Northern Lights Explorer Small Group Tour

Fly to Iceland. Transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from the airport to your hotel in Reykjavík for an overnight stay.

Enjoy a city tour of Reykjavik and discover some of the highlights of Iceland’s capital before heading west to Borgarfjörður Valley, also known as the Saga Valley of West Iceland. Climb Grábrók volcano crater and feel the heat at Deildartunguhver - Europe's most powerful hot spring. Discover the Hraunfossar series of waterfalls pouring from beneath a wide lava field and visit Barnafoss known as the Children’s falls. Check in to your hotel in Borgarnes for two nights and in the afternoon listen to a short lecture about the Northern Lights. After dinner, take a guided walk outside to search for the flickering neon lights in the sky and warm up with a hot chocolate or tea. (B)

Travel to Snaefellsnes Peninsula and discover charming fishing towns. In the afternoon, stop at 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 mountain in Iceland Mt Kirkjufell. Visit Vatnshellir cave and, en route back to Borgarnes, learn some tips on how to photograph the northern lights from your guide. Head outside to await nature’s light show from the hotel’s outdoor hot tubs. (B,L)

Today visit the many and varied sights that make up Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. Travel along the scenic shores of Hvalfjördur and onwards to Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. En route stop at an Icelandic wool outlet store, where those who wish can buy a traditional woollen jumper. At the Geysir geothermal fields discover hot springs, bubbling pools and the erupting Strokkur geyser. Meet the chef of the Geysir Restaurant and taste freshly baked hot spring bread,  geothermally boiled eggs and herring. Continue on to the mighty Gullfoss waterfall and in the afternoon visit a geothermal greenhouse before meeting some Icelandic horses and learning about their history. Spend the night in South Iceland and keep a look out for the elusive Northern Lights from the comfort of a hot tub in the garden of the hotel, amidst the peace and stillness of rural Iceland. (B)

Travel along the south coast and learn about geology and active volcanoes visiting the Lava Exhibition Center in Hvolsvöllur. See Skógafoss waterfall and visit one of Iceland's finest folk museums to discover an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artefacts typical of Iceland’s past. In the afternoon, take a stroll on the black lava beach and along amazing bird cliffs at Reynisfjara in South Iceland. Check in to your hotel near Kirkjubaejarklaustur in Vatnajökull  National Park for two nights. (B)

Explore Vatnajökull National Park, home to Europe’s largest glacier. Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon is one of the many highlights of visiting Iceland - see huge icebergs of various hues floating on the ice-cold waters and search for seals playfully swimming*. Take a walk on the black sand beach - the so-called 'Diamond beach' - among different-sized glaciers flung onto the land by the power of the sea and, in the afternoon, visit the tiny turf church of Hof. In the evening, enjoy a video presentation about the Northern Lights before heading outside where they may be visible dancing across the night sky. (B)

*Please note that an optional 2.5-hour Ice cave tour is also offered between October and April. This can be booked on day 2 and paid locally at ISK 25,000 per person. The ice cave explorers meet their local guide at the glacier lagoon and will be brought back to the hotel after the ice cave tour, while the rest of the group continues the official tour programme. Minimum age is 10 years old.

Discover the impressive Eldhraun lava field and reach Seljalandsfoss waterfall. In the afternoon, visit the Blue Lagoon to relax in its mineral-rich waters. Spend the evening at leisure. (B)