ICELAND

Destination: Langjokull glacier & Icelandic interior

Essence of the trip:

Challenge yourself on an expedition into the dramatic wilderness of Iceland’s remote interior. Descend into untouched ice caves, race snowmobiles across the top of one of the largest glaciers in Europe and break new trails in unexplored mountain ranges, during this truly rare and demanding journey.

This trip will give you:

• Experience of some of the most inhospitable natural conditions imaginable, as you dig snow holes to survive polar-like temperatures as low as -30 °C.

• The opportunity to explore remote mountain ranges that few people have ever set foot upon.

• A subterranean view of gigantic ice cathedrals only accessible using crampons and rope harnesses and in many cases, have never been explored before.

• A snowmobile adventure across one of the largest glaciers in Europe, surrounded by seemingly endless panoramas in all directions.

Details:

After landing into Reykjavik, your expert guiding team will transfer you straight out into the stunning Iceland countryside, where you will be briefed on the expedition ahead, before spending the night in a private lodge. At first light the next morning you will then set out in a Super Jeep towards the foot of the Langjokull glacier, which you will then drive up onto using the unique, all-terrain capabilities of your vehicle.

After you have summited the enormous glacier at c. 4,500 feet above sea level, a fleet of snowmobiles will be waiting for you, which you will then race across the ice for the rest of the day as you travel further and further away from all civilisation into the heart of the Icelandic wilderness. Eventually you will stop and set up a base camp of expedition tents with the help of your guiding team, before you are kitted out with rope harnesses, crampons and other technical equipment in order to descend beneath the surface into a gigantic ice cave.

After exploring the enormous subterranean ice cathedrals that very few other people will ever have previously glimpsed, you will then return to base camp and with favourable conditions will hopefully be able to enjoy the thrilling natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights, as they illuminate the night sky in a kaleidoscope of colours above you.

The following morning you will have a day of vigorous polar survival training, as your expert mountain and ex-military guides instruct you in a wide range of disciplines, from avalanche survival to polar navigation. You will then begin the next phase of your adventure by setting out across crevasses towards the imposing mountains that tower over the glacier. Here you will ice climb and snowshoe through largely unvisited peaks before digging a snow hole to shelter from the elements within that night.

The experience of watching the sun rise over the mountains and glacier the next morning from the natural enclave of your snow hole is something you are highly unlikely to forget. You will then spend the next few hours making your way back to base camp, before starting your return journey to Reykjavik at the end of your extreme Icelandic adventure.

If you are interested in taking this trip and would like to discuss it in more detail with our team of experts please enquire here or call us on 0207 426 9899 (UK) or 1-888 341 9663 (US).