Five days of frozen waterfalls, blue ice caves and glacier lagoons, with a northern lights hunt every night the sky allows. Led by local guides who know where the clouds break.
Iceland in winter feels like a different country. The sun stays low and golden, waterfalls freeze into blue sculptures, and once night falls (early) the sky becomes the main event.
On this five-day tour a local Nordic Wonders driver-guide takes you along the south coast to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and back through the Golden Circle. Every evening with a clear enough sky becomes a northern lights hunt. You travel in a heated 4x4 minibus with no more than 14 guests and sleep in countryside hotels far from city light. We handle the planning, the forecasts and the icy roads.
If the lights don't show during your tour, join any of our Reykjavík northern lights hunts for free, for up to two years.
Routes can change with the weather. Your guide adjusts the order to chase clear skies and safe roads.
Day 1A private transfer brings you from Keflavík airport to Reykjavík. Spend the afternoon on Laugavegur, up the tower of Hallgrímskirkja or in a geothermal pool. Meet your guide and group at 18:00, then head out of the city lights for your first look at the night sky.
Day 2Follow the Ring Road south. Walk the icy path behind Seljalandsfoss, feel the spray of the 60-metre Skógafoss, then watch the surf roll onto Reynisfjara beneath its basalt columns. The evening is spent near Vík, with a hot tub under the open sky.
Day 3Gear up with crampons and a helmet and follow a specialist glacier guide into a natural blue ice cave under Vatnajökull (Nov–Mar, conditions permitting). After lunch, watch icebergs calve and drift through Jökulsárlón, then walk among ice shards on Diamond Beach. Tonight brings the darkest skies of the trip.
Day 4Drive west to the double cascade of Gullfoss, wait for Strokkur to erupt at the Geysir geothermal field, and walk between two tectonic plates at Þingvellir National Park. Back in Reykjavík by early evening. Add an optional soak at a geothermal lagoon.
Day 5Your transfer takes you to Keflavík in time for your flight. Not ready to leave? Add extra nights in Reykjavík, a Snæfellsnes day trip or a snowmobile ride on Langjökull. Ask your travel expert.
Reykjavík · five minutes' walk from the old harbour and Laugavegur.
Near Vík · outdoor hot tubs facing the sea stacks.
Vatnajökull area · zero light pollution and wake-up calls for the aurora.
We may swap in a hotel of the same standard if needed. You'll get your final hotel list 30 days before departure.
For the 19th year in a row, Iceland is ranked the most peaceful country in the world on the Global Peace Index. Crime is very low, there's no standing army, and Icelanders are famously welcoming. Here, you can simply relax and enjoy the trip.
In Iceland the real risks are natural ones: fast-changing weather, icy roads and powerful waves. Handling them is exactly what our guides are trained for.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, Institute for Economics & Peace.
Seeing the northern lights takes three things: darkness, clear skies and solar activity. Our guides check cloud maps and space-weather data every afternoon and pick the spot with the best odds. Sometimes that's the hotel garden, sometimes a 40-minute drive to a gap in the clouds.
Pick a month to compare darkness, daylight and typical conditions.
December has the longest nights, with festive lights in Reykjavík.
From the south coast's waterfalls to the glacier lagoon in the east. Click any photo to enlarge it.
Prices are per person in a shared twin or double room. Maximum 14 guests per departure.
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Can't find your answer? Our team in Reykjavík replies within one working day.
No one can promise nature. You need clear skies and solar activity. Your guide hunts every suitable night, and two nights are in dark countryside locations. If you don't see them, our aurora promise lets you join a Reykjavík hunt for free.
Very. Iceland has been ranked the most peaceful country in the world on the Global Peace Index for 19 years running (2008–2026), and crime is very low. The main risks are natural: changing weather, icy roads and strong waves at beaches like Reynisfjara. That's why every tour is led by a winter-trained guide who checks conditions daily.
Along the south coast, winter temperatures usually sit between -3°C and +4°C. Wind is the bigger factor, so a windproof outer layer matters more than a huge parka.
Thermal base layers, a fleece or down mid-layer, a waterproof jacket and trousers, insulated waterproof boots, hat, gloves and a swimsuit for hot tubs. We provide crampons and helmets for the ice cave.
If you can walk 3–5 km a day on uneven or icy ground, you'll be fine. The ice cave involves a short hike over gravel and ice to the entrance.
Natural ice caves are only safe in the coldest months, and our glacier guides make the final call on the day. If it's closed, you'll do a glacier walk instead or get a refund for that activity.
A 15% deposit secures your seats, and the balance is due 45 days before departure. You can make free changes up to 60 days before you travel.
Small groups fill fast in December and February. Hold your seats today with a 15% deposit.
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