Epic 8-Day Iceland Ring Road: Small Group Minibus Adventure

I recently finished the 8-day Around Iceland tour with Troll.is, and it was one of the best travel experiences I’ve had with a few caveats. The itinerary was incredibly well-designed—packed with waterfalls, glaciers, black-sand beaches, lava fields, and hot springs—however due to limited daylight, the stops felt rushed. Every day offered something completely different, and I loved how much of the country we were able to see in 8 days. Again on limited daylight. Our guide Thales was friendly, knowledgeable, funny, patient, and clearly passionate about Iceland. He shared local stories, history, geology, and practical tips that made each stop more meaningful. Tip: if traveling in winter, bring crampons. SEVERAL people fell on ice both in our group and others. The group size was perfect, however, Troll combined groups on 3 different occasions and everyone in our original and new group had at least two tour guides. This was not ideal and miscommunications could have been avoided if we were made aware before our trip that consolidation was a possibility. The accommodations were mostly comfortable with adequate breakfasts. We stayed two nights in the first hotel which caused us to miss the glacier lagoon due to travel time. Expect comfortable beds, very limited space, and decent locations for spotting Northern Lights. The bus was clean and warm (important in Iceland!), and most everything ran on time. You are at the mercy of your tour mates being back on time. WiFi was great. The chargers did not work. The Glacier Mice led the Crystal Ice Cave tour and it took 3.5 hrs because our group was split. It was incredibly packed inside the cave and felt over touristy. My favorite highlights: walking on a glacier, exploring the Eastfjords, soaking in geothermal lagoons, (we were booked at Forest Lagoon instead of Vok) and getting to see parts of Iceland I never would’ve reached on my own. Things I wish I would have known- 1. Don’t overpack. Snow pants, thermals, wool socks, gloves and a hat. Get the crampons. They are expensive in Iceland. 2. Food (everything) is expensive in Iceland. Bring snacks or stock up on easy to make meals from the grocery store. We spent an easy $150 per day on food for the two of us. A lot of meal stops are at tourist locations. 3. Be prepared to stay up late if your goal is to see the aurora and understand they are not guaranteed. 4. Conditions in the winter are not for the weak. Thales was an amazing driver on ice and snow and I always felt comfortable but the horses (horseback riding option) slipped on the ice and it felt cruel to make them walk. Overall I would recommend this group tour. I made a dozen new friends from all over the world and enjoyed Iceland for the second time.

My tour guide, Thor Thorsteinsson , was exceptional. he shared many great stories throughout the tour and even brought us to additional viewing stops whenever possible. Most impressively, he showed true heroism when he stopped to assist an elderly couple involved in a road accident where their car had flipped over. The only area that could be improved is the hotel selection; most were great, but there was one that had room for improvement (As there was a change of hotel management). Overall, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience.

Absolutely brilliant tour of Iceland seeing everything and more than you would want. Our guide Siggi was not only very well informed but made the whole trip a delight. The accommodation was good with great breakfasts each day. As a Coeliac I took lots of snacks just in case but only needed them for one night when we stayed in a hotel in the middle of nowhere (which was beautiful by the way and worth the stay). All in all I was really sad for it to end. Definitely would recommend.

Johann was the best! Kept all of us informed at all times and never ran out of fascinating information to share about each site we visited.

The tour was well-organised, and we especially want to compliment our tour guide, Elias. He’s honestly the best guide we’ve ever met, caring, helpful, and funny. His explanations were detailed, and he also brought us to some hidden gems along the way.

