CSC Iceland Adventure Trip
Although it seems like we talked about this trip for two years, it’s hard to believe it has come and gone. Crescent started it’s Adventure Trip Program this spring with Iceland: Land of Fire & Ice, and that is what it is! There isn’t enough room to explain to you how amazing the trip was, but know that all 37 participants came home impressed with Collette as a Tour Operator and with how much more than they got during this trip, than they were expecting. This included all tips to tour manager, bus driver, day guides, extra lunches and a few cocktail hours by Crescent.
Although Iceland sounds far away, the hardest travel part was getting to a major airport to leave from the US. Once we were at Boston or JKF, it was an easy 5 hour flight and the time was only 4 hours earlier than home. On arrival our bus driver for the week, Ali, let us know that they were expecting the local volcano to erupt anytime. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it erupted the night we left to come home.
We saw so many things, the first 2 days from Reykjavík: Reykjavik City Tour, The Golden Circle, dairy farm, Waterfalls, Geysirs, Hothouses, and Icelandic Horses. We moved to the Snarfellsnes Peninsula for 2 days and saw: Black Beaches, Maritime Museums, how the fishermen came and survived, glaciers, waterfalls, rainbows galore, boat ride to see some of the over 2000 islands, volcanos, puffins and various other Icelandic birds, shark museum, and sheep. We then traveled south with stops at Hellisheioavirgkjum geothermal energy plant, Lava Exhibition Center and Seljelandsfoss waterfall on our way to Vik, the southern coast for 3 days. The southern shores provided more black beaches, old ports, waterfalls, Folk Museums, Solhemajokull glacier, Two Sisters waterfall, Lava fields and a duck boat ride in glacier lagoon around the icebergs with seals. Our last day we traveled back to Reykjavik enjoying the beautiful scenery and a final stop for a seven step Icelandic treatment at Sky Lagoon. What a perfect way to end our trip!
In addition to all the volcanos, lava fields, icebergs, glaciers, black sand beaches, sheep, horses and waterfalls we also tried to taste the top 10 things to eat in Iceland: Fish, Kleinur (twisted doughnut), Ice Cream, Hakarl (fermented shark), Pylsa (hotdog), Skyr, Hardfiskur (dry fish or fish jerky), Rugbrsud (rye bread), Lamb and Snudur (cinnamon roll). Got 10 out or 13 different items on two top 10 lists! Also had Reindeer, tomato beer and chocolate with licorice! Almost forgot Floki whiskey, gins and Black Death (Brennivins) and tomato beer on the alcohol taste tests.
Iceland is a country with breathtaking landscapes, lovely people, little crime, and a history of resilience and continued lifestyle of how to use what they have to survive and impress. A definite must on the bucket list, if not already.
I’m sure travelers would be happy to show you their pics, so here’s just a few. It is time to book next year’s CSC 2025 Alaska Land and Sea trip!
