Embark on the ultimate Icelandic adventure. Our luxury northern lights holidays in Iceland combine exclusive accommodation and bespoke activities. So you can count on a one-of-a-kind Icelandic experience.
Exclusive aurora holidays in Iceland
Discover the Land of Ice and Fire under the glow of the northern lights. Visit thermal springs, thundering waterfalls and towering, volcanic peaks. Then, retreat to a cosy cabin out in the Icelandic wilderness. Or enjoy Icelandic hospitality at its finest, in elegant boutique hotels.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion — or simply want to experience the very best Iceland has to offer — a tailor-made Aurora Nights trip promises to exceed your expectations.
Explore our Iceland luxury holidays
Iceland luxury holidays: FAQs
What makes your exclusive aurora holidays so special?
All our Iceland luxury holidays are tailor-made. We design every day and every activity around you and your interests.
Want to don crampons and discover secret glacial caves? Or eat at the best fish restaurants in Reykjavik? Or take a helicopter ride to see Iceland’s raw and rugged landscapes from a new perspective? It’s all possible on an Iceland northern lights tour.
These holidays combine luxurious hotel and cabin stays, a private guide and the most thrilling Icelandic activities.
What can I see and do on Iceland luxury holidays?
Here’s a selection of the sights and activities you can enjoy on a luxury trip to Iceland:
- Take a helicopter tour to see Iceland’s spectacular scenery before landing on top of the majestic Eyjafjallajökull Volcano.
- Go on exciting northern lights excursions with an expert guide. Seek out dark, cloudless skies where the aurora borealis is most likely to appear.
- Hike across the Land of Ice and Fire on a private guided tour. Explore glaciers, volcanoes, moss-covered lava fields and the iceberg lagoon.
- Learn about astronomy in Hotel Ranga’s own observatory. Or go on a geography field trip like no other at the interactive LAVA Centre.
- See the sights of the Golden Circle on a private super jeep or self-drive tour. Experience the dramatic beauty of Thingvellir National Park, the Kerid Crater and Gullfoss Waterfall.
- Relax at the Blue Lagoon with exclusive spa treatments. Or venture off the beaten track to discover geothermal springs few tourists get to see.
- Go horseback riding through the Icelandic wilderness. Then, up the adrenaline on a buggy safari across black sand beaches and icy tundra.
- Sail the Atlantic Ocean on a whale-watching tour. Or take a northern lights night cruise from Reykjavik, to see twinkling city lights and the aurora borealis dancing above.
Tell us which of these activities you’d like to experience on your Iceland holiday — along with any others — and we’ll work them into your itinerary.
What accommodation options are there?
On an Iceland luxury holiday, you can stay in exclusive hand-picked hotels. Places like Hotel Ranga, with its night sky observatory and resident astronomer. Or the family-run Skálakot Manor Hotel, with 14 rooms and suites, an on-site spa and horse-riding stables.
We also have a selection of wilderness cabins for you to choose from. Some are architectural and contemporary, with huge windows through which to view the northern lights. Some are built in a traditional, log cabin style, with roaring fires and hot tubs under the stars.
When is the best time to book a luxury holiday to Iceland?
That all depends on what you want to do while you’re there.
In September and October, you get to see Iceland in a blaze of autumn colour. You can also go on a self-drive tour around the north of Iceland before winter conditions make this more difficult.
From December, you’re more likely to experience snowy landscapes and frozen waterfalls. Longer nights also increase your chances of seeing the northern lights.
Other activities — like whale-watching, snowmobiling and ice-caving — are also dependent on the season. So talk to us about your preferred activities and we’ll recommend the best time of year to visit.
Will I definitely see the northern lights on my luxury holiday to Iceland?
Unfortunately, we can’t make guarantees. As a natural phenomenon, the northern lights are unpredictable. However, we do everything we can to maximise your chances of seeing the aurora borealis during your stay in Iceland.
We book you into exclusive accommodation in the Icelandic wilderness where there’s very little light pollution. We arrange aurora wake-up calls so you don’t sleep through the light show.
You can also embark on northern lights excursions with an expert aurora guide. Your guide will seek out beautiful scenery and cloudless skies to ensure an unforgettable northern lights experience.
