip being in the opposite direction to where Secret Lagoon is located, we had no choice but to skip visiting this place. When we went to Secret Lagoon around 5:45pm, the place was still crowded but lot of people were seen leaving.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent trip with a ton a wonderful sights and experiences. The staff was very responsive throughout the process and always accessible. Our group had an ambitious itinerary which was modified necessary, on the fly, with ease. All the planning was great and thus it allowed us to efficiently navigate this amazing island. Adam and his team did a great job and if we do Iceland again, I will be emailing him first!
Thanks!

We'd like to thank KimKim and Jenny for organizing a fantastic trip! We got to see things that we had previously only dreamed of. Jenny was very prompt and would help us fix any problems that arose. Because of her and KimKim, we had a blast! I highly recommend KimKim for future travelers. It's a hassle-free experience and we truly enjoyed every minute of our trip.

We had Adam plan a road trip for my family and me across Iceland, and it was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The trip was thoughtfully planned and captured all the key highlights of the country — from dramatic waterfalls and black sand beaches to geothermal hot springs and charming small towns. Every detail was taken care of, making the journey smooth and stress-free. Adam clearly knows Iceland well and tailored the itinerary to suit our interests perfectly. Highly recommend!

Eric planned an unforgettable trip for our family! It was the exact pace we needed plus hitting all the must see spots and more! His trip details and notes and quick links for daily driving plans and food options made planning our days exploring and driving the countryside seamless. He and his team helped during the trip to reschedule a whale watching tour due to weather and were so responsive. We had a trip of a lifetime. Thank you Eric !

Hanna was wonderful and the planning process was very easy. We had no hiccups along the way, everything was seamless with all of our accommodations and tours. Thor was our guide for the Crystal Blue Ice Cave tour and he was fantastic! Definitely recommend Skalholt Cottages, beautiful quiet location and wonderful space for a family of 4. Plan for time in Vik after the Lava Show (also highly recommend for the kids) - black crust pizza nearby and the team at Smidjan brewery were so friendly with great desserts for the kids too. If you're planning to head to Keflavik early to stay the night before a flight don't rush to get there - there isn't much to do especially for young travelers.

Hotel Reviews

Grey Apartments

Reykjavik

Great location, comfortable enough accommodations with kitchen conveniences. Parking was tricky - be prepared especially if you're arriving late and plan ahead for the nearest garage as you cannot count on street parking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

More pillows

Skalholt Cottages

Selfoss

My favorite hotel on our trip - plenty of kitchen space (we cooked an entire dinner!) along with outdoor grill. Spacious bedrooms and plenty of room to stretch out in the living area as well as sit comfortably at the dinner table. Hot tub was a wonderful added bonus. The hosts were incredibly friendly and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castle Inn Apartments - Downtown Keflavik

Keflavik

There is an upper and lower level, we were on the lower level which felt like walking into a basement with windows right at street level. The toilet ran the entire time we were there which was quite noisy. The kitchen area is a bit cramped, we ate out but our family of 4 could not have sat comfortably around the table. The living room and bedrooms were very spacious however. Street parking was no problem and it was an easy drive to the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to airport, but very little walking distance around for things to do.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stracta Apartments Orustustaðir

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Definitely not worth the ~10 minutes off the main road to get to. We felt like we wasted an entire hour of driving and gas back and forth over 2 nights. There were permanent lights on around the perimeter of the building making it very bright at night, so didn't even have the benefit of darkness for Northern Light hunting. Paper thin walls and very small bathroom - no way for more than 1 person to be in at a time.

Authenticity & Character

It was "modern" and "pretty" but I would not say that gives it authenticity or character

Location

Too far off main road

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very new so felt clean and the beds/linens were comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Incredible experience - Thor was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Icelandic Lava Show

Iceland

Definitely a must - especially if traveling with kids. Highlight of the entire week for both my 8 and 12 year old sons.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Rye Bread tour (Geothermal bakery)

Iceland

Fun experience to see how the bread bakes underground. The guide allowed my sons to both help bury the next loaf, and they enjoyed that interactive portion. The view on the lake is beautiful. Plenty of portions of both the bread and fish.

