Borgarfjordur – private tour

Iceland rewards you beyond Reykjavik. This private Borgarfjordur tour gives you a flexible day with a guide, hotel pickup, and a comfortable vehicle, while visiting Borgarnes and the striking Hraunfossar lava falls. I like the personal format, and I like that the route mixes old Icelandic stories with powerful geology.

The main drawback is that lunch is not included, and several tempting add-ons cost extra. The optional museum visit at Reykholt, the Krauma spa, and a Langjokull ice cave visit all require additional payment, so the advertised $209 price is only the starting point for a fuller day.

Key points at a glance

• A private day with Villi and Gulla’s Puffin Travel: The small family-run operation offers a more personal feel than a large coach tour.
• Four very different stops: You move from a film location in Borgarnes to medieval saga history, a steaming hot spring, and waterfalls born from underground springs.
• Hraunfossar is the visual high point: Clear water appears from beneath lava rock and spills into the Hvítá River in a long series of falls and rapids.
• A Land Rover adds comfort: One review specifically praised the large vehicle, useful on a long day outside Reykjavik.
• Wi-Fi and bottled water are included: Small details, but helpful on a seven-hour outing.
• Langjokull can extend the day: An ice cave visit is available for an additional cost, giving you a way to add more glacier scenery if conditions and budget allow.

Why Borgarfjordur makes a smart day trip

Borgarfjordur gives you a good sample of Iceland without forcing you into one narrow theme. In a single outing, you see a settlement town, medieval Icelandic history, geothermal power, and water shaped by old lava flows.

That variety matters. Some Iceland day tours focus almost entirely on famous waterfalls or volcanic sights. This one gives you more context. You are not only stopping to take photographs. You are also learning why people settled here, how Iceland’s sagas preserved old culture, and how geothermal water is used today.

The tour begins at about 9:30 a.m. and lasts roughly seven hours. Round-trip pickup from your Reykjavik hotel is included, which saves you from finding a meeting point early in the morning. Since the activity is private, only your group participates. That gives you more room to ask questions, adjust the pace, or spend less time at a stop that does not interest you.

The price is listed at $209. For a private excursion, that can be a fair value, especially if you are splitting the cost with family or friends. For one person or a very small group, the value depends more on how much you prize flexibility. A large shared bus may cost less, but it will not give you the same control over the day.

Borgarnes and a touch of movie history

The first stop is Borgarnes, a town founded in the ninth century. You have about 40 minutes here, with no admission fee.

Borgarnes is also connected with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which used the town as one of its filming locations. That adds a light pop-culture note to a place that otherwise offers a look at Icelandic settlement and daily life outside the capital.

Forty minutes is enough for a short walk, photographs, and some orientation from your guide. It is not long enough for a full exploration of every local sight, so you should treat this as a compact introduction rather than a major museum stop.

I like this opening because it eases you into the region. You begin with a real town rather than rushing straight to a natural attraction. The stop also gives your guide a chance to explain how Borgarfjordur fits into Iceland’s early settlement story.

Villi, the guide praised in the tour feedback, is described as flexible and informative. One particularly useful detail is that he helped make sure dinner plans were secured after the tour. That suggests the service may include practical help beyond simply driving between stops, although you should not assume that every extra arrangement is included.

Reykholt and the world of Snorri Sturluson

Reykholt is the most important historical stop on the route. The medieval writer Snorri Sturluson lived here from about 1206 to 1241. He wrote major Icelandic sagas and helped preserve stories that explain Icelandic settlement, Viking customs, and the people of the early period.

You will also see Snorralaug, an old geothermal pool named after Snorri. It is one of the few surviving features connected with Iceland’s medieval period, making it more than a scenic hot pool. It links the physical site to the person who wrote so much of Iceland’s early cultural record.

The planned visit lasts around 20 minutes, and entry to the main stop is free. A museum visit is optional, but the entrance fee is not included. This is an important distinction. If you enjoy history and want more detail about Snorri and the sagas, the museum may be worth adding. If your main interest is scenery, you can keep the stop short and save the extra cost.

