Nordic Saga Reviews 79

We had a wonderful trip! Everyone was very friendly and helpful, they went out of their way to make sure everyone was safe and having a good time. Our trip included the Dog Sledding, Snow mobiles and Reindeer sledding as well as chasing the Northern Lights. We had a great time on all of the trips. We especially enjoyed the Dog Sledding. The food was very tasty. We spent the night in a Chalet but we had snow over night and didn't get to see the Lights. Fantastic trip - I highly recommend it. Just one note: Buy removable cleats for your shoes/boots, it helps when walking around Tromso.

Nordic Saga is really just a retailer of wholesale tours. If this review were just about their part, it would be 5 stars. All the pre-trip arrangements with Dora Rozet were great. I thought the price of the tour was reasonable. Dora was helpful and prompt in her replies to my e-mails.The tour itself was run by Trans Nordic Tours. It was what they call their Legends of Scandinvia tour that ran from Stockholm through the fjords to Bergen then Oslo and ending in Copenhagen. Our guide, Lissa, was wonderful. So was the driver. The local guides in Stockhom and Oslo were very good. I felt we were rushed through the Viking Ship museum by our Oslo guide. There were only 22 people on the tour so it was not a large group which was good. The itinerary was fine except I don't see the point of bothering with Bergen. I would rather have skipped it and spent more time in the fjord region. We had a lot of rain, especially in Norway but the operator has no control over that. The hotels were mostly very good with the exception of the Scandic Hamar which was at best adequate. The real downer of the trip was the ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen. That was a miserable experience starting with an inexcusably chaotic boarding process followed by rough seas during the night. I realize my experience colors my view, but I would avoid any tour that uses this ferry. If I were organizing the trip I would go from Oslo to the fjords to Stockholm then to Copenhagen, the last part on bus or train. A 5 hour train trip would have been much preferable to the 16 hour ferry crossing. The operator had arranged for most of our luggage to be sent as cargo and all we had to carry onboard was a backpack or overnight bag. That was a very good idea.

Nordic Saga Tours - Best of South Iceland Tour – September 2018
This might be a long review but well worth the read! My family and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Iceland. This included 1 day pre-tour, 6 day guided tour(Nordic Saga Tours), and 1 day post tour. After looking at photos on the @icelandicjourney page on Instagram I decided to book a tour for 4 family members including myself.
We flew WOW airlines into Reykjavik and used our Flybus voucher(roundtrip included in tour package) to get to our pre-tour hotel, Hotel Cabin(tour hotel also). The rooms were small with no room to move around with luggage. The day staff at the hotel was wonderful; they answered all questions, gave us maps and helped us find our way. The evening staff was not so helpful. Our next hotel, Hella Hotel was clean, rooms were huge, had a supermarket, gas station, bakery and wine store all within 2 minutes of walking. There were only 3 restaurants to choose from for dinners. Our last hotel was in Vatnajokull National Park, Hotel Skaftafell, again clean comfortable with an amazing view of the glacier at the back of the hotel. Unfortunately the only place to eat was at their restaurant(did not open until 6:30pm) or across the street at the gas station/restaurant which had a small buffet. The restaurant at the hotel only had 4 items on the menu to choose from. All hotels had northern lights wakeup call if you were interested. Finally, we returned to Hotel Cabin for the last night of the tour and was presently surprised by the hotel room which was much bigger and had amenities not found in the earlier stay. Hotel Cabin did offer a lunch and dinner buffet of salad bar, some hot food, bread and drinks for $26.00USD.
Breakfast’s at each hotel was the standard European breakfast of meat, cheese, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, cereal, pastries, oatmeal, coffee and tea.
On our first day we met our tour guide Anna Lara, let me just say she was one amazing guide and driver. She is a native Icelander who has a vast knowledge of Iceland’s history, environment, and local customs. She has many personal stories of her family and herself growing up in Iceland. You can tell she is very passionate about showing people her beautiful country. My suggestion is see if you can have her as a guide! She always made sure everyone was having a great time and stayed safe.
After reading that our tour could be up to 20 people we were pleasantly surprised to only have 7 people on the tour. I believe this made it a more pleasurable time at each destination and we really were able to connect with our other members of the tour group. I definitely think 20 would have been way too many.
Our tour was jam packed everyday with waterfalls, beautiful landscapes, amazing mountain views, volcanos, craters, geothermal landscapes, icebergs, beaches, amazing hikes, glacier walk, glacier lagoon ride(unfortunately it was too windy for us, it was cancelled), and soak in the famous Blue Lagoon. Finally our tour ended with a great city tour. There was so much to take in and see I cannot even begin to describe the beauty and natural wonder that we were able to experience. I do not think we could have seen all of the natural wonders on our own. Many of the roads we took were inaccessible to the regular vehicle and even some 4-wheel trucks. Also, I don’t believe driving on our own we would have gained the knowledge and history of Iceland that we did with our guide.
Our tour package was very reasonably priced and included roundtrip vouchers to and from the airport, all breakfasts, entrance fees to any national parks, tours, museums, etc.., we also added in a pre-tour and post-tour hotel stay which Nordic Saga arranged.
I feel Nordic Saga Tours was an exceptional tour for the price and recommend highly if deciding to visit Iceland. Our tour was seamless.

