Lava Travel

This truly was the trip of a lifetime. My friend and I spent 8 days experiencing the southeast region of Iceland by car.

We benefited enormously from the knowledge, planning skills and affable manner of our trip planner, Gummi (Guomundur Oli). He was able to take our broad goals and ideas of what kind of trip we wanted and planned it for us perfectly. He was responsive throughout the trip and gave us really good ideas as questions arose as we made our way through this almost other worldly experience.

We drove the perimeter of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and then made our way around the Golden Circle. The northern lights, waterfalls, canyons, tectonic plates, volcanic landscape, black sand beaches, a glacier, ice caves, horseback riding, lava tunnels, amazing food, the city of Reykjavik, thermal lagoons, and more.

The one person we met who really stood out was the fellow who took us on the ice cave tour. His name is Siggi and his company’s name is CrystalCave.is. He takes small groups (there were 4 of us that day) out on the glacier and down to the ice caves. In addition to his knowledge of the glacier and the ice caves, he offered us a view into his world, the respect the other guides clearly have for him, his sense of humor, his wisdom, and how he came to do this work that he loves (I won’t spoil it by telling you here). He truly inspired us, made us laugh, and left a lasting impression on both of us.

I am riding high after this trip.

Our local specialist, Gummi, created the most amazing itinerary for our honeymoon. After our initial call, he tailored the trip to be perfect for us. Every stop was organized, timed perfectly, and completely worthwhile to see! We can't even pick the most favorite activity or waterfall or site we saw. He also checked in with us during the trip to make sure we were okay, and gave us heads up for the Northern Lights forecasts. We also overslept one morning and he rearranged our activity to give us some more time. We are unbelievably grateful to him for the trip and had the most amazing time.
10/10 recommend Gummi. 10/10 recommend Iceland.

Trip was easy to plan with Guðmundur. Beautiful scenery and great guides. Crystal Caves with Siggi was particularly good- one of 4 tour companies that can drive on the glacier provided the best possible experience. The accommodations were all very comfortable, safe, clean, warm and ideally situated for the purpose of our trip, which was seeing the Northern Lights (which we did)

Hotel Reviews

Panorama Glass Lodge West Iceland

Really special experience. Maybe a little tight, but a great spot to see the northern lights, and even if it's cloudy you can hang out in the hot tub or sauna. Easy to get food nearby, truly private lodges, absolutely wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

Great spot with shared hot tubs for each building. We were there for a great new year's eve meal. Loved it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alda Hotel Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Ideal location in the heart of the city. Easy to walk everywhere, a parking garage nearby, and parking in front to unload your luggage. Comfortable, warm, excellent room.

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Breiðamerkurjökull Ice Cave Small Group Adventure

Iceland

Truly excellent. We watched groups struggle on the glacier dealing with the wind and cold- we only had fun. Siggi is one of 4 companies that can drive on the glacier and that made this an incredible expereince. Loved getting into the ice. So pretty.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Siggi was so interesting and knowledgeable- we learned more about Iceland from him than any other source

Transport

ATV to Black Sand Beach and Plane Wreck

Iceland

Easy ride, no need to have any experience. They take care of everything and just give you great views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip and Gummi was amazing. All of the tours that Gummi booked for us were wonderful and we felt very well taken care of during the entire trip. Gummi was very responsive to all of our questions and would send us updates on Northern Lights every night. I would definatley use KimKim again and would recommend Gummi to anyone looking to visit Iceland.

Hotel Reviews

Alda Hotel Reykjavík

Reykjavík

This hotel was great. The location is close to shops and has easy access to food and shopping. The room was very nice and the breakfast they included was wonderful. Would recommend this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to shops and restaraunts

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Búðir

Búðir

This hotel was great and located right next to the black church and to hiking trails to the sea. It is located in an isolated spot so hard to go somewhere for dinner easily. The room was a little small but did have a nice window for checking on the Norther Lights. Dinner was good but pricey.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located next to The Black Church and hiking trails but a little far from any towns.

Staff

Very Friendly and Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was a little small.

