Vestrahorn and Stokksnes in winter
Private Iceland Journey · Winter

7–8 Days Around Iceland in Winter

A private Ring Road journey — waterfalls, black beaches, glaciers, the East Fjords, volcanic North Iceland, wild western landscapes and the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights.

Private journey for two7–8 daysAirport to airportFlexible around winter conditions
Your private winter circle around Iceland

Land in Iceland. From there, I take care of the journey.

Travel privately around Iceland with your own Icelandic guide and vehicle. The route combines the essential Ring Road landscapes with smaller places, viewpoints, stories and spontaneous stops that make a private journey different from a fixed group itinerary.

Winter makes Iceland more dramatic — and less predictable. The route is planned carefully, but exact roads, stops and overnight choices remain flexible around weather, road conditions and daylight. We follow Iceland rather than fight it.

Map of the private eight day journey around Iceland
The circle around Iceland This is the working route. Exact roads, stops and overnight locations are adapted to winter conditions, arrival and departure times and what you most enjoy along the way.
The journey

A clear route without turning Iceland into a timetable.

This is the framework I build the journey around. It gives us direction while leaving enough room to work intelligently with winter weather and road conditions.

Gullfoss waterfall in winter
Day 1

Golden Circle

Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and smaller stops along the way. In winter the day is shaped around road conditions, daylight and the best sequence for the weather.

Keflavík / Reykjavík → Golden Circle → South Iceland
Skógafoss waterfall on the South Coast
Day 2

South Coast → Vík

Waterfalls, black beaches and the dramatic southern coastline. We travel past Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss before continuing toward Reynisfjara and Vík.

South Iceland → Skógafoss → Reynisfjara → Vík
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Day 3

Vík → Höfn — into glacier country

Fjaðrárgljúfur, vast lava fields, glacier landscapes, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach and the southeast. Glacier or ice-cave activities can be built into this part of the journey when conditions and timing allow.

Vík → Fjaðrárgljúfur → Glacier Lagoons → Höfn
Vestrahorn and Stokksnes
Day 4

Höfn → Egilsstaðir — the East Fjords

Vestrahorn, the East Fjords, fishing villages, long coastal roads and the possibility of seeing reindeer. This is quieter, more remote Iceland.

Höfn → Stokksnes → East Fjords → Egilsstaðir
Stuðlagil Canyon
Day 5

Egilsstaðir → Mývatn

We move into the volcanic northeast. Stuðlagil and Dettifoss are included when winter access and road conditions make them practical, before continuing into the Mývatn region.

Egilsstaðir → Northeast Iceland → Mývatn
Goðafoss waterfall
Day 6

Mývatn → Siglufjörður

Explore the volcanic landscapes around Mývatn before travelling west via Goðafoss and Akureyri, continuing through Tröllaskagi toward the historic fishing town of Siglufjörður.

Mývatn → Goðafoss → Akureyri → Siglufjörður
Private guests in North Iceland
Day 7

Siglufjörður → West Iceland

Northwestern countryside, winter landscapes, Icelandic horses, roadside discoveries and a gradual transition into West Iceland. This is a day where the journey itself matters.

Siglufjörður → Northwest Iceland → West Iceland
Kirkjufell in West Iceland
Day 8

West Iceland → Reykjavík / Keflavík

The final day is shaped around your departure time. Depending on where we stay and the conditions, we use the morning and early afternoon for West Iceland before travelling south toward Reykjavík and Keflavík Airport.

West Iceland → Reykjavík → Keflavík Airport
More than the Ring Road

The moments between the famous places matter just as much.

Activities can be built into the journey where they make sense rather than forcing every experience into a fixed day months in advance.

Glacier activity in Iceland

Glacier experiences

A glacier hike or winter ice-cave experience can be built into the south and southeast part of the journey when conditions and availability align.

Geothermal bathing in Iceland

Geothermal bathing

Slow the journey down with a carefully chosen geothermal bath along the route.

Icelandic horses

Icelandic horses

A riding experience can be added, or we simply stop when the road gives us a good reason.

Wildlife in Iceland

Wild Iceland

Reindeer may be seen in East Iceland, and wildlife becomes part of the journey whenever nature gives us the opportunity.

Northern Lights in Iceland

Northern Lights

A winter journey gives us several evenings away from city lights and the flexibility to react when cloud cover and aurora activity line up.

Winter driving in Iceland

A winter road trip

Snow, wind, light and changing conditions are not interruptions to the journey — they are part of travelling Iceland in winter.

Winter driving conditions in Iceland
Travelling in winter

A fixed destination. A flexible route.

Winter can give us clear roads, deep snow, wind, calm sunshine, storms and changing conditions in the same journey. The aim is to complete the circle around Iceland, but I adapt the route whenever weather or road conditions make another choice better.

The advantage of travelling privately is that we can make those decisions intelligently as the journey unfolds rather than forcing Iceland into a fixed timetable.

The itinerary is therefore a framework rather than a rigid promise of every individual stop. Safety, road conditions and weather always come first.
Bijo, licensed Icelandic guide
Your guide

Iceland with someone who knows the road.

I’m Bijo, an Icelandic licensed guide and the founder of Iceland by Guide. I have spent the last 15 years travelling Iceland with guests from around the world.

On a private multi-day journey, my job is not simply to drive you from attraction to attraction. I plan the route, read the conditions, tell you the stories behind the landscape, find the smaller stops, help with photography and adapt each day to what is actually happening around us.

For these eight days, Iceland is our itinerary — not a bus timetable.

The journey

Private from arrival to departure.

  • Private Icelandic guide throughout the touring journey
  • Private vehicle for the two of you
  • Airport pickup and return when included in the final route
  • Fuel, standard parking and route planning
  • Comfortable accommodation selected as part of the final quotation
  • Breakfast where included by the hotel
  • Daily route adapted to weather, roads and your interests
  • Planning and booking coordination for agreed activities
Estimated package range

7–8 days around Iceland · Private Winter Journey

1.2–1.5M ISK ($9,900–$12,400 USD)
per person · based on two guests sharing one room
Indicative price range for two guests travelling together. The final price depends primarily on hotel selection, exact travel dates and which paid activities you choose to include.

International flights to and from Iceland are not included.
Request the detailed proposal →
Private winter journey

7–8 Days Around Iceland in Winter — built privately around the two of you.

Once your flights are selected, I use the arrival and departure times to finalize the overnight stops, hotels, activities and exact day-by-day journey. The route stays flexible enough to work intelligently with Icelandic winter conditions.

Continue with this journey →
Iceland by Guide · Licensed Icelandic Travel Agency & Tour Operator · Licence 2018-015