Iceland Land of Fire and Ice 2025

Reykjavík, Iceland

Rt
Reefs to Rockies
  • Email address verified
69 reviews
May 22 - Jun 1, 2025
Group size: 8 - 12
Iceland Land of Fire and Ice 2025
Reykjavík, Iceland

Reefs to Rockies
  • Email address verified
69 reviews

May 22 - Jun 1, 2025
Group size: 8 - 12

About this trip

Get ready to experience the Land of Fire and Ice like never before—a guided journey that combines Iceland’s awe-inspiring landscapes with rich natural history and local folklore. This is a place where towering waterfalls roar like thunder, volcanic landscapes steam with the power of the Earth’s core, and glaciers carve their way through mountains in a relentless dance of ice and fire. Imagine walking along black sand beaches, witnessing powerful waterfalls cascading from cliffs, and soaking in thermal hot springs surrounded by incredible views.


But Iceland is more than just an impressive landscape—it’s also a birder’s paradise. This country’s remote position between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans means we’ll witness an amazing mix of resident and migratory species. From colonies of puffins perched on cliffs to Arctic terns diving with precision, every scene in Iceland is memorable.


Beyond birding, we’ll dive into Iceland’s rich folklore, from the tales of elves and hidden people that have shaped the country’s culture to sagas that speak of Viking explorers. We’ll also explore by boat in search of charismatic marine mammals that frequent Icelandic waters.


Join Denver Audubon and Reefs to Rockies on this 11-day birding and natural history adventure. From the folklore that weaves through the landscape to the breathtaking sights of Iceland’s wildlife and natural wonders, this is an unforgettable experience that immerses you in the heart of magical Iceland.

About Your Reefs to Rockies Guide

Kyle Carlsen from Reefs to Rockies is excited to co-lead this expedition alongside our local Icelandic guide. With a deep passion for avian research and conservation, Kyle has extensive experience both in the field and as a published writer. His work has appeared in numerous journals, books, and magazines, showcasing his expertise in ornithology and wildlife. You may also recognize him as the education coordinator for Wild Birds Unlimited of northern Colorado, where he regularly engages the community in birding education and conservation efforts.


Kyle’s travels have taken him across North and South America and the Caribbean, where he has dedicated himself to exploring and documenting wildlife in a variety of ecosystems. His field experience, paired with his ability to share in-depth knowledge in an engaging way, makes him an exceptional guide. Kyle ensures that every journey he leads is not only educational but deeply inspiring.

About Your Icelandic Guide

Born and raised in Iceland, Snorri Ingason has spent his life immersed in the natural beauty and folklore of his homeland. With more than a decade of experience as a naturalist guide, Snorri brings an unmatched passion for Iceland’s wildlife, geology, and rich cultural history to every adventure he leads. His expertise extends beyond just the natural world—Snorri is also a storyteller at heart, sharing his homeland’s fascinating folklore and rich history. With his deep respect for nature and Iceland’s heritage, he provides travelers with an insider’s perspective on the magic that makes Iceland so special.

What’s included

  • Accommodations
    Double occupancy - two people sharing a room
  • Private ground transport
    For 11 days
  • Two expert guides
  • Daily birding
    And wildlife viewing with spotting scope available
  • Meals as listed
    11 breakfasts and 10 dinners
  • Ferry
    Breiðafjörður Bay
  • Entrance fees
    As listed
  • Whale watching excursion
  • Conservation donation
    A donation to support Denver Audubon’s education and conservation programs will be made on half of all participants.

What’s not included

  • Flights
  • Passport fees
  • Travel insurance
    Quote available on request.
  • Lunches
  • Alcohol
  • Blue Lagoon Treatments
  • Optional activities
  • Personal items

Available Packages

Iceland Land of Fire & Ice
Deposit:$1,500
$7,750
Deposit:$1,500

Available options

Private room supplement
$1,750
Deposit: $0

Add $1750 if you prefer a private, single occupancy room. If you are a solo traveler that prefers to share a room, we’ll do our best to pair you. If we are unable to find a roommate for you, the private room supplement will apply.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Thurs., May 22)
Arrival – Reykjavik

Upon arrival to Keflavik Airport (KEF), you’ll be met and transferred to Reykjavik for a guided city tour and our first birding together.  This afternoon, soak in the Blue Lagoon’s therapeutic waters, an excellent way to relax after your overnight flight. We’ll end the day with a delicious dinner before retiring at our hotel in Reykjavík.