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

This hotel is located with awesome views of the lake. The hotel was very comfortable and the included breakfast was one of the best we had on the entire trip. We ate both nights at the restaraunt which had great food. Was a little understaff with one person for most of the restaraunt but she did a great job. Hotel has a great bar and just feel very cozy and nice. Our favorite hotel of the entire trip. Desk staff were amazing. We needed assistance with a medical issue and they assisted and even made calls to help us. Would highlyt recommend this hotel it was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great view and close to groceryand restaraunts with great view of the lake.

Staff

Very kind and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great room over all.

Hótel Varmaland

Borgarnes

This is a very nice hotel. The room was great and it is right in a small town. The grow some of their food so there is a greenhouse next to it which is always on. The light made it hard for seeing any nothern lights (would not be an issue during the summer). Staff was great and location is nice. Would recommend this hotel for a visit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Greenhouse next door so hard for Nothern Lights but really only issue.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

This was a great hotel. We had hot tub at end of our building and it was easy to access. This place is great for Northern Lights due to low light polution. We were eating dinner and staff came around to say that the Northern Lights could be seen outside. They also have a system where they will call you if Aurora is see outside and this was helpful for us to see them. Restaraunt is great and the included breakfast was stellar. Would recommend to anyone.

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Staff

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Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

This hotel is a great location. The hotel overlooks the Black Sand Beach and the view is wonderful. You can walk to the Black Sand Beach from your room. The rooms are spacious and had a small kitchenette which was nice. There is not restaraunt on site but Vik is just 10 minutes away. I recommend the Black Pizza as it was great. The hotel does offer coffee and pastries for purchase at the main house.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Overlooking Black Sand Beach which you could walk .

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sturlureykir Horses Riding Tour

Iceland

Riding the horses was great and the farm owners were so nice and told us so much about the Icelandic horse. These horses are so fun to ride and you really get to get close to them and help get them ready to ride. The bread and hot chocolate after were great. Bread is baked in a geothermal oven and is the recipe of the owner. There were only two of us on the tour so that was really nice. Advantage of going in the winter but it was cold.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

You get to ride Icelandic horses no more words needed.

Húsafell Canyon Baths Experience

Iceland

This was a nice experience. Our guide was nice, funny, and very informative. The water is warm and the view are very nice. We did this in the winter so it was dark and hard to see. Would be nice to have more lighting on the walking paths but remote and keeps to nature so that is nice. Great place especially if the Aurora is on display. Unfortunately no Aurora for us but great trip all together.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Golden Circle

This was a nice idea but was not my favorite. You have to get set up in a dry suit to stay dry and warm. This was helpful but it was so tight and uncomfortable. If I had know how uncomfortable I would be in the suit I might have decided not to go. Many of the others did okay with the suits so could just be me. Also be prepared to be cold if you are going in the winter because it is cold. Also there are no fish really to see and it is just rocks. The promotional pictures make it look better than it was. Might be a better thing to do in the summer. The guides were great and very helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk

Iceland

This was great as we got to walk on the glacier. Our guide was great and we were not too big of a group which was nice. It was great to go up and down the glacier. We also were on the glacier for sunset with a clear sky which was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Breiðamerkurjökull Ice Cave Small Group Adventure

Iceland

This was great. There were only two of us with the guide which was great. Our guide Siggi was nice, informative, fun, and great all around. We were able to drive on the glacier allowing us to see caves away from the crowds. We were able to see three differnt caves and was a great. Seeing the Glaicer lagoon before and dimond beach after made the trip that much more amazing. Food truck are in the lot to eat before or after. Highly recommend the fish and chips and the langostine roll they were amazing. This was great trip and one of our favorites.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have a great experience using Kimkim travel. Our travel guide, Guðmundur Óli was excellent and went above and beyond to ensure that we had a good trip. This was a once in a lifetime trip for my family. We will remember this forever. Thank you for all of your help.

Oli was great in preparing the detailed plan for the trip. He chose great places to visits and look at the best views that Iceland has to offer. We were very happy with our local guide/driver, Erla, as well. She was very knowledgeable about the history of Iceland and had many great conversations during the trip.
Many folkd including out family of four were very excited to see the Northen lights but ofcourse it is very weather dependent and we were not luck to see the lights but Iceland is amazing and offers many more things. Overall we were very happy with KimKim, Oli and Erla.
Tip -- Please check various websites/Apps to maximize of your chances to see the Northen lights and also buty insurance to the trip. When the time comes near and you find that it would be raining and Solar activities are low, you can reschdule the trip for the later time.

