ICELAND – CHASING THE AURORA!

Post breakfast, meet our tour guide at 09:00 am. He will guide you around highlights of the exciting Iceland’s capital! Later, head to the west and stop in Borgarnes Settlement Center to learn about Iceland’s earliest days. Next, we head to Borgarfjörður, known as the Saga Valley for its many important historical events. Get a chance to climb the Grábrók volcano crater and visit Deildartunguhver. Then we visit Europe’s most powerful hot springs. Hraunfossar which is a series of waterfalls pouring from beneath a wide lava field. Barnafoss – the Children’s Falls.

The afternoon includes a lecture about Northern Lights. After dinner, step into the hotel garden in search of the Northern Lights followed by a hot cup of chocolate or tea.

Overnight stay at Borgames.

Post breakfast, explore the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, ”the peninsula of the snowy mountain”, it juts out from Iceland’s west coast, like a long arm with a clenched fist at its tip! Visit the fishing village of Grundarfjörður, a place with an impressive coastline and mountains, lakes and waterfalls. One of the most photographed and famous mountains 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 Snaefellsjökull! On the way back to Borgarnes the guide gives you some practical tips on how to photograph the Auroras as part of the Northern Lights Academy program. Naturally, once darkness falls, we are out in the hotel garden to chase the Northern Lights and soak in the hotel’s outdoor hot tubs.

Overnight stay at Borgames.

Today we will be travelling along the Hvalfjörður fjord. The first stop is Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Travel the Golden Circle route, and see steam rising from the Geysir geothermal fields. The chef of the Restaurant Geysir invites you to taste freshly baked hot spring bread served with Icelandic butter, boiled eggs and herring. On we travel to the double waterfall of Gullfoss.

In the afternoon, learn about the Icelandic horse, its unique qualities and history and visit a geothermal greenhouse, before reaching the accommodation in South Iceland. Tonight, step into the darkness and search for the elusive Northern Lights in the peace and stillness of rural Iceland.

Overnight stay at Hella.

We travel along the South coast. At the Lava & Volcano Exhibition Center, learn about geology and active
volcanoes. Further east we visit one of Iceland’s finest folk museums. This museum contains an outstanding
collection of farms and domestic artefacts from Iceland’s past and several turf-built houses. Nearby is
Skógafoss waterfall which is 60 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country.

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

Overnight stay at Kalfafel.

Post breakfast, today’s program is all about glaciers, ice and icebergs. We travel to Jökulsárlón, a glacial
lagoon filled with floating icebergs, and we explore the amazing site and might see seals swimming in arctic
waters. You can walk on the black sandy beach, the so-called Diamond Beach, where large icebergs get
stranded.

In the afternoon we visit the tiny turf church at Hof and spend time at Europe’s largest national park, which
has Iceland’s highest mountains, an alpine environment, and Europe’s largest glacier. In the evening enjoy a
film presentation about the Northern Lights as part of the Northern Lights Academy program. Be careful not
to go to bed too soon in this remote and quiet location, or you may miss out on one more chance to see the
Northern Lights shimmering and dancing across the night sky.

Overnight stay at Kalfafel.

After breakfast, from Kirkjubæjarklaustur we head across the Eldhraun lava field to the village of Vík, where we make a photo stop. The black lava beach with high bird cliffs and pounding waves is awe-inspiring. Further west we reach the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges from the mountain. In the afternoon we get to soak in the famous Blue Lagoon. We reach Reykjavík around dinner time for one last night.

Overnight stay at Reykjavik.

Note: In the event that the Blue Lagoon is inoperative, we will be replacing it with Sky Lagoon.

Post breakfast transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from your accommodation in Reykjavik to Keflavik International Airport.