Introduction to the Vikings in Iceland

After arriving in Iceland, students will head straight to Viking World for a fun and interactive introduction to the Vikings in Iceland. Viking World is a new museum on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Students can explore the history and lifestyle of the North Atlantic Vikings through a guided tour of the 5 exhibition rooms as well as pre-arranged. The most significant attraction is the magnificent replica of a 9th century authentic Viking ship that visitors can board to get the full experience.

Next, students will get a chance to explore the mossy Martian lava fields of Reykjanes peninsula. With bubbly mud pools and a rugged landscape that appears out of this world, students will get a glimpse at the sort of Iceland that the Vikings would have seen on arrival back in the 9^th Century.

The final activity for their first day in Iceland is a visit to the National Museum of Iceland. This museum is a fantastic collection of objects that provides insight into Iceland’s cultural history. Within their permanent exhibition “Making a Nation”, students will see 2,000 objects, dating from the Settlement Age to the present, which will help to tell the story of how the Vikings came to settle in Iceland.

Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, & Skalholt.

You cannot visit Iceland without completing the Golden Circle and today students will get an opportunity to do that.

Starting with Geysir, the area which gave geysers their name. The biggest showstopper of the geysers here is Strokkur, which erupts every 6 minutes and can reach heights of 40 metres.

Next, a chance to see one of Iceland’s most beloved waterfalls; Gullfoss, where the Hvita River falls 32 metres over two drops.

The last stop on your Golden Circle tour is Thingvellir. Thingvellir is a national park scarred by a dramatic valley caused by the Mid-Atlantic ridge which is the boundary between two tectonic plates. The landscape here is stunning and it has great significance with the Icelandic people as it is where their first parliament was founded in the year 930. Viking settlers founded the Althing assembly which met for two weeks every summer at this site, serving as both parliament and courts.

To finish the day, students will head to Skalholt church which has a long and turbulent history. Icelandic Vikings adopted Christianity in 1000 CE. They built a wooden church at Skalholt in 1056 and as Christianity became strong, this village became a powerful centre of learning and worship. Skalholt’s modern church has a small exhibition at the current church with artifacts from the original church. Some people believe that the shift to Christianity by Viking societies marks the end of the Viking era.

Waterfalls, glaciers and more!

Start the day with one of Iceland’s most beautiful waterfalls; Seljalandsfoss. Students can follow the pathway behind the waterfall and feel its powerful sprays.

Next, students will get a chance to visit a glacier; Solheimajokull. This glacier has sadly been retreating due to climate change and the glacial lagoon formed at the mouth of the glacier is a reminder of the dramatic changes it has experienced in the last few years.

Reynisfjara and Dyrholaey, are both epic black sand beaches and it’s not hard to picture the Vikings arriving in Iceland to be greeted by this epic view. According to local Icelandic folklore, the large basalt columns you will see were once trolls trying to pull ships from the ocean to shore. However, these trolls were not the cleverest and went out too late in the night; dawn broke on the horizon, turning the trolls into solid stone.

Next up, students will head to the Skógar Folk Museum and can wander around a collection of historic buildings, including a turf farmhouse. Inside they will find displays of artefacts from daily life, representing the historical and cultural heritage of Iceland.

Finally, students will visit the famous Skogafoss. This stunning waterfall is one of the most iconic in all of Iceland. Students can even fill their water bottles with fresh water from the River Skoga.

South Coast Sites

Day 4 kick-starts at Thjórsárdalur Valley, which is buried in volcanic ash from the Hekla eruptions of 1104 and 1948. The valley is home to Háifoss, one of Iceland’s highest waterfalls and Thjórsárdals hot springs.

Next up, is a waterfall that gives students a glimpse into Iceland’s history. Meaning the ‘Helping Falls’, this lovely symmetrical cascade is an unusual occurrence: the confluence of two rivers into the same waterfall plunge pool. In the past, travellers would stop here as the pool and surrounding vegetation provided essential refreshments for their horses, hence the site’s name.

Students will be in awe of the next stop on their list as they will see the outline of an excavated Viking longhouse (and much, much more) at this historic farm site; Stong.

Students will then hike to a site straight from their screens; Gjain. This photogenic waterfall surrounded by some distorted basalt columns has more vegetation than many areas and was a filming site in Game of Thrones.

Next students will head to the Mount Hekla pumice bed, which is a fascinating stop created by eruptions from this 1,491m mountain. This location offers a great view of Hekla, Iceland’s most active volcano, with evidence of young lava in the valley beyond this area where pumice was formerly quarried. Did you know? Pumice was used by the Vikings to polish items like plates and bowls!

The final stop of the trip is a visit to The Settlement exhibition which features archaeological remains that turned out to be the earliest evidence of human settlement in Iceland’s capital city, with some dating to before 871 CE.  After careful excavation, a 10^th century hall/ longhouse was revealed, which is now preserved and is the focal point of the exhibition. Interactive technology will immerse students in the world of the Reykjavik farm at the time of the first settlers, including how Viking Age buildings were constructed and what life was like.