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Northern Lights Exploration - Small Group

Northern Lights Exploration - Small Group
Northern Lights Exploration - Small Group
Northern Lights Exploration - Small Group
Northern Lights Exploration - Small Group
Northern Lights Exploration - Small Group

Explore the best of Western, Southern & Southeast Iceland in the wintertime: discover the Golden Circle, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the Blue Lagoon, the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and the Black lava beach. Climb a volcano, embark on a fjord cruise, stop at a shark farmer, meet Icelandic horses on a farm, see turf farmsteads and churches. Optional ice cave tour at Vatnajökull glacier from mid-November to mid-March & optional Northern Lights by boat cruise from Reykjavík. A bestseller with up to 98% chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

Tour Itinerary

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.

  • Overnight in Reykjavik

At 9:00 am, meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start the Reykjavik sightseeing tour.  Then head west towards Borgarnes. Learn about Iceland’s past at the Settlement Center. Then continue to Borgarfjörur, known as the Saga Valley due to the many historical events. Explore the Grábrók volcano crater and visit Europe’s most powerful hot spring, Deildartunguhver. Our next stop is Hraunfossar, which represents a series of waterfalls dropping from beneath a lava field; the most famous is Barnafoss, with its own sad history. In the afternoon, you will hear a lecture about the Northern Lights. After the dinner, step outside the hotel garden, and you might get lucky and see the Northern Lights. 

Overnight in Borgarnes (breakfast)

  • Borgarnes breakfast
  • Overnight in Borgarnes

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula is often called "the peninsula of the snowy mountains." It stretches out from the west coast like an extended arm with a clenched fist. The island is a microcosm with a unique climate, nature, and landscape. A rugged mountain ridge runs its length. We will visit the fishing town of Grundarfjörður, with a stunning coastline and mountains, lakes, and waterfalls behind it. Kirkjufell, one of Iceland's most photographed and famous mountains, sticks out into the bay. We will visit Arnarstapi and Hellnar before exploring the area from below, inside Vatnsellir cave. We will descend 35 meters below the ground's surface and about 200 meters into the lava tube under the Snæfellsjokull glacier.

On our way back to Borgarnes, the guide will offer some advice on photographing the Northern Lights, which is part of the Northern Lights Academy program. Then, once the darkness falls, we will step outside the hotel to chase the Northern Lights and soak in the hotel's outdoor hot tubs.

 Overnight in Borgarnes (breakfast, lunch).

  • Borgarnes breakfast, lunch
  • Overnight in Borgarnes

Today we will travel along the Hvalfjörður fjord. We will stop briefly at the Icelandic wool outlet store and check out all the wonderful Icelandic wool products! Then we keep going inland to Thingvellir National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and important for its geology and history.

Later, we will explore the famous Golden Circle area and see the steam rising from the geothermal fields at Geysir. The chef at Restaurant Geysir invites you to try local bread that is freshly baked in hot springs and served with Icelandic butter, hard-boiled eggs, and herring. Our next stop is at Gullfoss, a double waterfall.

In the afternoon, we get to know the Icelandic horses, the history of this unique breed, and its distinctive features. We will visit a geothermal greenhouse to learn about growing tomatoes in Iceland. In the evening, we will step into the darkness to search for the elusive Northern Lights.

Overnight in Hella (breakfast)

  • Hella breakfast
  • Overnight in Hella

Today we travel along the south coast. Learn about geology and active volcanoes at the Lava and Volcano Exhibition Center. Further east, we visit one of Iceland's most exciting folk museums. This museum has a great collection of farm and home items from Iceland's past and a few houses made of turf. Nearby is one of the most impressive in the country, a 60-meter-high Skógafoss waterfall. Stroll on the black lava beach and along the bird cliffs in the afternoon at Reynisfjara in south Iceland.

We will spend the next two nights near Kirkjubæjarklaustur in the Vatnajökull National Park region, located in darkness and ideal for a Northern Lights search.

 Overnight in Kirkjubæjarklaustur area (breakfast)

  • Kirkjubæjarklaustur area breakfast
  • Overnight in Kirkjubæjarklaustur area

Today is dedicated to Iceland's magnificent icebergs and glaciers. We travel to the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in the morning, where there are icebergs floating nearby and seals enjoying the frigid waters. Stroll along Diamond Beach, which is surrounded by stranded icebergs and has black sand.

