Discover the Golden Circle, Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Blue Lagoon, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and black lava beaches on this 7-night Northern Lights Holiday in Iceland.
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Icelandic Northern Lights Exploration
Wasserfall an dem man hinter lang gehen kann
Wasserfall an dem man hinter lang gehen kann
Climb a volcano, learn about Iceland’s history at a Settlement Center, meet Icelandic horses, see turf farmsteads and churches.
There is an optional ice cave tour at Vatnajökull glacier from October to April (weather permitting) and an optional Northern Lights by boat cruise from Reykjavík. Our Northern Lights Exploration tours are designed to include the highlights of Iceland and aim to maximise the chances of seeing the Northern Lights, as most nights are spent in the darkness away from light pollution.
*Prices starting from
Location
Iceland
Duration
7 Nights
Available dates
Dec - Mar
Price per person (excl. flights)
£2,600*
Overview
Highlights
- Track record of 85-98% chance of seeing the Northern Lights
- See amazing Icelandic landscapes mixed with soft adventure and cultural experiences during the day
- Climb a volcano crater and walk between two continental tectonic plates
- Visit the Settlement Center in Borgarnes
- Descend 35m underground into Vatnshellir cave situated under Snæfellsnesjökull glacier
- Relax in the Blue Lagoon and learn about living with volcanoes
- See Icelandic horses and taste freshly baked hot spring bread
- Five evenings Northern Lights Academy
- Program offered in two group sizes: maximum 16
What’s included
- 7 nights accommodation with breakfast at comfort tourist-class hotels
- 6 days escorted bus tour with English-speaking guide/driver-guide
- Arrival and departure airport private transfer (no guide)
- Visit the Settlement Center in Borgarnes
- Guided tour into Vatnshellir cave
- Hot spring tasting with geothermal cooked bread & eggs
- Visit Icelandic horse stable & geothermal greenhouse
- Visit the Lava Exhibition Center
- Visit Skógar folk museum and turf houses
- Entrance with towel to Blue Lagoon
- Northern Lights program
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 in Iceland
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from Keflavik airport to your accommodation in Reykjavik. You may explore Iceland’s capital city on your own if time allows.
Day 2
Waterfalls and the Grábrók volcano
At 09:00 meet your tour guide who will the group the highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital, before you head west.
Stop in Borgarnes and learn about Iceland’s earliest days at the Settlement Center. Next, we head to Borgarfjörður, known as the Saga Valley because of its many important historical events. Get a chance to climb the Grábrók volcano crater and visit Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful hot spring.
Hraunfossar is a series of waterfalls pouring from beneath a wide lava field. Barnafoss – the ‘children’s falls’ – is nearby with its own tragic tale. The afternoon includes a lecture about the Northern Lights. After dinner, step into the hotel garden in search of the Northern Lights followed by a hot cup of chocolate or tea.
Day 3
The Snæfellsnes Peninsula, “the peninsula of the snowy mountain“, juts out from Iceland’s west coast, like a long arm with a clenched fist at its tip, and is in many ways a microcosm of the whole island. A rugged mountain chain runs the length of the skyline. Visit the fishing village of Grundarfjörður, a place with an impressive coastline and mountains, lakes, and waterfalls behind the village. One of the most photographed and famous mountain in Iceland, Kirkjufell, can be seen jutting out into the bay.
Visit Arnarstapi and Hellnar before experiencing the area from below, inside Vatnshellir cave. We take you 35 meters underground and about 200 meters into the lava tube under the glacier Snæfellsjökull! On the way back to Borgarnes the guide gives you some practical tips on how to photograph the auroras as part of the Northern Lights Academy program. Naturally, once darkness falls, we are out in the hotel garden to chase the Northern Lights and to soak in the hotel’s outdoor hot tubs.
Day 4
Golden Circle Tour
Travel along the Hvalfjörður fjord. The first stop is Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Travel the Golden Circle tour, see steam rising from the Geysir geothermal fields. The chef of the Restaurant Geysir invites you to taste freshly baked hot spring bread served with Icelandic butter, boiled eggs and herring. On we travel to the double waterfall of Gullfoss.
