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Short Tour of Iceland

Depart:
Escorted Tour-land Only

5 Days/ 4 Nights

2021 Departures:

January 30

Iceland is the perfect place to enjoy a winter trip full of adventure, icy landscapes and the chance to see the elusive Northern Lights. You visit Iceland’s most popular sites such as the Golden Circle route, the South coast and Vatnajokull national park. You see cascading waterfalls, smoking geysers, colorful volcano craters, a spectacular ice lagoon with floating icebergs and black lava beaches, all set against a backdrop of glistering glaciers and restless geology. There is always a thrilling potential for the night sky to be decorated with the jewels of the amazing aurora borealis. Imagine the excitement to search for the most spectacular, and natural, light show on earth.
Price per Person:

In a double room $999 Using Hotel Klettur in Reykjavik
Single supplement $399

Per person in a double room using Hotel Cabin in Reykjavik $949
Single supplement $359

Package Includes:

4 nights tourist class accommodation both with private facilities
Round trip Flybus airport transfers (no guide)
Breakfast each morning
English speaking tour escort
Transportation between cities
Sightseeing as per itinerary
Entrance to Kerid Volcano Crater
Northern Lights program during 2 evenings with a combination of lectures, presentations, film and guided searches for the Northern Lights
Use of winter & Northern Lights explorer equipment: simple non-slip snow & ice grippers spikes for shoes and a flash light that is helpful when walking in the dark and operating your photo camera at night.
Hotel taxes and service charges

Itinerary

Day 1 Reykjavik
Upon arrival Flybus transfer to your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure to explore the charming capital of Iceland. Overnight in Reykjavik.

Day 2 Reykjavik-South Iceland
At 9.am meet your tour guide and start the escorted tour program with a short city tour around Reykjavik. Explore the Golden Circle route. The first stop is at Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site. Next, visit the hot springs at Geysir and travel to the double waterfall, Gullfoss. Continue to Kerid, a caldera with a crater lake on the bottom and which resembles an ancient amphitheater. In the evening, you hear about the Northern Lights from your tour guide. Naturally, once darkness falls, you are out in the garden waiting for the Northern Lights. Stay for one night in South Iceland. Overnight Hotel Eyjafjallajokull, Hvolsvollur

Day 3 South Iceland-Vatnajokull Region.
A long drive brings you to a world of glaciers, ice and icebergs. Travel to Jokulsarlon, a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs. Explore this extraordinary site and perhaps see seals swimming in the arctic waters. You can walk on the black sandy beach where large icebergs get stranded. The Vatnajokull National Park is about 12,000 square kilometers and it is the largest National Park in Europe. In this area find Iceland’s highest mountains, an alpine environment and Europe’s largest glacier. In the evening, you hear about the Northern Lights from your tour guide. Be careful not to go to bed too soon in this remote and quiet location, or you may just miss out one more chance of seeing the Northern Lights shimmering and dancing across the night sky. Stay for one night in the Vatnajokull region at the Adventure Hotel Hof near Skaftafell.

Day 4 Vatnajokull Region-Reykjavik
Today, head across the Laki Lava Field to the village of Vik where you attend the stunning Icelandic Lava Show; the only exhibition in the world where you can experience actual flowing lava. By melting lava and pouring it on ice in a room full of people, you will be able to see the lava flowing, hear it sizzling, and feel the heat that radiates from it. In the afternoon take a stroll on the black lava beach and along the bird cliffs at Reynisfjara beach in South Iceland. Pass the Myrdalsjokull Glacier and the infamous Eyjafjallajokull Volcano. Continue to the Skogafoss Waterfall and stop at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. In the evening you return to Reykjavik for one last night. An optional Northern Lights bus tour or fjord cruise can be booked on the spot if the weather conditions are ideal. Stay one night in Reykjavik.

Day 5 Reykjavik-End of Tour
After breakfast Flybus transfer to the airport. You can extend your stay in Iceland or continue to Greenland, Faroe Islands or Scandinavia.

Additional nights in Reykjavik available

Maximum group size is 30 persons

There is a possibility that some of the nature attractions around Iceland might charge an entrance fee during the trip. These entrance fees are not included in the tour price and need to be paid by all tour members additionally on the spot, when entering any of these nature sites. Locations, amount of entrance fee, form of payment and other details are not known at the present time and are subject to change.

NOTE: In rare cases, a change of itinerary might be necessary during winter programs in Iceland, should snow, road and weather conditions not allow to follow the scheduled itinerary, and certain outdoor activities might be cancelled. In this case no refund will be given, but we will try to find reasonable alternatives where and whenever possible.

This program includes during 2 evenings a combination of presentations, lectures, film and guided tours at spots that are likely to offer a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. All countryside hotels in this program offer a Northern Lights wake up call for guests that register for that special service at the hotel reception. At some of the hotels this service is only offered until 2am or 3am in the morning. This tour series is designed to spend 5 evenings in the countryside to maximize the chances of seeing the elusive Northern Lights, still the tour is dependent on weather and therefore sightings are not guaranteed. The Northern Lights are in the northern hemisphere from September through April but are only visible when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many of natural wonders, the Northern Lights are 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 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 will make you comfortable while you await patiently this truly outstanding light show. For the best photos we recommend using a tripod.

DAILY DRIVING: Total mileage without airport transfer is 564 miles which is an average of 188 miles per day. You spend about 4 hours per day on the bus, depending on road conditions, traffic and daily distances. On some days the driving might be longer than on some other days.




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