We spend the afternoon in Europe's biggest national park, home to Iceland's highest mountains, an alpine setting, Europe's biggest glacier, and the tiny turf church at Hof.

In this isolated and tranquil setting, take care not to fall asleep too early or you might miss the Northern Lights shimmering and dancing over the night sky.

Overnight in Kirkjubæjarklaustur (breakfast)

 

Options: Ice Cave Tour
  • Kirkjubæjarklaustur breakfast
  • Overnight in Kirkjubæjarklaustur

The Eldhraun lava field separates Kirkjubaejarklaustur from the settlement of Vik, where we head after breakfast. Enjoy the breathtaking views of lava fields and black sand beach with its towering bird cliffs and crashing surf.
We reach the tall and narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which descends from the mountain further to the west. We get to relax in the renowned Blue Lagoon in the afternoon.
We arrive in Reykjavik for our final night in the evening.

Overnight in Reykjavik (breakfast)

  • Reykjavik breakfast
  • Overnight in Reykjavik

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

Customer reviews

John Peters 2 April 2023
My wife and I had a GREAT time. The tour guide, Simone de Greef, really made the tour the joy it was. The Ice Cave tour (extra) was so much more worth it than I had imagined. The Lava Tube tour was also great. The frozen water falls were beyond expectations. All the Iceland history, legends, sagas, geology, volcanic discussions & views provided by Simone were great too
Marlene Arlotta 24 March 2023
Hi Bobby: My clients returned home yesterday, and they had a fabulous time. Samona, their tour guide was top of the line knowledgeable and helpful in every way. Maybe you can provide that feedback to the people that run the tour company. They had a great display of the Northern lights from one side of the night sky to the other. Thanks for all you did to make this trip possible for my clients. Take good care, and please be sure to give the kudos to Samona.
Warmest regards,
Marlene
Denise Calabrese & Chris Calabrese 9 October 2019
Our first kudos go to Susie Main who was extremely accommodating and helped us to book an amazing tour. She was very patient with questions and very thorough - a big thank you to her! .This small group tour of 12 with Thor as our driver/guide was amazing and even better than we had hoped it could be! The vehicle was perfect as well as the Itinerary and we saw Northern lights a bunch of nights with Friday 27th being a spectacular event! Thor was the perfect guide and made all of the difference. He was extremely helpful with taking photographs of the Northern Lights and filled with so much great information. He couldn't be any more accommodating. The Itinerary was perfect - I can't think of a thing that I would change . Thor was flexible and sensitive to our needs yet kept us on schedule so that we didn't miss a thing. The hotels were fine and even the places that we stopped for lunch were reasonable with good food. While the trip was well planned I do believe that our guide made all of the difference between great and superb! I would highly recommend this trip to all!
Ricardo H 14 December 2017
We are just back from our visit to Iceland. We did the Northern Lights Exploration tour. The tour was well organized, and we are very happy we booked our travel with you. Everything was absolutely terrific, and we had a really good time. Everything was exactly as described on your website. Your support before the trip was very beneficial. Iceland is fabulous and this tour unveils all its beauties. We would highly recommend this tour.
Best regards,
Ricardo H
Margarita and Paul 14 December 2017
Hi, With many thanks for a very well organized tour, I would like to encourage those who are still doubting if this tour is worth your attention. I can say that during this trip to Iceland I had the experience of my lifetime. It was exciting with the unexpected experiences and fantastic views. Most of the hotels we stayed at were nice and comfortable. The food was good , the guides helpful and very friendly, but nothing can compare to the unseen landscapes, glaciers, hot pools and Northen lights. We were so lucky to see Aurora in all splendor. This cannot be forgotten soon. Now when I look at the photos I cannot believe I experienced all this with my own eyes. I highly recommend this tour if you look for something unusual ans exciting.

Margarita and Paul
FRED THOMAS 11 December 2017
Hi, This tour was awesome! We are so happy we booked this tour from you. Each day of this tour was filled with different experience . We enjoyed the Fjord cruise, immensely. The Waterfalls, Glaciers, Ice-Bergs, Lava rocks , Sheep & Horses in the landscape - all was so awesome. The itinerary was very well-planned and we saw and learned so much of everything. The Icelandic food was great , the service everywhere was incomparable. Great country! The only disappointment was we spent too little time at Blue Lagoon. We needed more time to enjoy its beauty and comfort. All in all, the tour was fantastic. We brought home loads of good memories. We recommend anyone to contact Nordic Saga and book their tours if you want truly to enjoy Iceland. They are great experts and will choose the best tour for you.

