ICELAND: GAMES OF ICE & FIRE
Itinerary
Day 1, Monday Home Gateway – Reykjavik
Arrival to Keflavik International Airport near Reykjavik in Iceland. Upon arrival we’ll take a panoramic drive to Reykjavik for an initial impression of the city, and continue to our hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 2, Tuesday Reykjavik – Þingvellir – Gulfoss – Geysir
The first item on today’s agenda is a visit to Reykjavik City Hall. From there we’ll set out to Þingvellir National Park, where the Althing, Iceland’s first parliament was founded in the 10th century. We’ll continue to Gulfoss Falls and the famous location Geysir, from where the name for all similar thermal spring phenomena drawn their name. We’ll return to Rejkyavik for dinner and to spend the night.
Day 3, Wednesday Reykjavik – Akureyri –My'vatn Lake
This morning we'll transfer to Reykjavik's domestic airport from where we'll fly northwards to Akureyri, capital of northern Iceland. From there we'll travel by bus to My'vatn Lake where we'll spend the day exploring the area around the lake. We’ll visit a geothermic power plant, the mouth of an 18th century volcano – the Cauldron of Krafla – on the way to Myvatn Lake, which is located in the most active thermo-volcanic area in Iceland. Thousands of ducks nest around the lake, where we’ll find young lava fields and thermal springs aplenty. In the summer the lake is covered with ducks. Overnight in the area..
Day 4, Thursday Lake My'vatn – Mount Askja - Lake My'vatn
Today we'll explore one of Iceland's most interesting sites, the stratovolcano of Askja. We'll tour the high plans of the Icelandic desert, a basalt-strewn land with many wide rivers until we arrive to the huge mountain that collapsed after the volcano erupted. This will be a very long – but very worthwhile – day. Overnight in the area.
Day 5, Friday Detifoss – Husavik
In the morning we’ll travel via Echo Rock Reserve to Detifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe. From there we’ll
continue to the mighty Jokulska River that runs from the Vatnjakull Glacier and through the Jokulska nature reserve; then on to the horseshoe shaped Asbyrgi Canyon. According to local legend, the horse of one of Iceland’s mythical heroes dropped his horseshoe there. We’ll continue through the Tjornes peninsula to the fishing town of Husavik, where we’ll prepare for Shabbat, Shabbat services and dinner.
Upon arrival in Cusco we’ll be met at the rail station and transferred back to the hotel for the evening.
Day 6, Shabbat Husavik
After Shabbat services and lunch we’ll take a walking tour of the area, including a visit to the Whale Museum and the Museum of Nature & Folklore.
Day 7, Sunday Husavik, via the fjords to southern Iceland
Today we'll head out to the eastern fjords of Iceland. Our day's journey along the many fjords will take us first to the city of Egilsstaðir. After lunch we'll continue southward towards to the town of Hof on Iceland's southern coast. Overnight in Hof.
Day 8, Monday Hof – Vatnajokull Glacier - Skaftaffel
In the morning we’ll drive along a beautiful glacial lagoon where ice floes that broke off the gigantic Vatnajokull Glacier float in the water. From there we’ll take a snowmobile ride on the largest glacier in Europe. We’ll continue our journey along the eastern glacial fjords. As we travel along the coast we’ll see seagulls and walruses in one of the attractive coastlines in Iceland. Our final destination for the day is Skaftaffel – an “Open School” to study the history of the volcanic and glacial vistas, located on the east side of a black sand desert. Skaftafell National Park is an oasis wedged between sand and glacier. Its unique natural beauty is a result of favorable weather conditions and the interplay of fire and ice. We’ll spend the night at a hotel or lodge in the area.
Day 9, Tuesday Skaftaffel – Glaumbaer – Reykholt
Today we travel westwards toward the picturesque fishing village of Vik. On the way, we’ll stop at the museum and waterfall at Skogar, stopover at the cliffs of Dyrholaey where – if we're very lucky, we’ll get to see Puffin birds nesting in the rock face along the coast. We'll continue to Skógafoss waterfall. Overnight in the area.
Day 10, Wednesday Landmannalaugar – Reykjavik
We’ll travel today by jeep to Landmannalaugar nature reserve – the colorful land of thermal springs. It’s a beautiful drive, with breathtaking volcanic views. We’ll then make our way back to Reykjavik where we’ll spend the night. If there's time we'll take a walking tour through the city.
Day 11, Thursday Reykjavik – Home Gateway
Our last day in Iceland. After breakfast we'll make our way to the airport for our flight home. It’s been a fascinating journey to a most unusual land. Welcome home.
Price Includes:
- First class hotels or the best available. Please note: This is a rugged tour and some overnights will be at lodges or guest farms in the Icelandic outback.