Accommodations: Hotel Skuggi

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Your Organizer


Rt
Reefs to Rockies
69 reviews
Our specialty is nature and wildlife travel. We know when and where to go for the best experiences. Travel time is limited. It’s important to choose a travel company that knows how to personalize a trip just for you. Our travel specialists will help you plan a custom trip that matches your travel style, budget, interests, and ideal dates.

Reviews

Awesome trip with even more awesome guides with amazing birding skills. Many thanks to Chip for leading and organizing our activities! And Carly was a definite bonus with her deep biological + birding knowledge, as well as her keen eyes and ears. I'm very impressed with both of them for their ability to instantly recognize bird species - especially when they were flying quickly by us. I was also very impressed with Chip's deep botanical and animal knowledge, providing great insights to both the areas we visited and their relationships to birds there. His vast nature experiences were obvious with all of his background explanations of the locations, and his high energy enthusiasm was great!
By Lance W for Birding & Beers Goes to New Mexico on Dec 18, 2024
The trip was everything I wanted. Great group. Great guides. Very organized. Thanks so much. Joan Cloud
By Joan C for Birding & Beers Goes to New Mexico on Dec 11, 2024
We had an amazing time with all the different experiences we had in Africa. We experienced the city and food scene in Cape Town, as well as the wildlife and nature. We enjoyed the Rovos Train, but it’s a one and done. We loved visiting the archaeological digs in Johannesburg as well as the knowledgable and humorous guide. We loved the elephant camp in Zimbabwe and our first game drive. Visiting Rwanda, with its museum, varied culture, and gorillas was amazing. The gorilla trek may have been the highlight of our trip. The week of game drives with Sosy was absolutely amazing. Apparently we saw things that are fairly unusual to see. We can see ourselves going back to Tanzania. We enjoyed visiting Kenya, but we would have rather explored Nairobi for a day than to have gone to Ololo. We did not care for the place in more than one aspect., including the awful swinging bridge to enter their facility. We enjoyed Meru. The lodge, the guide, and the overall experience were lovely. We were satisfied with Amboseli, but underwhelmed. We would have preferred to have gone on to Zanzibar instead of this experience. We loved Zanzibar. The resort, the staff, the food, the overall exotic experience were beyond fabulous. It was certainly a once in a lifetime trip until our next adventure.
By Janet M for African Explorer Safari on Nov 01, 2024
Knowledgeable, energetic, fun leader and animal spotter on this amazing trip. Animal highlights for me included the pronghorn, tarantula, and burrowing owls. I loved learning about SPLT and the Forest Service tour of Picket Wire Canyonlands. Everyone should learn more about the American Serengeti!
By Gayle L for Southeast Colorado Wildlife Weekend - Fall Migration and Tarantulas on Oct 01, 2024
The Azores are a beautiful place. The hotels were wonderful and most of the tours were excellent. However, we had several very concerning glitches. The times were were given for tour start times and taxi pick up times were incorrect on several occasions. We nearly lost our taxi to the airport one morning because he was told 9amand we were told 9:10am and he had another pick up to do. We nearly missed one whale watch because we were told 8:30 and we needed to be there at 8. Reef to Rockies said the error was on the part of our Azores tour company but that is hard to confirm. And when asked to re verify all upcoming times, Sheridan did not do that. On our final day our flight off a small island was cancelled. We were not notified by anyone. The taxi that was supposed to pick us up at 8:25 for our 10:25 flight was told to pick us up and 10am. Luckily we were able to reach the taxi driver directly because the "24 hour emergency" phone number were were given was not actually manned 24 hours so we had no support in getting this resolved. My friends have used Sheridan before and had amazing trips to other areas of the world. I would state that if you want to go to the Azores, there might be a company that has better communication with the people on the islands.
By Rebecca G for Azores 2024 on Sep 28, 2024
Thank you for your feedback, Becky. We are disappointed to hear that your recent trip didn’t exceed expectations. That is always our goal at Reefs to Rockies. Our reputation for exceeding expectations is the reason your travel companions have booked multiple trips with us in the past. In your group of 6 travelers, there were 4 different itineraries that had to be planned after the original trip was booked and confirmed. While that’s not an excuse, it does highlight the fact that there were a lot moving parts when scheduling this trip. We do recognize that there were a couple of missteps on pick up times with drivers, as well as an operational change to the whale watching tour start time that was missed when preparing your final travel documents. It’s important to note that no services were missed during your trip. Every service that was booked was delivered unless someone voluntarily opted out of the