Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun

Book now

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

6 hours and 30 minutes

Price from

165.000 ISK

Experience Iceland’s iconic Golden Circle in the peaceful evening hours on a private tour. Visit Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss, Faxi waterfall and Kerið crater with fewer crowds and the soft light of the Icelandic summer evening.

Iceland's most famous sightseeing route, in the quietest hours of the day. This private evening tour departs in the late afternoon, once the coaches have turned back toward Reykjavík, and takes you around the Golden Circle at a pace set by you rather than by a timetable.

Your journey begins at Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates drift apart. This is the birthplace of Iceland's parliament, founded in 930 AD, set among rift valleys, clear water and dramatic geological formations.

You continue to the Geysir Geothermal Area, home to Strokkur, which erupts every few minutes and sends boiling water high into the air, surrounded by steaming vents and mineral-stained ground.

Next, visit the magnificent Gullfoss Waterfall, one of Iceland’s most celebrated natural wonders. Feel the power of the glacial river as it plunges into a rugged canyon, creating spectacular views and unforgettable photo opportunities.

The tour also includes a stop at the charming Faxafoss Waterfall, a hidden gem often missed by larger tour groups. Its peaceful setting offers a chance to experience a quieter side of Iceland’s countryside.

The day closes at Kerið, a volcanic crater with steep red slopes falling to a still blue lake. A path circles the rim and a staircase leads down to the water. Your admission ticket is included in the tour price.

Evening is the point of this tour. With most visitors already back in the city, you have space to walk, photograph and simply look. From mid-May to early August, the Midnight Sun keeps the landscape lit in low golden light for hours, and waterfalls, mountains and volcanic slopes take on colours you will not see at midday. Outside that window the evening still means calm, empty sites and a long, soft dusk.

As this is a private tour, the vehicle and guide belong to your group alone. A sedan is provided for groups of one to three; a minivan for four to eight. Pickup and drop-off are door to door from your accommodation in Reykjavík.

Private transportation (sedan for 1-3 / minivan for 4-8, exclusively for your group)
Dedicated, professional English-speaking guide for the full evening
Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík
Kerið crater admission fee
Flexible itinerary adapted to your group's pace and interests
WiFi and USB charging ports on board
Bottled water on board on request
Parking fees and local taxes

Warm, waterproof and windproof outer layer – Icelandic weather changes within minutes, and evenings are colder than the middle of the day.
A fleece or mid-layer, even in summer.
Sturdy, waterproof walking shoes – paths at Kerið, Gullfoss and Þingvellir can be wet, loose or muddy.
Sunglasses.
Camera.

Pickup from Reykjavik
Your private vehicle picks you up directly from your Reykjavík accommodation at 5 PM. No transfer, no assembly point – the tour starts from your front door. Pickup time will be confirmed 24 hours in advance.
Thingvellir National Park
Iceland's most historically significant landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Þingvellir is the place where the world's first parliament – the Alþing – was founded in 930 AD. By early evening the site is calm and largely to yourselves. The walk through Almannagjá canyon carries a thousand years of Icelandic history, and the wide open rift valley in the low afternoon light is a world away from the midday tourist rush.
Faxi Waterfall
One of the Golden Circle's best-kept secrets, Faxifoss stretches 80 metres wide across the Tungufljót River in a broad, unhurried cascade that most tour buses drive straight past. In the evening light the waterfall glows warmly against the green riverbanks, and the salmon ladder at its base is active in summer. Rarely crowded at any hour, it is almost entirely your own by evening.
Geysir Geothermal Area
Strokkur erupts every five to eight minutes regardless of the hour – but the steaming geothermal field in the low evening light has a quality that daytime visits rarely capture. The steam catches the amber sun, the colours of the surrounding hillsides deepen, and the landscape feels quieter and stranger than it does at noon. Strokkur shoots up to 30 metres into the air with each eruption. You will want to watch it more than once.
Gullfoss Waterfall
This is the reason for the 4 or 5 PM departure. Gullfoss in golden hour – when the sun is low on the horizon and the light falls warm and sideways across the canyon and the falling water – is one of the most visually striking things Iceland offers in summer. The two-tier waterfall drops 32 metres into its canyon, and in the evening the mist and the light interact in ways that are impossible to forget in person. With most visitors long gone, the viewing platforms are yours.
Kerid Volcanic Crater
On the return south, the tour stops at Kerið – an oval volcanic crater with steep red walls dropping to a still, turquoise lake at the base. The colours here are extraordinary at any time of day, but in the last light of the Icelandic evening they become something else entirely. Walk the rim for the full panoramic view, or follow the path down to the water's edge. Entrance fee not included.
Drop off in Reykjavik
Your private vehicle drops you back directly at your Reykjavík accommodation. Estimated return time is around midnight, depending on pace during the evening. Door to door, start to finish.

A 100% charge applies if canceled within 1 days of the start time.
Free cancellation up to 1000 days before the start time.

Please note

Confirmation and pickup
You will receive a booking confirmation immediately after purchase.
Departure is in the late afternoon. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík is included.
Groups of 1-3 travel in a private sedan; groups of 4-8 travel in a private minivan.

Midnight Sun
The Midnight Sun is visible in Iceland from roughly mid-May to early August.

Health and accessibility
This tour involves easy walking on uneven natural terrain, including gravel paths and steps at Kerið and Gullfoss.
Not wheelchair accessible. Not stroller accessible.
Not recommended for guests with serious mobility limitations.

Children
Children of all ages are welcome. Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of children throughout the tour, particularly near the crater rim and waterfall edges.