Private Kerlingarfjöll Tour The Golden Circle is only the beginning.
We start with short tastes of the Golden Circle, pass Gullfoss and then keep driving north into Kjölur — between Langjökull and Hofsjökull — for Kerlingarfjöll, Hveradalir and Hveravellir.
We touch the Golden Circle — then go where most visitors turn back.
Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss are excellent places, so we can use them as short opening stops. But on this day they are not the destination. Gullfoss is the doorway into the Highlands.
Geysir & Strokkur
Enough time to feel the geothermal power and catch a few eruptions — without turning the whole day into the classic loop.
Gullfoss — and then north.
Most Golden Circle journeys turn toward Reykjavík here. We keep going onto Kjölur and watch Iceland become bigger, emptier and more raw.
The road itself becomes part of the story.
Kjölur crosses the interior between Langjökull and Hofsjökull. The road is broad, exposed and completely different from the cultivated lowlands we leave behind.
This old route has carried travellers for centuries. Around it are stories of outlaws, ghosts, lost travellers, Þjófadalir — “the Valleys of the Thieves” — and even modern expeditions looking for a supposed Holy Grail connection.
I like this tour because it combines landscape with story. You do not simply arrive at Kerlingarfjöll — you feel Iceland changing on the way there.
A very long day from Reykjavík into the central Highlands.
The map is here to show the scale. This is not a little extension to the Golden Circle — it is a full Highland expedition built around Kerlingarfjöll and Hveravellir.
Route shown for orientation only. Exact stops, Highland access and road choice depend on current conditions.
≈ 450 km · ≈ 8¾ hours pure driving before stopsHveradalir looks like the earth is still being made.
Steam rises between rhyolite mountains coloured yellow, orange, brown and green. Snowfields and glaciers sit above geothermal ground that is boiling underneath your feet.
We can make this a short viewpoint visit or give it proper walking time. The paths and boardwalks let us move through the geothermal valley while keeping away from dangerously thin and hot ground.
If photography is important to you, tell me. Hveradalir rewards time, changing light and human scale in the landscape.
Kjölur has enough stories for the whole drive.
Some are old folklore, some are history, and some are wonderfully strange. I use the ones that fit the moment rather than turning the car into a lecture hall.
I learned to ski here.
Kerlingarfjöll was once one of Iceland’s best-known mountain skiing areas, and these old huts are part of my own history. I learned to ski here when I was younger.
That is one reason this place never feels like a random attraction to me. I have memories here — and I like being able to show guests both what Kerlingarfjöll is now and what it has been for Icelanders.
Then Hveravellir: steam, silence and hot water.
Hveravellir sits between the glaciers on the old Kjölur route. It is a geothermal nature reserve, a mountain stop and — if you want it — a very good place to get into hot water before we begin the long return.
Hveravellir
Steam vents, mineral colour, a remote Highland atmosphere and walking possibilities in almost every direction.
If you can give this route two days, I would.
The one-day version works — but it is long. Two days changes the feeling completely: more walking, more photography, time for hot water, a Highland night and room to make Day 2 yours instead of simply driving home.
Golden Circle → Kjölur → Kerlingarfjöll
Use the Golden Circle as the opening, go north beyond Gullfoss, settle into the Highlands, spend real time in Hveradalir and stay overnight at Kerlingarfjöll or farther along Kjölur.
We build the day around you.
More Hveradalir walking, Highland Baths, Hveravellir and the natural pool, photography, stories, a full Kjölur crossing north, or a slower return with places I know will fit your interests. We decide together.
The night can be simple or comfortable.
Kerlingarfjöll Highland Base has proper accommodation. Hveravellir offers private rooms, made-up beds and also open sleeping spaces for people travelling with sleeping bags. So yes — if the simple mountain-hut version sounds more fun, we can absolutely do that.
Same Highlands. Different reason to go.
This route changes completely depending on whether you want to walk, photograph, talk, slow down or simply see somewhere extraordinary.
Included in the private day tour
- Private Icelandic guide throughout the day
- Toyota Land Cruiser / capable 4×4 for the usual 3–4 guest setup
- Pickup and drop-off at your Reykjavík accommodation
- Fuel and normal parking costs
- Short Golden Circle stops plus Kjölur, Kerlingarfjöll, Hveradalir and Hveravellir when conditions allow
- Route adapted to Highland roads, weather, light and your interests
- Larger private vehicles available on request
Private Kerlingarfjöll & Kjölur
Remote Iceland is better when you can ask anything.
I’m Bijo — an Icelandic guide based in Reykjavík. I have been guiding since 2015, and I prefer a private day where we can talk openly, change the plan when the landscape gives us a better idea and use the experience I have built on these roads rather than follow a rigid timetable.
If the idea of continuing when everybody else turns back sounds good, this may be your day.
Tell me your date, group size and whether you want the journey to lean toward hiking, photography, geothermal bathing, stories, a very long one-day expedition — or the much better two-day version.