Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

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8 Days From

$3085

$2314

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

8 Days Starting and ending in Reykjavik

Visiting: Reykjavik, Borgarnes, Hella, Hof, Vik

Tour operator:

On The Go Tours

Tour code:

1464/NLEX

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

2 - 40

Age range:

12 years and above

Special diets catered:

Vegetarians, Please contact On The Go Tours with specific dietary requests

Tour operated in:

English

Trip Styles:

Small Group

Interests:

Cultural

From: $3085 $2314 Operator discount: -$771 -25%

NB: Prices correct on 01-Nov-2024 but subject to change.

This tour is no longer available, please see similar tours below or send an enquiry

Tour Overview

WINTER TOUR: Explore the best of West and South Iceland on our most inclusive winter tour. Start and end in Reykjavik, discover the Golden Circle, climb a volcano, meet Icelandic horses and relax in the Blue Lagoon all whilst looking out for the spectacular Northern Lights on this soft cultural adventure.

Highlights

  • Reykjavik - Become acquainted with the Capital of Iceland

  • Borgarfjordur Valley - Climb volcanoes, watch waterfalls and warm up next to Europe's most powerful hot springs

  • Snaefellsnes Peninsula - Wander across rugged mountains, charming fishing villages and fjords

  • Vatnshellir Cave - Take a guided underground tour under Saefellsnesjokull glacier

  • Borgarnes - Explore the Icelandic Settlement Centre and geothermal pools

  • Golden Circle - Tour Geysir geothermal fields, the Gulfoss Waterfall, Strokkur geyser and Thingvellir National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • Eyjafjallajokull Glacier - See the site of the famous eruption of April 2010 that halted international air travel for a week

  • South Coast - Take in the beauty at Skógafoss waterfall, black lava beach & bird cliffs at Reynisfjara beach

  • Vatnajokull National Park region - Witness Western Europe's largest national park and glacier

  • Vik - Roam Lava fields, black lava beach and Seljalandsfoss waterfall

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Itinerary

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Day 1: Reykjavik

Location: Reykjavik

Accommodation Name: Overnight: Reykjavik

Meals Included: Breakfast

Reykjavik. Welcome to Iceland and the start of your Northern Lights adventure! Your transfer to our accommodation is by Flybus shuttle. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Day 2: Borgarnes

Location: Borgarnes

Accommodation Name: Overnight: Borganes

Meals Included: Breakfast

Reykjavik - Borgarnes - Borgarfjorour Valley - This morning we meet our tour guide and depart on a Reykjavik city tour exploring some of the highlights of Iceland’s capital before heading west to Borgarfjorour.





Along the way we stop in Borgarnes and learn about Iceland’s earliest days at the Settlement Center.





Borgarfjorour valley is known as the Saga valley of West Iceland because many important historical events took place there. You will have the opportunity to climb the Grabrok volcano crater and warm up at Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring, producing 180 litres of nearly boiling water (97°c) per second.





We continue to Hraunfossar, a series of waterfalls pouring from beneath a wide lava field. Barnafoss - the Children’s falls, is nearby with its own tragic tale. We spend the next two nights at Borgarnes in West Iceland. This afternoon includes a lecture about the Northern Lights and after dinner we head into the garden to search for the Northern Lights, followed by a hot cup of chocolate or tea.

Day 3: Borgarnes

Location: Borgarnes

Accommodation Name: Overnight: Borganes

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Borgarnes - Snaefellsnes Peninsula - Borgarnes. Today we explore the Snaellsnes Peninsula or the Peninsula of the snowy mountain. A rugged mountain chain runs its length.





Depending on the conditions, we may also visit the fishing village of Grundarfjorour. One of the most photographed and famous mountain in Iceland, Kirkjufell, can be seen jutting out into the bay. Visit Arnarstapi and Hellnar before experiencing the area from below, inside Vatnshellir cave. We take you 35 meters underground and about 200 meters into the lava tube under the glacier Saefellsjokull





Today our guide gives us some practical tips of how to photograph the Auroras as part of the Northern Lights Academy program. Once darkness falls, we venture into the hotel garden and relax in the outdoor hot tubs to hopefully await an appearance from the breathtaking Northern Lights.