Hotel Reviews

Black Beach Suites

Vik I Myrdal

- Good floorpan, closer to beach and dark at night to see the Northen lights. - No breakfast - No Restaurant - Poor customer service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Loa

Relatively new Hotel. --- Great Rooms -- Ok breakfast -- Dark behind the Hotel to see the Northen Lights -- Still new so they are figuring out things. -- Need coat hanging place, Drying place and need more hooks in bathroom to put towel etc.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Búðir

Búðir

Fanstastic Hotel, Good CHaracter. Excellent breakfast. Good Lcoation. Best place to see Northern Lights due to Darkness and no light pollution.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Iceland Parliament Hotel, Curio Collection By Hilton

Reykjavík

Good place to stay. Everything close by. Walking distance. Great Breakfast. Enjoyed overall.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Breiðamerkurjökull Ice Cave Small Group Adventure

Iceland

Excellent ! Guide, Siggi, was top-notch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Laugarás Lagoon - Lerki

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Experience

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip exceeded expectations ! Hard to do justice to how great an experience we had in a short review!

Pre-trip communications were exceptional : informative, timely responses, detail-oriented

Trip plan was fantastic..locations chosen were spectacular and captured the essence and beauty of Iceland, with the appropriate amount of time allocated for each location.

Gummi our guide was amazing ! A really nice and down to earth guy and a great conversationalist. Having a knowledgeable local guide providing minute by minute accounts and anecdotes about the history of Iceland and at the same time describing in real time the day to life of Icelanders, was invaluable. From the moment we met him we clicked and by the end of the week we had established a real personal connection….which really enhanced the experience.

We loved what we saw of Iceland and genuinely hope to return to experience the rest of the country.

My wife (and I) will never forget her ‘big birthday’ trip.

I had the most wonderful first visit to Iceland, with my guide, Gummi. The airport pickup was seamless and we immediately headed out west. I had asked that we take our time and really get to spend as much time needed everywhere, and that’s exactly how it went. The first hotel he had chosen turned out to be a great destination - great food in an area where there weren’t many options, and locals enjoying music in the lobby on a Saturday night. Also - the skies managed to clear up for a viewing of the Northern lights. After spending two days out west, we headed to the North for two - seeing the geological sites of interest, but also visiting the towns of Husavik and Akureyri. On the way back to Reykjavik, seeing more of the natural wonders, stopped at a wonderfully situated geothermal spa. Gummi not only created a wonderful itinerary for me, but personally shared with me background on the history, language, and natural history of Iceland. He was a great conversationalist and we also enjoyed some music along the way. I hope to come back some day and have him show me other parts of Iceland I couldn’t fit into this trip.

Where do I start to describe this phenomenal adventure Gummi planned for us?? It was so well organized and unbelievably planned with such care and accuracy that we completely wore ourselves out with great new experiences and adventures words will never be able to describe. The pictures will speak for themselves. We started at Blue Lagoon and ended at Sky Lagoon with a visit to Laugarás Lagoon in the middle and we NEEDED all 3!! Our favorite was Laugarás Lagoon!!
Our hotels were all amazing (CenterHotel Plaza(Reykjavík) / Dís Cottages (Snæfellsnes Peninsula) / Hotel Bifrost (Reykholt) / Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels (Golden Circle) / Black Beach Suites (Vík) / CenterHotel Klopp (Reykjavík) and ALL of the staff were a joy to meet and took very good care of us the entire trip. Our favorite was Hótel Grímsborgir!!
Our adventures included but was not limited to: 3 Lagoons / Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience / Langjökull Glacier Snowmobiling Adventure / Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk and we cant pick just one favorite....recommend all of them, hands down!! The guides were impressive as well, we tipped them for their amazing service!!

