Iceland Northern Lights

Our tour begins at our hotel in Reykjavik in the late afternoon. Iceland’s

compact capital city is well worth exploring, and we strongly recommend a

couple of extra days before or after your tour. Two of the most striking

attractions are the Hallgrímskirkja Church; a fine example of expansionist

architecture with great views from the tower, and the beautiful Harpa

Concert Hall. The nearby old harbour is a great starting point to explore

the narrow streets of the old town.

Our trip begins with an evening briefing.This will usually be around 1830.

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Today we leave Reykjavik driving east along the scenic southern highway. Our

first stop is Seljalandsfoss, a 60-metre high waterfall. Here we have the

chance to walk behind the cascade providing conditions are not too icy.

Suitable footwear is a must, however the leader also carries a selection of

ice grips that can be put over standard walking boots to increase grip in

slippery conditions. We continue on through starkly beautiful countryside to

an area badly affected by the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull

volcano. 

We continue on along the coast visiting the Skógafoss Waterfall, that falls

in a 25-metre wide sheet in a single drop of 60 metres. There may also be

time to visit the nearby Skóga Museum (entrance payable locally) and see how

Icelanders of centuries past survived in this harsh environment. After lunch

our next stop is the black volcanic beach at Reynisfjara, with its salt caves

and towering columnar basalts. The final part of our journey takes us across

the black expanse of the Myrdalssandur floodplains, created by the river

which formed after the eruption of a volcano under the Mýrdalsjökull

Glacier.

Our hotel for the night is the Laki, located just outside the small village

of Kirkjubaejarklaustur.

We set out today across the massive Skeidararsandur floodplains, created in a

similar fashion to those at Mydalssandur. These floods however only occurred

in 1996, and there is still little vegetation. We head to Svinafellsjokull,

an outlet of the glacier where we go for a short walk. We will be using

crampons and ice axes however the terrain is not challenging and even those

with no similar experience should pick it up quickly. The glacier offers some

fantastic photo opportunities, with its walls of brilliant blue ice,

thousands of years in the making. Please note under certain circumstances it

may be necessary to use Solhimajokull glacier in the south. This is an

equally enthralling experience.

We travel onwards to the beautiful Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, created in the

1950’s as the glacier retreated from the coastline, leaving a 300m deep,

20sq km lake littered with icebergs. On the beach we can walk amongst the

large chunks of ice washed up on the black volcanic sand, creating some

beautiful shapes and formations.

The drive back to the hotel is approximately 90 minutes (125km), plenty of

time to reflect on the day's adventures.

We make our way back along the south coast, travelling inland from Selfoss.

We stop for lunch at the restaurant in the Fridhheimar greenhouses. Here a

local family have set up a successful tomato producing farm harnessing the

geothermal power so abundantly available. 



From here we head on to visit the mighty Gulfoss Waterfall; one of

Europe’s most powerful. Hundreds of cubic tonnes of water a second pass

over the edge of the falls into the canyon below. We also visit Geysir, home

to the inimitable hot spouts. The most reliable eruption comes from Strokkur

and occurs every 5-10 minutes, firing jets of hot water and steam 30 metres

into the air, a spectacle not to be missed. 

Our final stop before returning to Reykjavik is Thingvellir National Park,

where the world’s first democratic parliament sat in 930AD. It was not

until 1798, that it moved to the capital. Thingvellir is also the site of the

rift valley marking the Mid Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and

Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart, causing an area of around 7km to

literally sink into the earth.

Our trip ends with a Flybus transfer to Keflavik Airport. Your leader will

not accompany you on the Flybus, however you will be provided with a number

to call for assistance should it be needed.

Should you have time you may wish to spend time exploring Reykjavik, visiting

one of the local thermal pools or the Blue Lagoon (see extra expenses section

for details).

Alternatively you may wish to extend your stay and learn more about this

incredible country. Please ask our sales team about pre and post tour nights.