FRED THOMAS
Karina N, London 5 December 2017
Our last trip to Iceland was a miracle. The nature here is fantastic, especially in autumn and winter when you have a chance to see Northern lights. Beyond these fantastic sights, you'll also are getting a lot of information from local guides with a genuine love for their country. Our guide Johannes was nothing but a gem, he was tailoring our agenda to weather and timing to make sure we got the most out of each agenda. Exploring Iceland on your own could be less expensive but you would definitely miss a lot of charm and information. We booked the tour through Nordic Saga Tours and were very happy we did this. Professional guides with well-tailored agenda is a little more expensive but it's definitely worth it, especially in the months with shorter days.

Karina N, London
Judith and Harry Leiser 28 March 2017
Loved the itinerary. It packed a lot into a week. Was very disappointed, we were not made aware of luggage charges on JetBlue. Then after traveling all day and night, no accommodation had been made with CenterHotel Plaza for early check-in. Our group of 10 had had little to no sleep, so exploring Rekjavik while waiting for a room was not a welcome option. We waited 5 hours for our key. Our bus driver was excellent; Very skilled. In contrast, our guide Andre seemed unprepared, often reading info from the same written material we were given. We even took to checking facts on Google, when he spoke off the top of his head. Our first night in the countryside, Andre told us he would check us into hotel, while we retrieved our luggage, then give out room keys. We stood in the lobby waiting his direction, when he simply went down the hall to his room. He did not know what our problem was! Told us to check in at desk ourselves. His English was quite good, but had no real communication skills. We wondered if this was his first day on the job with no training. His shortcomings continued throughout the week. In summary, Andre and the Centerhotel were our only dissappointments
Wilson Kaprelian 5 September 2014
Dear Bobby, My wife and I send our thanks. You really helped us plan such a wonderful Iceland Northern Lights tour and we can't thank you enough for your patience with us. I know we changed our plans more than a couple of times but this was our first time Iceland and first time Northern Lights :-), so obviously we had our doubts and questions.. I don't really have any complaints as I feel everything went as planned and the time allotted for each destination was favorable. The weather was cold and sometimes very rainy, but we expected that and dressed accordingly. It did not damper our moods in the slightest. We loved the country and all it threw our way. The hotels were cozy, and I really liked our guides. Please tell them thanks for us. If we ever plan to head out on another Iceland tour, you will be receiving a call, that's for sure.
Cheers,
Wilson Kaprelian
Adriana Boerio 4 September 2014
Susie, Wow! I wanted to thank you for such a great trip to Iceland last year. We went at the coldest time, but in my personal opinion, that's the best time! We got to experience rugged and wild Iceland like I always imagined it to be. Amazing country full of great history and incredible people. Really enjoyed the Blue Lagoon and getting to experience the Northern Lights of course. The food, culture, and gift shops all around Reykjavik were lovely and I was able to do a ton of shopping. Again, thanks for your help! If I travel to Iceland again, I'll give you a call.
Best,
Adriana Boerio
Meryl and Felicity Urman 4 September 2014
Hi Alex! My sister and I went on your Northern Lights tour of Iceland at the beginning of March and I realized I never got around to telling you how it was! We really, really enjoyed ourselves. While the weather was definitely chilly, it was worth it! We got to see the Northern Lights a few nights when it was clear out and we just couldn't get over how beautiful it was. What a unique experience. We loved trying Icelandic food and really enjoyed the guides' storytelling in each location we visited. Overall, a really great time and marvelous trip to Iceland. Thanks! Cheers,

Meryl and Felicity Urman
Rick Jenkins 4 September 2014
Dear Bobby, Wanted to give you a shout and say my vacation in Iceland was successful and very pleasant back in February. Loved the hotels, the food, the people, and definitely enjoyed the scenery. I was able to get a few great photos of the Aurora Borealis one night and am pleased with that whole experience. Never thought I'd get to see such beauty in person. I definitely had to try the fermented shark and must admit it was worth trying, but I don't know if I'd eat it again. I'd love to see the other side of the country in the future, so when I'm able to plan another trip to Iceland, I'll be in touch.

Rick Jenkins
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