I would ask your guide how much time is available before deciding. A private format should make that conversation easy. You might prefer a quick look at Snorralaug, or you might want to spend longer with the historical material and reduce time elsewhere.

Reykholt is also where the tour becomes more than a string of scenic photo stops. The sagas are part of Iceland’s cultural backbone. Seeing the place associated with Snorri gives you a better sense of how Iceland’s past was recorded and passed on.

Deildartunguhver, where the ground heats Iceland

Next comes Deildartunguhver, described as Europe’s most powerful hot spring. It sends out about 180 liters of water per second at roughly 100 degrees Celsius. Much of that heat is used for central heating in nearby towns.

You have about 20 minutes in the area. The point is not to soak in the spring. This is a geothermal viewing stop, and the water is dangerously hot. You can look at the steaming source and understand how Iceland turns underground heat into a practical part of modern life.

The nearby Krauma spa offers a very different experience. If you want to sit in warm geothermal water, you can add a visit there, but the entrance fee is not part of the tour. The supplied details only confirm that the spa is close and that the tour walks in the area. They do not specify how long a spa visit would take or whether it can be added without changing the rest of the schedule, so ask before booking the upgrade.

This stop is valuable because it connects natural force with everyday infrastructure. Deildartunguhver is not only a dramatic plume of steam. Its heat warms homes in the region. I find that kind of practical detail more memorable than simply hearing that Iceland has volcanoes.

Still, twenty minutes is brief if you hope to combine the spring with a proper spa session. Consider the included walk and the paid Krauma visit as two separate choices, not one bundled stop.

Hraunfossar, the day’s most unusual waterfall

Hraunfossar is likely the visual highlight of the tour. Here, clear, cold water seeps from beneath lava rock and flows into the Hvítá, or White River. Instead of one large stream dropping from a single cliff, the water appears across a broad stretch of lava, forming many small falls and rapids.

You have about 30 minutes at the falls, with no admission fee. That should allow time for viewing and photographs, though the schedule does not promise a long walk along every viewpoint.

The setting is unusual because the water seems to come directly from the rock. The lava acts like a hidden channel, allowing underground water to emerge in separate ribbons. The result is quieter and more delicate than Iceland’s biggest single-drop waterfalls, but no less distinctive.

Hraunfossar rewards patience. Look beyond the nearest cascade and notice how the water spreads across the lava edge before gathering in the river below. Your guide can add the geological background, while you take in the changing patterns of white water and dark rock.

The thirty-minute stop is enough for a good first look. If waterfalls are your main reason for taking the tour, you may wish the visit were longer. On the other hand, the route includes several different subjects, so the short stop helps keep the whole day balanced.

A private Land Rover day, not a large coach outing

Puffin Travel provides an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, and Wi-Fi on board. One person specifically praised Villi’s large Land Rover as comfortable. That detail matters on a seven-hour trip, since comfort can shape your mood as much as the scenery.

The Wi-Fi is useful if you need to stay connected during the drive. Bottled water is also a welcome inclusion, particularly when moving between short stops. Lunch is not included, so plan for that cost and ask how the day handles the meal break. The supplied details do not name a restaurant or confirm a specific lunch stop.

A private vehicle gives you the biggest advantage: conversation. You can ask about a story, a place name, or the strange behavior of a hot spring without waiting for a guide to finish addressing forty other people. You may also have more freedom to discuss the order or length of stops, though weather and the overall seven-hour schedule still set limits.

The private arrangement is especially useful for families, couples, and small groups with mixed interests. One person can focus on saga history while another prefers waterfalls. A guide can explain both without forcing everyone into a fixed group schedule.

Villi and Gulla: the personal touch

Puffin Travel is presented as a small family-run company led by Villi and Gulla. The strongest praise centers on personal service, flexibility, and Villi’s guiding.

One person described having no fixed agenda and receiving a thoughtfully planned day instead. The guide even helped protect dinner plans afterward. Another praised Villi for being informative and for providing a comfortable vehicle. A separate booking came after a problem with another company’s glacier tour, and the private Borgarfjordur outing became the better choice because Villi was so adaptable.