In the afternoon, learn about the Icelandic horse, its unique qualities and history, and visit a geothermal greenhouse, before reaching the accommodation in south Iceland. Tonight, step into the darkness and search for the elusive Northern Lights in the peace and stillness of rural Iceland.
Day 5
Lava & Volcano Exhibition Center
Today we travel along the south coast. At the Lava & Volcano Exhibition Center, learn about geology and active volcanoes. Further east we visit one of Iceland’s finest folk museums. This museum contains an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artefacts from Iceland’s past and several turf-built houses.
Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 60 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. In the afternoon take a stroll on the black lava beach and along bird cliffs at Reynisfjara in south Iceland. We spend two nights near Kirkjubæjarklaustur in the Vatnajökull National Park region, located in darkness and ideal for a Northern Lights search.
Day 6
Glaciers and Icebergs
Today’s program is all about glaciers, ice and icebergs. We travel to Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs. We explore the amazing site, and might see seals swimming in arctic waters. You can walk on the black sandy beach, the so-called diamond beach, where large icebergs get stranded.
In the afternoon we visit the tiny turf church at Hof and spend time at Europe’s largest national park, which has Iceland’s highest mountains, an alpine environment, and Europe’s largest glacier. In the evening enjoy a film presentation about the northern lights as part of the Northern Lights Academy program. Be careful not to go to bed too soon in this remote and quiet location, or you may miss out on one more chance of seeing the northern lights shimmering and dancing across the night sky.
Day 7
Black Lava Beach
From Kirkjubæjarklaustur we head across the Eldhraun lava field to the village of Vík, where we make a photo stop. The black lava beach with high bird cliffs and pounding waves is awe-inspiring. Further west we reach the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges from the mountain.
In the afternoon we get to soak in the famous Blue Lagoon. We reach Reykjavík around dinner time for one last night.
Day 8
Return Home
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from your accommodation in Reykjavik to Keflavik International Airport.
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Find out what our customers say
Northern lights tour reviews
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
We enjoyed both the hotels that were arranged by weekend a la Carte Aurora nights. The Porsmork trip was very enjoyable, both guides were fantastic and informative.
The Northern Light hunt trip out of Reykjavik with Superjeep was an adventure and we got to see the lights, worth braving the cold at -6.
David Rogers
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
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
This vacation has without without doubt, has been the best experience we have ever had. The organisation from the minute we landed in Kiruna until we departed at the close of our trip was second to none. The transition between hotels was always seamless and punctual. Everywhere we stayed was beautifully clean and the meals were top quality. Every driver was polite, entertaining and very knowledgeable, furnishing us with invaluable information about Sweden and the activities in which we were to participate. The snowmobiling was wonderful giving access via our guide, to stunning panoramic views of the mountain whilst viewing reindeer in their natural habitat.
Our guide demonstrated how to use the snowmobile safely he was pleasant and informative. When visiting the reindeer on the Sami reservation; we found the brother and sister team who hosted lovely. Again they were so hospitable and helpful and feeding the reindeer up close was a wonderful experience.
They provided additional activities for us to try and we were treated to a traditional Sami lunch in their hut. They provided us with invaluable information appertaining to their culture and caring for their reindeer. The reindeer were in superb condition and happy in their environment. Similarly, when out with the dog sleds the experience was magical. Two hours of beautiful scenery, and frozen lakes, finishing with a one-on-one experience massaging the dogs. Magic! We were so impressed with the care that was placed upon ensuring the dogs were comfortable, well-nourished and so loved by their owners/handlers.
Now to the photographic experience. A large group of us were treated to a demonstration of how to operate some serious camera equipment with tripod. Each of us was loaned the camera and given assistance setting up the camera on a frozen lake in preparation for the appearance of the Northern Lights. We were taken to this lake on large wooden sleighs pulled by a snowmobile. We cannot speak too highly of the two young men who accompanied us on this experience. They could not do enough for us. They were there to offer assistance with our cameras throughout the two-plus hours we were on this beautiful lake.
They advised where to position the camera and when the Lights appeared, what a performance. We had a two-hour display of this most breathtaking phenomenon. We were so fortunate to be able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for which we are so grateful. We will never forget this memorable holiday and cannot thank you and everyone who assisted in making a lifetime dream come true. Karen & Andrew Adamson
Andy Adamson
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.
Heatherbelle Bates
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