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Explore breathtaking sights, soak in a natural hot spring and watch the Northern Lights dance in the Arctic Sky!
Embark on the Golden Circle journey that will take you to some of the most picture-postcard hotspots in Iceland. Take in the magnificent sights of Thingvellir National Park, the dazzling hot springs at Geysir, and the thunderous Gullfoss.
We wrap up the day with a soak in the magical Secret Lagoon. As night falls, we’ll hit the road on an unforgettable hunt for the Northern Lights. Your guide will take you to the perfect spot to gaze at the glimmering aurora and take free photos of you to make this adventure truly memorable!
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Get the best value for money by booking a combo tour for up to 10% less!
Thingvellir National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a world-famous cultural wonder. Here Vikings founded one of the world’s first parliaments, the Althingi, in 930 c.e. Thingvellir famously lies in a rift valley between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are constantly moving apart from each other at the rate of 2cm (0.8 in) annually!
Geysir, the source of the English word geyser, has always been a huge attraction in Iceland! Even though today it sits dormant in Haukadalur Valley, neighboring Strokkur never fails to disappoint, bursting up into the sky every 4-10 minutes in a spectacular show! In the Geysir Geothermal Area, you’ll have the opportunity to walk among the bubbling hot springs in the steam-filled air and take in the true power of untouched Icelandic nature.
Gullfoss Waterfall (Golden Falls), which drops into Hvítá River Canyon, is the signature card of waterfalls in Iceland. Listed as one of the top 10 waterfalls in the world, this destination draws thousands of guests every year. The source of the falls, Hvita River, flows from Langjökull, the second largest glacier in Iceland after Vatnajökull. This iconic, two-tiered cascade has spectacular views from many different angles, so we recommend to walk around within the trail for that perfect photo!
The Blue Lagoon might be one of the most famous attractions in Iceland, but this geothermal pool claims its rightful place as the oldest. The Secret Lagoon or Gamla Laugin was first dug out in 1891 and is located in the small geothermal village of Flúðir, approximately 1 hour’s drive from Reykjavik. An absolute must-see on the Golden Circle route, this lovely pool is quite picturesque with its calming steam and vibrant green hillocks. On top of that, the little geyser nearby puts up an act every couple of minutes. Don’t miss your chance to visit this little paradise and soak in its mineral-rich warm water!
After the Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon, you’ll be dropped off in Reykjavík for a few hours to refill your energy bar and put on more clothing, as the night’s adventure might get a bit cold.
Once night falls, we’ll embark on our Northern Lights hunt. You’ll be picked up again at 20:30 (8:30 p.m.), this time by your expert aurora guide, who will drive you out to secret viewpoints. The guides know the locations with as little light pollution as possible for the best viewing of the Northern Lights playing in the dark skies.
We’ll drive out to the best point in the auroral zone, which varies depending on solar activity. When the stream of charged particles from the Sun, i.e. the solar wind, enters Earth’s magnetic field, the resulting light emissions appear in the atmosphere as the Northern Lights.
All in all, we can’t tell you exactly where we’ll go, as the aurora borealis tends to be unpredictable, but our guides do their utmost to carefully monitor the weather and aurora forecasts so you have the best chance of glimpsing this light show. Witnessing the Northern Lights dancing in the night sky above Iceland’s wild and untamed landscape is an experience you’ll not soon forget!
During the celestial light show, the guide will take complimentary photos of you and the Aurora, so you can take souvenirs of your adventure home!
Pickup: Pick up starts at 08:00 am from your accommodation or a nearby authorized meeting point in Reykjavik. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s pick-up list.
For the Northern Lights adventure, pick-up is at either 20:30 (8:30 p.m.) or 21:30 (9:30 p.m.), depending on the season. You’ll find the actual pickup time on your final voucher. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s pick-up list.
Since the spectacle of the Northern Lights is very much weather-dependent, if no aurora is seen, you’ll have unlimited re-tries valid for up to 3 years. That’s right, you’ll be able to re-join the chase of Northern Lights until it’s a successful one!
What to do in this case? Our Customer Care is ready to help you and book your next re-try.
Please keep in mind that refunds are not issued when a tour takes place but no Northern Lights are seen. During a re-try, the tour is operated on a minibus.
