Hidden Iceland — Local services in Reykjavik

My partner, our friend, and I were planning to go to Iceland together, but planning a relatively last minute trip for 3 people with busy lives was more difficult than we thought. We decided to move forward with a private guided tour instead of renting a car or joining a tour with others because we wanted the flexibility of choosing our destinations and the comfort of a shared SUV rather than a larger tour bus.

After looking online, I came across Hidden Iceland, which had positive reviews and seemed like exactly what we were looking for. I did reach out to two other companies, but Holly at Hidden Iceland was the fastest in getting back to me. She answered all my questions promptly and even provided a recommendation for a Northern Lights tour that we booked for a separate night outside of the tour through them. She worked with us to tailor our trip and include everything that we wanted and within our budget. Her instructions and the materials were all very clear and we found it very easy to follow.

When we got to Iceland, the private driver, hired through Hidden Iceland, was already waiting for us at the airport and he drove us to our hotel, pointing out interesting spots along the way. The hotel was booked by Hidden Iceland and was a cute and comfortable shared room, with a divider between the two rooms, which was a thoughtful touch so that our friend could have his own space/bed.

We had a couple of nights in Reykjavík on our own, but on the second day, we went on a horseback riding adventure, arranged through Hidden Iceland. Everything was taken care of so we had nothing to worry about.

Our second morning in Reykjavík, Ingi, our future friend, met us promptly at the bus stop near us, after sending me a message that he had arrived and letting me know which car to look for. Ingi was friendly, shaking all our hands and helping us load our luggage. We got into the car and we were off, onto the next destination. Along the way, Ingi talked about everything from the red lava field to the volcanos, and the culture and history of Iceland. He was clearly very experienced and knowledgeable, and his laid back mannerism instantly put us at ease. It felt like traveling with an old friend. My partner called him the most interesting man in the world. Also, all the pictures and videos he took of us were amazing - they could've been taken by a professional (see example)!

Everything that we got to see and do along the way was either arranged through Hidden Iceland with parnter companies, such as the ice cave, which was more amazing than I could've imagined, and the lava tunnel, which was darkly beautiful and perfectly eerie. The tomato farm lunch was delicious and it was like a wondrous oasis against the stark landscape of Iceland. The Blue Lagoon was fun and while not necessarily relaxing, was a unique experience that left my skin feeling silky smooth.

All other destination, including the waterfalls, the national park, the geyser, and more, were guided by Ingi himself, with his expert touch. We crammed a lot of activities into our regrettably short time with him and we were constantly rushing from one location to another, which was just what we wanted. Ingi asked us what else we were interested in seeing and doing and was able to continue to tailor our trip along the way. We saw seals, reindeer, beautiful turquoise lakes, thunderous waves crashing against a craggy black lava rock, and majestic (though sadly, receding) glaciers.

From the comfort of our car, we took in the beauty of Iceland, in all its glory, with rare blue skies and sun during the day, and insane Northern Lights at night. Our hotels were all comfortable and clean, some with hot tubs and saunas! The entire trip, we kept saying how lucky we got - it felt like luck was chasing us! All thanks to Hidden Iceland's well crafted tour and Ingi's magic.

Thank you to Hidden Iceland, Holly, and Ingi for a fantastic time that left us craving more. We'll be sure to book with Hidden Iceland again, and ask for our friend, Ingi, to guide...

I can't say enough good things about Hidden Iceland. They (Scott was our contact) were wonderful to work with in planning our self driving trip of the Ring Road. In summary, even if you know where you want to go and what you want to see, Hidden Iceland will help make your trip seamless.

In detail: My partner and I did a ton of research. Iceland has always been high on our list of places to visit. I'm a professional photographer and Iceland is one of the most sought after destinations for great photographs. So we had watched documentaries. Youtube channels. Read travel pieces all over the internet. We had already picked all the sights and had generated a long list of what we wanted to see and do.

We connected with Scott and Hidden Iceland through a bit of dumb luck. So we basically threw this long list at Scott and asked him to give it some form and make sense out of it. We also needed the trip to be loose enough to accommodate changing conditions for photography. A few days later we had our first itinerary. We went back and forth a couple of times before finalizing, and once we were close, Scott hopped on a zoom call with us to make a few final changes and to answer any of our last minute questions. That was particularly helpful in learning about how Iceland was handling COVID safety and making sure we were prepared.

After finalizing our itinerary, Hidden Iceland sends a web link with all the details easily searchable. The link has the overview itinerary, detailed itinerary with hotel and tour confirmation numbers, and a map with the days broken out. We printed our detailed overview, but referred to the online version often throughout the trip. It was super easy to pull it up at dinner and confirm our details for the following day.

