From Skarfabakki: South Coast Tour w/ Solheimajokull Glacier

GYG

From Skarfabakki: South Coast Tour w/ Solheimajokull Glacier

• Eight of the outdoor sights around Reykjavik charge for parking rather than for entry. That fee is per car, so it falls away entirely when somebody else is driving.
• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 10 hours

from $1437

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

Ten hours down the south coast from Skarfabakki

This tour leaves from Skarfabakki, the cruise ship port on the eastern edge of Reykjavik, and runs for ten hours along the south coast. It is a full-day journey that reaches Sólheimajökull, a glacier tongue coming off the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, and takes in the waterfalls and black sand beaches that line that route. The tour is guided in English and Spanish, and admission to the stops is included in the price. At 1,437 USD it sits at the upper end of what south coast tours cost, so it is aimed at travellers who want the glacier leg covered as part of a single booked day rather than pieced together separately. The operator, Viking Journeys, runs the trip from Reykjavik, and the ten-hour frame means a full day out, with the return to the capital coming in the evening.

Photographs from the operator Viking Journeys. They show the listing, not your day.

What the 1,437 USD covers and what it does not

The price starts at 1,437 USD and includes admission to the stops on the itinerary. That puts this tour in a minority within its category, as only 13 other south coast listings in the same group of 80 state that admission is covered. The operator does not include food, so meals and snacks are yours to arrange, either before departure or at the stops along the way. The only official amount that might be added on the day is a parking fee at Sólheimajökull, but that charge applies to private cars at 750 ISK per vehicle. On a guided trip where you travel in the tour vehicle, that cost does not arise for you. The glacier's car park also charges tour buses between 1,800 and 6,400 ISK, and there is a 300 ISK toilet fee at the same car park, but again these are costs for the vehicle operator and for individual visitors, not for passengers on a booked tour. Free cancellation is offered, though the operator does not give a deadline for it.

A tour without a track record yet

This listing has no customer rating attached to it. That is the honest measure of where it stands: not that the tour is untested in quality, but that there is no accumulated evidence from past travellers to point to. In a category of 81 south coast tours, it ranks 53rd by strength of evidence, which is a reflection of that missing rating rather than of the tour itself. By price, it ranks 62nd of the 81, placing it among the most expensive quarter of the group, where prices range from 116 to 4,044 USD. What sets it apart from cheaper neighbours is the explicit inclusion of admission, which many listings in this category do not state. If you are the sort of traveller who books on the strength of thousands of verified reviews, the comparable tours with 12,000 or more ratings behind them will carry more weight. If you are willing to be among the first to try a new operator's itinerary, this one offers a clear cost structure with fewer unknowns than most.

When the ten hours work best

Reykjavik's monthly temperatures climb from a January high of 3 degrees to a July high of 15 degrees, with lows staying above freezing from June through September. For a ten-hour day that runs from morning to evening, the summer months of June, July and August give you the longest daylight and the mildest conditions, with highs between 13 and 15 degrees and lows around 7 to 9 degrees. May and September are workable too, with highs of 10 and 11 degrees respectively, though the light fades earlier. From October through April, highs hover between 3 and 8 degrees, and a full day outdoors along the coast will feel cold even at the warmest point of the afternoon. The tour runs for ten hours regardless of season, so the decision is about how much of that time you want in daylight and how comfortable you are with cold conditions at the glacier.

At the glacier and along the coast

The tour's main stop at Sólheimajökull has a car park with a toilet facility that charges 300 ISK. The glacier itself is reached on foot from the car park, and the ground there is what you would expect at the foot of an ice cap: uneven, and underfoot conditions change with the weather. The waterfalls along the south coast route are open-air stops where you walk from the parking area to the viewpoints. There is no indoor waiting area at these stops, so the weather on the day determines how long you want to spend at each one. The tour is not wheelchair accessible, according to the operator, so anyone with limited mobility should factor that in when considering the walking involved at the glacier and the waterfall viewpoints.

Who should book this, and who should look elsewhere

This tour suits travellers who want the glacier leg of a south coast day handled by a guide who speaks English and Spanish, and who prefer a price that states upfront that admission is covered. It also suits anyone arriving at Skarfabakki who wants a day trip that departs from the port without needing to transfer into central Reykjavik first. It is not for travellers on a tight budget: at 1,437 USD it is among the most expensive options in its category. If price is the deciding factor, the South Coast Waterfalls, Black Sand and Glacier Tour at 132 USD for ten hours offers a far lower entry point, though it carries no statement about admission being included. For a longer day that reaches further east, the 14.5-hour South Coast, Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón Tour at 230 USD covers the iceberg lagoon as well, but it adds four and a half hours to the day. This Viking Journeys tour is the middle ground for those who want the glacier without the extra distance to Jökulsárlón.

GYG

From Skarfabakki: South Coast Tour w/ Solheimajokull Glacier

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $1437

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