Just came back from a tour to Iceland. We found a company - Lebor Tours - that provided kosher meals and religious observance and was coordinated by a husband/wife team with twenty years of experience, first for another company, then two years in their own business. Both had excellent credentials.
But there was one oddity. Prior to going we could not find a single review; not TripAdvisor, not Yelp. The only one was their own Facebook site. A BIG MISTAKE to have assumed what they said they offered; they would provide. Yes, the food and religious accommodations were top notch, BUT we did not go on this trip based on gourmet cuisine.
To begin, we were approximately 100 people in two buses. Seats assigned at start with no rotation to see others. Unlike any other tour we have been on there was never a count off to verify all were aboard or present at a site. Poor attention to where anyone was at a site. Luckily there was only one mishap to go back and pickup. There were no local guides to give an in-depth discussion of Icelandic culture, instead we were exposed to long winded tales of the lives of the two owners, their parents, and their children. When referencing Icelanders' belief in "the little people" it was done mockingly. The urge to see as many waterfalls as could be squeezed in eliminated many other accessible experiences. Per web site: "Reykjavik Walking Tour including all the main sites"--DID NOT OCCUR. When asked how about a museum, one tour leader replied, 'Oh no they will be bored'. At the specific waterfall this occurred, at least a dozen out of a busload of 48 left off from going to the top of the waterfall to see the museum albeit in a much shortened time. Per web site: "Walking tour with our guides" - DID NOT OCCUR. We were told about an area in Reykjavik with murals, but we only saw it as the bus sped past by to yet another waterfall. A "spa night" at the hotel was scheduled, but at 10 o'clock at night after being on a bus or hiking all day only 6 out of 48 on our bus took advantage of this. Not a realistic offering.
With all of the famous lagoons, we were not given a chance to enjoy any. A similar occurrence was when we didn't stop to see the premier interactive Reykjavik museum (Perlan) during the tour. A minimum of 15 from my bus of 48 went to see it on the day after the tour. Instead of spending 5-6 hours a day for 5 days going to waterfalls, we could have seen a sod house museum (already on the way), working horse and sheep farms, a salt plant, etc.. Iceland is a beautiful country, so much more than even the prettiest waterfalls. This was one and done for us with Lebor Tours. read more
