Here’s
what our customers have to say:
“Icepedition
is a fantastic company just set up by a New Yorker with an enormous love of
Iceland. After visiting more than twenty times he has now decided to help
others visit the delights of Iceland. We went on the maiden tour of
Icepedition, and it was the best tour I have ever gone on. The guide, Chris, is
truly enthusiastic about Iceland and has put together a fantastic package.
The
tour is essentially self-drive, and best done with a group of friends as the
large distances involved by Iceland require a fair amount of time in the car.
After driving around Iceland I can't imagine any other way to see it - you
simply need a car to see anything outside the capital, and it gives you the freedom
to stop and appreciate all the unexpected vistas of Iceland. The tour package
includes stays at amazing hotels and a driving/tour schedule put together by
someone who really wants to show you everything Iceland has to offer. For those
who don't want to drive, Chris takes a small van around and can drive you, for
3-4 people an independent car is perfect. Either way you can spend as much or
as little time with the group as you want. There are also day tours included in
the package for those hard-to-do places, such as 4WD trips into the icy
interior, boat trips out to the puffin islands and bus trips to the geothermal
pools.
I
can't recommend this tour any more highly. It was simply the perfect way to see
Iceland, with the perfect combination of independence and tour convenience.
Please, go and see Iceland!”
Adrian
L., Australia
“Our
trip to Iceland was the maiden voyage of Icepedition, organised by Chris
Gordon. It was a self-drive holiday, and a fantastic way to see the country. He
gave us a map and an itinerary, arranged tours and accommodations, and met up
with us most mornings and evenings to ensure that everything was okay. He is
completely smitten with Iceland, and he is so enthusiastic about sharing this
place with other travelers. His friendships with the locals meant that we were
invited into the homes and lands of Icelandic residents, giving us a special
insight into the brave people that live here. It was a fantastic holiday, and I
recommend Icepedition for anyone who wants to explore this place in the
future.”
Lydia
M., Belgium
“This
exceptional journey- Icepedition- is the ultimate group trip for an independent
world traveler. With a couple of close friends, a partner, or on your own, you
have the best of both worlds: private, intimate discoveries or adventurous
group activities in a sparsely inhabited natural world. I would list it as one
of my top 3 travel experiences.
The
best part of the trip for me was the actual ROAD TRIP! I loved the driving
experience and being able to view the otherworldly terrains of the entire
country. After returning home I read that the Ring Road was sighted as one of
the thousand places to see before you die! And now I know why!!! I wouldn't
have skipped one single moment of that entire drive; but the breathtaking
beauty of the south coast, from the black sand beaches of ViK, through rolling,
hilly mounds of purple lupine, following along majestic cliffs to the turf
church Nupsstadir, which then lead us to a glacier lagoon filled with
fluorescent blue icebergs, was one of my favorite days.
Truly,
each day of our expedition was a special surprise of sights, tastes, culture
and beauty: organic and hand-crafted. Every angle of this trip was so well
organized with attention to detail and interest. Chris, you are a WEALTH of
information about this gorgeous country that you love, Iceland, and the love
and enthusiasm that you share makes this trip one in a million. Wish I could do
it all over again... and I just
might!”
Michelle
B., USA
“Iceland's
beauty is quite simply, mythic. Let your expectations soar, its reality will
surpass them in ways impossible to imagine. There aren't many places on earth
that can swallow you up like Iceland.
Whether it's hiking along a verdant farm pasture, moon-like volcanic
landscape or craggy glacier, it's an extraordinary place. Even a simple barn
seems a work of art inextricably tied to the landscape.
With
Chris, you will see an Iceland you couldn't possibly hope to discover on your
own. This isn't a tour, it's a chance to explore what feels like one
undiscovered treasure after the next - a journey with a gorgeous surprise
around every turn.”
Amy
T., USA
“From
what I'd read about Iceland, I knew it was going to be like landing on the
moon. But what I didn't expect was that the air could be so clean and the
colors so vivid. There’s a peaceful, open, wild, raw vastness everywhere you go
there. You can tell people, but I don't think you can really prepare someone
for the sensory overload you get upon arriving.
The
other travelers were free-spirited, open, kind, curious, independent, instead
of the ‘group mentality’ set, and have the trip and experience in common.
I
always felt if there was something I wanted to do on my own or spend more time
on, I could - with no pressure. The self-drive itinerary takes all the usual
pressures of a vacation and eliminates them. Someone else does the planning -
and worrying - all you have to do is show up and enjoy.”