Northern Lights Hunt Super Jeep Tour

Iceland

We did not see the lights, which we understood going into it but was still disappointing. Our guide (could not pronounce his Icelandic name but translates to reindeer so he said call him "Buck") tried many different locations including turning around at one point when a tip came to head in a different direction. He was very knowledgeable in teaching about the methods behind the "hunt". He was able to capture faint lights above us on a photo, which made it not feel like a total loss. The Jeep-side hot chocolate and cookies were a nice touch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the first time I reached out to KimKim and heard from Othman right through the trip, he was responsive, patient, helpful and kind. Our trip was amazing. Othman listened to what we were interested in doing, provided a highly flexible agenda, and yet he did so much more than just book things for us. For example, I don't think I would have booked excursions to both Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon but Othman did that and when I asked if doing Blue Lagoon right off the plane was the right thing to do, he pushed back (ever so gently) saying that it was a good tonic for jet lag. Boy was he right. His selection of accommodations was outstanding ... and again, he was very accommodating when I fluctuated between family rooms and two rooms. He checked in multiple times in the days before the trip and during the trip.

His ears were probably burning during the trip for the number of times my sons and I were singing his praises. I would absolutely use KimKim again. Also want to say that I thought this was an exceptional value for what I paid and the quality of service received.

Activity Reviews

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

This was really amazing ... and Elly our guide was terrific. She really read the group well; everyone was willing to be a little adventurous and so we got to use the ropes to see deep into crevasses. Lots of great information about how the glacier has changed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Can't say enough about how knowledgeable Elly was.

Sky Lagoon

Iceland

So we did this on our last night in Iceland and it was a really nice way to end our trip. It's different from Blue Lagoon but very very nice. The seven step path is what makes it stand out as different from Blue Lagoon. The view from the sauna step is especially beautiful.

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

We did this right after getting off the plane, which was Othman's recommendation. It is, as he said, a miracle cure for jet lag. I was worried it would be kitschy but it's a must do.

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

We really enjoyed this, especially Eddie, our guide who was a total character and an absolute hoot. The only complaint would be that the focus was heavily on getting photos -- which was great -- but it wasn't as adventurous as the glacier hike. Still, it was beautiful and a lot of fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eddie was just such a character. Completely different from Ellie but very knowledgeable and just fun to be around.

Adam did a fantastic job understanding what I wanted to do and translated that into a very practical plan. The activities, which included hiking volcanic craters, black sand beaches, glaciers, and waterfalls, whale watching, and snorkeling were all exactly what I wanted. Adam did a great job mapping out stopping points such that we maximized fun with relaxation. Even the last minute requests such as places to eat and geothermal pools were fantastic. We had the best steaks I’ve ever had at a Efstidalur Farm. It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “farm to table” as we at our meal watching the dairy cows feed! Sumac, Ox and Moss was also a favorite/best meal experience. My favorite activities were the whale watching tour where we saw two separate orca pods and two different humpback whales. Ryan’s favorite activity was style Silfra snorkeling tour. We both enjoyed the geothermal pools and hiking as well, especially the Djupalonssandur black sand beaches and the Hraunfossar & Barnafoss waterfalls. I would love to go back and do many of the things we didn’t have time to do. Adam and Kim Kim were responsive, knowledgeable, and affordable. I highly recommend them and will definitely use their services again.

I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the exceptional travel experience you coordinated for our recent 9-day trip to Iceland.

From the moment we arrived, every detail was planned and executed, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the stunning sights and unique culture of Iceland. Your recommendations for last-minute options were great, and we truly appreciated the dinner suggestions that helped us make the most of our evenings.

Each site we visited was breathtaking, and your expertise shone through in the way everything was arranged. thank you for put a lot of thought into crafting an unforgettable journey for us.

Thank you, Summer, we will certainly recommend your services to friends and family looking to explore new destinations.

