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This 4-day winter tour pairs Iceland's best-known sights with the two experiences that define the cold season: a walk inside a glacier and a night spent looking for the Northern Lights. Small groups, expert guides, and two nights in the South Iceland countryside give you additional opportunities to see the aurora, with the driving and route handled for you.
Days one to three follow the Golden Circle and South Coast. You'll watch Geysir's neighbor Strokkur erupt, stand above Gullfoss, meet Seljalandsfoss, and reach Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. The winter centerpiece is time inside a natural ice cave, with a glacier walk added on departures from October.
On the final day, a round-trip transfer takes you to the Blue Lagoon for a Comfort soak in warm, mineral-rich water. After free time in Reykjavík for dinner, a guided minibus departs to look for the Northern Lights: one last chance to catch the sky in motion before your journey ends.
Availability
Sept–mid-April
Duration
4 days
Departs From
Reykjavik
Level
Easy
Suitable for most people in fair condition.
Expert Guides
• Deep local knowledgeYour days build from active sightseeing to a slower finish. Spend the first three touring, with short walks between stops and, from October, a glacier walk at Skaftafell as the most active part. Two nights are in the South Iceland countryside, the third back in the city. Your fourth day eases off at the Blue Lagoon, then turns to the sky for an evening aurora hunt.
Your first day follows the famous Golden Circle, Iceland's best-known sightseeing route: Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir), Geysir geothermal area, and Gullfoss waterfall. Thingvellir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the historic location of the Icelandic Parliament, the Alþingi. The park is also home to a rift valley between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
At the Geysir geothermal area, the old Geysir now rests quietly, but its neighbor Strokkur puts on a show, throwing boiling water up to 25 m (82 feet) skyward every few minutes. A short drive on, Gullfoss sends the glacial Hvítá river thundering down two tiers into a rugged canyon.
From there, we drive south. On a clear day, the volcano Hekla comes into view before we reach Seljalandsfoss. When conditions allow, you may be able to follow the path behind the waterfall. Your hotel for the night, Hótel Geirland, is in the South Iceland countryside, a dark-sky base with a chance of the aurora if conditions cooperate.
In the morning, we’ll venture east to the magnificent Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where icebergs break off the glacier and drift toward the sea in shades of blue and white. Many wash up on nearby Diamond Beach, resting like scattered gems on the black sand. Be on the lookout for ocean birds and playful seals.
From the coast, we continue to Skaftafell Nature Reserve in Vatnajökull National Park. From October to mid-April, a certified glacier guide leads you onto an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap outside the Arctic, then into a blue ice cave where daylight filters through in deep, glowing tones. September departures come before the Skaftafell ice cave season opens, so they visit the Katla ice cave near the village of Vík instead, without the glacier walk.
Whichever cave you visit, temperatures inside stay well below freezing, so dress warmly. The exact glacier and cave depend on the day's conditions. You'll spend a second night in the South Iceland countryside at Hótel Geirland.
After breakfast, we slowly make our way back toward Reykjavík with stops along the way. If the roads are clear, we’ll start with a detour to Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, a deep, moss-lined gorge carved by a glacial river, then pass the vast Eldhraun lava field, blanketed in gray-green moss.
Next is Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, backed by geometric basalt columns and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks offshore, which local folklore ties to petrified trolls. The Atlantic hits this shore hard, so always follow your guide's lead on where to stand.
Our final stop is Skógafoss, a wide waterfall that drops a whopping 60 m (197 feet) into the river below. A stairway of 527 steps climbs to a viewing platform at the top, with the world-famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano visible in the distance when skies are clear. From here, we return to Reykjavík, where your third night's hotel is booked: Hótel Ísland.
After checking out, your morning in Reykjavík is free to wander, grab coffee, or rest before the afternoon. Around midday, a round-trip transfer takes you to the Blue Lagoon on the Reykjanes peninsula. The default pickup and drop-off point is close to your hotel, with departure at around 11:30 AM.
Comfort admission includes full access to the milky-blue, mineral-rich water, use of a towel, a private locker, one silica mud mask at the in-water mask bar, and one non-alcoholic drink. Sink into the warm lagoon and unwind before returning to Reykjavík.
The evening is yours for dinner in town before the hunt begins. Once your guide collects you, the minibus heads out of the city toward clear skies. Because the forecast shifts daily, we can't say in advance where we'll end up: maybe Hvalfjörður, Þingvellir, the Reykjanes peninsula, or a quiet corner of South Iceland. One thing we can promise is distance from the city glow, and a minibus reaches backroad spots the big coaches can't. Auroras are natural, so no sighting is ever guaranteed, but winter's long, dark nights give you the best odds.
Pickup begins at 9:00 AM from your hotel or a nearby pickup point in Reykjavík. Collecting all guests can take up to 30 minutes, so your exact pickup may fall between 9:00 and 9:30 AM. You'll find every point we serve on the Arctic Adventures pickup list.
