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Christmas and Northern Lights Adventure

5 Days / 4 locations in Iceland

This is an escorted tour program taking you to the Icelandic countryside to celebrate Christmas in a casual and Icelandic way. We recommend booking early, as this program is only available for a maximum of 40 persons.

You explore Reykjavík, the lunar landscapes of the Reykjanes peninsula, and the Golden Circle route with the Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and Geysir hot springs. You travel to South Iceland, a region with glaciers, waterfalls and black lava beaches. Of course, a warm and relaxing soak in the famous Blue Lagoon during the cold winter days is also included.

This is a casual Christmas adventure where you stay in simple hotels and cottages in Reykjavík and South Iceland. All rooms with private shower/wc. We spend two nights in Hella, a small village in South Iceland where you will be able to discover and experience how Icelandic countryside people celebrate Christmas. We promise that even in a casual program the meals and drinks will be delicious. Árhús cottages in Hella are located in a large and dark garden where it is very easy to see the Northern Light, if the weather conditions are suitable. Our expert tour guide provides you even with a fact talk about the Northern Lights and gives you some tips on how to take photos of this natural phenomenon. On the 26th of December, the program includes fine dining at a culinary restaurant in Reykjavík.

We look forward to celebrating with you Christmas 2019 in the Icelandic countryside!

Itinerary

 
Day 1     Reykjavik
Accommodation: Cabin Hotel

Arrival Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik. The Flybus shuttle brings travelers to Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík where you spend one night. We provide you with ideas on how to explore Iceland’s capital on your own.

 
Day 2     Reykjanes Peninsula - Hella
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner

At 09:00am meet your tour guide who shows the group the Christmas spirit of the capital and the Reykjanes Peninsula with its hot springs, mountains, moon-like landscape, bird cliffs, lighthouses and fishing villages. At the end of the day, we get to soak off our travels in the warm blue waters of the famous Blue Lagoon. We stay for two nights in simple cottages in South Iceland.

In the evening we celebrate Christmas the Icelandic way. Before dinner, we join a guided bus tour to visit the Christmas lights in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Christmas lights had their origins in the Middle Ages when people needed to keep the lights in their abodes during the Winter Solstice. In Iceland, the tradition finds its roots in the Pagan Old Norse beliefs when people would keep the fire alive inside the central pit of the Viking longhouses to keep the darkness of the Winter Solstice outside.

Your festive 4-course dinner starts around 8.30pm and is served at Árhús Restaurant on the river banks in Hella, which is a small village in South Iceland. Drink a toast of sparkling wine as you enjoy a real special Christmas Celebration. Naturally, once darkness falls, you are out in the garden waiting for the Northern Lights.

Overnight at Arhus Cabins for 2 nights

 
Day 3     Hella
Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we head along the South Coast and get out near the active volcano that is beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. We stop at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountain. There’s a trail that goes behind the falling water and offers impressive views if you are prepared to get wet! Further east we visit one of Iceland’s finest folk museums. This museum contains an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artifacts typical of Iceland’s past, as well as turf-built houses. Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 62 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. In the afternoon we offer an optional glacier walk on Sólheimarjökull’s glacier tongue. If you book a trip without the glacier hike, the tour continues further south where you walk on the famous Black Lava Beach at Reynisfjara, observe the Cap of Dyrhólaey and the Reynisdrangar Sea Cliffs before visiting the charming village of Vík.

If the night is clear, you might be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights swirling in a wild and carefree dance across the heavens in dramatic shapes, colors, patterns and sizes.

 
Day 4     Thingvellir - Reykjavik
Accommodation: Cabin Hotel
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner

Today we travel on the Golden Circle route. You see steam from the Geysir geothermal fields as you arrive. There are a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur “the Churn” which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. You continue to Gullfoss “the golden falls”, a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá river, and attracts tourists and travellers in summer and winter. We travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site before returning to Reykjavík for one night. Overnight at Hotel Cabin. The program includes a culinary treat at a traditional restaurant located downtown Reykjavík.

 
Day 5     Reykjavik
Meals: Breakfast

Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport

 
Price Includes
4 Nights Budget Accommodation, Rooms With Private Shower/Wc (S
3 Days Escorted Bus Tour With English-Speaking Guide/Driver-Guide
Arrival & Departure Airport Transfer by Flybus Plus Shuttle (no Guide) •
Christmas Lights Tour & Christmas Celebration on Day 2
4-Course Festive Dinner on the 31st of December
Fine Dining at Culinary Restaurant on the 26th of December, Incl Transfers
Blue Lagoon, Entrance and Use of Towel Included
Skógar Folk Museum & Turf Houses
Northern Lights Program During 2 Evenings
Price Does Not Include
 Optional Excursions
GJT-1269