Hotel Reviews

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

Did not look as picture. Bathroom/ shower was not great

Authenticity & Character

I’m

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vík Apartments

Vik I Myrdal

Great location and views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

Great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sky Lagoon

Reykjavík

One of our favorite excursions, truly memorable

Quality of Experience

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Cave Experience Breiðamerkurjökull

Iceland

One of the best excursions of the entire trip. Truly, once in a lifetime

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We thoroughly enjoyed our Iceland adventure and I'd like to give a big thanks to KimKim and Hanna (our Iceland expert) for their help in making it happen. In the runup to the trip, I was busy with work and living in Austin, TX and my daughter was living in London. My daughter had some ideas and worked with Hanna to put together the itinerary. Occasionally I'd want to change something. Hanna was always very pleasant and very helpful, she responded quickly to any questions or requests, had endless patience waiting for my daughter and me to resolve any differences. We very much liked all the arrangements for accomodation, car hire, trips and flights and everything went very smoothly. This was my second vacation organized with KimKim and would definitely recommend them and use them again.

Noga was fantastic, unfortunately the poor support once on the trip means I can’t suggest her or kimkim to others. If there’s something else support had been there I would definitely refer Noga to others.

Activity Review

Ice Cave Experience Breiðamerkurjökull

Iceland

It was crowded, small, and not very exciting. It was pretty, and the history was interesting, but ultimately not worth the time.

Quality of Experience

Probably nothing within the control of the organizers.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide Was great

Transport

Old truck, broken seatbelts, but ultimately it worked fine

The total Icelandic experience was beyond belief. The people , scenery, food, and attractions were breathtaking. The hotels were perfect and breakfast delicious. The Sky Lagoon was one of my favourites along with the glacier walk and Blue cave. What an extraordinary country.

Hotel Reviews

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

This is a wonderful hotel , walking distance to many interesting sites.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close, within walking distance to many interesting features

Staff

Very curtious

Cleanliness & Comfort

Love the Occitaine body and bath products.

Signature by Vík Apartments

Vik

Beautifully appointed apartment. Very modern and spacious for the three of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to some wonderful restaurants

Staff

Sorry, there was no staff at the apartments. But it had everything you required including a washing machine and dryer if needed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

Slightly older building but clean and efficient, great breakfasts

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good location , we walked everywhere from the hotel.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

My favourite, smaller and more intimate than Blue Lagoon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly, helpful, very knowledgeable about the area though many we met were not Icelanders

Transport

My niece was our driver and she drove everywhere as though she lived there.

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

This was breathtaking. So incredible to know you are inside one of the glaciers

Quality of Experience

Transport

Reykjavík Classic Whale Watching

Iceland

For three hours out on the rough seas we saw nothing but birds, no whales. I know there is no guarantee that you will and we were offered free tickets to try again in the future. Many people were sick even though tablets were offered at the start (poor crew who have the unenviable job to clean up)

I very much appreciated how well Gummi listened to what we wanted to experience on this trip - the itinerary in terms of what we got to see and what we got to do was in complete alignment with my hopes - and was better than anything I could have planned myself because of the local knowledge and expertise.

The work Summer did with all the reservations and with finding a new (exceptional) accommodation on the one day road conditions prevented us from getting to our original destination was fast and really well considered.

Grateful for all that these two did to make our trip something we will look back on as a highlight of our lives is so deeply appreciated

Hotel Reviews

100 Iceland Hotel

Reykjavík

Clean and in a good location to walk to everything with easy parking nearby. Appreciated that they let us check in early

Fosshotel Stykkishólmur

Stykkishólmur

Very comfortable rooms (beds were very nice) and great location right next to the public swimming pool (highly recommend going for a dip at night!)

Hotel Akureyri

Akureyri

This was my favourite hotel of the trip - beautiful interior, super comfortable beds, including a massive pillow for reading in bed.

Vogafjós Farm Resort

Myvatn

Beautiful spot to stop for a couple of days. The restaurant has great food. The person at the front desk called the national transportation service to check on road conditions for us (above and beyond!). And we saw the northern lights while staying here.

Activity Reviews

Skógarböðin - Forest Lagoon

Iceland

Favourite hot spring visit of the trip - beautiful view at sunset, great sauna and cold plunge, yummy smoothie, relaxed atmosphere, and a really nice extra warm hot spring area.