Day 4: Hella

Location: Hella

Accommodation Name: Overnight: Hella

Meals Included: Breakfast

Borgarnes - Golden Circle - Hella. This morning we travel along the scenic shores of the Hvalfjörour fjord, stopping at an Icelandic wool outlet store before continuing inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. After a stop at the park, we continue to the Geysir geothermal fields, where there's a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but Strokkur, "the Churn“ is very much still active and erupts every 5-10 minutes. When we get to Geysir, we visit the restaurant and taste freshly baked hot spring bread served with delicious Icelandic butter, geothermally boiled eggs and local herring. This is best served with a small glass of ice cold (nearly frozen) Geysir Schnapps. Leaving the geyser fields, we stop at the last site on Iceland's Golden Circle - Gullfoss “the golden falls“. This double waterfall tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá River.





This afternoon, we learn about the history of the hardy Icelandic horse and the special qualities they possess. We also visit a geothermal greenhouse, before reaching our accommodation in South Iceland.



Day 5: Hella

Location: Hella

Meals Included: Breakfast

Hella - Eyjafjallajökull - Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Today we travel along the South coast. At our first stop of the day we will learn about the geology and the active volcano's in Iceland at the Lava & Volcano Exhibition centre.





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 several turf-built houses. Nearby is the waterfall of Skógafoss which stands 60 meters tall and is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Iceland.





This afternoon we take a stroll along black lava beach and the bird cliffs at Reynisfjara beach in South Iceland. We spend the next 2 nights near Kirkjubæjarklaustur in the Vatnajökull National Park region, located in complete darkness and ideal for Northern Lights search.

Day 6: Hof

Location: Hof

Accommodation Name: Overnight: Kirkjubaejarklaustur

Meals Included: Breakfast

Kirkjubaejarklaustur - Jökulsárlón - Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Today is all about glaciers, ice and icebergs. This morning we travel to Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon which is filled with floating icebergs. Exploring this extraordinary site we keep an eye out for seals swimming in the freezing Arctic waters. We then can walk along the black sandy beach where some large icebergs have gotten stranded.





This afternoon we visit the tiny turf church in the town of Hof before heading to the National Park. The Vatnajökull National Park covers about 12,000 square kilometres and is the largest National Park in Europe. Here we find Iceland’s highest mountains, an alpine environment, and Europe's largest glacier which the park is named after. Alternatively we can take an optional Ice Cave tour (between Nov 15th and March 15th only) - see Trip Notes for more details.





Tonight we enjoy a movie presentation about the Northern Lights as a part of the Northern Lights Academy program before hopefully seeing the Northern Lights shimmering and dancing across the night sky.

Day 7: Vik

Location: Vik

Accommodation Name: Overnight: Reykjavik

Meals Included: Breakfast

Kirkjubaejarklaustur - Vik - Reykjavík. This morning we depart Kirkjubæjarklaustur and head across the Eldhraun lava field to the village of Vik where we make a photo stop. We take a stroll on the black lava beach and along the bird cliffs at Reynisfjara beach in South Iceland. Further west we reach the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges over the mountain. Those wishing to get a bit closer can take a trail that goes behind the falling water but be prepared to get wet!





This afternoon we head to the famous Blue Lagoon for a relaxing soak.

Day 8: Reykjavik

Location: Reykjavik

Today our Northern Lights Icelandic experience comes to an end with included FlyBus transfer to Keflavik Airport.



What's Included

  • Accommodation
    3 star

  • 7 breakfasts

  • 7 nights standard hotels and cottage accommodation

  • Keflavik Airport arrival and departure transfer (FlyBus shuttle)

  • Guided underground tour into Vatnshellir cave situated under Saefellsnesjokull glacier

  • Visit to Icelandic horse stables & geothermal greenhouse

  • Visit to multi media presentation at Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Information Center

  • Entrance into Skogar folk museum and turf houses

  • Entrance with towel into the Blue Lagoon

  • Services of an English Speaking Icelandic Guide

  • Transportation in heated coaches with free Wi-Fi on board

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What's Not Included

  • International Flights and Visas

  • Gratuity for your tour guide. Tipping your tour guide is an entirely personal gesture

Age Policy

Child: 8 - 11.99yrs. Adult: 12 yrs+

Check out our Q&As

  • Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?

