★★★★★
“Saw a great deal of Iceland in a single day and the guide answered everything we asked. If I went again I would want longer at Dettifoss — there is more down there than the stop allows for.”
Jean, United States · solo · August 2026
Dettifoss and the Diamond Circle from Akureyri Port
From $209 per person
Listed asFrom Akureyri Port: Diamond Circle Guided Day Trip w/ Lunch
Duration8 hours
Departs fromAkureyri Port
Time at Dettifoss80 minutes at Dettifoss
LunchIncluded
LanguagesEnglish
CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
OperatorBusTravel Iceland
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Your eight hours on the Diamond Circle
Eighty minutes at Dettifoss
The longest stop of the day, and enough for both the upper viewpoint and the lower path.
Goðafoss first
Forty-five minutes on the walking trails at the waterfall of the gods, forty minutes out of town.
Ásbyrgi canyon
Forty-five minutes beneath hundred-metre cliffs in a horseshoe legend credits to Odin's horse.
The Tjörnes cliffs
A ten-minute stop for the view north over Öxarfjörður.
Húsavík harbour
Twenty minutes in the town where Icelandic whale watching began, and its wooden church.
Lunch aboard
A sandwich, chicken or vegan, and a bottle of water, included in the fare.
This is the coach that meets the ship. It leaves from the large car park at Gránufélagsgata 50 beside the Akureyri cruise pier, and over eight hours it covers five of the Diamond Circle's stops and the Tjörnes cliffs on top. It carries more traveller reviews than any other departure to the falls and is the cheapest of them, which is an unusual combination.
The eighty minutes at Dettifoss are what make it worth reading about. Most Diamond Circle days give the waterfall forty; this one gives you long enough to walk both branches of the path. The upper one puts you above the lip looking down the length of the curtain. The lower one takes you five minutes further and closer to the base, where the spray is heavy enough that waterproofs stop being optional.
The rest of the day is deliberately varied rather than deep. Goðafoss for shape, Námaskårð for the smell of sulphur and boiling mud, Ásbyrgi for scale, Tjörnes for the sea, Húsavík for a town. You pass Lake Mývatn on the way back rather than stopping at it, which is the trade this itinerary makes to fit Ásbyrgi and Húsavík in.
Hour by hour
- Board at the pier The guide meets you at the car park at Gránufélagsgata 50, or at the Visitor Centre if your ship docks at Oddeyrarbryggja. Look for an orange jacket.
- Goðafoss — 45 minutes Thirty minutes' drive, then the walking trails on both sides of a twelve-metre waterfall.
- Námaskårð — 20 minutes Fumaroles, boiling mud and orange ground at the foot of Námafjall.
- Dettifoss — 80 minutes The long stop. Both paths, and Selfoss if you move quickly.
- Ásbyrgi — 45 minutes The horseshoe canyon and the Botnstjörn pool beneath the cliffs.
- Tjörnes — 10 minutes A viewpoint north of Húsavík over the fjord.
- Húsavík — 20 minutes The harbour and the wooden church.
- Back to Gránufélagsgata 50 An hour's drive, arriving in good time before sailing.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this one if
- You are off a cruise ship and need a fixed, timed circuit with a guaranteed return.
- You want the shape of the whole Diamond Circle in one day.
- You want the most time at Dettifoss that a five-stop day can give.
- You would rather lunch was handled.
Book something else if
If Lake Mývatn is what you came north for, this is the wrong day: it passes the lake rather than stopping at it. The Lake Mývatn and Dettifoss day tour spends its whole afternoon there, in a group of twelve rather than a coach, and gives the falls ninety minutes.
What’s included
Included
- ✓ Guide
- ✓ Air-conditioned coach
- ✓ Free Wi-Fi on board
- ✓ Packed lunch with a sandwich and a bottle of water
Not included
- ✗ Tips
Where you meet
Tangarbryggja Pier: the guide meets you in the large car park at Gránufélagsgata 50, where the buses are. Oddeyrarbryggja Pier: the guide meets you at the Visitor Centre by the cruise port. Guides wear an orange jacket or vest with the operator's logo. Akureyri has more than one cruise berth, so check which one your ship is using before you disembark rather than after.
Know before you go
- A packed lunch is included. A chicken or vegan sandwich and a bottle of water. Say which you need when you book.
- Bring snacks anyway. There is a lot of walking and nothing to buy at Dettifoss or Ásbyrgi.
- Waterproofs, not a rain jacket you like. The lower path at Dettifoss is inside the spray.
- Boots with grip. The rock near the falls is wet basalt, and from autumn to spring it freezes.
- Tips are not included. The fare covers the guide, the coach, the Wi-Fi and the lunch, and nothing else.
- It sells out. The listing is flagged as likely to sell out, and cruise days concentrate demand into a few sailings.
Photographs from the falls
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
“Goðafoss and Dettifoss are unlike anything I have seen. Dettifoss has two paths: a short one near the top, and one five minutes longer that takes you to the bottom where the spray really finds you. Take the waterproofs for that one.”
Ray, United States · couple · August 2026
★★★★★
“Great variety, and we were glad we brought snacks to go with the sandwich because there was a lot of walking. We traded the Húsavík stop for a look at puffins, which suited us.”
Karen, United States · family · July 2026
Frequently asked questions
How long do you get at Dettifoss on this tour?
Eighty minutes, which is the longest single stop of the day and roughly double what most Diamond Circle coaches allow. It is enough for the upper viewpoint and the lower path, and enough for Selfoss if you walk briskly and do not linger.
Will it get me back before my ship sails?
That is what it is built for. It runs from the cruise pier on an eight-hour circuit timed to sailings, and the operator returns you to the same car park it collected you from. Give the operator your ship's name when you book.
Is lunch really included?
Yes: a packed lunch with a sandwich, chicken or vegan, and a bottle of water. Travellers who have taken it recommend bringing extra snacks, because the day involves a good deal of walking and there is nothing to buy at the stops.
Does it stop at Lake Mývatn?
No. It passes the lake on the return leg without stopping, which is the trade that lets it fit Ásbyrgi and Húsavík in. If the lake is your priority, the Lake Mývatn and Dettifoss small-group day spends the afternoon there.
What is the group like?
A full-size air-conditioned coach with free Wi-Fi. The listing does not state a maximum, so we do not print one. If a small group matters to you, the other two featured departures cap at twelve and sixteen.
Can I cancel?
Yes, in full, up to 24 hours before departure. The operator also refunds you if they cancel for weather, which on this road happens through the shoulder season.
Other ways to reach the falls
Both of the other featured departures run some version of the Diamond Circle, North Iceland's designated 250-kilometre route, and each gives the waterfall a different number of minutes.
- Lake Mývatn and Powerful Dettifoss Day Tour from Akureyri — From $401 per person, 1.5 hours at Dettifoss
- Akureyri North Iceland Waterfalls and Nature Baths Small Group Tour — From $345 per person, 9 to 10 hours
All Dettifoss Tours compares every guided departure by the minutes it gives you at the rim, and roads and access covers the rim itself.