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

Seven Step ritual was lovely, the entrance to the pools was stunning, and the view was beautiful. I found it very crowded with many people taking photos and there were a lot of cups left lying around which detracted from being able to relax. The sauna was amazing and I really wish we’d been able to go into it more than once.

Vök Baths

Iceland

Really enjoyed being able to jump in the lake and then move right into the hot tubs. The rain walk outside the steam room was highly refreshing - really appreciated the different temperatures one could move between and experience.

GeoSea Geothermal Baths

Iceland

Truly beautiful view. I literally soaked and stared across the sea for hours! Wish there had been a sauna (not just a steam room) and a cold plunge, but to just relax and absorb the view was very relaxing.

This was my first time using kimkim to book a trip, and Jennifer was absolutely amazing to work with! Not only did she provide us great options to choose from for our trip, but was a wealth of knowledge throughout the process and so incredibly patient and kind as we changed our trip itinerary 100 times! We knew going to Iceland in March could be a gamble with the weather since it was close to the end of the winter season, and we didn't want to drive. Jennifer helped us set up some great group tours and assured us the public transportation was easy to use - which it was! My absolute favorite part of our trip was the day we went to see Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach and hiked a Glacier which was absolutely stunning. I would absolutely encourage anyone going to Iceland to make sure that stop is on their itinerary. Unfortunately, my boyfriend got sick at the end of the trip and we had to cancel our booking to Blue Lagoon - Jennifer's team was there to help us make the necessary changes at the very last minute which was so helpful in a stressful time. If we were to do it again (and we hope we can), we would likely drive and would definitely encourage others visiting to do the same. Basically, just listen to whatever advice Jennifer gives, because she will be right!

Overall we had an amazing trip in Iceland and we can't wait to go back and hopefully make it through the whole trip with no ailments.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for all your help! It was truly a pleasure working with you!

Hotel Reviews

Adventure Hotel Geirland

Kirkjubaejarklaustur

As we were on a group excursion and we were unable to select the hotel we were staying at, I was a little nervous about what to expect at our stay at Adventure Geirland but it had everything we needed. There is no TV in the rooms which was a surprise, but was actually really nice to give you an 'off-grid' feel (there was a TV in the lounge area if you were staying in the main building but no one used it, as everyone mainly was hunting Northern Lights at night). When we arrived, we had dinner as a group (with those who wanted to attend) and you were able to pick your meals + drinks a la carte off the menu. The hotel staff was SO friendly and gave us some tips on how we could see the Northern Lights from the hotel. Even though we had a very cloudy week, they didn't take away all our hope - "if you can see one star, there's a chance" :) Overall, we had a great experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved that it was away from everything - beautiful view

Staff

I can't remember names, but the staff on duty for dinner service throughout our stay were absolutely incredible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel was very clean - our only issue was with the shower - we were unable to get hot water (we didn't mention it to staff as we weren't there long enough for it to be a huge issue) or else I'm sure they would have helped!

Skuggi Hotel Reykjavík by Keahotels

Reykjavík

We had a wonderful stay at Skuggi Hotel. Staff was very welcoming, friendly, and our rooms had everything we needed. The hotel was downtown and we were able to walk almost everywhere we needed to go and were able to pick up the bus for our day-trips right around the corner. The hotel was a perfect location, very cozy and we would definitely go back on our next trip to Iceland!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the rocks on the walls as hooks and the quotes that differ in each room.

Location

In the city, but not on the busy streets so it was a little quieter. Easy to walk everywhere you need to go or grab a bus from around the corner!

Staff

Everyone was very kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Taxi to and from the Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

We went to the Sky Lagoon on our first day, so while we were beyond exhausted, it definitely did help wake us up! While the Lagoon itself is beautiful, I was anticipating it to be a more 'private' experience going through the ritual. We enjoyed the beauty of the spa, but just wish it could have been a little more private experience.

Quality of Experience

Smaller groups to make it a more relaxing experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silfra Snorkeling – Dive Between Continents in Crystal Clear Waters

Iceland

Snorkeling in Silfra was such a beautiful and unique experience. We went out on a very cloudy/rainy day and I wasn't expecting the water to be so blue! The water was crystal clear and our guide GC was so friendly. Getting into the wetsuit was the hardest part but it definitely kept us warm!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, GC, was great!

