Iceland Saga Trail
Isafold Travel presents you an exciting journey of discovery in Iceland along the trail of the
sagas.
Our company is a member of the Iceland Saga Trail Association. This is an organisation of 28 groups and initiatives who have dedicated their work to history- and saga-related tourism in Iceland. Mostly springing from private initiatives, it is their objective to present the heritage of medieval Icelandic literature in a lively manner to their guests: the Icelandic family sagas, tales of honour, love, feud and fate from the early centuries of Iceland's history. It was not least this deep-rooted literary tradition that earned Iceland its place as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2011.
Prices:
Prices will soon be available.
Itinerary:
Day 1:
You will be pick-up by your tour guide at Keflavík airport. Welcome visit to Viking World near Keflavík, where you will see an exact replica of the famous Gokstad ship, which an Icelandic crew sailed across the North Atlantic in 2000. Then we drive to Borgarnes, where the Settlement Centre demonstrates using multimedia techniques the living conditions the first Icelandic settlers had to expect when they arrived on the island in the 9th century. After dinner we continue to the hotel in Reykholt.
Day 2:
Reykholt is inseparably associated with the name of the most famous medieval Scandinavian writer, Snorri Sturluson. This was the home of the great scholar, poet and statesman, where he met his violent death in 1241 in the turmoil of civil strife. Later on, the history of the 10th century is brought to life during a visit to the replica Saga Age farmhouse at Eiriksstaðir. It was from here that Erik the Red set course for Greenland to settle on the southern headland of the huge island. But the privilege of being the first European to set foot on the American continent was reserved for his son, Leifur Eiriksson or Leif the Lucky. In the summer Erik went to live in the land which he had discovered, and which he called Greenland, "Because," said he, "men will be much keener to go there if the land has a good name."
Driving over a heath to the north, in the afternoon we reach Laugarbakki in Northwest Iceland close to Bjarg, where one of the most colourful figures of the Icelandic sagas was born: Grettir the Strong. We follow the trail of his story to Skagafjörður, close to the point of his tragic end on the rocky island of Drangey and visit Grettis-pool. Dinner at Kaffi Krókur and overnight at Guesthouse in the area.
Day 3:
After introduction of the Sturlung Trail Project in Skagafjörður this day is partly dedicated to the crossing of the vast interior highlands of Iceland. Folktales and adventurous narratives about thieves and outlaws bring to life the impressive rocky desert between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. In the middle of the wilderness we come upon the oasis Hveravellir with its colourful geothermal springs. In a pool close to it you can take a refreshing bath in the natural hot water! Two hours later we reach again inhabited areas at the mighty waterfall Gullfoss. Next stop is Skálholt, the formerseat of the bishops of South Iceland. Not far from there, every 10 minutes the active geysir Strokkur ejects a column of hot water and steam up to 20 m in the air. Overnight at Hótel Geysir.
Day 4:
The route to Reykjavik lies via Þingvellir National Park. No other place in Iceland is so intimately bound up with every milestone of the history of the country as this historic parliamentary site adjacent to the magnificent Almannagjá gorge. We head on to the capital of Iceland, where a short sightseeing tour will take us among other things to the Saga Museum at Perlan, which commands panoramic views of the region, to the medieval manuscripts in the Culture House and the Settlement Exhibition 871 +/-2 in the centre of Reykjavík. Free time in Reykjavik. Viking Fiest in Fjörukráin restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Viking in Hafnarfjörður.
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