- A comfortable travel coach
- 4X4 vehicles for traveling
- Kosher half board + supplies for making sandwiches for lunch
- Professional experienced Eddie's Travel guide & Local Guide as required
- Domestic flight, snowmobile and whale-watching during the tour
Price Excludes:
- Travel and baggage Insurance,
- Shows that are not included in the tour plan,
- Tips for local service providers: €120,
- Changes in air fares due to increases in fuel - airport tax and security tax surcharges,
- Travel Insurance,
- Personal expenses,
- Tip for Israeli guide (Recommended: €3 per person per day)
Important To Know
* There may be changes to the schedule and hotel reservations dependent upon internal flights. We will make every effort to visit every location mentioned.
* The tour organizers have no control over airline services such as seating, special meal requests, changes in departure times or delays. These remain the sole responsibility of the airline company
Insurance
Travel insurance encompassing both cancellation and medical insurance is very important and we cannot stress that enough. We strongly recommend that our clients are adequately insured when travelling. It is crucial to purchase the travel insurance within 14 days from the 1st payment that you make for this trip (flights/cruise/tour etc). Your payment is made directly to the insurance company. We highly recommend the 'cancel for any reason' upgrade option. Our preferred policies are Travel Safe (USA & Canadian residents), Travel Select (USA residents) and Global Trip Protection Elite (All other Nationalities).
Kashrut on Tours
Kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. We work with the local Rabbinate to provide Hashgacha for all local ingredients and fresh meat and poultry. In some cases, we fly in kosher food from Israel and other sources, depending on the destination of the tour. We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.
In many destinations we have our own crockery and cutlery. Where we don't, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in Hotel kitchens, we ensure proper Kashering and we use our own kitchenware on kashered and covered surfaces. All this is done under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our Mashgichim.
Our travelers enjoy gourmet meals prepared by our team including fresh local fish, fruit, and vegetables. This is an integral part of Jewish travel. We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.
Rabbi Menahem Fogel
A native of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Menahem Fogel served as a pulpit rabbi in South Africa and Canada before returning to Israel in 1984 to take up the position of spokesman of Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem, a position he held for six years.
Since that time he has held senior positions in both the public and private sectors developing interactive computer systems for museums around the world. He also lived and worked in the USA, Netherlands, Austria, UK and India. A lifelong yearning for travel led to his becoming a Tour Manager in 2000 and developed expertise tourism to Japan & China, Alaska, Canadian Rockies and Africa. Recently he took on the added role of Rav Hamachshir for The Kosher Travel Club to ensure the highest standards of Kashrut are implemented on all our Kosher Tours.
Cancellation Terms
A $500 USD Deposit per person must be received at the time of booking in order to confirm your reservation. Payment in full is due 90 days before departure. A minimum number of participants are required to operate tour dates. If a minimum number has not been reached prior to tour departure and the tour is cancelled you will receive a FULL refund.
* 60-90 days prior to departure: $500 + $100 per passenger
* 30-60 days prior to departure: $1,000 + $100 per passenger
* Less than 30 working days prior to departure: 100% of total - no refund
* We strongly recommend purchasing Travel Insurance.
Fridays, Shabbat and Holidays (including Chol Hamoed in Israel), and Sundays and Public Holidays abroad are not considered working days. If flight tickets have already been issued and/or any other services have already been purchased (visas, etc.) their costs will be added to the cancellation penalties mentioned above.
Disclaimer: Kosherica Cruises and it agents are responsible for making arrangements for the services offered. The carriers, hotels, cruise lines and other suppliers providing services are independent contractors and are not agents, employees, servants, or joint ventureres of Kosherica Cruises or its affiliates. Airline alternative equipment and routings are subject to change by the Airline or the Operator and will not result in any refunds. Flight delays and changes are unfortunate, but are an inherent risk of air travel and are therefore outside the control and responsibility of Kosherica Cruises. All certificates and other travel documents for travel services issued by Kosherica Cruises are subject to the terms and conditions specified by the supplier and to the laws of the countries in which the services are supplied. Kosherica Cruises reserves the right to make changes to the itinerary or services whenever the company deems it necessary to the comfort, convenience, or safety of the participants and to cancel a cruise at any time. If Kosherica Cruises cancels a cruise, the company has no responsibility beyond the refund of monies paid to the company by the traveler. The participant agrees that neither Kosherica Cruises nor its affiliates shall be liable for any damage or loss including personal injury death, property loss, delay, change in air services, sickness, strike, war, quarantine, weather, upset, disappointment, inconvenience, or expense occasioned by any act or omission of any supplier or person providing services.