Transport

Our driver guide was super nice and friendly

Day trip to Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Reykjavík

We had such a great trip with our driver guide, Christopher! We had such a great experience from each of the stops to the Saga stories our guide told us in between. Our favorite part was the Lava Cave tour but truly enjoyed each of the places we stopped at. Overall, this was such a great experience and we wish we could have kept our Guide for all of our excursions on our trip!

Quality of Experience

The knowledge of our guide made this trip exceptional.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We wish we could have had our guide on all our excursions. He was knowledgeable and we loved the Saga stories he told in between stops. Also, he would also come out on our stops with us - even the lava tour - which I thought was really awesome - so if we had any questions while we were out exploring, he was always around with us.

Transport

Our guide made this whole experience incredible!

South Coast tour day 2 - Glaciers & Diamond Beach

Iceland

This was definitely my favorite day of the entire trip. Such breathtaking sights, really can't see anything like it!

Quality of Experience

Sights were beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Same as before - I didn't feel our driver provided a lot of extra value for the sights.

Transport

Same as before.

South Coast tour day 1 - Golden Circle & Northern lights

Iceland

We truly enjoyed all the stops on this trip, with no thanks to our Driver Guide who didn't really add a lot of value to our experience. Stopping at the waterfall and to see the geisers were awesome and we did also stop in a Lava Field before hitting our hotel which was such a cool experience. Unfortunately, we were in Iceland on a cloudy week and the chances of seeing the Northern Lights were really slim, even though we were out in the country, which was a bummer but nothing that could be controlled by anyone!

Quality of Experience

All the stops we visited on the trip were great! Provided additional information regarding driver guide below. I felt that it hindered the overall experience of our trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It felt like our Driver Guide was more a 'Driver' than a guide. While he did share some knowledge about the sights we were visiting - he didn't always answer questions clearly, he didn't provide any 'extra' information along the way, and overall just didn't feel like he added a lot of value to the experience. It wasn't until we were at the hotel that we knew where we were officially going to stay (the itinerary provided a hotel but also said 'or similar') and the only information we had on dinner was the time it started. Overall, It didn't feel like he really wanted to be there which kind of hindered some of the experience.

Transport

Reasons stated above regarding driver guide

Glacier Hike & Ice Cave Visit

Iceland

Definitely my favorite excursion with amazing tour guides! This was such a unique experience and so incredibly beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, patient, and quick to snap photos for us to capture the memory. My only regret was not bringing along our water bottle so we could re-fill on the Glacier! Such a cool experience and I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Iceland!

Quality of Experience

The views made it special but our tour guide was awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide was so friendly, knowledgeable and made the experience great.

Transport

Transport was bumpy which was unavoidable but the guides set clear expectations about it!

South Coast tour day 3 - Black beach & Waterfalls

Iceland

Black beach was really cool to see in person and we even caught a glimpse of a rainbow right when we got to the waterfall. Both stops were beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Same reasons as before, we felt this could be improved with a different driver guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

same as before

Transport

same as before

Othman was extremely responsive to any and all questions. The excursions were planned well and timed out really nicely. We had plenty of time to explore but plenty of time to do some relaxing too.

Very easy to book. Our whale watching got canceled and I received a refund with a week of returning. Had a great experience. Our travel agent was very responsive when we had questions. We loved Iceland and can’t wait to travel there again.

We were very happy with Eric throughout the planning process. He was very responsive and sensitive to our technical challenges.
The itinerary met our required wishes. The 'Golden Circle' stay was a great way to begin our introduction to Iceland and the proximity to the airport of our first lodging helped us deal with the jetlag. The geothermal activity was a real attraction. Unfortunately I missed the planned activity at that location.
Our stay in Kirkjubaejarklaustur gave us exposure to the desolation and rawness of the country. The Diamond Beach day trip was a pleasant surprise. We loved the icebergs.
After the relative sparseness of humanity of the first two stays, Reykjavik was anything but. Unfortunately, Penny caught a virus of some sort two days before we were to fly to Iceland, and she couldn't partake of the Sky Lagoon pass. I, however, very much enjoyed the venue. It was splendid and I wish Penny had felt better and been able to accompany me. It was quite breathtaking.