What do your luxury northern lights holidays to Iceland include?
Our Iceland luxury holidays include:
- Accommodation
- Private airport transfers
- Your choice of private tours and activities
- Breakfast, half-board or full-board dining (depending on your preference)
- 4×4 car hire for self-drive tours
Please note that our tours don’t include flights. But if you’d like advice on the best airlines and airports to use when visiting Iceland, just ask. We’ll be happy to help.
Can I customise my luxury trip to Iceland?
Absolutely. We can tailor our exclusive aurora holidays to meet your requirements. We can also extend your Iceland northern lights holiday to include other Nordic destinations:
Why should I book my Iceland luxury holiday with Aurora Nights?
Book your Iceland northern lights holiday with Aurora Nights and you can count on:
- Insider knowledge — we’ve been planning Icelandic holidays for over 15 years, so we have the connections and insider knowledge to show you a lesser-seen side of the island
- Tailor-made trips — the Aurora Nights team will create a bespoke holiday, worthy of a special occasion and perfectly tailored to you
- Exceptional experiences — with private tours, exclusive accommodation and bucket-list adventures, our tours include the very best Iceland has to offer
- Expert guides — our experienced local guides know Iceland’s geography, history and culture inside out — they’re also great at tracking down the northern lights
Whether you book an exclusive aurora break, a self-drive trip, an escorted tour or a classic short break in Iceland, we promise to make it an experience you’ll remember forever.
How do I book my trip?
Select one of the tours above and make an enquiry. We’ll use this tour as the starting point for your tailor-made trip. Alternatively, get in touch with the Aurora Nights team to build a bespoke Icelandic adventure from scratch
See what our clients say
My daughter and I had an amazing time on our trip, we didn’t want it to end! Everything went according to plan, each excursion was well organized and everyone involved with each activity, as well as everyone at the lodge was kind, friendly, positive and happy, which makes such a difference to your whole experience. The food at The Abisko Mountain Lodge was also incredibly good. Our room was large, comfortable and well-furnished. The bathroom too was also spacious and well-equipped. The outdoor clothing provided was of very good quality which kept us warm, and the staff members are happy to change items if they are not quite the right size for you. This is my second trip with Weekend a la carte and I’m sure there will be more as I have complete trust in them. I highly recommend Aurora Nights, it was fabulous.
I found Aurora nights just through a google search. Alex, my Aurora expert was so helpful in helping us have the perfect trip to the Arctic. He had personal experience of the activities and places to visit there that would make our trip really special. This followed through to a particularly unforgettable and wonderful holiday. Everything was sent to us with care and attention before hand and we were supported by the team throughout our holiday. All of the recomendations were wonderful especially the Ice Hotel, dog sledding and of course the beautiful Northern Lights. The transportation arrived on time every time. I would highly recomend this company for their experience in the field and their due care and attention to you as a customer. It was faultless and we had the most awesome time.
Brilliant short break. Hotel Ranga was lovely, excellent food. Managed to see the Northern Lights as well! Iceland on the whole was quite expensive but a lovely place to visit, the people were very friendly.
We booked with Aurora for a short winter break to celebrate an event. We wanted something special and that’s what we got. Clear information was backed up with straightforward booking detail, and we had a super, holiday with no complications.
The holiday exceeded my expectations and I will use Aurora in the future. Thank you!
Fantastic trip with great hosts & made even more special by seeing the Northern Lights twice!!
This was a bucket list trip. The company are specialists and I’ve valued their advice. Everything from the when to go for the best opportunity to see the lights and equipment needed and provided.Our activities included, the Ice Hotel, night photo shoot, snowmobiling, guided walk and the sky station meal. All excellent and well run by knowledgeable experts and guides. The Abisko Lodge is warm comfortable and relaxing the food is excellent and the staff welcoming, friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a different and exciting experience.
We did the aurora nights break and had a great time overall. Everything related to flights, hire car, and hotels ran smoothly. There were a few issues largely relating to the weather and driving conditions (we travelled in mid March), but what we did manage to do was amazing.
The blue lagoon was easy to access from the airport and was a brilliant experience. We booked the standard package and it came with a free drink and face mask. Facilities were clean and organised with free toiletries in the shower rooms, which helps if you’ve gone there straight from the airport.
