Iceland July Excursion choices
Hi
I am taking the Iceland trip in July and just received the excursion choices. Two of the reasons I wanted to visit Iceland was to see the Puffins and ride an Icelandic Horse. Both of these were listed in the promotional materials for this trip, but now I don't see them at all. Can anyone shed light on this? This is my first Tauck trip and it seems like false advertising. Thanks in advance!
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Check Day 2 of the itinerary. "There are places on Earth that simply must be experienced and the geological children, Heimaey and Surtsey islands in the area of Iceland called Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands), are among them. Named "islands of the western men" for a group of rebellious slaves whose daring exploits are the stuff of Icelandic legend, this remote part of Iceland – far off the beaten track, with its scenic beauty, huge seabird colonies and intriguing human saga – has an aura of adventure and magic. In 1973, a volcanic eruption on Heimaey, the only populated island, destroyed the small town and changed the island's landscape forever. Come ashore on Heimaey for a day of exploration that includes a visit to Sprangan cliff, where young islanders are taught the sport of rope-swinging and cliff-side egg-collecting;** a stop at Storhöfdi, home to the island's largest colony of puffins and an incredible vantage point for breathtaking views of the island and the massive glaciers of the mainland (weather permitting); and a walk up the youngest mountain in the world – which was born when Mt. Eldfell spewed lava over the island, creating the new "Pompeii" of the north. You won't have to look too hard to see **puffins, Arctic terns, and other birds that inhabit the cliffs and coves. Tonight, join us for the Captain's Welcome Dinner as your ship charts a course for Grundafjordur."
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We also saw lots of puffins on Grimsey Island - day 4 of your itinerary. You probably aren't seeing an excursion choice for that day because, weather permitting, everyone will do that activity.
Pre pandemic when we went, we went to an Icelandic horse center for demonstrations but there was no opportunity to ride them.
We were very lucky to have the ship’s captain invite my husband and I to go out into the sea in a dingy and view the puffins from that perspective.it was so awesome.
You don't see them mentioned in the excursion choices because days were you should see them, day 2 on Heimaey, and day for on Grimsey, have no excursion choices. Everyone has the same excursion.
We're on the June 15 cruise and looking forward to it.
Okay. Thank you for the responses. That makes sense. I don't want to go all the way to Iceland and miss the puffins! The horseback riding was mentioned in the marketing materials, but I don't see it anywhere else. Maybe I will try to see if I can do it during my pre stay.
Any other input on excursions is appreciated.
We went early and did an excursion that included riding the horses. See https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Iceland-01.htm
We went in 2025. You'll see plenty of puffins- both small and large
We visited a farm for a wonderful lunch in one of their large green houses. The owners grew tomatoes, etc. and flowers hydroponically, and raised and trained Icelandic horses. We visited the stable to see the horses up closely and watched a show/demonstrating their smooth ride and variety of gaits, but we did not have the opportunity to ride the horses ourselves. https://fridheimar.is/tourist-services/
Thank you for the input and great pictures and link for horseback riding. Definitely going to check that out. The farm visit looks awesome, so I will pick that as an excursion. I wish they had more details in the description of the excursions. They are really vague, but your photos and description are so helpful. Thanks!!
Mich4, note that the photos AlanS posted on the farm are not part of an optional excursion. They are part of the Golden Circle tour on Day 7, which is scheduled for everyone. The lunch in the greenhouse and farm tour have never been mentioned in the Tauck descriptions of that tour, but have been reported in this forum by guests on several past cruises.
There is a farm visit included as an optional excursion on Day 6 in Isafjordur. This is part of the "Dynjandi & Icelandic Farm Visit" excursion which is new this year, so was not part of AlanS's tour. There is no mention of horses in this excursion.
A visit to the Fridheimer farm is not likely part of what is traditionally known as the "Golden Circle" tour despite the title of the original Tauck Day 7 itinerary, "Iceland’s “Golden Circle” The althing & The Blue Lagoon"). A visit to Fridheimer farm was not listed anywhere on the website or various on-tour itineraries in 2025. It was a pleasant surprise.
We were offered one of two options for Day 7 which we only learned about when we got our handouts once aboard Le Champlain. One longer 11 hour option included (swimming in) the Blue Lagoon and the other, shorter 8 hour version did not. Since we had already planned to swim at Myvatn baths a few days prior (ended up being a wise choice!) we chose the shorter, Day 7 option.
