Iceland – Northern Lights – 5N/6D

Itinerarly:

Day 1 : SUN: WELCOME to ICELAND (50 km/31 mls)
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from Keflavík Airport to Reykjavík where you spend the night at the first-class hotel Icelandair Hotel Marina in a superior room. We provide you with ideas how to explore Iceland’s capital on your own.

Day 2 : MON: REYKJAVÍK, CHEESE & SKYR SCHOOL, NATIONAL PARK & FONTANA STEAM BATHS (150 km/93 mls)
At 09:00 meet the tour guide and start the exclusive program with a two-hour Reykjavík city tour. Visit to the exceptional observation tower of the Hallgrímskirkja church offering incredible panoramic views across the city. Learn about Icelandic cheese and the unique dairy product skyr, whilst having a lovely lunch in a cheese school buttery. Depart for Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site and stop for a wellness retreat at the Fontana thermal baths. Stay 3 nights in the luxury country hotel Grímsborgir in South Iceland. After a gourmet dinner, our expert tour guide provides you with a seminar about the Northern Lights and teaches you how to take photos of this natural phenomenon. Step into the darkness, soak in the hotel’s outdoor hot tubs and check if the Northern Lights are visible. These spectacular sky-light shows are also known as the Aurora Borealis and are frequently seen in Iceland from September through April on clear and crisp nights. White and green are usually the dominant colours of Northern Lights but sometimes there are considerable colour variations. They are ephemeral, however, sightings are not guaranteed.

Day 3 : TUE: GEOTHERMAL POWER, MEET THE LOCALS & LANGOUSTINE FEAST (200 km/124 mls)
Visit Gullfoss waterfall and the nearby Geysir geothermal fields with a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The explosion crater called Kerið is filled with water and resembles an ancient amphitheatre. Meet a local who tells us all about living in an earthquake active place with its geothermal powers and challenges. You get the opportunity to boil egg in a hot spring and taste bread baked with hot steam. Travel to seashore villages with many old and colourful houses. During a private tour around a local folk museum and a historic wooden church we taste shark meat, dried fish and Brennivín (Black Death) snaps. After a nice langoustine dinner at a nearby seashore restaurant we go outside to watch out for the magical Northern Lights before returning to the hotel.

Day 4 : WED: EYJAFALLAJÖKULL VOLCANO AND GLACIER HIKE FOR BEGINNERS (280 km/174 mls)
Today, we take you out along the South coast. Travel to Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges over the mountain and stop at the Eyjafjallajökull Information Center where we learn about living next to a glacier and an active volcano. Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 60 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. You can choose between a guided walk that is especially organized for beginners on a nearby glacier (total walking time is about 3 hours), or continue the bus tour to explore a black lava beach with bird cliffs. After a gourmet dinner at Hotel Grímsborgir, see a video presentation about Northern Lights as a part of the Northern Lights educational program and look out if the auroras are across the sky.

Day 5 : THU: VIKING SHIP, CRAB FEAST & BLUE LAGOON (220 km/136 mls)
Explore the Reykjanes peninsula and see the region’s many unusual geological features, hot springs, moon-like landscapes, bird cliffs, light houses and fishing villages. Visit a Viking ship and history museum that tells the story about the Viking expansion across the North Atlantic. After a unique seafood & crab feast we visit the famous Blue Lagoon for a soak in its warm geothermal water. The comfort experience package includes the use of a towel and a bathrobe, a drink of your choice and a volcano scrub or an algae mask. Enjoy a delicious lamb dinner at the Northern Light Inn Hotel, where the 6-day program ends with an overnight and breakfast. The group members for the 8-day tour return to Icelandair Hotel Marina in Reykjavík for a 3-night stay.

Day 6 : FRI: DEPARTURE HOME (23 km/14 mls)
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to visit the Blue Lagoon again or walk in the neighbourhood of the Northern Light Inn Hotel before taking the airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.

Day 6 : FRI: EXTENSION ITINERARY FOR THE 8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS PROGRAM
REYKJAVIK LEISURE DAY & NORTHERN LIGHTS FJORD CRUISE
Leisure day to explore Iceland’s capital, visit museums, go shopping, spa treatments or an optional whale watching tour. Included is a 2-3 hour Northern Lights hunt by boat to escape from the city lights.

Day 7 : SAT: SUPERJEEP TOUR TO EXPLORE HIGHLANDS, GLACIERS, CAVES AND FJORDS (350 km/217 mls)
Explore West Iceland on a full day super-jeep tour: highland track, glaciers, lava caves, waterfalls, cultural site, hot springs, fjord and a visit to a micro-beer brewery. This is a true adventure with spectacular landscapes. Stay at Icelandair Hotel Marina in Reykjavík.

Day 8 : SUN: DEPARTURE HOME (50 km/31 mls)
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to explore Reykjavík a bit more before taking the Flybus airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.

DAILY DRIVING: Total mileage without airport transfer from day 2-5 is about 850 km (527 miles) which is an average of 212 km (132 miles) per day. You spend about 3 hours per day on the bus, depending on road conditions, traffic and daily distances. On some days the driving might be longer than on some other days.

NOTE: Itineraries may be subject to change at short notice during severe weather conditions and certain outdoor activities/day trips may be cancelled during the winter season in Iceland. In these rare cases, where situations of force majeure apply, excursions/activities cannot be refunded but the local guides will try their best to find reasonable alternatives where and whenever possible.