Our itinerary:
1 - Reykjavík- Blue Lagoon: ate at the tapas at Tapas Barinn (AMAZING) around the corner from the hotel and had the seafood soup at Sæta Svínið Gastropub (OUT OF THIS WORLD). The town center was already filling up with beautiful Christmas decorations and it was just magical!
2 - Reykjavík to Snæfellsnes Peninsula: stopped at Hvalfjörður - Whale Fjord (didnt see one but we knew they were there! / stopped at Hraunfossar for the “Lava Falls” (breathtaking and COLD) / Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience (A MUST DO) / sun set too quickly for us to see Gerðuberg Basalt Cliffs (next time) / checked into Dis Cottages and made our wwn dinner and stayed up to watch the northern lights!
3 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula - missed Kirkjufellsfoss falls but saw the mountain / Lóndrangar basalt sea stacks / Explored Arnarstapi and had THE BEST Lamb Soup in Iceland at Samkomuhúsið Arnarstapa / pictures at Búðir Church / ended at Ytri Tunga Seal Beach (the seals put on a show for us too)
4 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Reykholt - Kolugljúfur Canyon (worth the drive) / missed Hvitserkur and got sidetracked on our way to Bifrost with the MOST DELICIOUS Lamb Chops at the local gas station!!
5 - Reykholt to Golden Circle - we had snow so driving was slower than normal - Þingvellir National Park (the p's sound like t's and had us soooo confused) but the drive was beautiful / ate at Efstidalur II Farm Bistro and the burgers were of course AMAZING / couldnt get to Brúarfoss with the weather and had an appointment at Laugarás Lagoon - Lerki (MUST MUST MUST EXPERIENCE) / checked into Hótel Grímsborgir and this place was our favorite!!
6 - Golden Circle - slept in due to the Northern lights last night / passed on Kerið Crater / walked the Geysir Geothermal Area - bitter cold (the welcome center was delightful) / Gullfoss Waterfall was spectacular / on to Langjökull Glacier Snowmobiling Adventure / with a piece of glacier ice and a short JD, we headed back to Hótel Grímsborgir for dinner
7 - Golden Circle to Vík - Seljalandsfoss & Gljúfrabúi Waterfalls (too crowded, going back tomorrow / Skogafoss Waterfall (BEAUTIFUL) / Kvernufoss Waterfall (we passed ont his one to get to Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk (AN ABSOLUTE MUST MUST MUST DO!! OUR GUIDE SAM WAS INCREDIBLE) ON TO Black Beach Suites (Vík) (BOUGIE and VERY COMFORTABLE - 30ft wall of windows to boot)!
8 - Vík - tried to get to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon but the drive and snow was a bit too much. We turned around and decided to shake things up and explore on our own. We found the Black pizza place and it didnt dissappoint!
9 - Vík to Reykjavík - Reynisfjara Beach & Reynisdrangar Columns was just beautiful / Dyrhólaey Arch and Cliffs (DO NOT MISS THIS! THE VIEW IS SPECTATUCULAR. OUR FAVORITE OF THE ENTIRE TRIP. YOU CAN SEE THE GLACIER IN THE DISTANCE AND THE BLACK BEACHES BELOW....JUST SPECTACULAR ALL AROUND) /Urridafoss (SO HAPPY WE SQUEEZED THIS ONE IN!!) / Sky Lagoon Experience - Sér (another AMAZING experience (7steps ritual!!) / back to CenterHotel Klopp and had dinner at MAR (Fish pans) COMPLIMENTS WERE GIVEN TO THE CHEF ON OUR WAY OUT....DELICIOUS!!
10 - Explore Reykjavík - Hallgrímskirkja / Sun Voyager Sculpture / Laugavegur Street (I think) for the Famous hot dog / back to America but we are looking forward to returning and experiencing more of Iceland with Gummi's help! We sooooo lucked out when we managed to meet him...what an AMAZING job he did at packing so much into 10 days! We are exhausted but FOREVER GRATEFUL!

Gummi organized an absolutely amazing trip for us in Iceland. We decided on the road-trip as a babymoon fairly last minute, and he quickly jumped in to help us. After sending an initial itinerary, we then did a zoom call, made a few adjustments, and then had the perfect trip plan.

The trip was the perfect mix of hitting the "hot spots" (i.e. the Golden Circle), as well as visiting and staying in some slightly more remote places (would highly recommend spending two nights on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, that was our favorite stop!). Although the schedule was packed, we never felt overwhelmed or like we were rushing from attraction to attraction - it would have been impossible for us to have planned something like this ourselves.

This is my second time using Kimkim and we will absolutely be using it again!