Day 1 Arrival in Iceland

Good to Know: Generally, on Day 2 – 5 there will be no more than 45 minutes to one-hour driving between each tour stop. You’ll arrive at each night’s accommodation in the late afternoon.

Please note: If you have added extra nights in Reykjavík before your tour, the guide will meet your group on Day 2 according to the standard “Hidden Powers & Northern Lights” itinerary.

Arrival at Keflavík International airport. Transfers to Reykjavík are not included in the tour. We would be happy to arrange shared or private transfers for you, so let us know at booking time.

If you arrive earlier in the day, you might consider adding a day tour. We’d be happy to make suggestions based on your interests. One of our favourite activities after a long flight is to visit one of the neighbourhood geothermal pools. It’s also nice to take a stroll in the old city centre, perhaps visiting one of the museums or relaxing with a cup of coffee in a cozy café.

Dinner this evening is at your leisure. Reykjavík offers a multitude of restaurants, making dinner a wonderful way to get better acquainted with Iceland’s capital.

Please note that hotels in Iceland start check-in around 14:00 (2:00pm), and early check-in is not guaranteed. Most hotels will be happy to store your luggage if you are not able to check in early.

Day 2 Golden Circle

National Park with Geological Wonders – Lively Geysers – Famous Golden Falls

Breakfast at your hotel. Your guide will meet you in the lobby of the hotel. Start your adventure by visiting the fascinating Aurora Reykjavík Northern Lights Center. You’ll get a great introduction to northern lights, how they are formed, and the folklore surrounding them. You’ll also get tips about how to capture northern lights on film.

Depart Reykjavik and head onwards to Þingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage site) where the world’s oldest parliament met for centuries on the shores of Iceland’s largest lake. This place makes us Icelanders enormously proud of our heritage. You might even have a rare chance to walk between two continents!

Continue to the geothermal fields of Geysir with bubbling mud pools and the high-spouting Strokkur hot spring. Finally, you’ll visit the dramatic two-tiered Gullfoss waterfall, a spectacular sight in winter when frozen mid-cascade.

During the day, you will also visit the town of Laugarvatn. The town is built around three hot springs, and the residents have cleverly harnessed the hot springs for power and hot water. You’ll visit a unique outdoor geothermal bakery where sweet Icelandic rye bread is baked in hot sands. You can taste some of the freshly baked bread, hot from the ground. It’s especially delicious eaten with Icelandic butter and smoked trout.

If weather conditions are right, your guide will take you on a northern lights hunt on foot in the area outside your hotel tonight, or on the evening of Day 3 or 4.

Dinner and overnight in South Iceland.

Day 3 Iceland’s South Shore

Waterfalls – The LAVA Centre – Glacial Views – Black Sand Beaches

Breakfast at your hotel. Drive along the South Shore, an area of Iceland that is especially beautiful to view in the winter. This part of Iceland is home to the wonderful LAVA Centre, an interactive, high-tech educational exhibition depicting volcanic activity, earthquakes, and the creation of Iceland. Enjoy the exhibit and an interesting film about Icelandic volcanoes. Continue onwards. If the skies are clear, you might see the area’s two most famous volcanoes in the distance: Mount Hekla (last eruption 2000) and Eyjafjallajökull (last eruption 2010).

Stop at the spectacular waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. Each waterfall is unique and makes a perfect subject for a photo.

Head onwards to visit Reynisfjara beach. Take a walk on the black sand, admiring the extraordinary rock formations and thundering waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Cross Eldhraun, a vast lava field created from a very destructive 18th-century eruption as you head to your overnight.

Dinner and overnight stay in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur area.

Day 4 Vatnajökull National Park – Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

Glacial Lagoon with Icebergs – Europe’s Largest Glacier

Breakfast at your hotel. Today you’ll be visiting the southern area of Vatnajökull National Park, named after Europe’s largest glacier. The total park area covers almost 14% of Iceland, making it the largest national park in Western Europe! Visit Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon where you can enjoy the breath-taking sight of icebergs floating in the fantastic 180m (591 ft.) deep glacial lagoon. Nearby is the dramatic beauty of the Diamond Beach, where shrinking icebergs settle on the black sands before they drift out to sea.

Visit the national park’s famous Skaftafell area, a site of outstanding natural beauty dominated by several magnificent glaciers.

Dinner and overnight in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur area.

Day 5 Hveragerði – Blue Lagoon – Reykjavík

Greenhouse Village – Icelandic Horses – Thundering Waves – Geothermal Lagoon

Breakfast at your hotel. Head back along the beautiful South Coast, enjoying a different view of the winter landscapes. Visit the village of Hveragerði, which is one of the few sites in the world located directly in the middle of a geothermal area. Hveragerdi is often called “The Flower Village” because of its geothermal greenhouses.

Next, you’ll visit a horse farm to meet some locals: Icelandic horses. This Viking horse breed played a pivotal role in Icelandic history. Enjoy petting these friendly horses and snapping a few selfies with them. You’ll also taste some sweet refreshments that are traditionally served on Icelandic farms.

Turn onto a southern coastal road and follow alongside the shoreline with its breathtaking sea waves. The road takes you through the surreal landscapes of the Reykjanes peninsula, where you can enjoy a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon, a unique wonder of nature with pleasantly warm, mineral-rich water in the middle of a black lava field. Return to Reykjavik, where your guide bids you farewell at the hotel. The evening is open for you to enjoy your own activities. Dinner is on your own.

Overnight in Reykjavík.

Day 6 Farewell to the Land of Fire and Ice

Breakfast at your hotel. Please note that this might be a light breakfast if you are taking an early morning departure flight. Transfer on your own to the international airport for your departure flight. The airport transfer is not included, but we are happy to help you arrange shared or private transfers.

We recommend you depart from your hotel no later than three hours before your departure flight. We wish you a pleasant trip back to your homeland and hope to see you in Iceland again!