9-Day Ring Road & Westfjords Tour

Pick-up at 8:00. Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss in the morning, then Seljalandsfoss (you can walk behind it when the path is open), Skógafoss and Reynisfjara black sand beach. Night at Hotel Geirland or similar near Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

You drive past Mýrdalsjökull and across the Eldhraun lava field to Vatnajökull National Park for a guided glacier hike on one of its outlet glaciers, with crampons and all safety gear. Afternoon at Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach. Night at Hotel Hof or similar.

Along the coast to the fishing village of Djúpivogur, then inland to Egilsstaðir by the Lagarfljót river. In the afternoon you visit the Wilderness Center, a restored farm at the edge of the highlands, where you spend the night (or a similar place).

You look down into Stuðlagil, a canyon lined with basalt columns, then cross the highlands to the Mývatn area: the steaming vents of Námaskarð, the lava pillars of Dimmuborgir and, if you like, a soak at Earth Lagoon (extra cost). Goðafoss is the last stop before Akureyri. Night at a hotel in Akureyri.

The morning whale watching trip on Eyjafjörður is one of the best chances in Iceland to see humpback whales. Then you drive round the Tröllaskagi peninsula through Siglufjörður, a small herring town between steep mountains, to Skagafjörður. Night at Hotel Laugarbakki or similar.

A short climb up Grábrók crater, then Reykholt, home of the medieval writer Snorri Sturluson, Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring, and the Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls. You may stop to meet Icelandic horses before driving back through Hvalfjörður. Night in Reykjavík at Hótel Ísland or similar.

North-west to Eiríksstaðir, the rebuilt longhouse of Erik the Red, the Vatnsfjörður nature reserve and the Garðar shipwreck. In the afternoon, the bird cliffs of Látrabjarg, where puffins nest in summer, and Breiðavík beach. Night at Hótel Flókalundur or similar.

The red-gold beach of Rauðisandur, the fjords to Dynjandi, the largest waterfall in the Westfjords, the pier in Önundarfjörður and the view from Bolafjall, before reaching Ísafjörður. Night at Hotel Torg or similar.

Ósvör fishing station and Óshólar lighthouse, then the long road along Ísafjarðardjúp with stops at the Arctic Fox Center and the seal colony at Hvítanes. Back in Reykjavík in the evening.