This 3-night break offers the chance to see many of Iceland’s natural wonders whilst staying in the vibrant capital, as well as Northern Lights hunting, whale watching, and a superjeep tour.
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Iceland Northern Lights & Whale Explorer
Credit Business Iceland
Credit Business Iceland
Whale watching has traditionally been a summer activity in Iceland, however, the last two winters have proven that the incidence of sightings in the winter is also very good, at about 70%, so now you can see whales and the Northern Lights on the same holiday!
Location
Iceland
Duration
3 Nights
Available dates
Jan
Price per person (excl. flights)
from £2,000
Overview
Highlights
- Whale watching boat trip
- Superjeep Northern Lights hunt
- Northern lights hunt by boat
- Visit to the Blue Lagoon
- Golden Circle SuperJeep Tour; Pingvellir Rift Valley, Gullfoss Waterfall and Strokkur Geyser.
- 3 nights at Alda Hotel
What’s included
- 3 nights accommodation with breakfast at Alda Hotel
- Airport transfers
- Superjeep Northern Lights hunt
- Northern Lights hunt by Boat
- Whale watching boat trip
- Golden Circle Superjeep Tour
A note on flights
While flights are not included in the holiday price, our team will happily provide a quote and arrange them for you. Simply ask one of our Travel Experts for details of the available options.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1
Fly to Reykjavik, Northern Lights Hunt by Boat
Fly to Reykjavik and take a flybus transfer into the centre.
After dinner you have your first exciting excursion lined up, which is a Boat Cruise in search of the Northern Lights. Hunting the Northern Lights from the ocean is an amazing experience.
Sail away from the coastline of Reykjavik and hopefully see the aurora borealis out on the North Atlantic ocean with beautiful mountains and the city lights in the background.
This 2-3 hour northern lights cruise includes warm overalls to wear, heated seating areas inside and an expert guide on board to explain the Northern Lights. If you are not lucky enough to see them you have the chance to go out again the next evening at no extra cost (availability allowing).
Meet the guides and the captain from the boat tour you will be on.
Overnight in Reykjavik.
Day 2
Golden Circle SuperJeep Tour, Pingvellir Rift Valley, Gullfoss Waterfall and Strokur Geyser
This guided SuperJeep Tour is a must for anyone that has not been to Iceland before.
You will walk in a dramatic mini rift valley created by Tectonic plate movement, gaze at the thundering Gullfoss waterfall, which can totally freeze in winter, and marvel at the Strokkur Geyser which erupts every 5 mins.
If you are lucky and the weather conditions are right, the guide sometimes takes you up in the Superjeep for a short drive actually on the glacier. Finally, time allowing, the guide will also add a visit to the stunning blue-green volcanic basalt lake Kerid, before your return to Reykjavik.
Evening at leisure and overnight in Reykjavik.
Day 3
Whale Watching Tour, SuperJeep Northern Lights Hunt
Morning at leisure to enjoy Reykjavik. For ideas of things to do in Reykjavik.
Early afternoon you have your 3-hour Whale Watching trip.
The boats offer comfort, a warm interior and a large outside viewing deck. The captain and crew point out where to spot the whales and give interesting information about the different kinds of whales and seabirds you can expect to see.
The guides also take specimens from the ocean on each tour and show them to the passengers on an on-board screen using special microscopes. Here the ocean comes to life as you get to see and feel objects such as baleen plates, whale teeth and whale bones. Warm overalls are provided to keep you warm and dry and there is a bar where drinks and snacks can be purchased. Meet the guides & captains from the boat tours you will be on.
This evening you will be taken out from Reykjavik in a superjeep into the wilderness for a final search of the Northern Lights. Cloudless skies sightings can occur from autumn to early spring. The elders say that the colder the nights the more vibrant and intense the colours will be. Swirling and swaying overhead, displays are usually greenish yellow but white, red and pink lights also frequently appear.
Please note the maximum number of passengers in the Superjeep is six in order to give you a very personal and individual tour.
