About Jóna

Jóna Sparey has now for over 27 years specialised in holidays to Iceland, the second largest island in Europe and her Mother's home country. Jóna organises and conducts the tours, travelling extensively to most areas, calling it "The unique land of contrasts".

As Jóna says, the "problem" with Iceland is that there is so much to see, there are no two travelling days the same. Some members have returned to Iceland with Jóna 7 times, seeing different places with each visit. It is the perfect country for those wanting to enjoy nature in beautiful and peaceful surroundings, with hardly a soul to share it with.

Jóna's background is unusual. From an early age, she travelled on trawlers across the North sea (her uncle was a trawler captain and owner, based in Grimsby) to stay with her Grandmother in Reykjavik each year during school holidays. During her stay, many visits were made around the country. Her Grandmother was an excellent needle woman and taught Jóna all the skills of embroidery. This she put to good use when she ran the Icelandic Tapestry School in England. Her knowledge is very extensive concerning all aspects of the Art and Craft areas of Iceland, with visits made during the tour to country museums as well as the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavik, which houses most of the art treasures of the country. Jóna was lucky enough to befriend two past curators of the museum, and has worked there. Jóna also paints and works in ceramics, and has written a book on Icelandic patterns, so she is naturally interested in all aspects of Icelandic art.

Having travelled extensively all around Iceland, Jóna is able to offer some very comprehensive holidays, taking her members to places other tour operators are not aware of, with each day full of all sorts of visits, covering most people's varying interests, especially those who are interested in ornithology, geology, photography, botany and for all lovers of nature. Jóna even dips into the Sagas and will perhaps read to you whilst on the coach, some will listen and some will gently doze. At the end of each day, sheets of information are handed out to each member giving details of the places we have visited during the day, with all the Icelandic spellings of place names etc, which saves you making notes on a moving coach and missing the wonderful scenery.

During the short summer, Iceland is the land of the midnight sun, the weather can indeed be very clement. One summer there were six weeks of hot sunshine, temperatures rising to 30°, breaking all records. Jóna only conducts tours in the summertime, as temperatures in the spring and autumn can be cold accompanied by rain, and some roads are not open in the months from December to May.

Jóna's natural enthusiasm and love of Iceland are obvious, from the careful organisation of each tour, to the personal needs of each member, including dietary requirements, to teaming up single ladies who wish to share. Each member after the holiday receives a selection of photos of themselves and the group. Jóna's company is small, so this allows members to experience a personal and comprehensive holiday to a country that most people know very little about. On the special first time visitors tours covering the North, East and Southern areas, we visit some of the most spectacular sites in Iceland and Jóna endeavours to provide you with the best holiday to Iceland possible as it may well be your only visit. But hopefully some of you will return, as the island is a strong magnet to many. She has a maximum of 20 members in each group, usually around 18, she arranges return holidays in different areas not seen by the first time visitor eg the North Western Wilderness tour, with totally different scenery, and for the third time visitor Jóna conducts the Northern Coastline tour travelling north from east to west along the coastal roads.