P R I V A T E
ICEL AND
T O U R S
ENCOUNTER
www.encounter.is
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Thingvellir National Park
GREET INGS! Iceland Encounter is a boutique tour operator in Reykjavik serving discerning visitors to Iceland. Our guests enjoy high levels of service while visiting the country‘s most beautiful destinations. Our unique journeys combine a variety of activities including hiking, sailing, scuba-diving, horseback riding, snowmobiling, 4x4 expeditions, helicopter tours, and more. For further information send us an email at contact@encounter.is or call (+354) 588 8825. Erling & Kristín
YO U R
H O ST S
Iceland Encounter was founded by Erling Aspelund and Kristín Björnsdottir, both native Icelanders. After twenty years in the US software industry, they returned to Iceland in 2007 to start their travel company. As owners, they are intimately involved in the day-to-day operations, guiding tours and focusing on customer service. You´ll experience their personal touch right from the start 3
G L AC I E R S
AN D
WAT E R FAL L S 7 days, 6 nights (All year)
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Experience the dramatic and varied scenery of southern Iceland, as you travel along the coast of the North Atlantic with glacier-tipped peaks on one side and black-sand beaches on the other. Traverse the most expansive lava ďŹ eld in recorded history, hike in the foothills of Europe’s largest glacier, and go sailing among icebergs in Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.
Skaftafell National Park
FAQ How do I get to Iceland?
What is the weather like?
Frequent flights operate to Iceland from major cities in Europe and North America and many gateways are served daily. Flight times to Europe are two to four hours; New York is five hours away, while the flight to Seattle is slightly over seven hours. Most flights connect at Iceland’s Keflavík International Airport, which is located about 45 km from Reykjavík.
The winters in Iceland are fairly mild thanks to the Gulf Stream. In Reykjavik, it’s just as likely to rain as it is to snow. At the same time, it’s often windy and the weather is quite changeable. The average temperature in January, the coldest month, is 0 C (32 F). Summers are cool with an average temperature of 12 C (54 F) in July. It rarely gets hot and it can be rainy and windy. The record heat recorded in Reykjavik is 26 C (78 F).
How long or short are the days? There are big differences between winter and summer daylight hours. From May to August, we experience 24 hours of daylight. Conversely, in mid-winter, expect only about four to five hours a day of daylight. Spring and fall daylight hours are roughly the same as in Europe and North America.
What are accommodations and food like? Reykjavik offers a number of excellent hotels. In the countryside we focus on quality boutique properties. The seafood and lamb are of outstanding natural quality and served in imaginative European style.
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Unique experiences that combine all of the best that Iceland has to offer. 6
GRAND
TOUR
IC E L AN D 14 days, 13 nights (All Year)
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This tour features all of the best that Iceland has to offer, as we circle the island clockwise from Reykjavik. Each day will feature easy to moderately difficult hikes of 2-4 hours duration or other activities such as sailing, kayaking, or horseback riding. Highlights include Breidafjordur bay, Lake Myvatn, Dettifoss waterfalls, the fjords of the East coast, Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, Vatnajokull glacier, as well as the beaches, headlands, and waterfalls of the South. Overnight in quality 3 and 4-star hotels.
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Mt. Skjaldbreid
P O P U L AR IN
ACT IVITI ES
ICEL AND
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Glacier Adventures
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Spas and Swimming
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Hiking
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Kayaking and River-Rafting
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Salmon and Trout Fishing
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Bird Watching
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Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
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Horseback Riding
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Caving
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4x4 Expeditions
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Photography
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Sailing
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Culinary Tours
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Viking Heritage
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Golf
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Shopping for Icelandic Art and Design
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Helicopter Tours
Let us know which of these activities strike your fancy. 8
Every journey customized to suit your interests and needs.
NORTHERN
LIGHTS
ADVENTURE 5 days, 4 nights (October through March) This trip includes two nights in the countryside and two nights in Reykjavik. During the day, choose from a variety of activities: visit hot springs and waterfalls, go for a short glacier walk, take a dip in the Blue Lagoon, ride the friendly Icelandic horse, or go dry-suit snorkeling in a beautiful canyon between the N-American and Eurasian tectonic plates. In the evening, after a sumptuous dinner, hunt for the Aurora Borealis.
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Northern Lights
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ACROSS ARCTIC
THE
CIRCLE
9 dyas, 8 nights (June through September) Drive through the Icelandic Highlands on Kjolur mountain road, an area favored by outlaws in centuries past. Bathe in a natural hot spring at geothermal oasis Hveravellir, as boiling mud pits and steaming fumaroles vent all around you. We’ll explore Akureyri, the capital of northern Iceland, and hike around Lake Myvatn, known for its exceptionally rich bird life. Other highlights include the Myvatn Nature Baths, Europe’s largest waterfall Dettifoss, and an excursion to Grimsey island, located directly on the Arctic circle.
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Dettifoss
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VOLCANOES 5 days, 4 nights (All year) Travel via 4x4 vehicle to the area around Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Witness changes wrought by the 2010 volcanic eruption. Experience the awe-inspiring landscape of this unspoiled wilderness area including glaciers, waterfalls, hot-springs, and black-sand beaches. Along the way, go for a snowmobile ride on a glacier, get to know the Icelandic horse, and hike in the highlands.
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Eyjafjallajรถkull - May 2010
PUFFIN
QUEST
6 days, 5 nights (May through July This truly unique journey takes you through some of the most remote parts of Iceland, as you travel along the west coast of the island to visit two of the major nesting grounds of the N-Atlantic puffin. Along the way, travel via 4x4 across highland passes, go caving in a lava ďŹ eld, horseback riding on a beach, and snowmobiling on a glacier. Sail across the bay of Breidafjordur, where thousands of islets and skerries shelter seals, whales, dolphins, and dozens of species of birds.
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Puffin
HIKE
THE
HIGHL ANDS 10 days, 9 nights (mid-June through August) This 10-day trip includes a 4-day hike along the most popular and possibly most spectacular trail in Iceland, Laugavegur (The Spring Road), which links the areas of Landmannalaugar in the central highlands to Thorsmork in the South. The 54 km route passes through extremely diverse landscape: multi-colored rhyolite mountains, geothermal fields with erupting geysers, ice caves, sprawling sands, magnificent canyons, and ends in verdant birch forests. At its highest point, the trail is approximately 1000 meters above sea level. Prior to the hike, explore the south coast of Iceland, including short hikes in two national parks – Thingvellir and Skaftafell – as well as a sailing trip on Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.
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Mt. Herdubreid
Photographs: Lárus Karl Ingason | Design: GunHil | Printing: Litróf
TRAVEL WITH
P R E F E R R E D
OFF
OUR
THE
EXPERIENCED
PATH
GUIDES
O N - S I T E
Iceland Encounter is a proud member of Virtuoso, the industry´s leading luxury travel network. Iceland Encounter is a licensed Travel Agency by the Icelandic Tourist Board and a member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Assocation. 16 16
BEATEN
ICEL AND
ENCOUNTER
Austurstraeti 18 | IS-101 Reykjavík | Iceland (+354) 588 8825 | contact@encounter.is | www.encounter.is
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