TourId:

1386

Rating:

5

Type:

event

Name:

Don P

Summary:

Well Organised Tour of St. Petersburg

Description:

Hello Dora, I just want to let you know our tour of St.Petersburg went very smooth and all went well. The hotel was excellent as well as the food and service. Our Guide Victoria was very professional and certainly knew the city. She gave us a wealth of information and knowledge about the palaces, museums , cathedrals and all the paintings and artifacts and tried to please us all . I was expecting lots of tourists and a very busy 3 days and Victoria did a great job moving us through the crowds and our busy schedule and it is much appreciated. I look forward to returning someday. Thanks for a successful trip. Best regards. Don

The 'Land of the Fjords' tour was fabulous! Wonderful tour guide (Anne) and coach driver Joron(sorry...spelling real wrong) - and great group of 'fellow'-travelers!
We received a wealth of information, the scenery is indescribable and the hotels were first class.
We couldn't have asked for a better tour in Norway (We fell in love with Norway and its' people!!).
We want to thank you, Dora, for your work and obvious dedication to make sure your tours are of the highest quality.

My daughter and I were exceptionally pleased with the expertise, courtesy and attention we received from Susie Main in designing a trip to Denmark and Norway that addressed and incorporated our personal needs and objectives. Susie's attention to our needs continued even after we had embarked on and returned from our trip. We recommend her services unreservedly and will use her again.

Anna at Nordic Saga arranged for Kari Haraldsson of Mink Travel to be the private guide and driver for my son and I in Iceland for three days in February, 2018. He was the best guide/driver that I have had in my 77 years of travel and has my highest recommendation. He spent longer than agreed with us each day in order to show us what we wished to see plus additional things we did not know about. Kari was kind and considerate, taking wonderful care of both me with some limitations at age 77 and my very active 50 year old son. He was knowledgeable, down-to-earth and funny. We really enjoyed our time with Kari.

Susie did at great job at arranging an independent tour of Norway for us. What a beautiful country! Thank you for helping us experience it.

We used Nordic Saga for our weeklong Iceland vacation in Aug/September 2017. The company helped us customize the tour to fit our group of 11 people. Anna worked well with all of us and coordinated everything. Our group are from different states/countries and she was able to help us a lot. The Grayline Tours that they used was excellent and I recommend them. All the sights we saw were awesome and the tour guides were all excellent. Icelanders are very friendly. The Radisson Blu Saga where we stayed was ok but a bit far from everything. Taxi to downtown Reykjavik from the hotel is between $25-$30 one way. Or you can walk for 25 minutes. Hotel's breakfast was included but it gets tiring eating the same thing for a week. Overall, I think our tour with Nordic Saga was a great value and well-organized.

The Iceland Complete tour was one of the best experiences in my life! Everything worked as planned.
I want to thank Dora for her exceptional service.

It was a Grand Scandinavia!

Still amazed how much we saw and did on our tour! Alex was helpful as he coordinated it for us with Nordic Saga and once we got to Copenhagen Christina was the perfect tour guide for our travels. She kept us on track and provided us with relevant information. Always on top of things - and we had several challenging folks on the trip . Enjoyed meeting other folks from around the world - some new friends. Totally enjoyed immersing ourselves in Scandinavian culture, food and nature. Would recommend this trip.

We had a great time - Norway is such a beautiful and amazing country! We were with a fun group of people on the tour and the tour guide, Anna, was fabulous - she went out of her way to make sure my Dad, who has limited mobility, was comfortable and able to see and do everything he wanted on the trip. Would love to go back some day and see other parts of the country. Also, thanks to Alex at Nordic Saga who arranged the tour for us!

I had a great experience with a knowledgeable tour guide who even sang Icelandic songs on the bus. The vistas are amazing. Our tour guide, Hron, exposed to the culture and history of this beautiful country!

I have traveled and hiked all over the world in my almost 84 years, visited every continent, and having a trip so far exceed my expectations was an amazing experience! The scenery on this "Across the Wilderness" tour of Iceland was spectacular, our lodging and food excellent. Our Guide, Helga, was tops and kept our international group (we represented 5 different countries!) laughing and in good spirits the entire time, even when the weather was less than desirable, while sharing lots of Icelandic history and mythology. Our driver, Marcos, was amazing, as he negotiated some very narrow roads over rough terrain with skill and confidence. On most days, we had several expeditions on foot, some clambering up and over volcanic rock, and viewed more waterfalls than I have ever seen anywhere! Because these walks were spread out over the day, with a chance to rest in-between, as we rode on the bus or stopped for lunch, I was able, even at my age, to rack up several miles a day with ease! This is a very active trip that I highly recommend!
Nordic Saga was responsive and easy to work with in making the arrangements for this trip.

