Iceland · Festival

5 Days New Year's Northern Lights Adventure

5 Days Round trip from Reykjavík Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Celebrate New Year’s Eve in South Iceland with bonfires, fireworks, and a festive 4-course dinner
  • 02 Relax in the Blue Lagoon with entrance and towel included
  • 03 Explore Reykjavík and the volcanic landscapes of the Reykjanes Peninsula
  • 04 Visit South Iceland highlights including Seljalandsfoss, Skógarfoss, Reynisfjara, Dyrhólaey, and Vík
  • 05 Travel the Golden Circle to see Geysir, Gullfoss, and Þingvellir National Park
  • 06 Enjoy two evenings of Northern Lights program activities in South Iceland
  • 07 Learn about the Icelandic horse and visit a geothermal greenhouse
  • 08 Includes airport transfers, 4 nights’ accommodation, daily breakfast, and guided coach touring

Celebrate the New Year in Iceland on a 5-day winter journey that combines city sights, dramatic landscapes, and seasonal experiences. Explore Reykjavík, travel across the Reykjanes Peninsula, unwind in the Blue Lagoon, and discover South Iceland’s waterfalls, glacier views, and black lava beaches.

This itinerary also includes some of Iceland’s most iconic highlights, from the Golden Circle’s Geysir and Gullfoss to Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way, enjoy festive dining, local New Year traditions, and opportunities to search for the Northern Lights during two evenings in South Iceland.

Celebrate the New Year in Iceland on a 5-day winter journey that combines city sights, dramatic landscapes, and seasonal experiences.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days
Tour type Shared
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Included
Transport Included
Wheelchair access Not applicable
Cities Reykjavik, Keflavik, Reykjanes, Gullfoss, Geysir, Vík í Mýrdal, Thingvellir
Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Welcome to Iceland

Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from Keflavik airport to your accommodation in Reykjavik. You may explore Iceland’s capital city on your own if time allows.

Overnight location:
Hotel Cabin, Reykjavík. Dinner is on your own. (50km / 31mls)

2
Day 02

Reykjavik City Tour, Blue Lagoon & Reykjanes Peninsula

At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group the highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital. Then we head out to the Reykjanes Peninsula with its hot springs, mountains, moon-like landscape, bird cliffs, lighthouses and fishing villages. In the afternoon we bathe in the Blue Lagoon.
Drive along the south coast to arrive in the village of Hella where we stay for two nights in simple cottages.

In the evening, we hear about the Northern Lights from our tour guide. Naturally, once darkness falls, you are out in the garden waiting for the Northern Lights.

Overnight location:
Arhus Cottages, Hella. Breakfast included. Lunch & dinner is on your own. (220km / 137mls)

3
Day 03

South Iceland & New Years Celebration

Today we travel along the south coast. We reach the area beneath the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and glacier. We stop at Seljalandsfoss waterfall and visit Skógar folk museum of early Modern Iceland with its turf houses. At lunch, we visit the Skógarfoss waterfall.
In the afternoon 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.

In the evening we celebrate New Year the Icelandic way. Before dinner, join a guided bus tour to visit the bonfires in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Brenna bonfires of New Year’s Eve had their origins in the Middle Ages when people built bonfires to burn the old things they no longer needed. In Iceland, there are bonfires all around the country where inhabitants gather, shoot off fireworks, sing and dance as they wait for the New Year to come in.

Your festive 4-course dinner starts around 20:30 and is served at Árhús Restaurant on the river banks in Hella, which is a small village in South Iceland. Afterwards, we walk through the village and celebrate New Year’s with a bang when at midnight the sky opens with thousands of fireworks set off in the village by the local inhabitants. This is an experience of a lifetime; you will never forget. Drink a toast of sparkling wine as you enjoy a real special Icelandic New Year’s celebration.
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, colours, patterns and sizes.

Overnight location:
Arhus Cottages, Hella. Breakfast included. Festive 4-course dinner (200km / 124mls)

4
Day 04

Golden Circle & Culinary Experience

In the morning we learn about the Icelandic horse, its unique qualities and history and visit a geothermal greenhouse. Then we travel the Golden Circle route, see steam rising from the Geysir geothermal fields and admire the double waterfall of Gullfoss. We end the afternoon at Þingvellir National Park, the location of the ancient Viking Parliament and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The program includes a culinary treat at a restaurant located in the heart of downtown Reykjavík.

Overnight location:
Hotel Cabin, Reykjavík. Breakfast included. Culinary dinner experience (200km / 124mls)

5
Day 05

Departure Home

Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from your accommodation in Reykjavik to Keflavik International Airport.

Breakfast included. (50km / 31mls)

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from Reykjavík 7 cities · 5 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • Arrival & departure airport transfer by FLYBUS (no guide)
  • Fully escorted 3-day coach tour with English speaking guide
  • Bonfire and New Year's Celebration Tour
  • 4-night accommodation, rooms with private shower/wc
  • Daily breakfast,
  • 4-course festive dinner on the 31st of December
  • Fine dining at restaurant in downtown Reykjavik on January 1st including transfers
  • Northern Lights program during two evenings
  • Blue Lagoon with entrance and use of towel
  • Skógar Folk Museum & Turf houses

What's Not Included

  • Any private expenses
  • Any meals not listed under included
  • Any additional servises

Know before you go

  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • For this program, we use budget accommodation to offer an attractive package price. You get great value for money. First and last night is at Hotel Cabin (small rooms). 2nd & 3rd night are at Árhús Cabins in Hella, South Iceland, where 23 simple cottages with shower/wc are located in a large garden right on the river banks in Hella. Árhús Cabins are popular with outdoor active guests and families traveling with children. All cottages are equipped with a small kitchenette and free Wi-Fi. There is a restaurant on premises, and the program includes 2x breakfast and 1x festive 4-course dinner.
  • This program includes during two evenings a combination of presentations, lectures, film and guided Northern Lights searches in the hotel garden in South Iceland. The tour is dependent on weather, and therefore sightings are not guaranteed. The Northern Lights are in the northern sky from September through April but are only visible when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many of nature's wonders, it's ephemeral – they 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's worth the patience required. Because they're a winter event, you need to be prepared to wait outside, while looking for them. It's best to dress very warmly, in layers, with good footwear, gloves, hats and whatever else will make you comfortable while you await this truly outstanding event. For the best photos, we recommend using a tripod.
  • Itineraries may be subject to change at short notice during severe weather conditions and certain outdoor activities/day trips may be canceled during the winter season in Iceland. In these rare cases, where situations of force majeure apply, excursions/activities cannot be refunded but the local guides will try their best to find reasonable alternatives where and whenever possible.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
  • You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
  • complimentary: Free Wi-Fi on the bus
  • Optional glacier hike on day 3 (booked online)
  • Optional Northern Lights cruise

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
Reykjavík, IS
Tour start
Reykjavík, IS
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 5 days finish where they began, in Reykjavík.

Watch the tourHQ film Watch the film

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