This special 5-night trip combines three popular properties that each increase your chances of seeing the aurora.
The Iceland Northern Lights Call Out
Sometimes, you might never know whether the lights came out or not if you end up going to bed early – but with these well-located hotels and aurora call outs in place, you’ll maximise your chances.
You will stay in a combination of Hotel Ranga, Hotel Husafell, and the Northern Light Inn, which is a perfect spot to begin or finish your trip due to its close proximity to the airport and the Blue Lagoon.
Overview
Highlights
What’s included
- 2 nights at Hotel Husafell in a Deluxe Room with breakfast
- 2 nights at Hotel Ranga in a Deluxe Room with breakfast
- 1 night at the Northern Light Inn in a Delxue Room with breakfast
- Car hire for the duration of your stay for two drivers
- Thorsmork Superjeep Adventure
- Entrance to the Blue Lagoon
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
Upon arrival into Keflavik airport you will collect your car hire before then heading out to your first property – Hotel Husafell – which is roughly a 2.5 hour drive with plenty of opportunities to stop along the way. Once you have arrived at the property you can settle in for the evening with a delicious dinner and stay on alert to see if the aurora might give you a welcome show.
Today you have the opportunity to explore an assortment of locations from your property. Depending on the time of year that you are travelling (and the weather) you might like to spend the day making the journey to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula to explore the places that inspried Jules Verne to write Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
You might not fancy the long drive and decide to explore closer to Husafell where you can head out on some walks to see some of the local waterfalls. There is also the Krauma Spa which is close by if you fancy a more relaxing afternoon.
You will make your way from Hotel Husafell down to Hotel Ranga. You will have the opportunity to stop in Reykjavik to break up the journey or you might like to head to the Golden Circle before finally making your way to Hotel Ranga.
Your journey might depend on the weather and time of year, so our experts will give you guidance with this. Once at your hotel you can check into your deluxe room and enjoy a relaxing evening with the hope of the aurora making an appearance.
Today you are going to have a break from the driving and head out on a Superjeep adventure to get to see the places that are inaccessible to the regular tourist. Your guide will take you up between the three glaciers; Myrdalsjokull, Eyjafjallojokull and Tindfjallojokull. In your specially adapted SuperJeep you will have the thrilling drive of fjording glacial rivers and driving across the floodplain to see the lasting effects and landscape changes following Eyjafjallajökull’s 2010 eruption.
You will be surrounded by an imposing mountain ridge and see spectacular landscapes. We describe it as like being in a production set from Lord of the Rings when they go to Mordor, with its dramatic towering black volcanic cliffs.
Stop at the stunning Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, which you can walk behind and be mesmerised looking back through the falling water. If you wanted to see the “raw Iceland” this is hard to beat! You will then return back to Hotel Ranga in the afternoon to have a relaxing evening.
After breakfast you will make your way to the famous Golden Circle which you can explore at your own pace using your own 4WD vehicle. The location is packed full of surprising landscapes and Geological marvels.
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 minutes.
We would also recommend you visit the spot where the first democratic parliament was established in 930 AD overlooking the stunning plains of Pingvellir. Then from here you will make your way to the Northern Light Inn and enjoy a late afternoon/early evening dip at the famous Blue Lagoon to complete your Iceland experience. Back at the Northern Light Inn you have one more night of opportunity to potentially see the aurora – will you be fifth time lucky?
Time to head home as you make your way back to Keflavik Airport. Your journey doesn’t have to end here though, as there are plenty of other places to explore. Let our specialists know if you wish to expand your stay in Iceland and they will help put something together tailored to your request.
Where You'll Stay
Northern Light Inn
Situated near Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon, Northern Light Inn is a family-run hotel featuring a wellness spa, fitness center, and Max’s Restaurant offering local delicacies and select wines.
Conveniently located 20 minutes from KEF International Airport and 45 minutes from Reykjavik, the hotel offers a 24/7 honesty bar, fast WiFi, and complimentary shuttles to the Blue Lagoon. For further convenience, an Exclusive Airport Taxi service is available at an additional charge for transportation to Keflavík International Airport, located 22 km away.
The hotel has 42 charming rooms adorned with modern décor, down comforters, and wooden furnishings. Each room is equipped with a Smart TV, electric kettle, and free WiFi. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide captivating views of the moss-covered lava fields of the Reykjanes Peninsula.
In addition to the panoramic lounge with a fireplace, the hotel offers spa facilities, saunas, a solarium, and unique experiences like aurora floating. Max’s Restaurant showcases Icelandic cuisine, including fresh fish, free-range lamb, and homemade specialties. Guests can enjoy the Northern Lights spectacle from September to April, taking advantage of the hotel’s ideal location in the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark.
Northern Light Inn not only provides a stylish retreat but also serves as the gateway to extraordinary adventures, including horseback riding tours and bicycle rentals. Embrace the cool hotspot of Iceland, where space weather conditions create a captivating dance of the Northern Lights in the night sky.
Hotel Husafell
Hotel Husafell is located in West Iceland, about 90 minutes drive from Reykjavik. Offering 48 stylish and cosy rooms, complete with comfortable beds, en suite bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, complimentary Wi-Fi, tea and coffee-making facilities, hairdryers, and artwork from Husafell’s acclaimed artist Pall Gudmundsson. Opt for a Deluxe room and you’ll get all the standard facilities, plus additional space, deep bathtubs, double basins, bathrobes, and access to a terrace.
Hotel Husafell provides a retreat after a day of exploring in all directions – from valleys and lava formations to waterfalls, glacier tours in a super jeep, and indulging in relaxation in geothermal pools.
After all of that activity, you can enjoy a traditional Nordic menu in the hotel’s restaurants, accompanied by perfectly matched wines. From light soups and salads, to steak sandwiches and chicken for lunch. Dinner can be five courses, all using local and seasonal ingredients, such as wild game, a range of meats and cheeses, and ‘surf and turf’ beef tenderloin and langoustine, served with pearl onion and Jerusalem artichoke puree. If you have room for dessert, enjoy a white chocolate ganache with ice cream and roasted chocolate.
With a commitment to sustainability, the hotel’s design harmonises with the surrounding environment, creating an eco-friendly and tranquil atmosphere. Húsafell is also one of Iceland’s best spots for watching the Aurora Borealis. The high, snowy domes of nearby Langjökull glacier ensure crisp, cloudless skies which are the perfect weather conditions for the the Northern Lights – and they provide a wake up call so you don’t miss them.
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.
Enquire Now
Please fill out the enquiry form below to receive a quote for this package.
"*" indicates required fields
See what our clients say
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.