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.
Location
Iceland
Duration
3 Nights
Available dates
Dec - Mar
Price per person (excl. flights)
from £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
Covering popular topics such as:
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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Reviews
See what our clients say
An amazing trip and excellent service provided by all involved. Great value for money too. Food was excellent. Accommodation was wonderful and the trips booked were outstanding. An amazing trip
David Watson-Cammock
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
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 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!
David Foley
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
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
Dear Abigail, We have safely returned from Iceland and we wanted to say a huge and sincere thank you for all the plans that you put into place to make this one of the most memorable holidays we have ever had. It was simply beautiful each and every day. The cabin was idyllic and so cosy and warm. The tour guides were so knowledgeable and friendly and the scenery was breathtaking. All the arrangements worked so well and we will remember the trip for a long time to come.
Thank you once again.
Gillian Griffiths
Thank you for arranging a fabulous holiday, we had a really enjoyable time and would love to return in the future. Hotel Ranga is a lovely place to stay and the owner greeted guests in the restaurant, which was an unexpected welcoming touch. We didn’t see the Northern Lights due to the weather and the trip to the Eyjafjallajokull glacier and volcano was substituted by an excursion to Thorsmork, also due to the weather, which we thoroughly enjoyed; the brochure description doesn’t do it justice. We found Iceland and the people there really charismatic. Although the wind and snow cut short the amount of travelling we could do, we still covered a reasonable amount of what we wanted to see and our appetites are whetted for a return, perhaps in Spring or Summer. We found a couple of great places to eat near the Hotel in Reykjavik. Messin does tasty fish dishes and the Icelandic Street Food restaurant was excellent, offering simple but hearty soups with refills included in the price – great value.
Nigel Goadsby