Iceland: Searching for the Northern Lights

Arrive in Reykjavík
Visit Iceland for crisp winter nights and a rare opportunity to search for the northern lights. If atmospheric conditions are right, the aurora borealis will roar into your view with a mesmerizing show: rippling ribbons of light radiate in neon green, red, and gold; the intensity of northern lights displays in Iceland will leave you awe-struck and always produces extraordinary night photography.

Get to know your expert Icelandic guide, who will help you learn about local traditions and foods, as well as guide you as you walk on a glacier, drive a snowmobile, and search for the northern lights. You are also accompanied by an AdventureWomen Ambassador, committed to helping make your experience a fun and personally rewarding adventure, and cheering you on as you reach beyond your comfort zone to take on new challenges in your own unique way!

You’ll be met by your guide at the Reykjavík airport early this morning to start your adventure! If you are arriving into Reykjavík before the official start of the trip, meet your guide at 10am in the lobby of the Skuggi Hotel. As soon as it gets a little bit lighter out, set off on a tour of Reykjavík on foot and by bus. Discover this small but charming Nordic capital, including its historic buildings, the main shopping streets, a sculpture garden, the Opera House, and the mighty Hallgrímskirkja Church which towers over the city center.

After lunch at a local bistro, head to Perlan, a huge glass dome on top of a hill. Built in 1991 as water storage, it now also houses a museum, planetarium, and a restaurant. Enjoy amazing views over all of Reykjavík from the observation deck, and if you’re lucky, you might be able to see all the way to Snæfellsjökull Glacier. Visit the on-site planetarium before heading back into town. Enjoy a festive welcome dinner with the group tonight as you get to know your fellow AdventureWomen travelers.
Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Skuggi Hotel

Reykjavík to West Iceland
Head out of Reykjavík via the under-sea tunnel and spend most of your exploring in Snæfellsjökull National Park, enjoying stunning views all along the way. Declared a National Park in 2001, the area has an astonishing variety of natural landscapes, including moss-covered lava fields, pebbled beaches, and rugged cliffs. Explore with the other women on your trip on foot for different vantage points in this amazing natural setting.

Enjoy lunch on your own today in a local café.

Enjoy a soak in the geothermal pool before dinner. Spend some time outside this evening looking for the Northern Lights – you’re in the perfect location to see them here, as there is very little light pollution.
Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Hotel Húsafell 

West Iceland
Bundle up and start today with a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience, going by snowmobile at the top of Langjökull glacier and into a man-made ice tunnel, which takes you right into the blue ice! Two women will be on each snowmobile, and there will be a chance to switch drivers halfway through. You will need a valid driver’s license to drive the snowmobile. Enjoy lunch on your own today at a local restaurant.

Equipped with safety gear and led by a guide, you’ll head into one of Iceland’s largest lava caves in the Hallmundarhraun lava field. Experience the magnificent underground lava and, at some point, experience total and complete darkness.

Back up on the surface, visit the Hraunfossar lava waterfalls and Deildartunguhver, the largest natural hot spring in Europe. Drawing on the geothermal reserves in the area, it pumps out a staggering 180 liters of boiling water each second, and the billowing clouds of steam created by this mighty fissure are truly impressive. Next to the hot spring is the Krauma SPA, where you can enjoy a sauna, various hot tubs, and the relaxation room with a crackling firepace.

Enjoy dinner at your hotel this evening, and make sure to spend some more time outside searching for the northern lights!
Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Hotel Húsafell 

West Iceland to Flúdir
Your next destination is historic Thingvellir National Park. You will see the spectacular natural amphitheater, where almost every important moment in Iceland’s history has taken place. Today Thingvellir is still regarded with reverence by Icelanders, its historical weight reinforced by a serene natural beauty. Thingvellir sits right on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and you can clearly see the dividing plates and the lake-filled-valley that has developed between the plates.

Continue to the Great Geysir hot spring area and Gullfoss Waterfall (the Golden Waterfall), two of Iceland’s most famous sights. Although the Great Geysir itself has been inactive since the 1960s, its neighbor geyser, Storokkur, fires off a 30-meter-high spout every few minutes.

On your way to your hotel, stop for a soak in the natural hot springs of the Secret Lagoon. The pool’s steam rising into the air gives it a magical feeling, and the temperature of the hot springs water stays at 100-104 degrees Fahrenheit all year round. Changing rooms with showers are on site.
Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Hotel Flúdir

Flúdir
Set out to discover the waterfalls of Iceland’s South Shore. If the weather is good, you might be able to walk behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall and up the stairs to admire Skógarfoss waterfall from above, complete with stunning ocean views!

At the Skógar Heritage Museum, you’ll experience what it was like to live in an ancient turfhouse. Visit the Sólheimarjökull glacier and its beautiful lagoon, and then stop at the Lava Center, a brilliant multi-media exhibit about plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions.

Today’s lunch will be on your own in a local bistro.

Take an optional informative and easy glacier walk on Sólheimajökull glacier. Your certified and experienced glacier guide will lead you through a frozen wonderland of different shades of glacier ice. The spectacular colors of the ice can be white, blue, or crystal clear. You will safely view deep crevasses and water cauldrons, along with other interesting features of the glacier. No technical skills are needed for this excursion and you will be provided with all the necessary glacier walk equipment. Additional cost (approximately $90) required, to be paid in Iceland.

For those who decide not to join the glacier walk, explore the Black Beach with your guide.

Enjoy the lovely hot tubs in the garden at your hotel this evening!
Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Hotel Flúdir

Flúdir to Reykjavík
One of the highlights of your week is sure to be today’s 45-minute dogsledding excursion. Feel the crisp air on your cheeks as you speed across the snow! After some time with the dogs, head to a nearby restaurant for a late lunch.

Drive back to Reykjavík and check in at your hotel. For the afternoon, you can either rest and relax or explore Reykjavík a bit more.

Enjoy a celebratory Farewell Dinner with your new friends to celebrate the end of a fantastic adventure!
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Overnight: Skuggi Hotel

Depart Reykjavík
Enjoy your last few hours in Reykjavik this morning before you check out at 11AM.

Depart Reykjavík and spend some time at the famous Blue Lagoon, for a soak in the warm, mineral-rich waters of this surreal outdoor spa. Lunch is available at the Blue Lagoon, optionally served in the lagoon on floating tables, or in the dining room.

For those on Icelandair flights, which leave early evening, you will be transferred to the airport late afternoon from the Blue Lagoon Spa. If you are on an earlier flight, you will be transferred to the airport from your hotel in Reykjavík in the morning, unless you decide to stay longer in order to do the Blue Lagoon Spa experience.
Breakfast, Lunch

Please note: AdventureWomen will attempt to adhere to the itinerary as much as possible. However, certain conditions (political, climatic, environmental, and cultural) may necessitate changes in the itinerary. AdventureWomen reserves the right to alter any itinerary at any time, if necessary. We will attempt to notify participants of changes as far in advance as possible. Costs incurred by such changes will be the responsibility of the participants.