Proud Local Hosts
Since 1937 Iceland Travel has been the leading travel company, tour operator and destination management company (DMC) in Iceland, offering top-quality services.
We take pride in our diverse product portfolio which includes escorted tours, day tours, and self-drive tours. On these trips, your guests will benefit from the deep connections we have with our community of businesses and suppliers here in Iceland. Plus, we have the know-how and flexibility to service high-volume clients.
Every day, Iceland Travel’s local experts craft once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences and take guests on extraordinary Icelandic journeys. Our longstanding history is built on the in-depth knowledge of our team and commitment to preserving Iceland’s fragile natural environment.
By combining your passion and our expertise we create an unforgettable travel experience.
Our Services
Discover the different services Iceland Travel has to offer you:
- FIT individual traveler packages
- FIT tailor-made requests
- Special interest groups & series
- Meetings, incentives, conferences & events
- Luxury travel experiences with Nine Worlds by Iceland Travel
- Shore excursions & cruise services
Travel Partners Around the World
Iceland Travel is a member of many domestic and international associations. Among others, these include the Icelandic Travel Industry Association, the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA).
We work closely with local experts and suppliers all around Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Iceland Travel is part of Travel Connect, a leading tourism company that brings together a family of reputable and independent travel brands.
Certified Commitment to the Environment
As the country‘s largest (and oldest) tour operator, we at Iceland Travel think it is vital to respect Icelandic nature and keep our country a vibrant and exciting destination. We are fully committed to sustainable tourism and continued improvement.
Member of VAKINN – The Official Quality Label
Iceland Travel proudly meets the comprehensive assessment criteria of VAKINN’s Gold-Class Environmental standards. VAKINN is the official quality label of Iceland Tourism. To meet our commitments we have implemented an environmental management system which ensures the following:
- We reduce waste in our operations.
- We subsidise public transport and healthy lifestyles for our employees.
- We limit our environmental impact and implement responsible tourism practices in Iceland.
- We prefer environmentally-friendly tour suppliers and services.
- We raise awareness of environmental issues among our guests, staff and guides.
When you book with Iceland Travel it means that you take environmental matters and the protection of nature seriously. A fine example of our commitment to the environment is our three hectare, forest grove in the Haukadalur valley which is a wonderful destination in of Itself. Our forest grove represents our participation in the broader efforts to reforest Iceland.
Iceland Travel Environmental Policy – Nature Deserves our Care and Respect
The growth of tourism throughout the world inevitably impacts upon the fragile environment that the tourist is actually there to see and experience.
Many of our tours, by definition, travel through a variety of different environments. We try to cause as little impact as possible during our journeys, and where possible, to act in such a way to benefit the local communities and environment.
We understand the impacts that our operations may have, and pro-actively seek to ensure that our operations are as locally sustainable as possible. We are fully committed to adhere to Icelandic law concerning environmental issues.
We show our continuing commitment to environmental sustainability by
- Preserving the current resource base for future generations
- Maintaining the productivity of the resource base
- Maintaining biodiversity and avoiding irreversible environmental changes
- Ensuring equity within and between generations
- Reducing waste by recycling and promoting responsible use of resources
- Preferring environmentally friendly suppliers and services
- Raise awareness among our staff and guides
We aim to adhere to these principles and continuously improve on our environmental management system.
Social Responsibility
We are driven by our values of innovation, flexibility and professionalism.
Iceland Travels puts the customer first
We proactively seeks customer feedback and continuously improve the quality of our products and our customer service. We are focused on creating unforgettable moments for our customers and we measure closely whether they would recommend us to their friends or family.
Our employees are our most important resource
Iceland Travel is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself on having a diverse group of employees. We strive to create a great work environment for our people. We focus on employment continuous training and education. Iceland Travel complies with Icelandic laws which mandates equal pay regardless of gender.
Iceland Travel has strict policy against any bullying, sexual, and gender related harassment or violence in the workplace.
Force For Good
Our membership in Vakinn Quality System and our adherence to its code of ethics underpins our commitment to being a force for good for society.
Compliance
Iceland Travel complies with all relevant laws and regulations. We are a fully licensed tour operator. Iceland Travel has a strong commitment to online privacy.
Our grove
In the summer of 2014 The Icelandic Forest Service assigned Iceland Travel 3 hectares of land in Haukadalur. The area , which is near the famous Geysir hot spring, is rich in folklore and history. Legend has it that the giant Bergþór of Bláfell is buried near the church of Haukadalur; the iron ring on the church door is said to be from his walking stick.
The region has been a farm since Saga times, when the family Haukdaelir, who lent their name to the area, was one of the most powerful clans in the country. It is also the site of a school founded in the 9th century that educated many learned Icelanders, most notably Ari “the Learned” Þorgilsson (1067-1148), who wrote the Book of Icelanders. The land of Haukadalur had been badly damaged by erosion when in 1938 a Danish man, Kristian Kirk, bought the farm to give it to the Icelandic Forest Service to be protected and re–forested. You can find a memorial to Kirk at the site.
Our goals
Iceland Travel’s Reforestation Project has three purposes:
- To educate: We want to educate visitors to Iceland about forestry in Iceland. By doing so we encourage both individual and collective environmental responsibility.
- To restore and enhance: We are working to restore our native landscape, to create an area of natural beauty that can be enjoyed by all.
- To reduce the effects of CO2 on the environment: The trees and plants we plant on our site soak up carbon dioxide as they grow, helping to reduce the harmful effect CO2 has on the world.
How to take part
A visit to our grove is included in our Family Nature Adventure and Across the Wilderness packages but can be added to any self-drive package.
Soon we’ll be able to plant a tree for you even if you’re not in Iceland. You’ll receive a certificate of your assistance to reforestation in Iceland. A perfect present for anyone!
Where do our trees come from?
All of the trees planted in the grove in Haukadalur come from a local greenhouse, Kvistar. The greenhouse is located in the small village of Reykholt, 100 km from Reykjavik and only 20 km from our grove in Haukadalur. Ever since its origin, the farmers at Kvistar have specialised in cultivating trees for the Icelandic Forest Service. They also offer fresh raspberries and strawberries for sale in the summer time.
About forestry in Iceland
We often receive comments from our travelers about how barren Iceland is, and if this has to do with our volcanoes.
Actually, when the island was settled over 1000 years ago, birch forest and woodland covered 25-40% of Iceland’s land area. But the settlers began by cutting down the forests and burning scrubland to create fields and grazing land. Then sheep grazing prevented the regeneration of the trees.
Organised forestry is considered to have started in Iceland in 1899 with the planting of the Pine Stand at Thingvellir National Park. The Iceland Forest Service (IFS) was established in 1908. At first, protection involved simply fencing areas to exclude grazing sheep, but since 1950, the emphasis has been placed on planting trees. The total area of forest and woodland in Iceland has probably doubled, possibly tripled, since 1950.
In more than a century since forestry activity began in Iceland there have been great improvements. There has been an emphasis on opening forests to the public and two areas originally cultivated on treeless land in the 1950s and ‘60s now receive over 400,000 visits annually.
Without a doubt, the most important outcome is that there has been a change in attitude of the Icelandic people. A century ago, most Icelanders had never seen a tree. Sixty years ago, few Icelanders believed that trees of any size to speak of could grow in Iceland. Today, forestry for timber production, land reclamation and amenity is being carried out by thousands of people all over Iceland. All National Forests are open to the public year-round and some are among the most visited outdoor recreation areas in Iceland.
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