Itinerarly:

Day 1 : SUN: WELCOME to ICELAND (50 km/31 mls)
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from Keflavík Airport to Reykjavík where you spend the night at the first-class hotel Icelandair Hotel Marina in a superior room. We provide you with ideas how to explore Iceland’s capital on your own.

Day 2 : MON: REYKJAVÍK, CHEESE & SKYR SCHOOL, NATIONAL PARK & FONTANA STEAM BATHS (150 km/93 mls)
At 09:00 meet the tour guide and start the exclusive program with a two-hour Reykjavík city tour. Visit to the exceptional observation tower of the Hallgrímskirkja church offering incredible panoramic views across the city. Learn about Icelandic cheese and the unique dairy product skyr, whilst having a lovely lunch in a cheese school buttery. Depart for Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site and stop for a wellness retreat at the Fontana thermal baths. Stay 3 nights in the luxury country hotel Grímsborgir in South Iceland. After a gourmet dinner, our expert tour guide provides you with a seminar about the Northern Lights and teaches you how to take photos of this natural phenomenon. Step into the darkness, soak in the hotel’s outdoor hot tubs and check if the Northern Lights are visible. These spectacular sky-light shows are also known as the Aurora Borealis and are frequently seen in Iceland from September through April on clear and crisp nights. White and green are usually the dominant colours of Northern Lights but sometimes there are considerable colour variations. They are ephemeral, however, sightings are not guaranteed.

Day 3 : TUE: GEOTHERMAL POWER, MEET THE LOCALS & LANGOUSTINE FEAST (200 km/124 mls)
Visit Gullfoss waterfall and the nearby Geysir geothermal fields with a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The explosion crater called Kerið is filled with water and resembles an ancient amphitheatre. Meet a local who tells us all about living in an earthquake active place with its geothermal powers and challenges. You get the opportunity to boil egg in a hot spring and taste bread baked with hot steam. Travel to seashore villages with many old and colourful houses. During a private tour around a local folk museum and a historic wooden church we taste shark meat, dried fish and Brennivín (Black Death) snaps. After a nice langoustine dinner at a nearby seashore restaurant we go outside to watch out for the magical Northern Lights before returning to the hotel.

Day 4 : WED: EYJAFALLAJÖKULL VOLCANO AND GLACIER HIKE FOR BEGINNERS (280 km/174 mls)
Today, we take you out along the South coast. Travel to Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges over the mountain and stop at the Eyjafjallajökull Information Center where we learn about living next to a glacier and an active volcano. Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 60 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. You can choose between a guided walk that is especially organized for beginners on a nearby glacier (total walking time is about 3 hours), or continue the bus tour to explore a black lava beach with bird cliffs. After a gourmet dinner at Hotel Grímsborgir, see a video presentation about Northern Lights as a part of the Northern Lights educational program and look out if the auroras are across the sky.

Day 5 : THU: VIKING SHIP, CRAB FEAST & BLUE LAGOON (220 km/136 mls)
Explore the Reykjanes peninsula and see the region’s many unusual geological features, hot springs, moon-like landscapes, bird cliffs, light houses and fishing villages. Visit a Viking ship and history museum that tells the story about the Viking expansion across the North Atlantic. After a unique seafood & crab feast we visit the famous Blue Lagoon for a soak in its warm geothermal water. The comfort experience package includes the use of a towel and a bathrobe, a drink of your choice and a volcano scrub or an algae mask. Enjoy a delicious lamb dinner at the Northern Light Inn Hotel, where the 6-day program ends with an overnight and breakfast. The group members for the 8-day tour return to Icelandair Hotel Marina in Reykjavík for a 3-night stay.

Day 6 : FRI: DEPARTURE HOME (23 km/14 mls)
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to visit the Blue Lagoon again or walk in the neighbourhood of the Northern Light Inn Hotel before taking the airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.

Day 6 : FRI: EXTENSION ITINERARY FOR THE 8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS PROGRAM
REYKJAVIK LEISURE DAY & NORTHERN LIGHTS FJORD CRUISE
Leisure day to explore Iceland’s capital, visit museums, go shopping, spa treatments or an optional whale watching tour. Included is a 2-3 hour Northern Lights hunt by boat to escape from the city lights.

Day 7 : SAT: SUPERJEEP TOUR TO EXPLORE HIGHLANDS, GLACIERS, CAVES AND FJORDS (350 km/217 mls)
Explore West Iceland on a full day super-jeep tour: highland track, glaciers, lava caves, waterfalls, cultural site, hot springs, fjord and a visit to a micro-beer brewery. This is a true adventure with spectacular landscapes. Stay at Icelandair Hotel Marina in Reykjavík.

Day 8 : SUN: DEPARTURE HOME (50 km/31 mls)
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to explore Reykjavík a bit more before taking the Flybus airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.

DAILY DRIVING: Total mileage without airport transfer from day 2-5 is about 850 km (527 miles) which is an average of 212 km (132 miles) per day. You spend about 3 hours per day on the bus, depending on road conditions, traffic and daily distances. On some days the driving might be longer than on some other days.

NOTE: Itineraries may be subject to change at short notice during severe weather conditions and certain outdoor activities/day trips may be cancelled during the winter season in Iceland. In these rare cases, where situations of force majeure apply, excursions/activities cannot be refunded but the local guides will try their best to find reasonable alternatives where and whenever possible.