For the Day 4 Blue Lagoon transfer, the default pickup and drop-off point is close to your Day 3 hotel, with a departure time of about 11:30 AM. To be collected from another authorized Reykjavík point, request it before the tour departs.
Pickup for the evening Northern Lights tour is at either 8:30 PM or 9:30 PM, usually from your hotel. We'll email each guest the exact pickup point and time for their departure dates. If you'd prefer a different location, contact us in advance.
You can cancel your multi-day tour free of charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled departure. To cancel, simply use the My Adventures portal. If the portal isn’t accessible, you can also send a written cancellation through our customer contact form, signed by the lead traveler. Please note that cancellations made less than 24 hours before departure are non-refundable.
We always recommend booking a multi-day tour starting at least one day after arriving in Iceland. If you’re flying in from the US or will be landing early (4-6:30 am) you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e if the flight gets delayed) and could, therefore, miss out on the tour.
Most of the hotels we use during our tours are remotely located and therefore ideal to spot the northern lights. If the forecast is in your favor, then it is more than likely that you will be able to see the magical show put on by the dancing northern lights during your tour with us. Most of the hotels offer a Northern Lights wake up call up on request if the lights are spotted.
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and therefore we can unfortunately never promise that they will be seen. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions. The best time to see them is between September and March when it’s dark and clear. The sky needs to be as dark as possible, so the best places to see them are well away from city lights (that’s where we are going!).
For more information on the Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights information.
If you are not sure that you have suitable gear for your tour, we offer some necessary items for rent. For most of our multi-day tours, we rent out waterproof jackets and pants as well as hiking boots. You can book these items and more under the selection “Extras” in the booking widget when booking your tour on our website.
If you have already booked the tour and wish to add some rental gear to your booking, you can do so at least 24 hours prior to your tour starts.
For further information about rental gear:
2 Day Tours – Rental Equipment & Upgrades
3 Day Tours – Rental Equipment & Upgrades
4 Day Tours – Rental Equipment & Upgrades
We drive on average around 300 km (186 miles) per day on our multi-day tours. You will be spending approximately 4-5 hours in the car each day. We do of course stop on multiple locations throughout the tour for sightseeing, activities, bathroom breaks and lunch stops.
We do welcome participants of all ages older than the listed minimum age for each tour. We have people of ages ranging from 8-99 years joining our multi-day tours. Our average group usually consists of participants between the age 20-55 years. We do get a lot of solo travellers joining our tours, as well as families and friends.
If you have difficulties participating in any of the activities included in the tour, for example, a glacier activity, you are more than welcome to skip it. You can explore your surroundings in the meantime or wait elsewhere. Our guide should be able to drop you off at a nearby place where there are some services available.
For multi-day tours, each participant is allowed to bring a small backpack and 1 piece of luggage weighing a maximum of 20 kg (44 lbs).
* The combined dimensions of each bag must not exceed 158 cm (62 in).
* It’s possible to store your luggage with us in Reykjavík while you are on your tour, for a small fee. We highly recommend storing the luggage in Reykjavík to help us reduce our carbon footprint.
* Please note that luggage storage is not refundable.
Breakfast is included at all the hotels we stay in during the tour. The breakfast will be a typical breakfast buffet, offering bread, toppings, cereal, yogurt, fruits, coffee, and tea etc.
Your guide will also find a good place for the group to eat lunch. We always try to choose places that have a wide selection of dishes on the menu, so there will be options available for everyone. The dinner is usually at the hotels we stay at for the night.
If your tour includes accommodation, breakfast is always included during the tour at the hotel/guesthouse restaurant.
Meals and beverages are otherwise not included on your tour. (Unless it’s specifically stated in the description of the tour)
On our multiday tours, we will be making stops at restaurants and convenience stores where you will be able to purchase all necessities.
You should count on spending around 8,000 ISK (80$) on food each day per person. Cash is not necessary, as credit cards are almost always accepted. Having a small amount of cash doesn’t hurt though.
A single supplement is available if you want to have your own room, but you are not required to pay a single supplement. If you are a single traveler and do not wish to book a single room, you’ll be roomed with another traveler of the same gender.
When booking with Arctic Adventures, you are guaranteed an accommodation at a nice country hotel and/or a guesthouse. The hotels we have partnered up with are all of the same standard and offer nice rooms with made-up beds and private bathrooms. The standard room is a twin room but it’s possible to request a double room or a triple room, with no extra charge.
If you are traveling solo, you will have to add the single room fee if you wish to have a single room.
All hotels have free Wi-Fi. Towels, a hairdryer and a kettle are accessible at all of the hotels. Hotel breakfast is included!
If you're visiting during winter, typically from mid-October to mid-April, we highly recommend using lightweight crampons (also called ice spikes) for added safety on icy paths while sightseeing. You can purchase them during the booking process to ensure a more secure and comfortable experience.
Find more details about crampons and ice spikes in this guide.
No, our guides are not able to provide information on these matters, but our team will be happy to assist you. We kindly ask that you reach out to our customer care team regarding any questions or concerns.
