Set out on Iceland’s ultimate winter adventure. Explore the Golden Circle with a small group and expert guides—walk between continents at Þingvellir, watch Geysir erupt, and feel the power of Gullfoss. Stop at the vibrant Kerið crater before heading back to Reykjavík.
As night falls, step aboard a cozy boat and sail into the Arctic darkness. Stay warm in overalls and heated cabins as you chase the Northern Lights across the winter sky!
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This adventure unfolds in two parts. During the day, travel from Reykjavík with your expert guide to explore Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. Visit Þingvellir National Park, see Geysir erupt, feel the spray of Gullfoss waterfall, and stop at the colorful Kerið crater before returning to the city.
In the evening, join the second part of your journey—board a cozy boat at Reykjavík Harbor, bundle up in warm overalls, and sail into the Arctic night to search for the Northern Lights dancing above the sea.
Your adventure begins with a comfortable and hassle-free pickup from designated locations in Reykjavík. You’ll journey through Iceland’s unique landscapes, heading toward Þingvellir National Park—a UNESCO World Heritage Site where history and geology come alive. Here, you’ll walk between two continents, standing on the very ground where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates slowly drift apart. After that, you and your group will pause at the iconic Law Rock (Lögberg), which was once the gathering place for ancient lawmakers, where you can capture photos of both Iceland’s heritage and its inspiring scenery.
Next up, you’ll dive into the raw, untamed energy of Haukadalur Valley, one of Iceland’s most active geothermal zones. Here, the earth hisses, bubbles, and breathes beneath your feet. While the legendary Great Geysir now takes a well-earned rest, its fiery neighbor Strokkur bursts to life every few minutes, launching columns of scalding water up to 40 meters (131 ft) into the sky!
After that, you and your group will head to Gullfoss Waterfall, one of Iceland’s most beloved natural treasures. Here, the mighty Hvítá River plunges 32 meters (104 feet) in two spectacular stages into a rugged canyon, creating a mesmerizing display of mist and motion. Feel the cool glacial spray on your face and witness the golden shimmer that gives Gullfoss (The Golden Falls) its name.
Your final stop on the Golden Circle is the stunning Kerið Volcanic Crater, one of Iceland’s most photogenic natural wonders. Formed over 3,000 years ago, the crater lake is about 55 meters (180 feet) deep. Kerið is renowned for its striking colors, brilliant aquamarine waters framed by fiery red volcanic rock and lush green moss. From above, the lake resembles a giant eye gazing up at the sky, earning it the nickname “The Eye of the World”.
Departing from Reykjavík’s charming Old Harbor, you’ll sail into the calm, dark waters, just 15–20 minutes away from the city lights, to give you the best chance of spotting the aurora dancing across the Arctic sky. While our partners can’t promise a sighting (the Northern Lights have a schedule of their own!), the expert local guides will keep you entertained with fascinating stories, science, and Icelandic folklore surrounding this natural wonder. Stay warm and cozy in the provided overalls, sip a hot drink from the onboard café, or browse the souvenir shop as you wait for nature’s light show to begin.
Please note that this is a combo tour.
The Northern Lights by Boat tour depends heavily on weather conditions. The operator reserves the right to cancel departures up until 18.00 on the day of the tour if conditions don't look promising. Cancellation notices are sent via email & text message, so make sure the operators have your information on file and check for updates. If there are no sightings on your tour, you will receive a complimentary ticket to join the tour again on the next available date, valid indefinitely.
* Please note that you may be asked to show a valid ID upon arrival for check-in.
* The Special Tours Iceland app is now available for Android and Apple. It is available in 5 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, and simplified Chinese). Download before or during your trip for in-depth information about our tours, boats, wildlife, and more!
Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.
Dressing for that kind of weather can always be demanding, so we suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.
Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.
Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.
You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.
It is good to bring your own backpack on our full-day or half-day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes, and other necessary items.
The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, breathtaking views that you’ll almost definitely want to capture forever, so you should definitely bring your camera along. Your tour guide will also be happy to take your photo.
This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.
Lunch is not provided on any of our trips, therefore we recommend you bring your own lunch, snacks, and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip). It is especially important to make sure you bring lunch on our longer trips.
Crampons enable you to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.
Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guides on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.
Yes, we provide you with all the necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axes, crampons, harnesses, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.
Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.
Rain is common in Iceland but we never let the rain be in our way to go forward with our tours.
That’s why we highly recommend appropriate clothing so you can stay warm and dry.
Nature is out of our control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. Your safety is our priority so if your safety is compromised by going on the tour then we will cancel it and you will get full reimbursement.
The guide on your glacier hiking tour will provide you with all the information you might need when preparing for a glacier hike.
The Northern Lights are natural phenomena and we, unfortunately, cannot promise you will see them. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions.
For more information on the Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights tours.
We, unfortunately, do not have one simple answer to this question.
There isn’t just one single setting for your camera that ensures great photos. However, if you have manual options, you are probably best served with experimenting with various combinations of ISO, aperture, and exposure settings. As a rule of thumb, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2 8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed at between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have proven effective.
A good thing to keep in mind, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have given great results.
Different combinations may give very different results. Higher ISO setting will allow you to capture faster exposures, but the downside to this might be for example grainier images.
If the shutter speed is above 15 seconds it will result in a slight star movement.
Wider angle lenses are usually more versatile in low light settings, but longer lenses give you different options for compositions. Make sure that you remove all lens filters, as they may distort images. You will probably get the best results with manual setting for infinite focal length.
Reimbursement is not given if the northern lights tour goes ahead and no lights are seen but we do offer you the change to join a Northern Lights Minibus tour free of charge.
Please contact our Customer Care to re-book your tour.
When Northern Lights tours are canceled it’s usually due to unfavorable weather conditions.
In that case, your options will be to:
Please go to the customer portal to re-book your tour or contact us by phone at +354 562 7000.
The northern lights are a pretty difficult thing to predict. We recommend you to check en.vedur.is to see the forecast and if the level is high and the skies are clear then it’s very likely that the tour is going ahead. We do update our website’s tour departure sheet with the information at 17:00 pm the latest. If your tour is canceled then you will receive an email from us.
If we think there is no chance at all of seeing the lights we will cancel the tour. We don’t want to bring you out and disappoint if there is no chance of the lights to be seen.
Yes, the guide on your tour will take a photo of you with the northern lights in the background.
These can be single or group photo’s and are free of charge.
The Northern Lights season is from late August until mid-April. However, if you want to increase your changes of seeing them, it is best to wait until the clear winter months of mid-September until March.
The northern lights depend on luck and weather if that is in your favor than you will be able to see the Aurora Borealis above the inviting streets of Reykjavík. Whether you see the lights or not they depend on two different factors. The first being the weather. If the sky is clear, no clouds, then you are halfway there to seeing the astonishing spectacle that is the Northern Lights (although light pollution can sometimes be a problem). Increased solar activity is the second half so, if these two merge together you may well be able to see the Northern Lights from Reykjavik.
If you’re visiting between mid-October and mid-April, it’s highly recommended to use lightweight crampons, also known as ice spikes. These small traction devices attach to your shoes and help prevent slips on icy paths, making sightseeing safer and more comfortable. You can purchase them during the booking process to ensure you’re prepared for winter conditions. They are yours to keep after the tour ends!