activity. We were, in fact, regularly in contact with our local partner to make sure details were being taken care of during your trip including a request on Sept 11 when we learned about the change in the whale watching start time. This is the email we sent right away after hearing about this and the response we received: From R2R: “We just received a message from Elena stating that the whale watch center told them they were late when they arrived at 8:30 am which is what is stated on the final documents you sent. In person, they were told they had to be there by 8 am. We need someone from Futurismo to reach out to them with an explanation. They were moved to a Zodiac instead of the larger boat and Marja was not able to join due to back issues and now she isn't able to go snorkeling. They also want to verify what size boat they will be on for the Pico Island tour. Please get with Operations and reconfirm that everything that is scheduled is valid for timing. Here is a link to Elena’s mobile itinerary and Lisa’s mobile itinerary to crosscheck since they have the longest trips. Thank you in advance for clarifying the issue with timing and reconfirming all other details.” From Futurismo: “Hello Sheridan, Thank you for the information. I’ve reviewed the other schedules, and they are all correct. This was my mistake as we had to reschedule some of the boat trips due to logistics, and I missed this one. However, as stated in the description, the type of vessel depends on the number of passengers. So there was always a chance they would go on a zodiac, and I haven’t received any information indicating that any passenger was unable to participate due to the type of vessel. I was informed that our team contacted them, and asked them to arrive earlier, and they arrived on time for the activity. One person chose not to participate, and another opted for a whale-watching activity instead due to the vessel type. The vessel we have at Pico is a 28-seat zodiac. Are they ok with this?” We also followed the possible strike with the local airline closely and suggested the group not change their travel plans based on a “threat” of a strike. That was a good recommendation since an agreement was reached and no changes to your itinerary were needed. When I spoke on the phone with the lead point of contact for your trip about the strike on Sept 12, I mentioned that times had been reconfirmed on our end. We try to limit email communication during a trip so you can enjoy your time away. We now understand this made you feel as though we were not communicative on your behalf. We never received notice about a flight cancellation. When we asked for more information, we were told it was a flight delay, not a cancellation. While airline schedule changes can be incredibly frustrating, they are completely beyond our control. Your driver that day was told to arrive at 8:25. We are glad you were able to connect with him with the contact number provided to you prior to departure for the transfer that day. We reached out again to Futurismo to clarify what happened on your day of departure per your trip review and restated our disappointment with the issues that happened along the way. This is their response to that question and the other issues you mention. “We’ve worked with this partner for a long time and rarely encounter issues. However, in this case, there was indeed a failure—not a delay, as the driver actually arrived early. The itinerary stated 09:10, but the driver arrived at 09:00. What the driver communicated to the clients has already been reported to the partner. He should not have rushed the clients, and there was no risk of missing any connections. We do not support rushed services that compromise the client experience. We also received feedback from one of the clients you sent, and we promptly addressed the issue with our partner, making it clear that such behavior is unacceptable. Regarding the whale watching incident, that was my responsibility. Our front-office team contacted the clients in advance to confirm the correct time for the trip, and fortunately, they were able to attend. I believe the most important thing is that they made it to the trip. As for the final transfer, it was scheduled for 8:25 with our partner, and we had no indication of any issues. We received confirmation that everything went smoothly, and this is the first time we're hearing about this concern. The flight was not cancelled but delayed. As soon as we became aware of the delay, my colleague Rita contacted the clients to inform them and provide guidance on how to proceed. Carlos and I are both part of upper management, and we are committed to resolving these issues. We will continue working closely with our local partners to ensure that the service meets the expected standards in the future.” We sincerely hope that you see that we were checking in on your behalf throughout your trip. We’ve worked with Futurismo for years and have never had issues such as these. We have to trust that our local partners will provide the same level of service we do once the trip starts. We value your feedback and have already connected with all parties involved to make sure missteps like these aren’t repeated. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
By Reefs to Rockies on Sep 30, 2024
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