We took a chance based on reviews and decided with Arctic Adventures and we were lucky to have Vjeran as our tour guide. You can tell that he loves Iceland and truly feels the essence of the beauty of this magical country. He was very knowledgeable and I, my wife, and especially our 10 year old daughter learned a lot about the volcanos, and the glacier and the impact they have on one another in forming the beautiful landscapes, but also the impact they had on Icelandic society. A true history lesson. Vjeran was very personable and went out of his way to make sure that the group had the best time which includes answering all questions, making sure that we had plenty of places to stop to use the bathroom and eat (He even gave great food recommendations) and making himself available to take pictures for us at every stop for the first 10 minutes. He did this for all of his customer. He truly loves Iceland and that to me was the selling point as a guide is to have someone passionate in showing tourist as much as he can. He made us feel like we were friends and family and not just tourists. I wish I remembered the guide who took us on our glacier hike and cave tour, because he was incredible also and really made my daughter feel comfortable and confident. The hike and adventure is a bit overwhelming because it is uncharted territory but he took care of us. This 2 day trip was literally a once in a lifetime experience and it was the highlight of our 9 day stay in Iceland. Everything was wonderful. Lastly, we had booked with other tours guide throughout our vacation and he was absolutely the best. Cheers Vjeran and Arctic Adventure!
claudiacC4539MH
17 Mar 2023
We would highly recommend SENSATIONAL ICELAND - SOUTH COAST, GLACIER HIKE & NORTHERN LIGHTS tour! The tour was capped at 19 people and ours had about 17 or 18- nice and small group size to keep everything moving along and not get caught up in annoying transitions or long breaks. The van was compact (honestly if you are claustrophobic or a larger person, it probably wouldn’t be the most comfortable van) but it was fine for us moderate-sized people. Be mindful that everything you pack needs to remain on your lap or between your feet unless compact enough to fit in the micro-overhead container. The van pickup throughout the city was so easy and took less than 30 minute total. Our tour guides were Bessi and Martin and they were excellent. Informative and funny. The entire drive there was filled with the perfect amount of information about the geography of Iceland and cultural history. Bessi talked just the right amount to keep the drive interesting but not overpowering. After about an hour-ish there was a quick 20 min rest stop break and then after about another 30 min we stopped at the first waterfall Skógafoss for about 40 mins. A perfect amount of time to walk around and take pictures. Then we drove about an hour more and stopped at Reynsjara for an hour for the black sand beach and lunch. Bessi was extremely informative and kept us safe at the beach. There is a cafeteria at the beach to purchase food. Then we drove about 30 min and started the glacier hike with Simon. Simon was an excellent tour guide. He was so knowledgeable about the glacier. The hike in total lasted about 3 hours and it was about 2 hours of active hiking. The company provided a helmet, crampons, and a pick. This hike was challenging in that you needed to be physically fit because there are some steeper inclines and you need a little bit of balance. It was completely doable because Simon told you exactly how to do everything safety, easily, and correctly. There were also plenty of breaks and opportunities for photos. This hike was the coolest part of the tour!! After the hike we returned to the original bus (we were able to leave our bags on the bus if we wanted), we drove another 30 min to Seljlandsfoss and spent about 20 minutes there. This was a good amount of time as it was getting cold and cloudy and we were all pretty tired at this point. Since it was winter, the path behind the waterfall was closed. If it were warmer, the path were open, and I had more energy, I would have wanted more time, but under these circumstances I did not, and I think most of the tour group felt the same way, and Bessi selected the time appropriately. The drive all the way back to Reykjavík was about 1 hr and 45 min and we all pretty much slept on the way home, arriving back around 7 pm. Excellent excellent tour!! A note about clothing: we went in March, and had warmer weather. For the waterfalls, we wore leggings, waterproof pants, a long sleeve, a thinner jacket, and a puffy coat. For hiking, we stripped some layers, and removed the puffy coat and wore multiple thinner layers- a windbreaker was very helpful here, but Simon did share that we were lucky with the weather and it rains 6/7 days. On to the Northern Lights tour... We would highly recommend our northern lights tour and that is pretty much all due to our tour guide Fred! Firstly, for anyone interested in booking a northern lights tour, I'd highly recommend completing your research on the northern lights as it is a phenomenon and you must "hunt" for the northern lights. Fortunately, we completed this research and entered the tour experience knowing that we would spend most of the evening driving around looking for breaks in the clouds for the chance the see the lights. This is how Fred made this experience! We had a cloudy night, and he made the 1.5 hours we spent looking for a break in the clouds so enjoyable. He educated us on how the Northern lights occur, how they are tracked/predicated (and why he doesn't think the predictions are accurate), and his history as a 15 year northern lights hunter. He also prepped us on how to capture the lights on our cameras. Fred also shared some folklore and a special Elf dance to make the lights appear. We eventually found the northern lights and all took photos and the photos that Fred took of us were excellent and shared so quickly. Of note (which again we knew from doing research, but might come as a disappointed if research isn't done), the northern lights appear very green and bright in pictures but to the naked eye can vary in appearance. My one friend just saw gray streaks while my other friend saw green. I saw gray and had a hard time discerning the lights from clouds (which Fred helped explain how to do!). After we saw the lights, Fred played a song on the harmonica to thank the elves for the lights. Overall it was such a great experience because of Fred!
brandonmP8903IM
21 Jan 2023
Amazing guide, pretty sure goes by the name Egor, kept saying to call him Chris ???? was a awesome dude, bald and wears a flat cap, funny as. Makes great conversation and told many story's and interesting facts about Iceland, gave tips and interesting information on other tours and things to do, explained everything very well and spoke great English, had an amazing time during the tour, the glacier was amazing led by a Greek lady who was a great guide up the glacier itself the waterfalls and the beach was amazing. All safety concerns were properly followed and delt with and we had plenty of stern warning from the guide on what to do and what would happen if anything went wrong or how it could go wrong. So we felt safe! Overall one of the best experiences I've ever had and my girlfriend loved it too as it was her first time in Iceland! Thankyou to all the tour guides we had, Egor(Chris) I think*. And the Greek lady on the glacier!