My husband and I have just returned from an amazing holiday in Iceland. We booked through DORA at Nordic Saga. Everything went smoothly and we got the cabin we wanted. We did a circumnavigation of Iceland on a small cruiseship, the Ocean Diamond, which was small enough to go down the fjords, right to the harbours of the small villages. It was an outstanding trip! I highly recommend it! The expedition crew on the Ocean Diamond were amazing! We were always given the best safety gear for our excursions (helmets, goggles, survival suits, life jackets, etc.). Every day was an adventure!
We visited waterfalls, geysers, lagoons, fishing villages, volcanic craters, museums, nature baths, geo-thermal pools, glaciers, and icebergs, and much more. We rode Icelandic horses, went whale watching, saw puffins, eider ducks, black guillemots (with red feet!), and arctic turns. We had rides in zodiac boats, RIB boats (Rigid Inflatable Boats) and amphibian boats. Everywhere we went, experienced guides explained the historical background and told us interesting sagas of Iceland.
We loved SKYR, the Icelandic yogurt.
The scenery in Iceland is beautiful and dramatic, from mountains covered in purple lupines to black lava sand beaches.
Everything in Iceland is very, very, very, very, expensive! i am glad that all our meals were included with our ship. The days were were away for lunch, they gave us a picnic brown bag lunch.
We stayed a couple of extra nights at the beginning and end of our cruise and stayed in hotels which were 'tired' or had small rooms or shared bathrooms and no elevators; not Canadian standards. Just be aware.
The circumnavigation covered most of Iceland but we took an additional land tour to see The Golden Circle and it was amazing!
We were amazed by the 24 hours of sunlight!
Nordic Saga provided all the information and paperwork that we needed. We had an excellent vacation and I have a beautiful red hooded Icelandic sweater to keep me warm next winter!

Susie, We had a good time. Hotels were well chosen (though walking directions from/to train and boat would have helped). We especially enjoyed Kviknes in Balestrand. Oslo and Glacier tours were good, and we found a local celebration in Fjaerland. Connections worked well, though we were disappointed, that, as you discovered, there is no early boat from Balestrand to Bergen on Sundays (in June and July - high season!). It was raining while we had to wait for the evening boat. That was the only hitch. Nice job. - Tom

“"Ice Cave Tour and Highlights of the South Shore" with Guide Pétur Helgason”

Our family of 4 enjoyed an incredible 6 day/ 5 night "Ice Cave Tour and Highlights of the South Shore" with Pétur Helgason as our guide. We booked this tour through DORA at Nordic Saga Tours in the United States about 4 months prior to travel.

Total group of 8 was an ideal and personal way to explore the highlights of Iceland's incredible beauty, landscape, culture and challenges of glaciers, volcanoes, caves, hot springs, lagoons and lava fields to name a few. Some of our tour partners were skilled photographers and we relished the opportunity of more photo time off the tourist track, to capture amazing memories.

Our Guide Peter Helgason was above and beyond outstanding - extremely knowledgeable, safe, professional and entertaining. He provided us with not only the tourist version but also the cultural and more personal side to Icelandic people, their customs and history. Peter is an incredible asset to the Iceland Travel Guide Team. We hope to take another tour with Peter in the future.

Visited March 2017

Our cruise was incredible. The arrangements made by Susie Main at Nordic Saga were flawless. The airline schedules worked well and the transport to and from the airports were timely with skilled, courteous and prompt drivers. The pace of the cruise activities worked well for us. The excursions were well planned and informative. We enjoyed wonderful food on the cruise - delicious and beautifully presented. The experiences in St. Petersburg and Moscow exceeded our expectations and the hotels were fabulous. I would highly recommend this cruise.

Alex with Nordic Saga made all of the arrangements including flights and Russian visas for our Baltic and Russian Explorer tour this July. Everything went so smoothly considering all of the transitions between cities and tour guides. They didn't miss a detail. The hotels were all well located, fantastically modern, comfortable, clean, and well deserving of 4 stars. We even had beautiful views from our hotels in Vilnius and Riga. Only our hotel Ibis in Moscow was a disappointing because of its more remote location from the commercial zone and its very modest furnishings. All of our guides except for one during the transition to Helsinki were very helpful, knowledgeable, giving us valuable insight into the history and culture of each city. We would absolutely recommend Nordic Saga again and will hope to use them again.

If you are looking for a tour of southern part of Norway; highly recommend Nordic Sagas tour called "Splendor of the Fjords". It was very top notch in every way. Great accommodations, tour guide, food, travel content, etc.. you could not go wrong on with this choice.