5-Days New Year's Northern Lights Adventure Multi-day tour
Our partner: GJ Travel
Description
You explore Reykjavík, the lunar landscapes of the Reykjanes peninsula, and the Golden Circle route with the Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and Geysir hot springs. You travel to South Iceland, a region with glaciers, waterfalls and black lava beaches. Of course, a warm and relaxing soak in the famous Blue Lagoon during the cold winter days is also included.
What´s Included
- Arrival & departure airport transfer by FLYBUS (no guide)
- Fully escorted 3-day coach tour with English speaking guide
- Bonfire and New Year's Celebration Tour
- 4-night accommodation, rooms with private shower/wc
- Daily breakfast,
- 4-course festive dinner on the 31st of December
- Fine dining at restaurant in downtown Reykjavik on January 1st including transfers
- Northern Lights program during two evenings
- Blue Lagoon with entrance and use of towel
- Skógar Folk Museum & Turf houses
Additional information
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- For this program, we use budget accommodation to offer an attractive package price. You get great value for money. First and last night is at Hotel Cabin (small rooms). 2nd & 3rd night are at Árhús Cabins in Hella, South Iceland, where 23 simple cottages with shower/wc are located in a large garden right on the river banks in Hella. Árhús Cabins are popular with outdoor active guests and families traveling with children. All cottages are equipped with a small kitchenette and free Wi-Fi. There is a restaurant on premises, and the program includes 2x breakfast and 1x festive 4-course dinner.
- This program includes during two evenings a combination of presentations, lectures, film and guided Northern Lights searches in the hotel garden in South Iceland. The tour is dependent on weather, and therefore sightings are not guaranteed. The Northern Lights are in the northern sky from September through April but are only visible when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many of nature's wonders, it's ephemeral – they may be visible, they may appear for a bit and then be gone (it is not a TV show that you can just turn on and off). But it's worth the patience required. Because they're a winter event, you need to be prepared to wait outside, while looking for them. It's best to dress very warmly, in layers, with good footwear, gloves, hats and whatever else will make you comfortable while you await this truly outstanding event. For the best photos, we recommend using a tripod.
- Itineraries may be subject to change at short notice during severe weather conditions and certain outdoor activities/day trips may be canceled 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.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
- You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
- complimentary: Free Wi-Fi on the bus
- Optional glacier hike on day 3 (booked online)
- Optional Northern Lights cruise
Itinerary
DAY 1
Welcome to Iceland
Welcome to Iceland
The Flybus shuttle brings travellers from Keflavík International Airport to Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík where you spend one night. We provide you with ideas on how to explore Iceland’s capital on your own.
Overnight location:
Hotel Cabin (Standard room is 10m²), Reykjavík. A la Carte dinner is on your own (50km / 31mls)
DAY 2
Reykjavik City Tour & The Blue Lagoon
Reykjavik City Tour & The Blue Lagoon
At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital. Then we head out to the Reykjanes Peninsula with its hot springs, mountains, bird cliffs, lighthouses and fishing villages. At the end of the day, we get to soak off our travels in the warm blue waters of the famous Blue Lagoon. We stay for two nights in simple cottages in South Iceland.
In the evening you have a presentation about the Northern Lights. If the night is clear, step out in the garden and check if the Northern Lights are visible. Also, known as the Aurora Borealis, these spectacular skylight shows can frequently be seen in Iceland from September through April on clear and crisp nights. White and green are usually the dominant colours of northern lights, but sometimes there are considerable colour variations. They are ephemeral; however, sightings are not guaranteed. The grounds of Arhús Cabins in Hella are very large and dark that offers you an excellent location for Northern Lights search if the weather conditions are right. It requires patience, warm clothing and the excitement of “maybe there are Northern Lights”.
Overnight location:
Arhus Cottages, Hella. Breakfast included. A la Carte dinner is on your own (220km / 137mls)
DAY 3
South Iceland & New Years Celebration
South Iceland & New Years Celebration
After breakfast, we head along the South coast and get out near the active volcano that is beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. We stop at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountain. There’s a trail that goes behind the falling water and offers impressive views if you are prepared to get wet! Further east we visit one of Iceland’s finest folk museums. This museum contains an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artefacts typical of Iceland’s past, as well as turf-built houses. Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 62 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country.
In the afternoon we offer an optional glacier walk on Sólheimarjökull’s glacier tongue. If you don’t book the glacier hike, the tour continues further south where you walk on the famous Black Lava Beach at Reynisfjara, observe the Cap of Dyrhólaey and the Reynisdrangar Sea Cliffs before visiting the charming village of Vík.
In the evening we celebrate New Year the Icelandic way. Before dinner, we join a guided bus tour to visit the bonfires in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Brenna bonfires of New Year’s Eve had their origins in the Middle Ages when people built bonfires to burn the old things they no longer needed. In Iceland, there are bonfires all around the country where inhabitants gather, shoot off fireworks, sing and dance as they wait for the New Year to come in.
Your festive 4-course dinner starts around 20:30 and is served at Árhús Restaurant on the river banks in Hella, which is a small village in South Iceland. Around 23:30 one of the local rescue team members joins our group and lights our own small fireworks. Afterwards, we walk through the village and celebrate New Year’s with a bang when at midnight the sky opens with thousands of fireworks set off in the village by the local inhabitants. This is an experience of a lifetime; you will never forget. Drink a toast of sparkling wine as you enjoy a real special Icelandic New Year’s celebration.
If the night is clear, you might be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights swirling in a wild and carefree dance across the heavens in dramatic shapes, colours, patterns and sizes.
Overnight location:
Arhus Cottages, Hella. Breakfast included. Festive 4-course dinner (200km / 124mls)
DAY 4
Golden Circle & Culinary Experience
Golden Circle & Culinary Experience
Today we travel on the Golden Circle route. You see steam from the Geysir geothermal fields as you arrive. There are a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur “the Churn” which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. You continue to Gullfoss “the golden falls”, a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá river, and attracts tourists and travellers in summer and winter. We travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site before returning to Reykjavík for one night. Overnight at Hotel Cabin. (Upgrade option is with lodging at Hotel Klettur in Reykjavík). The program includes a culinary treat at a restaurant located in the heart of downtown Reykjavík.
Overnight location:
Hotel Cabin (Standard room is 10m²), Reykjavík. Breakfast included. Culinary dinner experience (200km / 124mls)
DAY 5
Departure Home
Departure Home
Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport.
Breakfast included. (50km / 31mls)