Jeremy
V., USA
“I
knew Iceland wasn’t ice, but I didn’t know it was like being on another
planet. Just when you find
yourself wondering how they make their grass so green …you look, and there is
no grass… just miles of striking lava fields. Then when you’re wondering how
they survive on this desolate planet, you look and there is lush green meadow
for miles. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I have a suspicion that
Icelandic people keep it a mystery for a reason. There wasn’t a single moment
where I didn’t wish I was Icelandic, and that I could stay there forever.
Iceland
is an entire country where the SUV seems necessary. I saw lots of four wheel
drive vehicles with their center of gravity high above the road. In New York
City I judge people for having such large gas guzzling vehicles, but in
Iceland, you can see by the mud that the SUV is a way of life.
It
seems like Icelanders value their independence in their beautiful country. The
long stretches of paved road are a means for them to get from one adventure to
another. We used these roads in the same way, and I felt like Icelanders
respected that. Reykjavik was interesting, and a nice relaxing finale to our
adventure, but those long stretches of highway and beautiful scenery are what
Iceland is all about.”
-
Jay P., USA
“I
don't know what I expected going in but I was continually enchanted by
Iceland. It really is the
proverbial Eden with primeval waterfalls, amazing glaciers, and spectacular
sheep everywhere. I really felt like I was in another universe- a pristine, untouched
universe. Everyday there were more mountains, more craters, more glaciers, more
thermal baths in an ever-changing landscape. It was heaven on earth.
The
best aspect, in my opinion, was that we could always choose exactly what we
wanted to do… and never had to do something that we didn't want... We always
had lists of possible attractions and we could see them or not see them- it was
completely up to us. We had our maps and our cell phones to call Chris, but we
also had our independence.
At
night, when we met up with the rest of the group, we each had different
experiences to discuss and compare. It was a perfect marriage of group travel
with individual itineraries.
I
highly recommend this trip to everyone out there- you will be glad that you
chose it!”
Charles
L., USA
“The
Icepedition tour was well-crafted and comprehensive, circumnavigating the
entire island. From South Iceland
with its black sand beaches and rolling countryside, to the sulfur pits
reminiscent of Jupiter’s Moon Io, to a midnight beach bonfire during 24 hours
of sunlight, to the quaint fiord town of Seydisfjordur, I was overwhelmed with
the beauty and diversity of the country.
"Icepedition’s
self-drive tour made navigating around the island easy- and a pleasure- as
Icepedition provided a local mobile phone and their own detailed guide
book/itinerary with maps, information and points of interest... the itinerary
enabled me to meander at my own pace, concentrating on what I really wanted to
see without the common constraints of a ‘group tour’ structure. Icepedition
made it possible for me to experience all of this with no worries whatsoever.I highly
recommend not only seeing Iceland, but seeing it with Icepedition.”
John T.,
USA
“I
had pretty high expectations going in however words are only words and can
never begin to describe a place. Iceland is truly remarkable with such a varied
landscape, you feel like you are in a very special place, close to nature, very
spiritual. At times it is as if you are "out of this world."
I
liked the fact that although we were traveling as part of a larger group, it
felt as if the three of us were on our own. The maps, itinerary and especially
the cell phones gave us a sense of well being. We were not alone (even when we
were). I think the balance was very successful.
I
must impress upon you that all three of us had an ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE TIME.
The trip brought us closer together- over the years our schedules haven’t
allowed us to spend as much time with each other.
It
is a true test of friendship to be able to maintain sanity and a sense of humor
when on such an adventure.
THANK
YOU CHRISTOPHER!!!
Tracy
S., USA
“I
imaged Iceland to be like Glacier National Park in Montana. It ended up being
like Glacier National Park on steroids, in Alaska! I felt like it had all the
"headliners" of all the national parks out there crammed into one
tiny island. Everyday was insane and we got to see SO much I feel like I did
Iceland right!
I
really enjoyed not having to worry about where we were going next, and I
totally trusted Chris and the itinerary. I really did like that we got to chose
our own activities, like the day I opted out from going to a town and biked
around a giant lake beneath a volcano and then hiked up the volcano instead!
I loved the programming. My favorite
highlights were:
- a BEAUTIFUL abandoned island covered in
puffins
- the boat ride to the puffin island
- meeting real Icelanders- at a bonfire on
the beach with an Icelandic family and over dinner in Reykjavik
- a hotel by a beautiful church surrounded
by a glacier and the beach
- a turf house museum and its clean, earthy
smell
- swimming in hot spring at midnight as
though it was only 6:00 pm
- playin' with Icelandic shepherding dogs
- drinking out of a glacial stream and how
it stayed so cold in my belly- that memory is so acute
- the horses
- the moss
- the air
- waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls!”
Helene P.,
USA
