Iceland: Hidden Powers & Northern Lights

ICELAND:  HIDDEN POWERS & NORTHERN LIGHTS

Select departures between October 3, 2024 – April 3, 2025

Please note this tour is not operated by Brekke Tours, but by one of our Icelandic Travel Partners.

HIGHLIGHTS
Visit Reykjavik, South Coast, Vatnajokull National Park, and the Blue Lagoon

ITINERARY INCLUDES

• Arrival & departure airport transfer by FLYBUS Plus shuttle (no guide)
• Guided Coach Tour from day 2 to day 5
• Expert professional English-speaking local guide from day 2 to day 5
• Free Wi-Fi on board motor coach
• Accommodation 2 nights in a standard room with facilities in Reykjavik
• Accommodation 3 nights in a standard room with facilities in the countryside
• Icelandic breakfast (except arrival day)
• 3 Two-course local-cuisine dinners in the countryside (main course and dessert) with coffee/tea (Day 2, 3, 4)
• Entrance fee to the Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Centre (day 2)
• Visit to outdoor geothermal bakery and taste of steam-baked rye bread (day 2)
• Entrance fee to the LAVA Centre and volcano film at the LAVA Centre Cinema (day 3)
• Visit to a local horse farm to meet Icelandic horses. Visit also includes traditional Icelandic refreshments (day 5)
• Blue Lagoon admission, including towel rental, silica mud mask and one drink (day 5)
• Use of crampons/cleats (if needed) for walking on snow/ice covered surfaces
• Great photo stops
• Seat rotation during the tour
• Northern Lights guided hunt on foot one selected evening
• Northern Lights hunting kit (use of blanket and headlight)
• Customer care service during office hours
• 24-hour Iceland Travel emergency line assistance while you are in Iceland

IMPORTANT

• Northern lights are dependent on weather conditions and sightings are not guaranteed
• Note: We reserve the right to alter routes without prior notice, due to road conditions
• Minimum of 2 passengers required to guarantee each departure

ITINERARY – 6 DAYS

DAY 1    ARRIVE REYKJAVIK
Upon arrival, head through passport control, collect your bags and go through customs to the Arrival Hall. The FlyBus airport buses wait for passengers outside the Arrival Hall. Show your FlyBus Plus transfer information to the attendant on the bus and let him or her know which hotel you’re staying at in Reykjavik. Please note that this is not a guided transfer and you will not be met at the airport. Once in Reykjavik, check into your hotel. If you arrive early in the day, you might want to explore Reykjavik´s old town, location of many museums and galleries. One of our favorite activities after a long flight is to visit one of the neighborhood geothermal pools. It is so refreshing to relax in the warm water, breathing in the fresh Icelandic air. It’s a great way to get to see Icelandic daily life and maybe meet a few locals. Dinner this evening is at your leisure. Reykjavik offers a multitude of restaurants and/or coffee-houses, making dinner a great way to get better acquainted with Iceland’s capital. Overnight at FossHotel Reykjavik.

Please note that hotels in Iceland start check-in around 14:00 (2:00pm), and early check-in is not guaranteed. Most hotels will be happy to store your luggage if you are not able to check in early.

DAY 2   REYKJAVIK – GOLDEN CIRCLE – SOUTH COAST             [B,D]
Start the adventure by visiting the fascinating Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights Centre. You’ll get a great introduction to northern lights, how they are formed and the folklore surrounding them. You’ll also get tips about how to capture northern lights on film. It’s also possible to get assistance from the staff in adjusting your camera’s settings for northern lights photos. Then head onwards to Thingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage site) where the world’s oldest parliament met for centuries on the shores of Iceland’s largest lake. This is a place that makes us Icelanders very proud of our heritage, and your guide will show you some of the amazing sites here. You might even have the rare chance to walk between two continents! Continue on to the geothermal fields of Geysir with bubbling mud pools and the high-spouting Strokkur hot spring. Last but not least, visit the dramatic two-tiered Gullfoss waterfall, a spectacular sight in winter when frozen mid-cascade. During the day you will also visit the town of Laugarvatn. The town is built around three hot springs, and the residents have cleverly harnessed the hot springs for heating, greenhouses and even cooking. You’ll visit a unique outdoor geothermal bakery where sweet Icelandic rye bread is baked in the hot sands. You’ll have the chance to taste some of the freshly baked bread, hot from the ground. It’s especially delicious slathered in sweet Icelandic butter. If weather conditions are right, your guide will take you on a northern lights hunt on foot in the area outside your hotel tonight, or on the evening of Day 3 or 4. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Stracta in the south coast area.

