Day 1 - Arrival and Sightseeing in Reykjavík
No Meals Included
Take a flight from London to Reykjavík. Upon arrival, our team will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your accommodation in Reykjavík.
After settling in, take some time to explore this charming city known for its colourful houses, artistic vibe, and stunning views of the surrounding mountains and sea. Take a stroll through this lively city centre, perhaps exploring the shops and galleries along the main street, Laugavegur, or relaxing with a cup of coffee in a cosy café, as a perfect way to unwind and begin your adventure.
In the evening, enjoy dinner at your leisure. Reykjavík offers a multitude of restaurants, making dinner a wonderful way to get better acquainted with Iceland’s capital.
Accommodation: 4* Fosshótel Reykjavík
Day 2 - The Famous Golden Circle
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
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 Thingvellir 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 permit, 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.
Accommodation: 3* Stracta Hotel
Day 3 - Majestic Falls and Black Sands in The South Coast
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
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.
Accommodation: 4* Hótel Klaustur or Fosshótel Núpar
Day 4 - Glacial Lagoon with Icebergs
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Today you will 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.
Accommodation: 4* Hótel Klaustur or Fosshótel Núpar
Day 5 - Soothing Soak in Blue Lagoon
Meals Included: Breakfast
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 will 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.
Upon your return to Reykjavík in the late afternoon, you will have free time in the rest of your day to enjoy Iceland’s charming capital city.
Accommodation: 4* Fosshótel Reykjavík
Day 6 - Farewell to the Land of Fire and Ice
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your Iceland adventure has come to an end. After enjoying your breakfast in hotel, take a private transfer to the airport for your return journey to London. If your flight is in the evening, you can take advantage of some extra time to discover more of the city.
