These tours are intended for people who are interested in learning about the formation of the many unique landscapes found on the island.
This tour is unique because Dr. Jovanelly leads the tours with her husband, Joe Cook. Dr. Jovanelly wrote Iceland: Tectonics, Volcanics, and Glacial Features for a major publisher (Wiley) in 2020. Since, it has gone on to their best-selling book in natural sciences for the past 3 years. She uses this book as your field guide. Dr. Jovanelly has been leading trips and researching Iceland since 2006 so she knows the island like the back of her hand.
Additionally, this tour offers many more active experiences than our big-box competitors and all the excursion fees are included in our price. Plus, as an added bonus, Dr. Jo and Joey are a heck of a lot of fun! "Active exploration with enthusiastic geologists"!
Plus, "Dr. Jo" and "Joey" are a heck of a lot of fun!
Please note that a background in geology is not necessary to be a trip participant.
Posted By : Kyaura
First things first... WOW. I've done a lot of travel and have been on a lot of tours... And nothing compared to the passion, coordination, expertise, and care that was shown by Tamie and Joey on my trip to Iceland. Everything was planned out in a way that optimized each and every stop, highlighting the geology and beauty of the entire island. At the end of each day, I felt so satisfied but not overloaded like I have on other fast paced tours. It so shows that Tamie has been to Iceland over a dozen times as she can answer all your questions, has found the best van (the same that drives visiting heads of state!) and driver, best stops and views along the way. If you fancy yourself a geology lover, or just geo-curious like myself, and want to see some of the most stunning sights in the word, I couldn't recommend this trip more. Putting the Costa Rica and Artic Circle trips on my budget list for future years!
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Posted On : 2023-09-03 23:11:10 
Posted By : paulsF4666BB
Very good tour. Tamie and Joe were friends I hadn't met yet. They made us feel like we were exploring with friends genuinely interested in providing a fun and educational experience. A well-arranged itinerary with plenty of free time at each stop. Lots of different things to see (volcanics, tectonics, glaciers, local culture), with some easy days interspersed to give us a break.
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Posted On : 2023-08-27 13:30:13
Posted By : thraycroft
A great tour of Iceland. You don’t have to be a geologist to enjoy this tour. I am a total novice when it comes to geology, but I had a fabulous time. We got to see much of the culture of Iceland, as well as their geothermal energy generation system.
The tour group is small around 15 people. The advantage of this is your flexibility in order to optimize what and when you get to see things. Also, in a smaller group, you can get into smaller places that would not be able to accommodate a large tour group or bus.
I can’t say enough about how nimble Tammy and Joe were in dealing with the inevitable obstacles that come with travel.
A great trip,a great time, a great place.
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Posted On : 2023-08-12 14:06:43
Posted By : Z6926KZgeorged
It was a MOST excellent trip, with wonderful people, great leadership, and all that good stuff. We learned a lot and got to see a most wonderful land of fire and ice. I cannot say enough good things about it, but I am not going to mention specific sites because I cannot spell (or pronounce) the words.
It was a great trip, and thank you Juan for loaning me that electrical-converting device.
Date of experience: August 2023
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Posted On : 2023-08-09 18:22:29
Posted By : nikiw915
TLDR: Absolute BEST way to see Iceland---especially for geologists!
As a geologist, I couldn't help but have very high hopes for this trip, and my hopes were met and far exceeded! I stood in a graben between the Eurasian and North America plates, I walked on a glacier, I went on a boat ride in a glacial lagoon surrounded by icebergs, I saw icebergs floating to sea, I saw stunning black sand beachs with the stark white ocean waves lapping on them, I walked on a 1-year-old lava flow, I explored lava tubes, and I was blown away by all the columnar basalt. Dr. Tamie Jovanelly provided relevant, in depth geologic background that appealed to a wide audience, and I could tell each stop was thoughtfully planned. She responded patiently to all my geologic questions, and was adept at answering geologic questions from intro to expert level. Did I mention she literally wrote the book about the geology of Iceland???!!! What more could I ask for in a field trip leader?! There are also a ton of stops that appeal to non-geologists, particularly the waterfall stops. ;)
The pacing of the stops was perfect, meaning we saw so much but we were not exhausted by it all. The hotels were well placed along our route, clean, and comfortable---some have natural mineral water pools. I highly recommend Icelandic swimming pools, but shower first. ;) Our guides (Tamie and Joe) kept us entertained and laughing, which is partly because their positive chemistry is infectious.
The food stops and food provided were also very well thought out. We had both pre-selected dinner nights (beer and wine at cost), free choice nights with recommended options, and the best snack bags ever! Thank goodness for all the hiking, haha. Joe kept us all healthy, safe, and in a good mood. He is an irreplaceable part of this trip, and I consider myself lucky to have met him. Plainly put, these two leaders love what they do, and that was the biggest advantage of all.
I will definitely be going on another one of their tours in the future, because they are really branching out! Note their tour company used to be called Iceland Geology Tours, so check out those reviews also. Skal!
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Posted On : 2023-08-07 15:59:50
Posted By : L6030BEemilyg
The Iceland trip is AMAZING! This trip definitely lives up to it's name, everything we did was an adventure! My jaw never left the floor! Every day was my favorite day. It is absolutely the trip of a lifetime. Dr. Jovanelly and her husband Joe are the perfect tour guides, very knowledgeable, detail oriented, and caring. Our Bus driver, Gróa, has tons of stories and inside scoops, making the trip very authentic. I recommend this to EVERY ONE
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Posted On : 2023-08-06 03:37:20
