| Northern Lights Exploration |  |
Highlights & Experiences
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 a traditional shark farmer, turf farmsteads and churches
Relax in the Blue Lagoon and learn about living with volcanoes
See Icelandic horses, taste freshly baked hot spring bread and enjoy a fjord cruise
Six evenings Northern Lights Academy (Winter 20/21: Five evenings Northern Light Academy)
Program offered in two group sizes: maximum 16 or 45 persons
New: Optional ice cave tour at Vatnajökull glacier for departures between November 15th and March 15th
Groups with max 35 people on Fridays
Winter 2021/2022 | Price:
EUR 1.639 per person (double/twin room, breakfast included)
EUR 2.079 per person (single room, breakfast included)
Winter 2022/2023 | Price
EUR 1.749 per person (double/twin room, breakfast included)
EUR 2.222 per person (single room, breakfast included)
Groups with max 16 people on Tuesdays
Winter 2021/2022 | Price:
EUR 2.310 per person (double/twin room, breakfast included)
EUR 2.739 per person (single room, breakfast included)
Winter 2022/2023 | Price
EUR 2.343 per person (double/twin room, breakfast included)
EUR 2.794 per person (single room, breakfast included)
Price Includes
• 7 nights accommodation at comfort tourist-class hotels
• 7x breakfast
• 6 days escorted bus tour with English-speaking guide/driver-guide
• Arrival & departure airport transfer by Flybus shuttle (no guide)
• Visit traditional shark curing farm
• Guided tour into Vatnshellir cave
• Hot spring Tasting with geothermal cooked bread & eggs
• Visit Icelandic horse stable & geothermal greenhouse
• Visit Lava Exhibition Center
• Skógar folk museum & turf houses
• Entrance with towel to Blue Lagoon
• Northern Lights program
Price Excludes
• Any private expenses
• Any additional services
• All meals not listed under “included”
• Single supplement (mandatory when in a single room)
Complementaries
• Entrance fees
• Free Wi-Fi on the bus
• Use of ice grippers spikes for shoes
• Use of flashlight
Additional services
• Extra night in Reykjavik before/after the tour – on request
• Optional ice cave visit (mid-November to mid-March)
Itinerary:
Day 1 Welcome to Iceland
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle from Keflavik International airport to your accommodation in Reykjavik where you spend the night.
Overnight location:
Hotel Klettur, Reykjavík. Dinner is on your own. (50km / 31mls)
Day 2 Reykjavik City Tour & Borgarfjordur Saga Valley
At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group the highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital. Then we head west. Borgarfjörður is known as the Saga Valley because of its many important historical events. We 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 Northern Lights. After dinner, we step into the hotel garden in search of the Northern Lights followed by a hot cup of chocolate or tea.
Overnight location:
Icelandair Hotel Hamar, Borgarnes. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (245km / 152mls)
Day 3 Snæfellsnes Peninsula & Fjord Cruise
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 its length. We enjoy a cruise in the Breiðafjörður fjord and later a uniquely Icelandic “treat“ awaits us at Bjarnarhöfn, where they make Hákarl – the fermented shark. Depending on road and weather conditions, we visit the fishing village of Grundarfjörður, a place with an impressive coastline and mountains, lakes and waterfalls behind the village. Jutting out into the bay rises one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland, Mt. Kirkjufell. 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.
Winter 2019/2020
Overnight location:
Icelandair Hotel Hamar, Borgarnes. Breakfast & light lunch included. Dinner is on your own. (250km / 155mls)
Winter 2020/2021
Overnight location:
Icelandair Hotel Hamar, Borgarnes. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (215km / 134mls)
Day 4 Golden Circle, Geothermal Taste & Icelandic Horse
Today we travel along the Hvalfjörður fjord. The first stop is at an Icelandic wool outlet store, to see what they do with all those sheep! We continue inland to Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We travel the Golden Circle route, 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 double waterfall of Gullfoss. In the afternoon, you learn about the Icelandic horse, its unique qualities and history and visit a geothermal greenhouse, before we reach 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.
Overnight location:
Landhotel in Hella, South Iceland. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (260km / 162mls)
Day 5 Natural Wonders of South Iceland & Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
Today we travel along the South coast. At the Lava & Volcano Exhibition Center, we 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 we 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 Northern Lights search.
Winter 2019/2020
Overnight location:
Hotel Klaustur, Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (205km / 127mls)
Winter 2020/2021
Overnight location:
Fosshotel Núpar, Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (225km / 140mls)
Day 6 Vatnajökull National Park & Glacier including Glacial Lagoon and Diamond Beach
Today’s program is all about glaciers, ice and icebergs. We travel to Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs, and 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 one more chance of seeing the Northern Lights shimmering and dancing across the night sky.
Optional Ice Cave Tour offered between November 15th and March 15th
The tour takes about 2,5 hours in total – nearly 30-minute drive by 4×4 vehicle from the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and 5-15 minutes hike (one-way). You spend about one hour inside the ice cave. You need good hiking boots, warm clothing that keeps you dry from the dripping water in the ice cave. Minimum age is 10 years old. The ice cave tour can only be booked on day 2 of Northern Lights Exploration tour. You will have to fill in and sign an order form, once done a cancellation is not possible. Ice cave bookings have to be finalised with the guide by dinner time on day 2 of the tour. Bookings afterwards cannot be accommodated due to limited space. The price is ISK 23.000 (about EUR 210) per person; subject to change. Payment is due with the ice cave tour operator on day 6 in Icelandic Krona – cash only! The ice cave explorers meet their local guide at the glacier lagoon at 14:00 and will be brought back to the hotel after the ice cave tour, while the rest of the group continues the official tour program. The ice cave explorers will miss out on some of the official tour programs, as there is no time for everything, but the stop and visit at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon are included for all group members.
Winter 2019/2020
Overnight location:
Hotel Klaustur, Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (245km / 152mls)
Winter 2020/2021
Overnight location:
Fosshotel Núpar, Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (197km / 122mls)
Day 7 South Shore, Reykjavík & Blue Lagoon
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.
Winter 2019/2020
Overnight location:
Hotel Klettur, Reykjavík. Breakfast & Farewell dinner included (375km / 233mls)
Blue Lagoon visit in the evening. Tour ends around midnight.
Winter 2020/2021
Overnight location:
Hotel Klettur, Reykjavík. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (375km / 233mls)
Blue Lagoon visit is in the afternoon. Tour ends around 7pm.
Farewell dinner is excluded
Day 8 Departure Home
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from your accommodation in Reykjavik to Keflavik International Airport.
Breakfast included. (50km / 31mls)
