4 Day Northern Lights, Snaefellsnes and Glacier Lagoon

Day 1: West Iceland

Pick up is at 9:00 am from the Reykjavík meeting point you have chosen. Please note: picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes but you do have to be ready and waiting at 9:00 am.

We will drive along the scenic west coast and explore West Iceland (Vesturland in Icelandic). The first stop of the day is at Deildartunguhver hot spring, this is the most powerful hot spring in Europe. It pumps out 180 l/sec of 100°C hot water, and the Icelanders certainly make good use of this vast quantity of hot water, using it to heat the homes and buildings in many neighboring towns. Our next stop will be at the historic site of Reykholt, here you will find a hot spring pool dating back to the medieval period, Snorralaug. This is the pool where the very famous Icelandic Saga writer, historian, and Law Speaker is reputed to have bathed, you can see this pool and even feel the temperature of the water.

Our third stop of the day will be at the waterfalls, Hraunfossar (the Lava Falls) and Barnafoss (Children´s Falls). These waterfalls each offer something very different. You will learn why the tumbling Barnafoss waterfall is so named! At Hraunfossar you will see how the water flows out through thousands of little springs in the coal black lava. These falls form a magnificent wide crescent of tumbling cascades, the pure glacial water has flowed through lava for many years.

We then leave Borgarfjörður behind and set our course towards Snæfellsnes peninsula. We will stop to view the unique Gerðuberg basalt columns before we arrive at our hotel for the night.

If the northern lights and cloud forecasts are favorable an evening northern lights hunt will be on!

*Please note that due to weather we might have to change the itinerary and start with the South Coast instead of Snæfellsnes.

Day Highlights

Deildartunguhver hot spring

Reykholt

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Northern Lights Hunt (in the right conditions)

Included

Pick up from Reykjavik

Guided minibus tour to all highlights

One night at a hotel

Day 2: Snæfellsnes peninsula

After breakfast at our hotel we will drive to the western part of Snæfellsnes which will take us through some absolutely stunning coastal and mountain scenery. Our first stop of the day is at the small and charming fishing village of Arnarstapi, here we take a short walk to explore the surrounding area. You then have the option to explore beneath the ground at the Vatnshellir Cave, which is located inside Snæfellsnes National Park. This cave is a lava tube tunnel which is around 8000 years old, your specialist caving guide will explain its formation and fascinating features. If you wish to go caving you need to book this as an extra when you arrange your tour.

Your next stop will be at Hellnar, a really picturesque village where we stop for lunch. We then continue to the beautiful black pebble beach at Djúpalónssandur. Here we enjoy a short hike, as the shimmering silver-tipped Atlantic waves roll over the glossy black pebbles of this beach, which is framed by incredibly shaped cliffs. You will see the remains of the British trawler, Epine, which met its end here. At the head of the beach, you will also find the famous ‘lifting stones’. Maybe you would like to test your strength like the Icelandic fishermen did in the olden days?

From Djúpalónssandur, we continue our journey around Snæfellsnes peninsula and our next stop will be at the famous and much photographed, Mount Kirkjufell, a favorite spot for many photographers. On our way back to the Reykjavík area, where you will be spending the night, if the forecast is suitable we will be looking out for the northern lights.

Day Highlights

Arnarstapi Fishing Village

Snæefellsnes National Park

Vatnshellir Cave (optional extra)

Djúpalónssandur Beach

Mount Kirkjufell

Northern Lights Hunt (if conditions are right)

Included

Hotel breakfast

Guided minibus tour to all highlights

All necessary caving equipment

Qualified Caving Guide (optional activity)

One night at a hotel in the Reykjavík area

Day 3: The Grand South Coast

Today this jewel of Iceland tour packages will take you south before continuing to the east!

You enjoy breakfast at your hotel in the Reykjavík area then we pick you up and whisk you away for two days of amazing adventure sightseeing. On a dark winter morning we drive towards the slowly rising sun on the way to our first stop, Seljalandsfoss, a very unusual waterfall because you can walk behind the gracefully falling cascade. It is well worth getting a little damp for such an exciting experience!

Our next highlight is another waterfall, Skógafoss, located at the foot of a very famous volcano, Eyjafjallajökull.  On a clear day, you will also get a great view of another volcano mountain glacier, Mýrdalsjokull. As we continue on, we come to Reynisfjara, a black beach where some fantastic sights, such as the picturesque basalt column formations and the famous Reynisdrangar peaks, will greet us. We will drive through the charming small town of Vík on our way to our accommodation. Throughout the entire day, you can expect to see breathtaking landscapes consisting of vast lava fields, waterfalls, black sands and glacier tongues. We will enjoy a relaxing evening, if the conditions are right we will hunt for those northern lights! The countryside close to Vatnajökull glacier, away from the city lights, is perfect for spotting this natural phenomenon. Your hotel will be in the Skaftafell area.

Day Highlights

Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss Waterfalls

Coastal village of Vik

Reynisfjara Black Beach

Northern Lights Hunt (if conditions are right)

Included

Hotel breakfast

Pick up from your hotel

Guided minibus tour to all highlights

One night at a hotel

Day 4: Ice cave and Glacier lagoon

Today you will really get to know the glacier, venturing into the sparkling, blue/white world of an ice cave with a qualified guide, and visiting the extraordinary glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón. Getting up close and personal with a vast glacial tongue of the great Vatnajökull glacier does not get any better than this!

The renowned Jökulsárlón Ice Lagoon, made famous by several blockbuster movies including Batman Begins and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, to name just a couple, is a totally mind-blowing place. Splendid icebergs of amazing shapes, some incredibly large, have calved off the receding Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. They jostle one another in the huge lagoon before gliding on their surreal and stately journeys to the Atlantic ocean. Many of these natural ice sculptures are washed onto the nearby Diamond Beach, you will see them glittering like diamonds, as they rest on the dramatic coal blackness of the beach.

Next, you go into the glacier with a qualified guide! Ice caves are fascinating. New caves are formed each winter by the melt/freeze cycle of the glacier, they are always changing, both from year to year and within each winter. The journey into an ice cave will give photographers the most amazing opportunity to capture the shimmering blue light which passes through the glacial ice. Surprisingly deep shades of jewel blue will surround you, these tones are caused by ice compression, the way we perceive light and color, and the blueness can sometimes be intensified by algae.

After visiting the ice cave we head towards Reykjavík. We stop at Skaftafell Nature Reserve in Vatnajokull National Park, a green area in the midst of amazingly jagged mountains and glacier-topped peaks, the splendid scenery of Skaftafell is certain to be a highlight of your tour. As darkness falls we look out for the northern lights.

We return to Reykjavík around 21:00 – 23:00.

Please note that ice caves are an ever changing natural phenomenon, it is, therefore, not possible to say we will visit a specific cave. The choice of ice cave will always be based on upon conditions and safety considerations at the time.

Day Highlights

Vatnajokull Glacier

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

The Crystal Beach (Diamond Beach)

Natural Ice Cave

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

Included

Hotel breakfast

Guided Ice cave tour

Certified Glacier Guide

All glacier and ice cave equipment

Guided minibus tour to all highlights

Drop off in Reykavík