New Years Land Of The Northern Lights

Reykjavik. Welcome to Iceland and the start of your Northern Lights adventure! Your transfer to your accommodation is by Flybus shuttle. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Reykjavik - Reykjanes Peninsula - Blue Lagoon - Hella. This morning you meet your tour guide who shows the group some of the highlights of Iceland's capital. Then we head out to the Reykjanes peninsula famous for hot springs, picturesque mountains, bird cliffs, light houses and quaint fishing villages. Later on we get to relax in the warm blue waters of the famous Blue Lagoon

This evening, we hear all about the Northern Lights and once darkness falls we head out in the garden and wait for this beautiful natural phenomena to appear.

Hella - Eyjafjallajokull - Skogafoss - Black Lava Beach - Hella. Today we travel along the South coast and visit the active volcano that is beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. We travel on to the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges down from the mountain, and then visit the Skógar folk museum, which contains an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artefacts. Nearby is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country; the 60-meter high Skógafoss waterfall.

This afternoon the tour continues further south where you can stroll on the black lava beach to see the amazing bird cliffs at Reynisfjara near Vík.

This evening we celebrate New Year the Icelandic way. Before dinner, we visit the bonfires in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Brenna bonfires of New Year's Eve have 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.

Returning to our hotel we enjoy a delicious 4-course dinner on the river banks in Hella. Later this evening we enjoy the myriad of fireworks exploding across the sky to ring in the new year. If you're truly lucky you may also see the northern lights appear in the background.

Hella - Golden Circle - Reykjavik. This morning we learn about the indigenous Icelandic horse and its history and special qualities. We also visit a geothermal greenhouse seeing steam from the Geysir geothermal fields as you arrive. There is a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur "the Churn" which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. Continuing on to Gullfoss "the golden falls", a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvita River. Next we travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site before returning to Reykjavik for one night. This evening we enjoy a culinary dining experience which includes some local Icelandic cuisine.

Today our Northern Lights Icelandic experience comes to an end with included FlyBus transfer to Keflavik Airport.