5 Days New Year's Northern Lights Adventure

At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital. Then we head out to the Reykjanes Peninsula with its hot springs, mountains, bird cliffs, lighthouses and fishing villages. At the end of the day, we get to soak off our travels in the warm blue waters of the famous Blue Lagoon. 

In the evening you have a presentation about the Northern Lights. If the night is clear, step out in the garden and check if the Northern Lights are visible. Also, known as the Aurora Borealis, these spectacular skylight shows can frequently be seen in Iceland from September through April on clear and crisp nights. White and green are usually the dominant colours of northern lights, but sometimes there are considerable colour variations. They are ephemeral; however, sightings are not guaranteed. 

Overnight location:

Stracta Hotel or similar

After breakfast, we head along the South coast and get out near the active volcano that is beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. We stop at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountain. There’s a trail that goes behind the falling water and offers impressive views if you are prepared to get wet! Further east we visit one of Iceland’s finest folk museums. This museum contains an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artefacts typical of Iceland’s past, as well as turf-built houses. Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 62 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country.

In the afternoon the tour continues further south where you walk on the famous Black Lava Beach at Reynisfjara, observe the Cap of Dyrhólaey and the Reynisdrangar Sea Cliffs before visiting the charming village of Vík.

In the evening we celebrate New Year the Icelandic way. Before dinner, we join a guided bus tour to visit the bonfires in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Brenna bonfires of New Year’s Eve had their origins in the Middle Ages when people built bonfires to burn the old things they no longer needed. In Iceland, there are bonfires all around the country where inhabitants gather, shoot off fireworks, sing and dance as they wait for the New Year to come in.

Your festive 4-course dinner starts around 20:30 and is served at Árhús Restaurant on the river banks in Hella, which is a small village in South Iceland. Afterwards, we walk through the village and celebrate New Year’s with a bang when at midnight the sky opens with thousands of fireworks set off in the village by the local inhabitants. This is an experience of a lifetime; you will never forget. Drink a toast of sparkling wine as you enjoy a real special Icelandic New Year’s celebration.

If the night is clear, you might be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights swirling in a wild and carefree dance across the heavens in dramatic shapes, colours, patterns and sizes.

Overnight location:

Stracta Hotel or similar

Today we travel on the Golden Circle route. You see steam from the Geysir geothermal fields as you arrive. There are a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur “the Churn” which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. You continue to Gullfoss “the golden falls”, a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá river, and attracts tourists and travellers in summer and winter. We travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site before returning to Reykjavík for one night. The program includes a culinary treat at a restaurant located in the heart of downtown Reykjavík. Return transfers included.

Overnight location:

Hotel Cabin (Budget version, standard room is 10m²) / Hótel Klettur (Comfort version), or similar

Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport.