Taking a trip around Iceland is on many a bucket list, but what can you do if you don’t drive? Is the road trip off? Are you stuck in Reykjavík? Absolutely not! There are some awesome companies that whisk keen travellers around Iceland. On our winter trip to the island, we chose to travel with BusTravel Iceland. Read on for our full BusTravel Iceland review.

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Why Did We Choose BusTravel Iceland?

We didn’t have a long time for our last-minute trip to Iceland so we opted for the 4-Day Wonders of Iceland Winter Tour From Reykjavík. Rather than heading around the Ring Road, these tours go to and from Reykjavík as a collection of day trips. The collection of four trips, when bought as bundle, gets a cheeky discount and they include some of Iceland’s most stunning places.

What Does the 4-Day Wonders of Iceland Winter Tour Include?

There are four tours included in each package:

• Grand Golden Circle Tour
• Glacier Lagoon & South Iceland Tour
• Snaefellsnes Peninsula Tour
• Northern Lights Bus Tour

As well as the four tours, you will get 4 nights of accommodation in Reykjavík. You can choose from a single, double, twin or triple. All rooms come with an en-suite bathroom, WiFi and helpful bits like a kettle & hairdryer. Oh, and breakfast!

Our 4-Day Wonders of Iceland Winter Tour From Reykjavík

Below is a short round up of each tour we took with BusTravel Iceland. We will be writing full reviews of each of these tours, so keep an eye on the blog for more!

Day One – Northern Lights from Reykjavík

The BusTravel 4-Day Wonders of Iceland Winter Tour includes a trip to hunt the Northern LightsOur first night in Reykjavík had the least cloud cover and the highest activity. Mind you, they did sy that sometimes the KPI number doesn’t matter. Still, we thought it best to go on the first night so that if we didn’t manage to see anything, we could try again. The free second attempt is included in the tour package. Plus, they have a guarantee,

We were picked up from our nearest tourist tour bus stop (number 4) by a large coach. I was far too excited. We seemed to drive for a long time due north, aiming for a certain car park. There are certain spots where the coaches are allowed to stop, and this promised the least cloud interruption.

Sadly though, the place was shut when we pulled up. The BusTravel Iceland small group tour was at the same spot and they could walk up to the car park but there was nowhere for the big coaches to pull in so off we went, in search of a new spot.

We hopped out at Thingvellir National Park. This is always a good shout as light pollution is minimal. We could see a tiny glow in the sky and looking through the iPhone’s camera, we could see the green glow behind the clouds. I wonder what it would have looked like if the sky was clear. The little of the lights we did see was still pretty thrilling!

After about 20 minutes, a canister of hot chocolate was brought out and everyone gratefully partook in the winter chill before it was time to drive back to Reykjavík.

Check out all our travels around Iceland

Day Two – Glacier Lagoon and South Island Tour

At 14 hours, the Glacier Lagoon and South Island Tour is the longest of the day trips the BusTravel Iceland offers. There is a very long drive at the beginning of the day to reach the southwest of Iceland and its huge Svinafellsjökul glacier. I am not going to lie, it felt a bit mad to be doing this as a day trip, especially as we stopped for lunch before we even got there.

However, as soon as we reached Diamond Beach, I ate my words. I would have done twice the drive to get there. What a beautiful and unique place. The glacier is undercut by seawater. As the chunks of ice break off, they float down the river and into the sea, where the waves promptly return them to the beach. The glaciers are battered and split by the waves before washing up and decorating the black sand. We had about half an hour here before hopping back on the bus and driving over to the glacial lagoon which was equally stunning.

On the way back to Reykjavík we made one more stop to see the glacier tongue which was so different from the lagoon. The rough edges, coated in snow were a world away from the smooth water-licked edges. Just when I think I have seen the prettiest that Iceland has to offer, it comes up with new delights.

Day Three – Grand Golden Circle Tour

The Golden Circle is the classic tour that everybody takes from Reykjavík. It has some of Iceland’s biggest natural attractions, all within a day’s round-trip drive from the city. We took this in 2012 in October but it was so cool to see it again blanketed in snow.

• Kerið Crater – A deep volcanic crater with a lake at the bottom. We were given 20 minutes or so here and some people ventured right down to the lake and onto the ice. I was a bit worried that we weren’t fit enough to get down there and back up again in the allotted time (walking on snow is hard ok). Instead, we enjoyed taking photos and watching them from above.
• Icelandic Horses – The bus stopped at the roadside, a place where people could buy “Horse Candy” and feed the waiting equines. Icelandic horses are so special, short, powerful and completely unique to the island. We got to ride some on our first trip to Iceland and fell in love. They had plenty of people feeding them already when we got off the bus, so we left them to it and watched from afar.
• Gullfoss – Gullfoss means Golden Falls but in the deep winter, it feels like Silver Falls would be more appropriate. The path down was completely shut as it was so snowy and icy! We could only see it from above which was cool but nowhere near as cool as getting up close like we did in 2012.

• Geysir Geothermal Park – This is the home of Strokker. Since the main Geysir (the one after which everything is named) stopped erupting, this is Iceland’s coolest Geysir. Boiling water shoots up into the air every seven minutes or so to the general delight of waiting tourists. We stayed to watch it twice but the freeing snow blew in and we dashed from the warmth of the visitors centre, and the call of lunch.
• Thingvellir National Park – The final stop is one we are quite familiar with now. The National Park is prime Northern Lights spotting territory as well as being the place where you can see both the Eurasian and American tectonic plates. We snorkelled in the fissure here a couple of days before! Iceland’s first government was established here, oft cited as the first such arrangement in the world. Meeting in the outdoors meant lots of people could attend….but we didn’t last more than 30 minutes in the chill so maybe they had really short meetings?

It was really fun to see the Golden Circle again in a new light and now we just have to see it in summer!

Day Four – Snaefellsnes Peninsula Tour

“You gotta save the best for last”, and I think we did. The Snaefellsness Peninsula was the most unexpected and delightful day that we spent with BusTravel Iceland, surpassing even the Glacier Lagoon. We had some insane weather all day and I think the wind, snow and really added to the drama of some of these locations. We didn’t know anything about this tour before embarking upon it, and that probably added to the fun. Every time we stopped, there was a new and exciting thing to discover.

We started at Mt. Kirkjufell, the most stupidly photogenic mountain. Forget Mt Fuji, this striped, point beauty is perfection. In summer, the waterfall in front flows freely but in January, there was just one little hole under which a trickle of water still pushed through.

The drama of the Djuparlonssandur black beach was incredible. Through giant lava rocks, we emerged into a world of monochrome. The white snow, black beach, grey ship wreck and greyer waves pounding the lot were intense. We could have stayed for ages but the weather had other plans, throwing tiny shards of ice directly at us from the sea.

The final highlight of the day was the Búðir Black Church. This is Iceland’s most famous black church and where the sun finally set in a last burst of flame behind the clouds.

5 Tips for Travelling with BusTravel Iceland

1.) Catch Some ZZZs

These tours make for long days so when taking roads you have been down before, put your head down and take a nap. This is especially good in those early mornings when the sun is not up yet or the evenings once it is well and truly gone.

2.) Get the Gear

If you are travelling to Iceland in the winter make sure you have:

• -Boots that can handle snow. They need to be waterproof, warm and have good grip. Miss one of those elements and you will have an uncomfortable day.
• Gloves, hat and scarf that can handle wind. Cute berets are nice but Iceland is one windy island you will lose it quickly. Plus, a flat cap isn’t keeping anyone’s ears warm!
• A nice, warm coat, preferably waterproof. Again, it could rain, sleet or snow at any point during the day. Icelandic weather is quite unpredictable and you want to stay warm and dry. Bring a thin rain coat to pop over your warm on if you don’t have a good coat that does both.
• Hand warmers of some description. The buses can feel a little cool sometimes as the wind whips away the warmth. We found having an external heat source helped us stay toasty on board as well as outside.

3.) Prepare to Transfer

You may be picked up in a smaller bus and then moved into a bigger one. If you have a seating preference, try to sit at the front of the minibus so you can jump out and claim your favoured side of the coach. Similarly, make sure all your bits and bobs are still with you (around your neck, in a bag on your lap etc etc)

4.) Lunch Stops

The picnic stops can be in smaller cafes/petrol stations that do not allow people to just eat their own food at the tables. If you buy one small dish or a drink then you can claim your right to be there. You can stay on the bus to eat but you’ll probably fancy the change of scene.

5.) Bathroom Stops

There is a toilet on board but you will be discouraged from using it. They call it the emergency toilets. Make use of every toilet stop so you lessen the chance of having to use the coach’s bathroom.

When you do stop for the bathroom, head straight to the toilet. You might be tempted to wait for the queue to die down. But there is probably another coach coming along right behind yours and it will just fill up again.

Final Thoughts on Our BusTravel Iceland Review

Taking a road trip around Iceland’s ring road was our original plan but with inclement weather, and the fact that I cannot drive, it seemed so unfair on Mr Fluskey. By taking a series of day trips, he could nap when required and we could both relax and just enjoy the scenery, without skidding into a snow drift or sliding into a cheeky ditch.

The BusTravel Iceland tours were professional and fun.

Rosie xx