Diamond Circle Tour: North Iceland's Natural Wonders

Explore North Iceland’s wonders: majestic waterfalls, volcanic landscapes, and charming villages on our Diamond Circle tour from Akureyri. Book now for an unforgettable adventure.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Godafoss - From Akureyri, we’ll drive for about 30 min to our first stop, which is to the beautiful waterfall called Godafoss. View the falls from several viewpoints and walk the trail for the perfect photo opportunity.

  • Lake Myvatn - Drive around the Lake Myvatn area, which has a unique landscape from the best viewing point. Make a short photo stop which overlooks Lake Mývatn. Take in all the majesty of this unique landscape. Dozens of craters dot the landscape, the results of ancient volcanic eruptions.

  • Námaskarð - This barren rocky area contain boiling mud-pools and hot-springs with clouds of sulfuric steam lingering throughout. The minerals from the geothermal waters have leached into the rock and soil here resulting in strange colors.

  • Dettifoss Waterfall - We stop at Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall. The sheer scale and power of Dettifoss is something to behold.
    You can witness this incredible force from several vantage points

  • Asbyrgi - This vast horse-shoe shaped canyon is bordered on 3 sides by massive vertical cliffs looming up to 330 feet high.
    These cliffs are home to a multitude of bird life. In the deepest reaches on the canyon, an idyllic pond called Botnstjorn sits.

  • Husavik - A scenic drive from Ásbyrgi to Húsavík. This charming fishing village is the whale watching capital of Iceland. We won’t have time for that day, but we do have time to admire the bustle of the central harbor as well as one of Iceland’s most beautiful churches. The stop at Húsavík is around 20 minutes.
    Húsavík garnered international attention after featuring in the Will Ferrell film “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”, on Netflix.
    The drive back to Akureyri is 1 hour, where you’ll be dropped off at the port.

What's Included
  • On-board WiFi
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Lunch
Additional Information

The Golden Circle is a famed route covering beauty spots in the south-west. Our Diamond Circle tour from Akureyri visits many incredible natural wonders of North Iceland in one day and is arguably a more impressive tour than its southern counterpoint.

We visit the stunning waterfalls of the area. First up is the elegant Godafoss or waterfall of the gods. Dettifoss on other hand is pure raw power, Europe’s most powerful waterfall.

We take you to Lake Mývatn and Námaskaro geothermal area, where the influence of volcanic activity on the region’s landscape. Boiling mud-pools, hot springs, craters and the smell of sulfur abound.

We also make a stop at Asbyrgi canyon, where a small forest and lake sit in the heart of a remarkable horse-shoe shaped canyon. Sheer cliffs hover in all directions.

We will visit Husavik, one of Iceland’s most beautiful villages. Admire the charming harbor and beautiful church in the town center.

A delicious lunch pack is included in your booking.

