Sheryl

I'm looking for tour company recommendations in Iceland. I've done some online research and found several companies, but wanted to hear opinions. We're thinking of taking the "Golden Circle" tour with a snowmobiling option. Thanks in advance!

Dave_

I have seen a lot of recommendations for Reykjavik Excursions for tours in Iceland. Their website is:
www.re.is

I can't recommend them myself because we decided to do the tours by car ourselves. However I did a reasonable amount of research and Reykjavik Excursions seemed to get good recommendations.

Have you considered renting a car and doing the Golden Circle tour yourself by car?

If you need any other Iceland information, let me know and I'll try and help. I was there in May 2003.

sneezey

In Iceland, even if there are different companies operating the tours, it's all coordinated through the government in one way or another - Icelandair, Flugleidir, BSI the bus company, etc. BSI publishes the tour catalog each year since just about any group tour needs the local transport supplied, so they are a natural to put the list together, whether it's their own tours or other operators. They have a web site where you can see all of that, including the Reykjavik Excursions - which even have the "RE" tours featured on their site:

http://www.dice.is/

You can see links to more off the beaten track tours there as well which would be smaller companies running them. Because it's all run together, I don't know that you can really go wrong with these tours. Everyone is all in it together to provide the best for their country so most of these groups won't last long if there are a lot of complaints. I wouldn't be worried about particular companies, because you're more dependent on the individual guide than anything else since the Iceland industry is so tight knit.

ALF

We have been on several Reykjavik Excursions tours, including the Golden Circle. They are efficient, reasonably-priced, and well-run - tour guides seemed to be very knowledgeable and were certainly helpful. Still, you end up on a big tour bus, with a set schedule - there were many places (Geysir, for one) where I would have liked to linger - and several places that I wish we could have missed (the Golden Circle tourist trap, "Eden" is the first that comes to mind). If you are going to take a tour-bus-style tour, then I think RE will do right by you.

On our last visit, we contracted with a small private tour company, that ended up being a so-much better experience! If you have at least 5-6 people, then you might find that a private tour will cost no more than those same people going on a big bus tour. I hearily recommend Highlander Adventures (http://www.highlander.is/default.html), run by Oli Schram, who was fantastic. He has a 4WD Ford van (that he bought on eBay!), rigged with a PA sound system, and he will take you wherever you want to go. He can do the same routes that the big buses take, but the experience will be much more personal and (IMO) interesting.

We took a South Shore trip with Highlander, which culminated in a wonderful snowmobile (Icelanders call them snow scooters) trip on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. I am not familiar with a RE Golden Circle trip that includes a snowmobile option - I wonder where it could go, as there are not big glaciers near the Golden Circle Route.

Here are some photos from Spring '03, including the Golden Circle sites, Reykjanes Peninsula/Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, the South Shore (as far as Vik), and flying over Greenland:
http://mysite.verizon.net/res1dm2h/index.html

kev_chua

We were in Iceland just before Christmas in 2003 and booked with Iceland Excursion
http://www.allrahanda.is/

We did the Golden Circle Tour with them. Being in winter, we were the only 2 persons on the tour - which meant that we had a private tour !

We found the company very professional and the guide friendly and knowledgeable. He was also very flexible since we were the only two on his tour.

I must say that we found it rather cold to do this tour - and may be the reason why there were so few people on it. But then we are from the Tropics...

venexiano

I fully agree with ALF, we had a fantastic trip through the Southland , organized by Oli Schram. We drove the car ourselves, but were very well taken care of by Oli who seems to be known all over Iceland. Trust on him!