Explore Iceland’s South Coast in winter and search for the Northern Lights with expert local guides who track the best conditions. This 5-day adventure includes glacier views, a natural ice cave, the Golden Circle, black sand beaches, and arranged trips to spot the aurora—by boat from Reykjavík and on a countryside minibus tour.
With handpicked hotels, daily breakfast, and transfers from Reykjavík, everything’s taken care of so you can focus on the adventure!
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Over five days, travel from Reykjavík through the Golden Circle and South Coast to the glaciers such as Vatnajökull. Enjoy guided sightseeing, ice cave visits, and two Northern Lights tours—plus cozy hotel stays each night. The trip ends back in Reykjavík with free time before departure.
After checking into your hotel around 2 PM, there's time to get settled before the first experience of the tour. In the evening, you'll head to the Old Harbor in Reykjavík for a guided Northern Lights boat tour. The crew keeps an eye on aurora forecasts and navigates the bay to find the clearest skies away from city lights.
As the boat sails into Faxaflói Bay, enjoy the peaceful views and keep watch for the Aurora Borealis dancing overhead. Overalls are available on deck to keep you warm, and there’s a cozy café and bar onboard. While waiting for the lights, you’ll also get to watch a short video packed with Icelandic folklore, aurora facts, and photos. After the tour, return to shore and head back to your hotel for a good night’s rest.
Today focuses on the famous Golden Circle, with three must-see stops:
From there, the group continues along the South Coast, possibly catching views of Mount Hekla if the skies are clear. Before the day ends, you'll stop at Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind—don’t forget your rain gear!
Your overnight stay is near Kirkjubæjarklaustur, a small town well away from city lights, giving you another good chance to see the Northern Lights if skies are clear.
Today takes you east through wide-open landscapes of lava fields and black sand plains, with distant views of Vatnajökull Glacier—Europe’s largest ice cap. The main highlight is the breathtaking Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where massive icebergs drift toward the ocean. Just across the road, you’ll visit Diamond Beach, where the ice washes up on black sand like scattered gemstones. Keep an eye out for seals lounging near the shore.
From there, the group heads toward Skaftafell. Between October and April, you'll join a certified guide for a glacier hike and visit to a natural ice cave in Vatnajökull. In September, the itinerary instead includes a visit to the striking Katla Ice Cave near Vík.
You’ll return to Kirkjubæjarklaustur for another night beneath the stars—another chance to spot the Northern Lights if conditions are right.
If road conditions allow, the day starts with a visit to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, made famous by music videos and drone shots. Then it’s off to the Eldhraun lava field, a moss-covered landscape formed after one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history.
Next stop is the iconic Reynisfjara black sand beach, known for its basalt sea stacks and roaring Atlantic waves. It's often listed among the most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world. After that, visit Skógafoss, a 60-meter-high (197 feet) waterfall with a staircase leading to panoramic views. On clear days, you might even spot Eyjafjallajökull Volcano above the cliffs.
Back in Reykjavík, the adventure isn’t over. As night falls, your guide picks you up for a Northern Lights chase by minibus. With real-time aurora forecasts and a deep knowledge of local skies, they’ll take you far from city lights to wherever the chances are best. One moment you’re driving through darkness, and the next—the sky erupts in green and purple waves. It’s quiet, surreal, and if conditions are right, absolutely unforgettable!
The last day is yours to enjoy Reykjavík at your own pace. Take time to explore the city’s shops, cafes, museums, or visit one of the many geothermal swimming pools—just don’t forget your swimsuit! Walk along the old harbor or enjoy views of the Atlantic shoreline. Whether you're after art, food, or local stories, Reykjavík has plenty to fill your final day.
This is an outdoor adventure tour, so dressing appropriately for Iceland’s changing weather is essential. Throughout the trip, we recommend wearing warm, layered clothing, including thermal underwear, a waterproof jacket and pants, a warm hat, scarf, and gloves.
For the glacier hike, sturdy hiking boots are mandatory as they are the only type that works with ice crampons. If needed, hiking boots, waterproof jackets, and pants can be rented on-location for the glacier activity. To rent gear for the entire tour, please be sure to add the items to your booking at least 48 hours before departure.
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.
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.
Yes, the parking fee depends on your car category.
Category A - Passenger car, 5 seats or less: ISK 750
Category B - Passenger car, 6-9 seats: ISK 1,000
Motorcycles: ISK 300
You can always check the newest fees here.
We always recommend booking a multi-day tour starting at least one day after arriving in Iceland. If you’re flying in from the US or will be landing early (4-6:30 am) you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e if the flight gets delayed) and could, therefore, miss out on the tour.
For multi-day tours, each participant is allowed to bring a small backpack and 1 piece of luggage weighing a maximum of 20 kg (44 lbs). If you have more or heavier luggage with you, you will need to book storage for the surplus luggage before you arrive, there is a small fee for using this facility. Luggage storage in Reykjavík can be added during the booking process of your order in the extras section.
* The combined dimensions of each bag must not exceed 158 cm (62 in).
When booking with Adventures.com, you are guaranteed accommodation at a nice country hotel and/or a guesthouse. The hotels we have partnered up with are all of the same standards and offer nice rooms with made-up beds. The rooms come with private or shared bathrooms, depending on your booking. The standard room is a twin room but it’s possible to request a double room or a triple room, with no extra charge.
If you are traveling solo, you will have to add the single room fee if you wish to have a single room.
All hotels have free Wi-Fi. Towels, a hairdryer, and a kettle are accessible at all of the hotels. Hotel breakfast is included!
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!
If your tour includes accommodation, breakfast is always included during the tour at the hotel/guesthouse restaurant.
Meals and beverages are otherwise not included on your tour. (Unless it’s specifically stated in the description of the tour)
On our multiday tours, we will be making stops at restaurants and convenience stores where you will be able to purchase all necessities.
You should count on spending around 8,000 ISK (80$) on food each day per person. Cash is not necessary, as credit cards are almost always accepted. Having a small amount of cash doesn’t hurt though.
Breakfast is included at all the hotels we stay in during the tour. The breakfast will be a typical breakfast buffet, offering bread, toppings, cereal, yogurt, fruits, coffee, and tea etc.
Your guide will also find a good place for the group to eat lunch. We always try to choose places that have a wide selection of dishes on the menu, so there will be options available for everyone. The dinner is usually at the hotels we stay at for the night.
We do welcome participants of all ages older than the listed minimum age for each tour. We have people of ages ranging from 8-99 years joining our multi-day tours. Our average group usually consists of participants between the age 20-55 years. We do get a lot of solo travellers joining our tours, as well as families and friends.
If you have difficulties participating in any of the activities included in the tour, for example, a glacier activity, you are more than welcome to skip it. You can explore your surroundings in the meantime or wait elsewhere. Our guide should be able to drop you off at a nearby place where there are some services available.
A single supplement is available if you want to have your own room, but you are not required to pay a single supplement. If you are a single traveler and do not wish to book a single room, you’ll be roomed with another traveler of the same gender.
Don’t worry, you can always rent sturdy hiking boots, a waterproof jacket and pants in the booking process. We do not rent these items from the location, they must be ordered in advance.
We drive on average around 300 km (186 miles) per day on our multi-day tours. You will be spending approximately 4-5 hours in the car each day. We do of course stop on multiple locations throughout the tour for sightseeing, activities, bathroom breaks and lunch stops.
