The Northern Lights Explorer

Best selling guided tour for the last 5 years! Experience the best of Iceland's winter! The Northern Lights Explorer package is designed to include a lot of Iceland and aim to maximise the chances of seeing the elusive Northern Lights. In addition to 7 nights accommodation with breakfast, the program includes six nights Northern Lights Academy with 6 evenings of presentations, lectures and guided tours at spots likely to offer a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. You can choose to depart on normal tour with maximum 45 people per tour or travel in smaller group with maximum 16 people per tour.

Highlights

• Best guided tour to see a lot of Iceland and maximise chances of seeing the Northern Lights
• See waterfalls, lava fields, fjords, geysers, hot springs, glaciers, icebergs, black lava beaches
• Fully guided tour, choice to travel with small or large group
• Optional ice cave tour (departures between Oct-April)
• Realistic chance of catching the Northern Lights on this tour 85-98%!!

Day 1 - Welcome to Iceland (50 km/31 mls)

Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from Keflavik Airport to your accommodation in Reykjavík where you‘ll spend the night. We‘ll provide some ideas to help you explore Iceland's capital on your own.

Accommodation: Hotel Klettur. Breakfast included.

Day 2 - Reykjavik City Tour & Borgarfjörður Saga Valley (245 km/152 mls)

At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group the highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital. Then we head west. We 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 Northern Lights. After dinner, step into the hotel garden in search of the Northern Lights followed by a hot cup of chocolate or tea.

Accommodation: Hotel Hamar. Breakfast included.

Day 3 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula & Lava Cave (300 km/186 mls)

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. 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.

Accommodation: Hotel Hamar. Breakfast & light lunch included.

Day 4 - Golden Circle, Geothermal Taste & Icelandic Horse (260 km/162 mls)

Travel along the Hvalfjörður fjord. The first stop is Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. 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, 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.

Accommodation: Landhotel near Hella or similar. Breakfast included

Day 5 - Natural Wonders of South Iceland & Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (225km/140 mls)

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 Northern Lights search.

Accommodation: Fosshótel Núpar near Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Breakfast included.

Day 6 - Vatnajökull National Park and Glaciers (200km/125mls)

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 Excursion: Ice Cave Tour (October - April, Weather permitted)

Lasting approximately 2.5 hours, the tour commences with a scenic 30-minute 4×4 drive from the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, followed by a 5-15 minute hike to the cave entrance. Once inside, you’re enveloped in a surreal world of breathtaking beauty. Nature’s artistry is on full display as you behold awe-inspiring ice formations, their hues of blue evoking a sense of otherworldly wonder. The air is crisp, the silence profound, creating an ethereal ambiance that captivates the senses. This adventure offers a rare glimpse into the raw power and majesty of Iceland’s icy terrain—a memory to cherish for a lifetime. Priced at ISK 23,600 per person, the tour requires good hiking boots and warm, waterproof clothing to ensure comfort and safety. With a minimum age requirement of 10 years old, booking is available on day 2 of the Northern Lights Exploration tour. After the cave exploration, participants are escorted back to the hotel, while the remainder of the group continues the official tour program. The ice cave explorers will miss out on some of the official tour program, as there is not time for everything. The stop and visit at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is included for all group members., ensuring a comprehensive and unforgettable Icelandic adventure.

Accommodation: Fosshótel Núpar near Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Breakfast included.

Day 7 - South Shore & Blue Lagoon (365 km/227 mls)

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.

Accommodation: Hotel Klettur. Breakfast included.

Day 8 - Departure Home (50 km/31 mls)

Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport.

Daily driving: Total mileage without airport transfer is about 1.695 km (1053 miles) which is an average of 242 km (150 miles) per day. You spend about 3,5 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. Accommodations are subject to change.