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Challenging cycling on paved and gravel roads,
with options to hike, ride horses, and explore
rugged wilderness. This near to the Arctic
Circle, in June, the sun stays up all night.
Day 1: The tour starts with a noon
pickup in Reykjavik at the Hotel Loftleidir
for the 3.5 hours drive to Sauđárkrókur, where
you will start your riding tomorrow morning.
You can test your bikes, visit the nearby
geothermal heated swimming pool, or stretch
your legs on the back of an Icelandic horse
before dinner. Dinner is included on guided
trips. Optional flights are available from
Reykjavik to Sauđárkrókur through Air Iceland.
Lodging: Hotel Tindastoll, Sauđárkrókur.
Day 2: Ride through a river valley
known for its horses and an ethereal blue
light, stopping at the Glaumbear Farmstead to
enjoy the dwarf sod houses, where the first
Viking born in North America, Snorri
Thorfinnson – probably an inhabitant of
Newfoundland’s L’Anse aux Meadows – lived upon
his return to Iceland. Follow the coast of
Skagafjordur to Hofsos, where you can visit
the Icelandic American Heritage museum if you
are inclined. Lunch and dinner are included on
guided trips.
Lodging: Gistiheimiliđ Sunnuberg, near
Hofsos, Skagafjordur.
Day 3: Today’s ride will include a
short van transfer. Follow the coast around
the Tröllaskagi Peninsula – Peninsula of
Trolls – to a lunch stop at a gastronomic
guesthouse where “slow cuisine” is the mantra.
Further along, views of Grimsey Island
increase the beauty of the ride. Lunch and
dinner are included on guided trips.
Lodging: Brimnes Hotel & Cabins,
Ólafsfjörđur.
Day 4: An easy ride along the coast
toward Akureyri, acknowledged as the home of
some of the world’s most beautiful people, and
known by golfers for the Arctic Open
Championship. Visit the botanical gardens, old
houses, and relative abundance of restaurants
and bars, where the fun is heightened by the
location near the Arctic Circle.
Lodging: Hotel Edda, Akureyi.
Day 5: Choose between the paved road
over the Vikurskard pass (350 m) and, the
gravel road around it (which adds 18 km). Stop
for lunch at Storutjarnir or perhaps Iceland’s
most spectacular waterfall, Godafoss – Falls
of the Gods. After a picnic lunch, follow the
valley of a salmon-rich river to the coast to
Husavik – locally proclaimed the
whale-watching capital of Europe, and home of
an interesting whale information centre. Lunch
and dinner are included on guided trips.
Lodging: Kaldbaks-kot, near Husavik or,
Foss Hotel.
Day 6: Today’s ride takes you past a
small geyser, large greenhouses, and along a
lava river valley with pseudocraters – formed
as lava bubbles which cool, rather than by
impact - toward Lake Myvatn, where the best
summer weather in Iceland helps one appreciate
its myriad islands, ducks, and pretty vistas.
Lunch and dinner are included on guided trips.
Lodging: Hotel Reykjahlid, Reykjahlid.
Day 7: Morning ride around Lake Myvatn,
followed by a van ride to the Jokulsargljufur
Canyon National Park in the afternoon. Today
is a day to enjoy the unique Myvatn
surroundings. After a morning circumnavigation
of the lake on your bike, the afternoon can be
spent visiting outlying attractions with your
Icelandic guide, or taking an optional
sightseeing flight to oversee Iceland’s
dramatic interior, including Askja – the
world’s biggest caldera – where US astronauts
trained for moon landings. Guided trips
include lunch and dinner.
Lodging: Hotel Reykjahlid, Reykjahlid.
Day 8: Transfer to Reykjavik. This is
an approximate 4.5 hour drive. Optional
flights from Akureyri are available to
Reykjavik through Air Iceland. |
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