This self-drive tour includes Iceland’s famous Golden Circle and a whale watching boat trip, with a stay at Hotel Ranga which is a great spot for seeing the Northern Lights.
This lovely relaxed break allows you to enjoy some of the stunning volcanic highlights of Iceland at your own pace, as well as have the excitement of a Northern Lights Hunt.
Being remote and away from any artificial light, aurora watching is excellent in the countryside and especially at the location of Hotel Ranga.
*Prices starting from
Location
Iceland
Duration
3 Nights
Available dates
Dec - Mar
Price per person (excl. flights)
£2,000*
Overview
Highlights
- 2 Nights at Hotel Ranga situated close to the Golden Circle, and in a great area for the Northern Lights
- Golden Circle at your own pace seeing Strokkur Geyser, Gullfoss Waterfall, Kerid Caldera and Thingvellir
- Whale Watching Boat Trip
- 1 Night at the Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel so you can experience the Blue Lagoon without the crowds
What’s included
- 2 nights B&B at Hotel Ranga
- 1 night B&B at Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel with one entrance to the Blue Lagoon
- Car Hire
- Whale Watching 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
Arrive into Reykjavik, Self Drive to Hotel Ranga and enjoy the evening looking out for Aurora!
Arrive into Keflavik Airport, pick up your 4WD hire car and drive to Hotel Ranga. This hotel’s remote setting away from all artificial light makes it a prime spot for northern lights viewings.
Seeing the magical Northern Lights is something you will not so easily forget. The stunning display of this delicate sheet of white, green, yellow or even red lights dancing across the starry sky is a true wonder of nature.
Return to the hotel for your overnight stay.
Day 2
Drive the Golden Circle visiting Strokkur Geyser, Kerio Crater, Pingvellir mini rift valley and Gullfoss waterfall
Enjoy breakfast before a self drive adventure exploring Iceland’s famous Golden Circle including the beautiful UNESCO Site of Þingvellir National Park and Lake Thingvallavatn.
During the day, experience the dramatic mini rift valley created by tectonic plate movement, gaze at the thundering Gullfoss waterfall which can totally freeze in winter, look down at the beautiful Kerio Crater, and marvel at the Strokkur Geyser which erupts every 5 minutes. We would also recommend a visit to Thingvellir, the location where the first democratic government in the world was founded by the Vikings in the 9th century.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3
Reykjavik with Whale Watching
This morning, drive into Reykjavik and spend some time in the old town and choose one of the excellent restaurants in which to enjoy an early lunch. It is a quirky old town with lots of unusual shops and museums.
Afterwards, head down to Reykjavik harbour to join the afternoon whale-watching boat tour. The south coast of Iceland is host to a wide selection of sea life and various whale species are present including killer whales who hunt herring off the coast of Iceland.
The captain and crew take you to their favourite spots 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 via an onboard 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.
Afterwards, drive to the Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel set in the heart of a stunning lava landscape just ten minutes’ walk from Iceland’s most famous attraction, the Blue Lagoon.
Overnight at the Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel.
Day 4
Relax at Blue Lagoon prior to flight home
After breakfast you have time to enjoy your complimentary entrance to the Blue Lagoon, and benefit from the warm geothermal waters which are particularly good for the skin.
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 soaking up the atmosphere or have a meal in a choice of restaurants with lovely views of the Lagoon. We would also recommend the in-water massage treatments which are just heavenly!
Drive to the airport (20 minutes), drop off the hire car and catch your flight home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
If this is not perfect for you try the Northern Lights Paradise Break or we can tailor-make a Northern Lights Holiday for you.
We have an extensive Northern Lights Information Hub if you need further information
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Where You'll Stay
Hotel Ranga
Hotel Ranga offers luxury and relaxation in Iceland’s countryside. There are 51 luxurious and cosy rooms in this serene setting without external lighting interference to spoil the Northern Lights. It is Iceland’s only member of the “Special Hotels of the World”, and is also a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Its gourmet restaurant has an excellent reputation offering typical Icelandic dishes, as well as a few unusual surprises. We would highly recommend you take a drink and sit in the outdoor hot tubs and watch the skies for the Northern Lights. A splendid way to pass the time.
Although there is never any guarantee, this is one of the best places in Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis. They have also recently built an observatory so you can view the stars and Northern Lights up close. An expert is in there to guide you through the use of the computerised telescope on clear nights.
Hotel Ranga also has the most incredible range of themed suites. Take your choice from 2 levels with the themes being Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, Antarctica, Royal Suite.
Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel
Set in the heart of a stunning lava landscape the Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel is just ten minutes’ walk from the Blue Lagoon, and 1 admission is included in your room price.
The hotel has 35 bright and spacious rooms. All rooms offer a veranda with breath-taking views of the surrounding lava fields.
All rooms are equipped with private bathrooms and a shower and the hotel has its own private bathing lagoon, available only to guests at certain hours of the day.
The Blue Lagoon Silica Hotel has won several design awards as it is built in harmony with the surrounding landscape, offering an oasis of calm, relaxation and healing.
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Find out what our customers say
Northern lights tour reviews
An excellent holiday which was enjoyed by all. The super jeep ride on the second day to the Eyjafjallajokull volcano was memorable and thanks to our driver Margaret who proved to be a really good guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the facilities in the hotel Ranga. The staff were very helpful and we managed to see the Northern Lights. The Hotel Reykjavik Centrum was very nice with amazingly helpful staff. All in all, the whole holiday was brilliant.
Brian Coombs
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.
Jean Lavender
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
I appreciate the fast response to my inquiries regarding my trip. It would take decision making faster on my part, and plan my itinerary and activities being offered by the company accordingly.
Joey Emmanuel Serrina
My wife and I had an awesome and memorable trip to Iceland thanks to Alex at Aurora Nights. Alex tailored the itinerary to exactly what we wanted to see and chose excellent hotels to stay at. We totally enjoyed the city of Reykjavik and the many beautiful waterfalls. He went above and beyond to not only recommend sights to see around the Golden Circle and Ring Road, but also mapped it out so we were prepared to drive through the country during unpredictable weather and road conditions. And we were especially pleased to see the Northern Lights on our visit. Alex was very flexible to make changes to our plans and choosing the wonderful Sky Lagoon to replace our tickets for the Blue Lagoon due to the closure from the volcanic activity. We highly recommend Alex and Aurora Nights.
Lisa Kovens-Harris
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!
Carly Webster
We had five fantastic days in beautiful Iceland, as we had never been before Aurora Nights helped with everything and made the holiday so easy and stress free. We stayed at Hotel Ranga which was amazing, we very much enjoyed the tours and the guides were brilliant, very knowledgable and friendly. We will certainly be returning to Iceland and wouldn’t hesitate to book through Aurora Nights again, special thanks to Abigail as her experience and reccommendations made the trip even better.
Lauren Mitten
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.
Linda Palmer