Where to begin? KimKim helped us plan an 11-day ring road trip and we hardly scratched the surface of this beautiful place.

Lodgings: Eric and his team did a great job finding us off the beaten path places to stay within our budget. We especially loved Frost & Fire in Hveragerdi - cute room, great view, nice restaurant and their own hot springs tubs on the side of the hill. We also loved Gistihsid Lake Hotel in Eglisstadir - really nice rooms, views, great restaurant too. They had an indoor spa/hot tub too. Also of note were the Stracata apartments near Kirkjubæjarklaustur - it was an adventure arriving in the dark to discover the next morning that we were in a lava field filled with pools of water. It was raining that night so hard to tell where we were. Would be fantastic for Northern Lights! Also, the Mork Cottage in Hvammstangi was so cute, only 1.7 km from town but felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. We wished we could have stayed there a few days - the Northern Lights over the fjord were amazing. We would have liked to explore this part of Iceland more. The other lodgings fit our budget but were more standard hotels, met our needs, and had comfortable beds.

Excursions: We did 3 guided excursions. Horse back riding at Eldhestar stables outside of Hveragerdi, Glacier hike with Arctic Adventures on Sólheimajökull, and a crystal blue ice cave super keep/hike with Blue Iceland. Riding 2 hours in the rain was an experience in itself. We are glad we went - the horses are wonderful and the scenery beautiful even in the rain. The glacier hike was great too. We learned a lot about glaciers and climate change from our guide, Tin. Finally, the Ice Cave tour was beautiful. We went late in the day and had the cave to ourselves. It wan’t a sunny day but the blue in the cave was gorgeous. We would recommend spacing excursions out (we had one each of our first 3 days) - this felt rushed to us, but they did fit within the schedule.

Maps, Sites, Options - the maps were fantastic and linked right to google. The hardest part was letting go of all the things we could see but didn’t have time. The final trip plan contained 50-60 pages of site descriptions, recommended sites, and optional activities. Some of the most memorable - the South Coast Lighthouse trail on our first day, Hveralaug wild hot springs afterward. Skaftafoll Nature Reserve and Svartifoss waterfall (2.5 m hike). All of the East Fjords drive & Stokkanes beach (we missed the South black sand beach because the wind was crazy when we arrived). We also loved Húsavík and Akureyri.

Hot Springs - we asked Eric & team for a hot spring almost everyday. We had hot tubs at many of our lodgings. We visited Fontana Nature baths near Gullfoss, Geosea in Husavik, Lake Mývatn Nature Lagoon, and Forest Lagoon. All were wonderful - Forest lagoon was probably our favorite.

Food - Amazing! We tried it all. 3-4 different tasting menus including ending with Michelin Guide restaurant Matur of Drykkar in the Saga Museum. Also, hot dogs, burgers, tomato, mushroom and Icelandic soup. Most days we made sandwiches for lunch because they gave us flexibility to eat in the middle of nowhere.

Our car was great. Enough 4x4 to get us over gravel roads, puddles, pits, and snow.

Fortunately, we did not need to flex schedule because of weather. We just did everything in whatever weather we got. We saw the Northern Lights twice! The biggest gift of Iceland to us.

Thank you Eric & team!

Activity Reviews

Horse Riding

Iceland

I’m only giving it a 4 because it poured rain. Horses were great, scenery was wonderful and they waited for us when we took a wrong turn and ended up 15 minutes late

Quality of Experience

Nice facilities, great location, beautiful horses.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

GeoSea Geothermal Baths

Iceland

Again, super windy. Great view.

Quality of Experience

So windy no one stayed long.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fontana Geothermal Baths

Iceland

Lovely. We were there late 7:30 pm, so didn’t get to really see the lake, but the pools and facilities were top notch.

Quality of Experience

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

Perfect for what we wanted (easier hike). Great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

So beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crazy driving the super jeep where we did!