You should read those points as useful clues about the company’s style. This is not a rigid sightseeing bus with every minute locked in. The guide appears willing to shape the experience around your needs, subject to weather and the route’s timing.

That flexibility is the strongest reason to choose this tour over a cheaper shared excursion. You are paying for transport, but also for a human connection and a day that can respond to your interests. The four available ratings are all five-star scores, with praise focused on the guide and service rather than only on the scenery.

Optional additions: museum, spa, or Langjokull ice cave

The base route is already full, but Iceland offers several ways to add paid experiences.

At Reykholt, the museum can give more depth to the Snorri Sturluson story. It makes the most sense if you enjoy literature, medieval culture, or the Icelandic sagas.

At Deildartunguhver, Krauma offers geothermal bathing near the hot spring. This could turn a short viewing stop into a more relaxed experience, but the fee is extra and the available information does not confirm how long you can stay.

The biggest possible addition is a Langjokull ice cave visit. It costs extra and changes the character of the day. Instead of only viewing geothermal features and waterfalls, you would add a glacier-based experience. Ask about cost, time, weather, and vehicle requirements before committing, since the tour already runs about seven hours and poor weather can affect plans.

I would not book every add-on automatically. Pick the one that matches your interests. History fans should consider the Reykholt museum. Spa fans should ask about Krauma. Anyone seeking a more ambitious glacier day can investigate Langjokull.

Weather, timing, and what to bring

This experience requires good weather. If conditions force a cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund. Icelandic weather can change plans quickly, so keep some flexibility in your schedule.

The 9:30 a.m. start gives you a full daytime outing without requiring an extremely early departure. Since the trip lasts roughly seven hours, you should still plan your day around the return rather than scheduling an important activity immediately afterward.

Bring clothing suitable for changing conditions and footwear you can use around waterfalls and geothermal areas. The provided information confirms bottled water and an air-conditioned vehicle, but it does not specify rain gear, snacks, or lunch. Plan for those yourself.

You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time. Cancellations or changes made inside that window are not refunded or accepted, so watch the local cut-off time.

Who should book this Borgarfjordur tour?

I would choose this tour if you want a private day outside Reykjavik with both natural sights and cultural context. It suits you especially well if you value a flexible guide, dislike large groups, or want a more comfortable vehicle for a long drive.

It is also a good match for a small group that cannot agree on one theme. Borgarnes and Reykholt cover settlement and saga history. Deildartunguhver explains geothermal energy. Hraunfossar supplies the memorable water scenery.

You may want another option if your only goal is a long glacier adventure, a full spa day, or an extensive museum visit. The base tour gives each stop limited time, and the optional activities cost extra. You should also account for lunch when comparing the total price.

At $209, the value is strongest when shared among several people and when you make use of the private format. If you want a tailored day with a personable guide, the price is easier to justify than if you only want a low-cost ride to the waterfalls.

Should you book it?

Book this Borgarfjordur tour if flexibility, personal guiding, and variety matter more to you than the lowest possible price. Villi’s praised approach, the comfortable Land Rover, hotel pickup, and the mix of saga sites and natural attractions make this a strong choice for a small group.

Before paying, ask about lunch, the exact cost and timing of the Langjokull ice cave option, and whether you want to add the museum or Krauma. If you keep the base route and accept the short stops, you get a well-rounded day with a distinctly Icelandic mix of story, steam, lava, and water.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts in Reykjavik, with pickup offered from your hotel. The listed start time is 9:30 a.m.

How long does the Borgarfjordur tour last?

The tour lasts approximately seven hours.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the private activity.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Round-trip transfers from your Reykjavik hotel are offered, and an air-conditioned vehicle is provided.

Is Wi-Fi available during the drive?

Yes. Wi-Fi on board is included.

Is lunch included?

No. Lunch is not included in the tour price.

Can the tour be canceled because of weather?

Yes. The experience requires good weather. If it is canceled because of poor weather, you will be offered a different date or a full refund.