Iceland: Fire, Steam and Ice!

A dream comes true as your wide-bodied jet thunders off the airstrip, bound for Iceland, a European country set in the middle of the north Atlantic Ocean.

Take a journey back in time on a visit to Vikingaheimar, a museum complex with five exhibitions connected Iceland's Viking Age. Its star attraction is a full-size replica of a Viking long ship from AD 870, which sailed to America in 2000 to commemorate Leif Erikson's crossing a thousand years earlier.

Head to a geothermal wonder with a lagoon of steamy, blue water that's set within a black lava field (surrounded by snow and ice in winter!).

Hear how Icelanders have harnessed steam and hot mineral springs for recreation, but also as a source of heat for buildings both collective and private.

Enter the hot mineral spring water of the Blue Lagoon. Get a first-hand experience into the mysteries of this natural resource while relaxing in its warmth.

Enjoy a tour of the historical museum of Reykjavik, Árbæjarsafn, a recreated village that illustrate the lifestyles of Icelanders in ages past within authentic houses and buildings from various periods, which were moved to the site.

Visit the largest nature exhibitions in Iceland. The exhibitions are designed using the latest science and technology. You will feel the power of the volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal energy and see a high, realistically rendered bird cliff filled with bird and plant species. Experience oceanic wonders and watch as whales swim below your feet. Walk through a real ice cave, the first of its kind in the world, and learn about Icelandic glaciers and the effects of global warming in this incredible interactive exhibition. Enjoy spectacular views from the unique building known as The Pearl, which crowns Öskjuhlíð, a hill on the outskirts of Reykjavik. Supported by huge water tanks, the Perlan Observation Deck is known for its 360-degree viewing deck.

Enter Hallgrímskirkja, the Lutheran church whose 244-foot-high steeple rises over the city's skyline and houses an observation deck. This striking modern sanctuary, with a section devoted to Catholic worship, was consecrated in 1986.

Discover the striking structure which overlooks Reykjavik's harbor, and learn how Iceland's natural wonders, from volcanoes to Northern Lights, have inspired the Danish architects who drafted its innovative design in 2011. Harpa is both a concert venue and a conference center: your tour will take you through the splendid auditorium as well as backstage.

Stop in the Hot Springs Capital of the World, Hveragerdi, to view its geothermal park, where energy is harnessed to heat greenhouses as well as a fish hatchery. Hear about this extraordinary natural resource and its endless possibilities, such as Iceland-grown bananas!

Learn about the causes and impact of the earthquake that struck Hveragerdi on a visit to the exhibit called The Quake 2008. Then, experience what an earthquake feels like in the simulator that replicates tremors that reached 6.3 on the Richter scale.

View the impressive Golden Waterfall formed by the River Hvitá as it plunges in two stages down a deep canyon.

Stop at the site of Geysir (Gusher), the first spouting hot spring known to Europeans, which gave English its Old Norse name in the word "geyser." Geysir erupts very rarely, but spectacularly. Nearby, you will see the show produced by a younger geyser, Strokkur, which spews boiling water every five to ten minutes.

Enter the National Park called Þingvellir. This is Iceland's most significant historic site as the location of the first Icelandic parliamentary assembly, the Alþingi. This assembly first convened in AD 930 around the "Rock of Law," and continued to meet there for centuries, earning its location a place on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Stop at the world's largest geothermal power station, which supplies electrical power and hot water to the Reykjavik metropolitan area. The Hellisheidi plant's state-of the-art exhibit explains how geothermal energy is harnessed in a sustainable manner that offers a model to the rest of the world.

Travel through small villages and farmland on your way to the mountain range that is home to the 6th-largest volcano in Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in 2010. Its 5,466-foot-high summit covered by a 39-square-mile ice cap, Eyjafjallajökull is once again tranquil, having spewed its fine ash all over Europe's airways.

Stop to admire a cataract which drops a 200-foot-high curtain of water from a cliff that was once right on the coast. There's a path that goes behind this waterfall!

Get a close look at one of Iceland's largest waterfalls, 82 feet wide. Look for the double rainbow often created by the Skogafoss mist.

Pause to view the rocky headland with arches carved out by the surf that's known as Dyrhólaey.

Arrive in the southernmost municipality in Iceland. The black-sand coast near Vik is renowned for the jagged black rocks that seem to rise up from the sea, looking like giant trolls.

Stop in the hamlet of Budir to view a landscape of exceptional beauty, with yellow beaches, black lava fields, green hills and blue sea, all crowned by the white summit of the Snæfellsjökull Glacier.

From the small port of Arnarstapi, set at the foot of the Snæfellsjökull Volcano, you may want to follow footpaths laid along the sea cliffs. The unusual coastal landscape features rocks shaped like columns, where seabirds nest.

Set foot on Djúpalónssandur, a black-sand beach with protected black lava pebbles known as "Pearls of Djúpalón." You'll also see the four "lifting stones" weighing from 50 to 340 pounds that were once used by fishermen to test their strength.

Lunch is included on this excursion.

Stop on the shore of Reykjanes' largest lake, Kleifarvatn, which lies in a lunar landscape. No river runs to or from it, and it's very deep (over 300 feet at its deepest point). According to local lore, it's inhabited by a serpent-like monster, as large as a whale, that surfaces every so often. Beware!

Head to the Austurengjar area, stopping at Krýsuvík to view geothermal fields peppered with jet streams, sulfur springs, hot springs, mud spots, and boiling pools, all of which color the soil in shades that vary from bright yellow to green and shades of red.

Pause in the small fishing port of Grindavik, which provides more than 40% of Iceland's salt fish production.

Walk from Europe to America by crossing the bridge named in honor of the Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, a son of Erik the Red born c. 970, who reached the New World 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Stretched over a narrow fault-line depression known as the Alfagja Rift Valley, this footbridge connects the Eurasian and the North American continental tectonic plates, which move away from each other in this spot at the rate of 0.8 inches per year!

Plan your free time or consider an optional excursion.