The tour achieved what it was meant to. A quick 8 days around Iceland. The tour guide Thor improvised well as the schedule was changed due to weather conditions. This worked out well, the whale watching company cancelled on us but we went instead to Forest Lagoon which was better than Sky and Blue Lagoons in Reykjavik. Everyday of the tour was a travel day as there was little time and so much to see. I feel the tour would have benefited from a 2nd night in the place we visit before Vik as there are so many adventure activities to do like the ice caving, glacier hikes, ice climbing etc that I day could have been filled doing that. Then one less day in Reykjavik. What this Top Deck tour lacked was music. We didn't have a top deck song. I have been on other top deck tours such as through Morocco and on long drive days the guides have played games or had everyone select 5 songs and have turns at connecting tot he speaker and playing them. Stuff like that to keep people engaged. I feel bus life could have more engaging. I know there is nice scenery outside but so to on my other tours. Since there is so much back to back busing, this fun Top Deck is known for wasn't there. Thor was a really good guide. He told us stories about the elves and trolls in the areas we went through as well as the history of the local areas. He was funny as well. But the tour lacked a sort of youthfulness that top deck tours are known for. We also didn't do the daunting group introduction which I quite like because it puts everyone out of their comfort zone and the group bonds more quickly together. We can't do it while the bus travels though due to the road laws and dangerous conditions. Bus was always clean and the driver Brun was nice. I quite enjoyed the tour. I am glad we went all the way around the Island in winter where may other tour companies would not due to the unpredictability of road closures due to storms. But it didn't feel 'Top Deck'.
Iceland in March is a challenge.....ice and snow underfoot (boot chains provided!) high winds, intermittent torrential rain, bad road conditions. But the beauty of the country more than makes up for any discomfort. Travelling around the whole island, the scenery is constantly changing....wild coasts, snowy mountains, sparkling fjords, black lava flows and of course, wonderful waterfalls. For any lover of the great outdoors, this trip is a must
In March 2019 we did this marvelous trip. For early spring the weather was nice and the landscape beautiful: surrealistic geothermal pools on Reykjanes and snowcapped mountains above the glaciers. Right in time the driver picked us (family of 2 parents and 3 young-adults from the Netherlands) up at the airport. On the way to Hvolsvllur we visited the geothermal pools of Krsuvik. A warm welcome at Base Camp Midgard. We absolutely prefer a small family-owned and local-based company instead of a big travel agency/company. Another advantage is the location: much closer to the highlights in the south than a hotel in Reykjavik. Breakfast and dinner (and the drinks at the bar) were fine. A cozy atmosphere with a lot of adventurous people (young or somewhat older).The trip to Prsmrk with the Ford SuperJeep was great. Due to the driving skills of Christian we crossed various rivers to get as far as possible into the Valley of the Thunder God Thor. We explored by foot the surroundings of the Eyjafjallajkull volcano. On the way back to Midgard BaseCamp we visited the Seljlans Falls. The third day we headed to the Slheimajkull Glacier. A long time ago I climbed various mountains in the Alps, the Andes and the Himalaya but walking on crampons on the glacier and -safely- descending in a crevasse is impressive too. Really worrying is the decline of the glacier in the last decades. A dramatic effect of the global warning. Please show the picture of the sign to D. Trump.The last day on our way to Reykjavik- we visited the impressive Gullfoss waterfall (thanks to Sigridur Tmasdttir who saved the area), Geysir and the xarfoss waterfall.Summarizing a great trip in just 4 days.