Women's Iceland Wellness Escape: Highlands Hikes, Yoga & Geothermal Soaks

The day-to-day shape of the trip: you meet at the hotel reception at 3:30pm on day one and walk Reykjavík with your guide before a 6pm welcome dinner. Day two is the big split — the summer itinerary hikes roughly 6.5 km to Brúarfoss waterfall, stops at the Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss, and eats Icelandic meat soup at Gullfoss Café before a two-hour drive through the "Lady Mountains" into the highlands. The winter version skips Brúarfoss for a super jeep ride to Kerlingarfjöll, checking into Deluxe rooms with a hike or a soak in the Highland Baths depending on how you feel.

Day three is the same in both versions and it's the hardest day: a 12 km hike with about 400 m of ascent through Hveradalir, taken at a relaxed pace. You finish in the hotel's nature baths and eat dinner. Day four differs again — in summer it's lunch at the Friðheimar tomato greenhouse followed by snorkeling between the tectonic plates; in winter you get a slow morning, depart the highlands at 1pm by super jeep, arrive at the ION Hotel to a glass of bubbly, and walk a 7 km loop with about 200 m of gain.

Day five is the wellness day proper: a gentle yoga session in the morning, then the snorkel between continents (in summer) or an ION natural spa session with sauna and outdoor geothermal hot pool (in winter), plus a farewell dinner. Day six is breakfast and a 1.5-hour transfer to Keflavík International Airport, timed as one group drop-off.

What separates this from a standard Iceland sightseeing bus is that you're actually walking the highlands rather than photographing them from a car park, and the group is small and single-sex by design. There are alternative options on the tougher hiking days for anyone who can't manage the full distance — several past guests mention this. The hotels aren't an afterthought either: the Highland Base was purpose-built for the Kerlingarfjöll area, and the ION sits in a lava field with its own geothermal spa.

Guides rotate across departures, but the roster is all Icelandic women with real certifications — trekking guide certification, glacier guiding, Wilderness First Responder, and in at least one case a yoga instructor qualification since 2019. That matters on the days when weather turns, which it does: past guests describe hiking in high winds and driving rain in the highlands and still calling it the best part of the trip.

What's included

- Experienced local guides - 6-day wellness retreat in the Icelandic Highlands - Guided hikes - 5 nights luxury hotel accommodation, double occupancy - All meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 6 - Guided yoga practice - Exploration of iconic natural wonders - Snorkeling between tectonic plates - Dry suit for snorkeling - Relaxation in natural hot pools - Hot pools in hotels from Day 2 to Day 6 - Transportation for all activities, fuel costs and parking fees - Airport drop-off at one set time - All scheduled activities and entrances - Guided city walk of Reykjavík

What's not included

- Flights to Iceland - Accommodation before and after the tour - Airport pick-up - Anything not listed in the inclusions - Travel insurance (recommended, available to add at checkout) - Guide gratuities (optional)