Transport

Crowded

Myvatn Nature Baths

Lake Mývatn

Super windy. These pools are heated through rocks and gravel under foot - warmer/cooler depending on where you stood. They are also expanding so view wan’t quite as good as it could be.

Quality of Experience

Great facilities. Construction so not as pretty/wild. Got a free drink for Women’s Day!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Forest Lagoon

Iceland

Gorgeous, new, and very quiet at 2 pm.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Iceland was absolutely amazing! We would have never been able to design a roadtrip like the one Eric did for us on our own. His expertise was invaluable when it came to seeing as many sights as we could within our 9 day window. His itinerary gave us the confidence to venture out on our own with a rented car, eliminating the need to go on any large group tour buses. The tours that he did book for us, like the glacier hike, ice cave tour, and walking tour of Reykjavik were small and the guides were engaging, accommodating, and knowledgable.

It was a seamless experience. We started at the blue lagoon right after picking up our rental car and then headed straight to the Snaefellsness Peninsula where we were able to see a spectacular glacier volcano, Snaefellsjokull, explore lava caves and endless lava fields, and walk on cliffs and black sand beaches. From there we spent a couple days in the Golden Circle seeing all the major sights like Thingvellar National Park, Geysir, Kerid Crater, and Gullfoss. We had a few days exploring the waterfalls, beaches, gorges, lava fields, and glaciers to be seen on the south coast before ending our trip in Reykjavik. All of the sights and driving instructions were in a logical order that kept us moving forwards, never wasting time backtracking.

We appreciate the time and care it took to design an itinerary specially made for us. We had told Eric that our main priorities were seeing the northern lights, soaking in hot springs, seeing nature, and learning some history. He booked us rooms at hotels with excellent views in case we might catch a glimpse of the northern lights; he fit 3 different lagoons into our itinerary (Sky Lagoon was the best); and we had a good balance of experiencing nature as well as making time for museums and history. We also tried some of the restaurants he recommended all of which were delicious! Thank you Eric for designing a trip we will never forget!

Eric did an amazing job planning and timing everything. All our tours were small groups, so to get the most of every experience, we work with tourists in our everyday lives also, so we know how important that is. . We liked the Troll expedition company that was chosen for our tours on the glacier. Beda was amazing hiking on the glacier, Bearney at the ice caves. Bearney was especially patient since the weather was so extreme and uncooperative with blowing gravel and pouring down rain. We also appreciated that our companies vehicles did not break down, while we watched many that did.
Horse back riding with Julia was a fantastic experience and learning about the Icelandic horses and getting to experience their Tolt (walk trot). And finally meeting Paul for our local walking culinary tour, you can see he truely lived Icelandic culture. As a fisherman his whole life, his tour gave us a true view of what it was like to grow up in Iceland.
Our first hotel at Fire and frost was amazing and such a perfect way to ease into our vacation. It helped us adjust to the time change while appreciating the beauty around us. I really liked staying in each location two nights so there wasn’t too much chaos packing and unpacking.
I will use KimKim to plan my vacations anytime I can. Even with all the info online, there would have been no way to plan things so smoothly, no way to know which tour companies to use, and no way to know how much time we would want to spend in each site.

Activity Reviews

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

Better with Beda!!! What a great time! Once in a lifetime experience! Nice small group attention while we watched some guides with 35+ on the glacier. Lucky with the weather.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Better with Beda!!

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Bearney was great with our small group, the weather was so miserable that day, but we all made it. We watched so many vehicles break down returning to base. It was comforting to know we chose the right company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Horse riding tour

Iceland

Julia was knowledgeable and our small group made it a quality experience. Truely enjoyed learning and experiencing the Icelandic horse Troit. Having the horse riding suits available to us made the cold windy weather experience enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Julia was knowledgeable and made sure everyone felt comfortable as we proceeded.

Reykjavik Food Walk

Reykjavík

Paul was a fisherman his whole life, he showed us a tour from a true local and not just someone working in Iceland for a few months. I appreciated the small group interaction so we could really get a feel for Reykjavík.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport