Joseph Shackleton, an older relative of Sir Ernest Shackleton, visited Iceland with two friends in 1861. They travelled in Arcturus, a Danish vessel that ran a scheduled service in summer. They visited the two main local ‘attractions,’ Thingvellir and the geysers. Shackleton kept a detailed manuscript account of the trip, which is presented in its entirety. The manuscript shows that tourism was already developed in Iceland, with an infrastructure that was in place and efficient. His account also provides interesting information concerning contemporary Iceland.