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Iceland Northern Lights Exploration

8 days
7 nights

Rates

Dates

Rates:

USD
EUR

PER PERSON :

Nov 2024 - April 2024
$ 2,075.00 (double occupancy)
$ 2,355.00 (single occupancy)

CHILDREN DISCOUNT: 20% discount for children 2-11 yrs of age if sharing room with 2 adults. Triple rooms are actually double rooms with extra bed, ideal for 2 adults and 1 child.

Dates:

Feb 16, 2024 - Feb 23, 2024 
Feb 23, 2024 - Mar 01, 2024 
Mar 01, 2024 - Mar 08, 2024 
Mar 08, 2024 - Mar 15, 2024 
Mar 15, 2024 - Mar 22, 2024 
Mar 22, 2024 - Mar 29, 2024 
Mar 29, 2024 - Apr 05, 2024 
Apr 05, 2024 - Apr 12, 2024 

Hotels:

Reykjavik - Hotel Klettur(2 nights)
Borgarnes Icelandair Hotel Hamar(2 nights)
Hveragerdi - Hotel Eldhestar(1 night)
Fosshotel Núpar(2 nights)

Included:

• 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 the Settlement Center in Borgarnes
• 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

Highlights & Experience:

  • 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. Most nights we stay in the countryside, away from light pollution, in order to maximise the chances to see the Northern Lights
  • 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
  • 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 15

Optional Services:

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.

Aurora Statistics:

Winter 2023-2024  
September 88%
October 74%
November 52%
December 63%
January 60%
February 62%
March 56%
April 54%
Winter avg.

65%

Itinerary:

This has been one of the most popular Iceland Northern Lights tours for the past two winters!

You experience the best of Iceland’s winter! Our Northern Lights Exploration series are designed to include a lot of Iceland and aim to maximize the chances of seeing the elusive Northern Lights. In addition to 7 nights of accommodations with breakfast, the program includes our special 6 night Northern Lights Academy that is a combination of evening presentations, lectures, a movie, and guided searches of the Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights. This is a fully escorted bus tour with guaranteed departures from September to April which can help you experience the winter at its most Icelandic. Both during the day and after dark, as you head to the countryside in West and Southeast Iceland, you will explore the regions from the Snæfellsnes peninsula to the Vatnajökull glacier to search for the Aurora Borealis away from the big city lights. 

Day 1  : Welcome To Iceland (31 mi)

Your exciting tour of Iceland begins today! Individual transfers will take place by the Flybus shuttle from Keflavik Airport to your accommodation in Reykjavík where you will spend the night. We can provide you with some ideas on how to explore Iceland's capital on your own. Overnight in Reykjavik.

Day 2  : Reykjavik City Tour & Borgarfjörður Saga Valley (152 mi)

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 get warmed at Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring which produces 180 liters per second of water that is nearly boiling - 97° Celsius. 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. We spend two nights in Borgarnes, West Iceland. 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 in Borgarnes (B).

Day 3  : Snæfellsnes Peninsula & Fjord Cruise (134 mi)

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. A uniquely Icelandic “treat“ awaits at Bjarnarhöfn, where they make Hákarl – the fermented shark. 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. Overnight in Borgarnes (B, L).

Day 4  : Golden Circle, Geothermal Taste & Icelandic Horses (162 mi)

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 in Hella (B).

Day 5  : Natural Wonders of South Iceland & Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (140 mi)

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. Overnight in Kirkjubæjarklaustur (B).

Day 6  : Vatnajökull National Park & Glacier including Glacial Lagoon & Diamond Beach (122 mi)

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. Overnight in Kirkjubæjarklaustur (B).

 

Options: 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.
Day 7  : South Shore & Blue Lagoon (225 mi)

From Kirkjubæjarklaustur, we will head across the Laki lava field to the village of Vík, where we will make a photo stop. The black lava beach with high bird cliffs and pounding waves is very impressive. Further west we reach the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges over the mountain. There‘s a trail that goes behind the fall which is interesting – if you are prepared to get wet! In the afternoon you return to Reykjavik where you get about 2 hours of leisure time to explore Iceland's capital on your own, visit museums, do some shopping, or simply rest after all this touring. In the evening you get to soak in the famous Blue Lagoon, followed by a traditional Icelandic dinner at the Northern Light Inn Hotel and followed by one last nocturnal tour to seek more Northern Lights. Around midnight we reach Reykjavík for one last night. Overnight in Reykjavik (B).

Blue Lagoon visit is in the afternoon. Tour ends around 7pm.

Day 8  : Departure (31 mi)

Your tour of Iceland ends today. Individual transfers will take place via the Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport.

Notes:

ALL DEPARTURES ARE GUARANTEED!

GROUP SIZE:  35 people maximum

Daily driving: Total mileage without airport transfer is about 1.585 km (983 miles) which is an average of 265 km (164 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.

Extra costs for dinners to be paid at the hotels: Fixed 2-course dinners with fish, meat or vegetarian main courses are available at the hotels starting at $ 80 per person per night. Note, that the country hotels do not offer a la carte meals and there are no other restaurants nearby. Paying for a 2-course dinner directly at the hotel is less expensive than to have it included in the tour package.

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.