DAY 3    SOUTH COAST – KIRKJUBAEJARKLAUSTUR                    [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Drive along the South Shore, an area of Iceland that is especially beautiful to view in the winter. This is one of the main farm regions of the country, and the road will pass by typical Icelandic farms, often with Icelandic horses roaming in the fields. This part of Iceland is home to the wonderful LAVA Centre, an interactive, high-tech educational exhibition depicting volcanic activity, earthquakes and the creation of Iceland over millions of years. Enjoy both the exhibit and viewing an interesting film about Icelandic volcanoes at the Centre’s cinema. Continue onwards. If the skies are clear you might see the area’s two most famous volcanoes in the distance: Mount Hekla (last eruption 2000) and Eyjafjallajokull (last eruption 2010). Stop at the spectacular waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. Head onwards to visit Reynisfjara beach. Take a walk on the black sands, admiring the extraordinary rock formations and thundering waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Cross Eldhraun, a vast lava field created from a very destructive 18th-century eruption as you head into Southeast Iceland. The snows of winter make this landscape into something very mysterious. Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Klaustur/FossHotel Núpar in Kirkjubaejarklaustur area.

DAY 4     VATNAJOKULL NATIONAL PARK EXCURSION                [B,D]
Breakfast at your hotel. Today you will be in a world of glaciers! You’ll be visiting the southern area of Vatnajokull National Park, named after Europe’s largest glacier. The total park area covers almost 14% of Iceland, making it the largest national park in Western Europe! Drive through vast sand plains created by glacial outwashes as you head east. Visit Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon where you can enjoy the breath-taking sight of icebergs floating in the fantastic 180m (591 ft.) deep glacial lagoon. Nearby is the dramatic beauty of the Diamond Beach, where shrinking icebergs settle on the black sands before they drift out to sea. Visit the national park’s famous Skaftafell area, a site of outstanding natural beauty dominated by several magnificent glaciers. After an amazing day, return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 5     KIRKJUBAEJARKLAUSTUR – BLUE LAGOON – REYKJAVIK                [B]
Breakfast at your hotel. Head back along the beautiful South Coast, enjoying a different view of the winter landscapes. Visit the village of Hveragerdi, which is one of the few sites in the world located directly in the middle of a geothermal area. Hveragerdi is often called “The Flower Village” because of its many flower greenhouses heated by hot water from nearby springs. Next, you’ll visit a horse farm to meet some locals: Icelandic horses. This Viking horse breed played a pivotal role in Icelandic history. Enjoy petting these friendly horses and snapping a few selfies with them. You’ll also taste some sweet refreshments that are traditionally served on Icelandic farms. Return to Reykjavik, where the evening open for you to enjoy your own activities. Overnight at FossHotel Reykjavik.

DAY 6      REYKJAVIK—DEPART                                                                 [B]
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to explore Reykjavik independently before taking the airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.

NORTHERN LIGHTS: The Northern Lights are visible in the northern sky from September through April when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many natural wonders, it is an ephemeral spectacle – the Northern Lights may be visible, they may appear for a bit and then be gone (it is not a TV show that you can just turn on and off). But it is worth the patience which is much required. Because they are a winter event, you need to be prepared to wait outside while looking for them. It is best to dress very warmly, in layers, with good footwear, gloves, hats and whatever else makes you comfortable while you await this truly outstanding event. For the best photos we recommend using a tripod.