Your true Icelandic winter adventure awaits you. Book your tour here!
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Be enchanted by the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which was picked as the best winter destination in Europe.
On this unforgettable two-day tour you’ll soak up the spectacular views of Snæfellsjökull glacier, walk on the black pebble beach of Djúpalónssandur, witness Europe’s most powerful hot spring and get in touch with diverse Icelandic nature. To make things more exciting, be prepared to knock the Northern Lights off your bucket list!
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This compact two-day tour begins with a journey to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, situated along Iceland’s west coast.
Snæfellsnes is one of the best-kept secrets of Iceland, with diverse scenery topped by Snæfellsjökull Glacier as its crowning landmark. This ancient glacier volcano has sparked human imagination for centuries, most famously with Jules Verne commemorating it in his novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Our optional (extra fee) guided tour will offer a chance to step into the 8,000-years-old Vatnshellir Cave and feel closer to the core of the Earth!
On Snæfellsnes exploration, you’ll have ample moments to admire towering peaks and cliffs, ghostly lava fields, black sand beaches, and traditional fishing villages. We’ll stop to snap great pictures of the famous Mount Kirkjufell and Djúpalónssandur, a black pebble beach dotted with fascinating rock formations.
To cap off the adventure, we’ll visit the impressive Gerðuberg basalt columns, forming geometrical patterns in the cliffs. Your accommodation will be at a country hotel in the Snæfellsnes area. Away from the city lights, you’ll have the best chance to spot the Northern Lights.
Your adventure into West Iceland starts with a pick-up from your chosen pick-up point in Reykjavik at 9:00 a.m. As picking everyone up might take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.
Once everyone is on our minibus, we’ll head to one of Iceland’s greatest hidden gems, Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Our first stop is at the small fishing village of Arnarstapi, which is surrounded by dramatic cliffs and lava fields.
After wandering in the surrounding area, we’ll head to the Snaefellsjokull National Park, where you’ll have an option (at extra cost) to step into Vatnshellir Cave. The cave is a 8,000-years-old lava tube tunnel that burrows 35 meters (115 feet) underground. This experience is as close as you’ll get to the Jules Verne novel, A Journey to the Center of Earth. If you’re not joining the caving part, your guide will walk you through some of the most intriguing landscapes in the area.
Next, we’ll stop at Hellnar—an ancient fishing village—to grab some lunch before continuing with our journey to the picturesque Djúpalónssandur Beach.
Djúpalónssandur is full of black pebbles, also known as Djúpalóns Perlan, meaning “Deep Pool Pearls.” On the beach, we’ll have a short hike and explore the spooky remains of a shipwreck, that dates back to 1948. Here you may also find four lifting stones to test your strength like the fishermen used to do in the old days. Just make sure to stand well back from the ocean, the waves here are powerful and sneaky as well as awesome!
After indulging in all of Djúpalónssandur’s delights, we’ll head to Iceland’s most photographed peak, Mt. Kirkjufell. The cone-shaped mountain with the series of waterfalls in the background has been ranked as one of the seventeen majestic mountains in the world by Mashable. No wonder why his majesty Kirkjufell was featured in the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones!
Afterward, we’ll make our way to a country hotel in Borgarnes. If the forecast is promising, your guide will show you the best place to admire the magical Northern Lights. The lights occur when charged particles from the sun hit Earth’s magnetic field and start to collide with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere. Since the Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon, a bit of luck is also needed, but let’s hope those colorful swirls of light will paint the dark sky!
After breakfast, we’ll set forth to the gorgeous landscapes of Borgarfjörður area, located in West Iceland. Our first stop is at Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe.
Deildartunguhver provides 180 l/sec (48 gals) of 100°C (212°F) hot water, which is also used for central heating in neighboring towns like Borgarnes and Akranes. Here you’ll have an opportunity to immerse yourself into the brand-new Krauma geothermal baths fed by Deildartunguhver hot spring if you choose. Please note, the baths at Krauma are optional with an extra fee.
Thereafter, we’ll head to the historic site of Reykholt, once home Iceland’s greatest medieval author Snorri Sturluson. Today scholars from various corners of the world come to Snorrastofa—Reykholt’s independent research centre—to study medieval history.
Next, prepare to go deeper into the legends of Iceland! As we continue with our trip, we’ll visit the waterfalls of Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. After absorbing the tranquil beauty of Hraunfossar, we’ll visit Barnafoss, also known as Children’s Falls. The waterfall is linked with an eerie story of two children falling in the waterfall, but your guide will tell you all the haunting details!
Back on our minibus, we’ll leave the Borgarfjörður area behind and we’ll head back to Reykjavik.
We return to Reykjavík around 18:00 (6:00 p.m.).
Pick-up Information: Pick up is at 09:00 am from your hotel or a nearby meeting point in Reykjavík. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s pick-up list.
Return time: After two days filled with sensational and extremely varied sights and experiences, we return to Reykjavík in the evening around 18:00 (6 PM).
What to bring: Warm layers and waterproof outdoor clothing, headwear, gloves. Good hiking shoes are recommended.
What if I don't own all of these clothing items?
Don't worry, you can always rent sturdy hiking shoes, waterproof jacket and pants when you book your tour. Please note, we do not rent gear from locations, it must be booked in advance.
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 for spotting 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; therefore, we can unfortunately never promise 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 look at our blog about Northern Lights.
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 starting by using our customer portal - My Adventures, or contacting our customer care.
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). If you have more or heavier luggage with you, you will need to book storage for the surplus luggage before you arrive, there is a small fee for using this facility. Luggage storage in Reykjavík can be added during the booking process of your order in the extras section.
* The combined dimensions of each bag must not exceed 158 cm (62 in).
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 multi-day tours, we will be making stops at restaurants and convenience stores where you will be able to purchase all necessities. 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. The rooms come with private or shared bathrooms, depending on your booking. 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!