None of the routes were actually a "Golden Circle." I think the second option was offered because many travelers were concerned about the long day, the effects of the Blue Lagoon water on their hair, and the limited time to get ready for the farewell dinner that night. Also, I believe Tauck continues to wicker the itinerary and options, because, while the tour is interesting, frankly, compared to most of our other nearly 20 Tauck tours, there is not much "there" there. Also, access to the Blue Lagoon can be prohibited due to the close proximity of the repeated eruptions nearby (there was an eruption during our flight home!!)
AlanS I also chose the Myvatin baths, so hopefully they will offer the Fridheimer farm
visit again in 2026!
We chose the Myvatn Nature Baths and Godafoss. I just noticed there were 4 excursion options for this day (Day 5). The last one listed was Horseback Riding Adventure & Godafoss though I never spoke with anyone who did that so I don't know if it actually went.
After a short drive from Akureyri we arrived at Godafoss (not to be confused with Gullfoss) where we stopped for a bit before continuing on to Myvatn. The Myvatn Baths were nice, much smaller than the Blue Lagoon, but not crowded at all when we visited on a Saturday, 12 July. We spent the right amount of time there. The weather was overcast at Godafoss but the sky had cleared and the weather was perfect by the time we reached Myvatn.
Godafoss:
Myvatn:
Update: As I mentioned above, the Day 7 lunch/horse demonstration at Fridheimer was not listed on our printed excursions itinerary, however . . . it does say " . . . the day includes a very special lunch ashore. (applies to both excursions)
Alan,
We have received our travel docs for the June 15 departure. Neither the "Horseback Riding Adventure & Godafos" on day 5 nor "the day includes a very special lunch ashore" on day 7 appear in what we have received. Are you referring to an itinerary you received when you arrived in Reykjavik or something else?
The Iceland tour options seem to changed from year to year on this tour. I loved Iceland. But when we went with Tauck pre covid, we spent way too much time on the ship. Only one excursion per day was allowed, even when the ship was staying in port overnight, so the tours would be in the morning and in the afternoon you were on the ship. Several of us asked if we could pay and take another tour in the afternoon and we were told no. Consequently we hope to take a land tour of Iceland in the near future.
We were on a tour where the last day was when you went to the Blue Lagoon and then basically the tour ended that day, so yes, people were worried about their hair and wet swimwear. Note for people who are modest….when you go to the changing area, you have to strip naked in a communal area with a member of staff watching everyone and then go in the communal shower before going into the lagoon. We enjoyed the bathing and all that ‘mud’ made me look ten years younger😂😂😂
At the blue lagoon, in addition to communal showers, there are private showers. I used the private ones. I enjoyed the Blue Lagoon. It was helpful research in advance, so I knew what to expect.
Likely things change because of comments from Tauck guests..........................
The number of private showers is limited, and may not be readily available if the Blue Lagoon is crowded.
This is not a new option. We visited in June of 2019.
We did not sail with Tauck, and we did an independent tour on land prior to our cruise, but if you arrive in Reykjavik early and have a chance, I recommend going to Sky Lagoon. It’s close to Reykjavik, less crowded and more relaxing. I believe children under 12 are not allowed, and there is a swim-up bar. For around $30 extra, you can get private dressing rooms & showers with amenities (the Ser package). It feels more like a spa. They don’t have the algae in the water like Blue Lagoon (it’s a man-made geothermal spa), so no issues with hair. They have an infinity “pool” that overlooks the ocean and mountains. They also have a 7-step ritual which was fun to experience. We loved it! We were told by several people that we made a good choice, but if you can do both Sky Lagoon and Blue Lagoon that would be ideal! We didn’t have time for the Blue Lagoon due to our early flight going home.
Since it was a printed document we must have received the "Excursion Description Iceland 2025" after we boarded the ship. Included with it were summaries of each of our choices with Activity, Pace, and approx Duration for Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. For Day 7 it said, "(on board choice only! For below mentioned excursion you will receive a separate choice form on board."
It also stated at the bottom in red, "Due to cancellation policies in Iceland, all excursion changes must be finalized by July 9, 2025. (our Tour Day 2) After this date, any modifications will be subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed."
Note, there was only one excursion listed for Days 2 and 4, so I guess our "choices" were to go on the excursion or stay aboard the ship. A group of us also had a special, double secret, excursion on Day 8, the last tour/fly-home day. We we were requested not to discuss it with our fellow travelers.
I don't know if it will help, but if you really want to see it I can scan it and PM it to you.
Thanks, Alan. That answers my question, no need to send a copy.
I've heard of the secret Day 8 excursions, and since our flight isn't until 4:45pm, we're looking forward to what they come up with.