Iceland Northern Lights

Our tour begins at our hotel in Reykjavik in the late afternoon. The compact capital of Iceland is well worth exploring, and we strongly recommend a couple of extra days before or after your tour. We have a welcome briefing this evening, usually around 6.30pm, and our groups typically go out for dinner together after.



If you’re itching to see the Northern Lights, you may wish to visit the waterfront, which is away from the main city lights. Speak to your tour leader beforehand, who can check the latest scientific data relating to the solar activity.



Accommodation: Hotel Klettur or Hotel Cabin (or similar)

Leave Reykjavik, driving east along the scenic southern highway. Our first stop is Seljalandsfoss, a 195ft (60m) high waterfall with fantastic ice features in winter. We can walk behind the cascade, providing conditions are not too icy. Suitable footwear is a must; however, the leader carries ice grips that can be put over standard walking boots to increase grip in slippery conditions. We continue through starkly beautiful countryside to an area impacted by the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.



Then journey along the coast, visiting the Skógafoss waterfall, a 195ft (60m) drop that falls in an 80ft (25m) wide sheet. If there is time, we drive to the most southerly point in Iceland, the Dyrhólaey peninsula, to enjoy coastal views north to Mýrdalsjökull glacier and south to the Reynisdrangar black lava sea stacks. If conditions allow, we see the sea stacks at a closer proximity from Reynisfjara black beach. The final part of our journey takes us across the black expanse of the Myrdalssandur floodplains, created by the river that formed after the eruption of a volcano under the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier.



Our accommodation for the next two nights is Hotel Laki, just outside the small village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Thanks to our countryside location, we can step outside this evening and track the Northern Lights. We know from experience that if the Northern Lights do display tonight, we can see them from the hotel!



Accommodation: Hotel Laki (or similar)

We set out across Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain with wavy rivers, to the Falljokull glacier. Upon arrival, we walk to an accessible section, strap on crampons, grab ice axes, and walk on the glacier. The terrain is not challenging and even those with no similar experience should pick it up quickly. The glacier offers fantastic photo opportunities with walls of brilliant blue ice thousands of years in the making. Please note, weather and road conditions determine whether the glacier walk is possible and how long the transfer/walk to the glacier will be. In good conditions, the walk may be 15 minutes; in poorer conditions, the walk may be up to one hour. Your itinerary will be adjusted accordingly.



After the return hike, we travel to the beautiful Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, created in the 1950s as the glacier retreated from the coastline, leaving a 985ft (300m) deep, 8sqmi (20sqkm) lake studded by icebergs. On Diamond Beach, we walk among large chunks of ice washed up on the black volcanic sand, creating beautiful shapes and formations.



The drive back to the hotel is approximately 90 minutes (80mi/125km). We get back outside again this evening to search once more for the Northern Lights with the help with our expert tour leader.



Accommodation: Hotel Laki (or similar)

We return along the south coast then head inland via Hvolsvöllur. We stop for lunch then head to the mighty Gullfoss waterfall, one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe. We also visit Geysir, home to the inimitable hot spouts. The most reliable eruption comes from Strokkur and occurs every five to 10 minutes, firing jets of hot water and steam 100ft (30m) into the air, a spectacle not to be missed.



Our final stop before returning to Reykjavik is Thingvellir National Park, where the first democratic parliament in the world sat in 930. It was not until 1798, that it moved to the capital. Thingvellir is also the site of the rift valley marking the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart, causing an area around 4mi (7km) to literally sink into the earth.



Tonight, take the opportunity to wander outside on your own one last time and maybe catch a glimpse of the magical Northern Lights.



Accommodation: Hotel Klettur or Hotel Cabin (or similar)

Our trip ends with a Flybus transfer to Keflavik Airport. Your leader will not accompany you on the Flybus; however, you are provided with a number to call for assistance, should it be needed.



If you have time, you may wish to explore Reykjavik, visiting one of the local thermal pools or the Blue Lagoon (see the Extra Expenses & Spending Money section of the Trip Notes for details). Alternatively, you may wish to extend your stay and learn more about this incredible country. Please ask your sales representative about pre- and post-tour nights.