Location
Akureyri Cruise Terminal
Laufásgata
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(68 Ratings)
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Davidjellis
Aug 21, 2024
Wonderful full day tour with an excellent guide and amazing scenery - On arrival in Akureyri there was a short walk to pick up the buses from a car park close to the cruise port. Our guide Unnur was very interesting with plenty to tell us during this full day excursion. The trip was done in reverse order to how it was described, starting with a drive to Husavik and ending up with Godafoss...it worked to our advantage given how the weather played out and we missed the worst of the heavier rain and the crowds. The stop at Husavik was just 20 minutes but enough time to get a few pictures of this quaint fishing village made famous from the Netflix movie The Story of Fire Saga. Next was a short surprise photo stop to see some puffins nesting on a cliff. We clocked up two big waterfalls on the tour...Dettifoss, the second most powerful waterfall in Europe and Godafoss, waterfall of the gods, to finish the day. In between we had stops at a pretty horseshoe shaped valley with a pretty pond at the centre, and also stopped briefly to see the mud pools and steam vents in the Myvatn area. Despite it being a full day out with some tight timings, Unnur and the driver got us back to the port comfortably before the all-onboard time. It was great value when compared to the cruise ship options and I really enjoyed it. The trip price included a small boxed lunch containing sandwiches, a drink and some chocolate.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_e
Aug 21, 2024
Wonderful scenic day in Iceland, amazing waterfalls, surreal landscapes, very enjoyable - The tour bus for this full day excursion was parked around 5 minutes stroll from the cruise ship and easy to find. Our guide Unnur was really informative and she made sure the full coach was well informed on what we would be doing, what time and where to meet at each stop etc. We did the day in the reverse order to how it was described, which actually worked well given how the weather played out. We started at Husavik - just 20 minutes there but enough time to get a few photos of this pretty fishing town. We saw two impressive waterfalls on the tour and had ample time to explore at each. We also visited a horseshoe-shaped valley with a pretty pond, and had a quick photo stop near some cliffs to see the puffins. We saw mud pools and steam vents and many different landscapes. We were back to the cruise port in good time for the all aboard time. A small boxed lunch was included in the trip. Great day out and very good value compared to the cruise ship offerings.
Review provided by Viator
Kimberley_c
Aug 4, 2024
Excellent, wide ranging tour - Great tour! Covered all the sights we were looking for in this area of Iceland. Our guide and driver were professional, friendly and informative. Would definitely use them again.
Review provided by Viator
Ef_m
Aug 3, 2024
A very good day! - Our guide, Una , was knowledgeable, fun and firm: she made us aware that we needed to stick to the timetable or we would lose out,, because if we lagged at one site, we’d have to scrimp on another. Everyone obeyed! She had a great many historical facts, myths, and charming anecdotes for us Eugene, our driver, did a great job I had been afraid that the 8 hour trip would drag, but it didn’t. The sites were interesting, or breathtaking, or charming - or all three. They were sensibly spaced so the longest bit of non-stop driving came first. Lunch was fine though unexciting, and was eaten on the bus to conserve time for visiting the sites. It was a thoroughly satisfying day! Just be aware, the weather can turn very quickly. Although it was 14 degrees and fair when we set out, we had freezing winds and horizontal rain by the end. Take gloves, a hat, waterproof jacket and trousers and plenty of layers.
Review provided by Viator
Jason_m
Jul 23, 2024
Great tour guide - The guide was the best. Kept the tour moving. Explained well. Answered questions. Great time. Easy to talk to and very friendly.
Review provided by Viator
Nra_z
Aug 27, 2024
Amaizing foggy Iceland - Despite of the wether our tour was amazing, and tour guide and his talk made us laugh a lot. Thank You!
Review provided by Viator
Dkpriamo
Aug 23, 2024
It would have been nice... - It would have been nice if the tour guides/operators held up signs so you knew where to go. We started trip 40 minutes late waiting for other passengers.
Review provided by Viator
Terri_s
Aug 15, 2024
Traveling Texans - The Asbuyregi Canyon & Dettifloss Falls were incredible! Our guide Ritchie was very knowledgeable. We enjoyed the use of WhatsApp to convey information.
Review provided by Viator
Samantha_s
Aug 11, 2024
Fabulous tour. So much packed into this day - So much jammed into this day. Our guide “Eunish” ( sorry I’m sure the spelling is incorrect ) was very knowledgeable. Would have been good to eat lunch on the bus as time at the stop was short. Only 2 possible stops to get any extra food or drink and we went over an hour later.. so take extra supplies so you’re not fading Fabulous tour. Thanks.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_k
Aug 18, 2024
Iceland with family - Don’t book this tour. It is primarily offered for the cruise ships but most are not in port long enough to complete the itinerary so it gets cancelled a few days prior. We were not on a cruise ship but were told if there aren’t at least 25 non-cruisers it isn’t financially lucrative to do the tour. We tried to schedule on 2 different dates and it was cancelled both days. Ended up booking an alternative tour and now we need to work with Viator to try to get a refund for the price difference. Tour operator would not issue refund since we booked with Viator.
Review provided by Viator