This is in sharp contrast to the coach tours that are available through other companies, or the very large Superjeep Tours with 12 people in.
Overnight at Reykjavik.
Day 4
Visit Blue Lagoon, Transfer Airport for flight home
After breakfast check out before a flybus transfer to the Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland’s most famous sites, whose geothermal waters are particularly good for your skin.
Here you can bathe in the warm bright blue waters, put Silica mud on your face or try out the sauna and steam rooms which are carved into the lava.
You can easily while away a couple of hours and there is a choice of restaurants with lovely views of the Lagoon. We would also recommend the in-water massage treatments which are just heaven!
Afterwards your flybus transfer will take you to the airport for your flight home.
If this is not what you are looking for, you might want to take a look at our Iceland Northern Lights Short Breaks
We have an extensive Northern Lights Information Hub if you need further information
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Reviews
See what our clients say
1. Gourmet Cabins was excellent and Johan was a friendly and knowledgeable host. The food, cabins, hot tub and sauna were brilliant.
2. Dog sledge was a fantastic experience and we were given the opportunity to drive our own sledge
3. Snow Mobile – really got off the beaten track and into the spectacular mountains
4. Saw the Northern Lights twice in two days. There is no description that can really do them justice
Nigel Longton
We had the most fabulous time and everything worked like clockwork. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and extremely competent. The food was excellent and the experiences, especially Husky Homes, were brilliant. We saw the aurora lights at the mountain top in Abisko where the photography tour will be an enduring memory of a wonderful time. I would very much recommend Weekend a la Carte as a proficient tour operator.
Mark Nicholson
Cannot thank this company enough. Our break to Iceland was the second time we’ve let them organise everything for us and once again they didn’t disappoint. Everything ran seamlessly and the organised tours were wonderful. This company knows what they are doing. If you want to experience the geysers, the volcano, the northern lights and all the other exciting things that Iceland has to offer then this is the company to use.
Carol Wrack
Fantastic service, with every detail taken care of and communicated to your agencies and hotels. Would definitely recommend and will be using again.
Robin Higginson
We had a wonderful time! The food at the lodge was amazing and there were some great vegetarian dishes. I had the best beetroot I’ve ever had (beetroot tartare).
Everyone was really friendly and all the guides were good fun and very knowledgeable.
A special thanks to William and Petri who were really friendly and really added a personal touch to our trip. The activities were really well planned and we especially enjoyed the trip with the huskies. The area we were in is stunning and the lodge was very nice. We would definitely recommend this to friends and family.
Fiona Green
Superb holiday to Iceland, well organised, advice regarding trips informative and far exceeded our expectations (Glaciers and ice Cave) run by South Coast. Hotel Ranga is a lovely hotel, perfect to see Northern Lights (which we did see on our 3rd night), very comfortable, food excellent, staff helpful and informative. SouthCoast Adventure tour company were excellent, guides knowledgeable, and clearly very experienced.
Helen Middleton
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The Abisko Mountain Lodge was fantastic, every member of staff was friendly welcoming and charming. Accommodation, upgraded room was excellent. The food in the lodge definitely deserves the high reviews. Good breakfast, great hime made lunch soups and extremely tasty evening dinners.
The included trips were great. The only let down was the camera night, couldn’t see the lights no one fault, but we were walked through thigh high snow to be left on a frozen lake for the duration of the trip. There was no warning of the difficult walk and we had a 91 year old with us and I have hip problems! That said the guide was great, as were the ones on the skimobile and husky rides. We went up to the sky station in a snow storm with high winds, added to the experience!
Would go back in a heart beat.
We had little communication with Weekend a la carte, no need as all communications were clear and contained all the information we needed. Very informative emails
Would use again if going back
June Day
A well organised trip which was tailored to our specific requests. The arrangements all ran perfectly and any queries prior to the holiday were handled very quickly and professionally. The standard of accommodation and organised tours was very high. I would use this company again and recommend them.
Iain Baxter