These are two separate tours and if one of the tours gets canceled, the other will still be available for you to join.
The Northern Lights are natural phenomena and we unfortunately cannot promise you will see them on our tours. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions, which are factors entirely out of our control.
For more information on the Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights information.
Since the spectacle of the Northern Lights is very much weather-dependent, if no aurora is seen, you’ll have unlimited re-tries valid for up to 3 years. That’s right, you’ll be able to re-join the chase of Northern Lights until it’s a successful one!
What to do in this case? Our Customer Care is ready to help you and book your next re-try.
Please keep in mind that refunds are not issued when a tour takes place but no Northern Lights are seen. During a re-try, the tour is operated on a minibus.
When Northern Lights tours are cancelled it’s usually due to unfavourable weather conditions.
In that case, your options will be to:
1. Reschedule for another day.
2. Find another tour to embark on and use the deposit for it.
3. Get fully refunded.
Please contact our Customer Care team to re-book your tour.
The Northern Lights are a pretty difficult thing to predict. You can check the Icelandic Meteorological Office website to see the forecast - if the level is high and the skies are clear then it’s very likely that the tour is going ahead. We do update our website’s tour departure sheet with the information at 17:00 at the latest. If the tour is canceled, you will receive an email from us notifying you.
If we think there is no chance at all of seeing the lights, we will cancel the tour. We don’t want to bring you out and disappoint you if there will definitely be no aurora activity.
Yes, the guide will take a photo of you with the Northern Lights behind you. These can be single or group photos and are free of charge.
The Northern Lights season is said to be from late August until mid-April. However, if you want to increase your chances of seeing them, it is best to wait until the colder winter months, from mid-September until March.
This is a great question. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated. This is because you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the start time that you chose when booking the tour.
Here you should wait for your guide.
Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.
View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.
Before and during activities on the multi-day tours consumption of alcohol is prohibited. If we suspect that a participant is intoxicated, we will prohibit them from joining the activity.
After the activities of the day are finished, you are welcome to have a drink and relax.
Yes, we do. Langjökull Ice Cave is a magical experience, the tour has no minimum age and is a wonderful option for the whole family. Whale Watching with our partner company Elding has been a favourite with families traveling with young children, these guys have a great success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).
Another option would be the Landmannalaugar Safari on this tour you get to explore parts of the Icelandic highlands and bathe in natural hot springs. Most of our super jeep tours are also suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. If you would like a nice and relaxing experience we would also recommend the Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.
Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, Arctic Adventures reserves the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.
Yes, there is a specially trained and certified guide on each of our tours. The only exception to this is for our self-drive tours.
All of our tours are guided in English.
No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.
The standard in Iceland is 230V and 50Hz and we use F-type power sockets and plugs, so you might have to bring an adaptor if you are visiting from UK, USA, Canada or other countries using a different voltage, Hz or plugs.
Our tours are split into four different categories that help participants to understand what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. Each tour is rated making it easier to find tours that suit you.
For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.
We’ve partnered with the Kolviður Fund in a new carbon offsetting program, which passengers can select to participate in at the time of booking.
The Kolviður Fund is the oldest, most respected carbon offsetting program in Iceland. With your support, one tree will be planted in special Kolviður forests in Iceland to carbon offset your tour with us.
Kolviður forests are strategically planted to absorb the maximum amount of CO2 and the forests are protected for a minimum of 60 years. During their lifetime the trees absorb carbon and store it in their root system, trunk, and branches. Trees also prevent soil erosion and maintain storage of carbon in the soil.
Yes, we offer the tour Golden Circle small group tour which is basically the Golden Circle with some extra stops. This tour is focusing on sightseeing and the history of Iceland. Our stops are Gullfoss waterfall, Þingvellir national park (home to one of the first parliaments of the world), Geysir hot spring area and the historic Skálholt cathedral. View Golden Circle Tours.
We offer numerous options to spice up your Golden Circle tour and make the most of your day. Here is a list of some great tours.
All year-around options:
Summer season:
Winter season:
The tour is based around the three most popular attractions in Iceland Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and The Great Geysir. We offer several Golden Circle trips that combine sightseeing with some of our adventure tours.