Our tour took us all around the Ring Road. Scott recommended and booked the vehicle we rented and it was perfect for our needs. Scott also helped us pick the appropriate insurance level.

Scott was helpful during the trip as well, confirming tour and housing details for us. And especially on one of our final days which I want to talk a bit more about. We were heading from NW Iceland (not the West Fjords) down into Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The weather that day was poor all over Iceland. Iceland has a great website called safetravel.is which has all the road conditions and weather conditions for the entire country. We had referred to the website several times on our trip, but this day things were bad. The area we were heading to was experiencing gale force winds, and the roads to that area had snow and ice. The area we were coming from was rainy, but not dangerous.

Scott reached out to us to tell us of the conditions and recommended that we head to a port town nearby and hunker down for a few hours. He recommended a restaurant and said he'd be in touch when conditions improved. We had initially thought to follow our GPS and take a secondary road down, but Scott let us know it was a gravel road that was unlikely to be plowed, and it was safer to just wait things out.

The restaurant that Scott recommended ended up being one of my favorites on the trip. We waited in that small town for about 2.5 hours and then Scott gave us the go-ahead to continue on. We felt safe knowing we had a contact who knew the roads and what to expect from the weather.

From a photography standpoint, this trip was everything I could have dreamed of, and more. I came away with so many great photographs. I could base my entire portfolio around just this trip and consider myself a success.

All in all our trip to Iceland was amazing, epic, and unforgettable; and Hidden Iceland was instrumental in making it...

Hidden Island (HI), all of its people, and everything about it is beyond 5 stars. I usually plan out my own trips and adventures. But, this time, my day-to-day life and profession proved to be too busy to spend the time researching the things I needed for this solo trip. So, I reviewed several tour companies online and decided on HI - their website was easy to navigate, they had a goal of reducing their carbon footprint, and they seemed to offer the type of trip I was looking for as a solo explorer. I opted for a private tour, not for the luxury, but for the ease of movement.

Everything I did in Iceland from the moment I landed to when I departed was organized by Sarah at HI. She was a trooper dealing with my questions and change requests. She scheduled airport transfers, reminded me of the COVID requirements, and was available during my trip as new questions arose, all while leaving room in my trip for spontaneity.

Once landed, my taxi driver was waiting with a sign with my name. I forget his name, but won't forget his kindness. While chatting about my plans, he told me I could call him if/when I needed a taxi for my evening reservation to Sky Lagoon (although he had been waiting for me at the airport since 5am), and suggested places near my hotel to eat during my 1 day in Reykjavik, which included a food tour Sarah booked for me that was lots of fun. The taxi driver even took me on different routes to and from the lagoon so I could see different parts of Reykjavik.

Day 2 started with a morning pick up from my guide, Prokop. He greeted me with the biggest smile - seemingly almost as excited for this trip as I. :) One note I'd like to make is that as most men do, he asked if he could help me with my luggage. And, most men, when I say I'm fine will insist on helping me anyways, grabbing the handle and pulling it from me even when I repeat that I'm fine. Prokop did not do this - and I absolutely loved that. It was the first sign of how much we were going to get along.

The vehicle HI provided was great! A Land Rover Defender. I was comfortable and felt safe the entire time. Prokop's driving was hardly noticeable. That allowed me to gaze out the windows and not worry about the road conditions in the changing Icelandic weather.

The stops during days 2, 3 and 4 of my trip included everything on the itinerary Sarah planned...AND impromptu stops that I hoped for. Prokop asked all the right questions to learn more about me, which led to suggestions he knew I'd like. Plus, he had all the wet gear I needed. Even when I thought I was prepared, he had something better. And, just like the situation with the luggage, he never forced his hand (thank goodness!); instead, every now and then out of the corner of my eye I would see him look over his shoulder, checking on me, and altering his speed when he'd notice me slowing my pace - for photos or to catch my breath, ha! It was enduring to see his level of care that was thankfully not intrusive. And, he did all this while sharing historical, geological, and mystical stories about Iceland. By day 3, Prokop was able to read my moves even before I made them. It was incredible.

Seeing Iceland with Prokop's guidance was truly life changing. His authenticity was more than evident, and his love of the outdoors, nature, and conservation is admirable. I highly doubt my trip would have been the same without him and the support of everyone at HI (I communicated with Scott and Emily, too, when Sarah was not available). Thank you for the adventure of a life time! I will...