This was my first time going on a guided tour. I usually travel on my own, deciding my own route but being Iceland in October, I thought it best to have someone else do the driving as the weather can be unpredictable. The 8 day ring road tour was fantastic. We had the best group, everyone got along and had a great time. I think we were very lucky with our guide Thor. He was fun, knowledgeable, relaxed and went out of his way to ensure that we saw the most amazing sites. We saw the northern lights 5 out of the 8 nights. I highly recommend this tour and hopefully you’ll be a lucky as I was to be out with a great group and guide🙂

We highly recommend Troll Expedition. Our 8-day Ring Road Tour around Iceland with Troll was absolutely spectacular. The dramatic landscapes left us in awe: roaring waterfalls, craters, moss covered lava fields, jagged valleys, surf pounding the shorelines. The sight of sheep grazing on lush green plains added a charming touch to the already breathtaking scenery. If Thor can be requested as your guide, I absolutely would! His enthusiasm for Iceland is infectious, and his wealth of knowledge about the land is truly impressive. He would share fascinating insights about Iceland’s geological wonders, making each stop along the way an educational delight. Our accommodations were spotless and matched the photos on their website. The 19-passenger Mercedes mini-bus was comfortable. Thor’s dining suggestions included different price levels. There were so, so many stunning stops included in the trip and the extra excursions we booked were fabulous.

We recently finished the 8 day Ring Road trip with Troll and had a fabulous time. We are two older (68 & 75 yrs), but active ladies and we loved the waterfalls, glaciers, and beaches on this tour. Iceland is a gorgeous country, full of beauty and local charm at every turn. Our tour guide John did an outstanding job of enlightening us with geography and history lessons that make this small island so remarkable. In addition, but no less important, he made the two of us feel welcomed without question or hesitation. Troll’s bus was new and comfortable and easy to get in and out of. The accommodations were small but adequate. Some breakfasts were much better than others. Older travelers should be aware that four of the seven hotels had stairs to navigate with suitcases (ugh) and one hotel had a shower that was particularly treacherous to step up into and down out of. Traveling in late October just know that snow & ice made the paths in the northern areas much more challenging to navigate. All in all our 8 day Ring Road tour was an amazing experience - which our guide John made extra special with his enthusiastic banter and willingness to share his stories. Well done John, and thank you. (from Marianne / Boo)

The trip of a lifetime… had an amazing time and explored so much of Iceland: mountains, fjords, volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, ice caves, lava caves, hot springs and whales. At times, I was completely overwhelmed by the natural, stark beauty of Iceland. It’s hard to put it into words. For the amount we spent on the Troll tour + airfare, it was an incredible bargain. Our guide/driver was Iskren, an 8 year veteran of Troll tours. Right off the bat, I trusted his driving. And he’s very knowledgeable about all the sites (and almost everything Icelandic). He earned the nickname “Aurora Whisperer”, because he was able to find places where the sky was clear enough to give us a real show. (He also knew a special spot off the Ring Rd where he thought we might spot reindeer… and we did!). He’s pretty good with recommending food, as well. He pointed out Baccala in Hauganes and Sjávarpakkhúsið in Stykkishólmur, which were my two favorite meals on the entire trip. In short, Iskren, was a knowledgeable, reliable, hardworking guide that went above and beyond to make sure we were well taken care of. Thank you Iskren and thank you Troll.

I wanted to see as much of Iceland as I could and the 8 day Small Group Tour around Iceland (Winter tour) was perfect ! Unlike other tours that I found in my vacation search, this tour is 8 full days of activity. I was not paying for "free time" in Reykjavik. (I ended up flying in a day earlier to explore Reykjavik myself). From Day 1 thru day 8, we were exploring the beauty of Iceland non-stop. Our tour guide, Thor, was awesome! (Go Team Thor!) He adjusted our tour stops if our scheduled activity was delayed and would make extra stops if he thought it would make for a good photo-op. The tour itself included so many awesome stops and activities. We saw geysers, glaciers, geothermal areas, lava fields, beaches, various wildlife and at least a dozen or so waterfalls. We hiked a glacier, explored an ice cave, went whale watching, and had multiple opportunities to see the Northern Lights (all included). And I recommend doing the extra add-on activities: horseback riding, exploring a lava cave and, of course, enjoying the Vok Baths. These activities really make for a full Icelandic experience! I went in mid-October and the weather was a bit rainy, but not terrible. The days were still long enough to enjoy plenty of daylight. My group was approx 16-17 people. I think the max is about 19. I rate this tour 10/10. Highly recommend!