    Yes

  • What is the standard of the hotels on this tour?

    3 star

  • What is the maximum group size?

    45

  • Are airport transfers included in this tour?

    Arrival and Departure Transfer with FlyBus from Keflavik Airport

  • What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?

    Ensuring our footprint is light and that the benefits of travelling reach the local communities you visit is paramount to us. We’re proud to say that when travelling with us, the large majority of your holiday funds remain within the countries you visit, supporting local economies at a grass roots level.

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    Since 1998

  • Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?

    With English-speaking tours, it's not a huge surprise that most on our travellers are from English-speaking countries or have English as their second language. Our group tours cater for everyone from 18 years old to 70+

  • Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?

    Yes

Reviews from travellers on this tour

Lynette Kershaw  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

18-Jan-2017

Tour was excellent. The guide was very good. The only disappointment was that the northern lights were not active for us. I think the tour did give us a true feel for the country. It would be good to see more of Iceland as the scenery is magic.

Julie Janzen  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

27-Nov-2016

I had the most amazing trip. It really could not have been better. Vally had a lot to do with it. She was so kind, informative, and entertaining. She really brought us all together. It was such a great group of people from around the world. Our driver was also exceptional. I loved Iceland an didn't want to leave. It is because of Vally's passion and guidance that we had such a great time. I cannot say enough about how wonderful she was to spend the week with. If anyone deserves an award it is her. I will never forget the tour. It meant the world to me.

Matthew Parkinson  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

17-Apr-2018

Anna was an amazing tour guide - I really can’t speak highly enough. She had a deep knowledge and love of her country and it showed in every moment of the trip making it extra special.

Jake Hodgson  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

20-May-2024

My tour and the tour agent were great. They were very knowledgeable and approachable. She made it an enjoyable and organised trip. Would travel with on the go tours again.

Leon Davis Jr  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

09-Aug-2024

We had a great trip. Our guide Martina was fabulous, very knowledgeable about all aspects of Iceland, she talked with a lot of heart with telling the history of Iceland. Our bus driver did a great job navigating the sometimes challenging roads and icy parking lots. One thing I would suggest is for all buses is to carry chain/ bolt cutters since there was an issue with the chains on the tires that got stuck and our driver Ziggy/ Siggy couldn't take them off and we had to sit on the side of the road for over an hour until someone could be contacted and bring a bolt/chain cutter to take care of the problem. It would be a minor expense to have on board all buses for safety precaution for future traveling.

Sherri Smith  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

14-Oct-2024

Loved this tour. Guide went out of her way for everyone. She knew the best times of arrival. Hotels were excellent The food was delicious, full of variety (Take off your trip notes that one can only eat fish and lamb - not true. Best Gluten Free bread & food.) Your staff before trip was excellent

Karen Shoeman  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

09-May-2024

The tour was amazing. Was a bit disappointed in the guide as he could have been more involved in explaining where we were, more history and providing insight. He was not interactive with group at all.

Michael Deery  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

09-May-2024

Amazingly picturesque. Thor was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and a skilled driver in trying conditions.

Sean Mace  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

06-Feb-2017

Overall the tour was fantastic and our tour guide was really knowedgable about the country and its history, but was also able to talk about modern life which was a great contrast. Only criticism which comes down to On the Go is that it's advertised as an 8 day tour but in fact it's only 6 days. First and last day are just independant days. Either change it to a 6 day tour or rename it

Joanne Brechlin  

Northern Lights Exploration - 8 days

03-Apr-2019

Our guide was great. Excellent source of knowledge, friendly, great driver. Knew excellent places for lunch stops. Tour was a good pace, although difficult with staying up looking for the northern lights, although the hotels were so-so. The last hotel, in the south, was perfect for light hunting - no area lights, easy access to check outdoors from our rooms. Would have preferred a more remote location for the 2 nights in the west, since there were lights all over and it would have been difficult to see the northern lights if the weather was good. Excellent hot tubs ad breakfast, though.

Read all 20 reviews

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Book with Confidence

  • Low Deposit

    On The Go Tours requires a minimum deposit of 600 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of on the go tours charges.

    Up to 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

    At 59 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.

    At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.

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