The drive to Hotel Ranga afterwards was long but fine (check out the road on google streetview to know what to expect). The hotel and staff were great. We were limited to one option as vegetarians on the bar and a la carte menus, but the food was lovely and if you are a meat eater you will see options of unusual dishes like puffin and reindeer.
Our northern lights super jeep trip was cancelled on both nights due to a poor forecast, but we were lucky enough to get an aurora wake up call from Hotel Ranga the first night. We couldn’t use the hottubs as there are only a few and they were always taken in the limited time we spent at the hotel, so don’t go expecting to get lots of time in one and you won’t be disappointed. View them as an add on if you can time it right. We were travelling with an 11 year old, so we didn’t stay up really late. If you are a couple you probably have a better chance of getting one later on.
The glacier/volcano super jeep trip was outstanding. Our driver, Íbí was excellent. She went above and beyond and gave us such an awesome experience. We were also super lucky with the weather the first two days and had great views across Iceland.
The ice cave tour was also incredible and the guides running it were excellent. The group size was much bigger than expected (especially after the more exclusive volcano super jeep tour), but it was broken down into smaller groups that were managed well, with plenty of time factored in for photographs. There were several unexplained delays getting to the cave during the tour that meant we weren’t able to ‘mini tour’ the rest of the South Coast afterwards, so if you plan to do the ice cave don’t overplan for the afternoon as you may not have much time. Not a huge disappointment for us as we got to experience the cave, but I imagine someone who planned a full itinerary afterwards might be frustrated by the estamiated timings not always being right and subject to change with the weather (which was wicked that day).
Driving around Reykjavik was a horrible experience as we arrived around rush hour and weren’t prepared for all the traffic, having only experienced quiet roads along the south coast. It was difficult finding a parking space, so be prepared to drive around a little when you arrive. If you haven’t driven on the right before and are not a confident driver this could leave you feeling stressed. Again, check out the roads into Reykjavik on Google maps to get a sense of what awaits if you aren’t used to self-driving.
We didn’t get to tour the golden circle because of road conditions/ice/road closures, so we spent the day in Reykjavik instead. This turned out okay for us as we did some of the attractions (Lava Centre and Fly Over Iceland – both hughly recommended), but it ended up being an extra expense and we missed out on the golden attractions. Again, not a big issue if you are aware this could happen. The weather is so changeable that having a plan B is a good approach.
Weekend a la Carte sent us a text warning us about the bad weather conditions, which we’d already seen on the Safe Iceland app, but we were grateful for anyway. It was good to know they were looking out for us!
All in all, a remarkable trip, with some unique experiences. If you book this in the knowledge that nature will have her own way, and you may not see everything you want (especially in winter), you will have a great time. Ranga is definitely the best place to maximise your chances of seeing the lights.
What a fantastic trip! I booked this for myself and my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday and it didn’t disappoint! Booking was simple and we were kept up to date with all the details from the office team in the UK.
From the moment we arrived at Kiruna airport all the staff we encountered were so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. We opted for the upgraded room at the Abisko Mountain Lodge which I would highly recommend. The cold weather clothing which was supplied was fantastic and kept us really warm in the sub-zero temperatures. The dog sledging, snowmobiling and the Northern Lights photography were all superb and the staff leading the trips were really friendly and so knowledgeable. Even though we weren’t able to do the sky station trip because of the weather, there was a lovely alternative evening organised for us which included a traditional dinner and a walk to the lake where we were able to see the lights. The food at the lodge was also exceptional and showcased some lovely traditional dishes using Moose and Reindeer which were wonderful to try.
I would like to send a massive thank you to all the staff at The Abisko Mountain Lodge as well as the guides we used for our guided walks, dog sledging and snowmobiling. I’d highly recommend the trip, it was our first visit to Sweden and we would definitely return. Thanks again to everyone (including the huskies) who made it so memorable!
Ready for an aurora adventure?
Book with Aurora Nights, the Northern Lights holiday experts. We will personally plan your bucket-list Northern Lights adventure holiday to Swedish Lapland, Iceland, Norway and Finland.