Icelandic Lights Small Group Tour

6 days | Small group tour | Oct–Mar | Reykjavík, Golden Circle & South Coast

Icelandic Lights is a six-day small group tour offering an in-depth exploration of Iceland's winter landscapes, with an emphasis on opportunities to see the Northern Lights. It takes in some of the country's most recognisable places, including the Golden Circle, the Vatnajökull National Park region, and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, with a guided Northern Lights program running across three evenings.

Limited to a maximum of 16 travellers, Icelandic Lights offers an intimate experience, with handpicked hotels and most dinners included. Guests explore Iceland's geography, culture and history, and learn about the island's relationship with volcanoes and the Northern Lights. Running from October to March, the tour is designed around the best time to see the Northern Lights.

Visiting the Blue Lagoon makes a relaxed, celebratory close to the tour with your new-found friends, with a comfort access package included (subject to availability).

Tour inclusions:

• Guided touring with 2 nights in Reykjavík and 3 nights in the countryside
• 5 nights' accommodation in rooms with private facilities
• Daily breakfast
• 1 three-course or buffet dinner with coffee or tea in Reykjavík
• 3 two-course or buffet dinners with coffee or tea outside Reykjavík
• Entry to key attractions, including the Blue Lagoon, Fridheimar geothermal greenhouse, Lava and Volcano Exhibition Centre, and Skógar Folk Museum
• Northern Lights program featuring lectures, presentations and guided searches
• Comfort access to the Blue Lagoon, including a mud mask, towel and first drink
• Flybus transfers from the airport to Reykjavík on day 1 and back to the airport on day 6
• Free WiFi on the mini-coach

Read the full itinerary and book the Icelandic Lights tour.

Handpicked stays, chosen for location and dark skies

Hotel Reykjavík Saga, Reykjavík

A 4-star hotel in the heart of Reykjavík, a short walk from the water, Hotel Reykjavík Saga combines modern comfort with a central location. Rooms are spacious, and many look out over the city. As one traveller put it: "Brilliant location. A clean and comfortable room, with a lovely view. The hotel food was excellent. Above all, the reception staff were really friendly and helpful throughout our whole stay." The hotel has an on-site restaurant and bar, a gym, a sauna and a spa lounge, and offers allergy-free rooms.

Landhotel, South Iceland

In the South Iceland countryside near Hella, Landhotel is one of the better-placed Icelandic hotels for Northern Lights viewing, thanks to its remote, dark-sky setting, with an aurora wake-up service and live aurora cameras in the rooms. It makes a comfortable base for exploring the region's waterfalls, glaciers and volcanic landscapes. The highlight is the sauna area, with a dry sauna and an infrared sauna, alongside an outdoor glass-walled jacuzzi with a mountain view (closed in extreme weather).

Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon (or Hotel Skaftafell)

For the two nights in the southeast, the tour uses a handpicked hotel near the glaciers, most often Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, a 4-star property set between the Vatnajökull glacier and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, close to Diamond Beach and Vatnajökull National Park. As one traveller wrote: "What a fabulous room with all facilities we'd ever need and more. The bedroom view a real hit, and the hot tubs a real hit." Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon has a complimentary spa (first come, first served) with hot tubs, sauna and gym. On some departures these nights are spent at the nearby Hotel Skaftafell, a comfortable 3-star hotel in the same glacier country, chosen for the same dark skies and proximity to the national park.

Each stay is chosen for its comfort, location and access to the Icelandic landscape, from the central ease of Hotel Reykjavík Saga to the dark rural skies of Landhotel and the glacier setting of the southeast.

Read the full itinerary and book the Icelandic Lights tour.

Main Image: Blue Lagoon, Iceland

A winter shaped around the light

Icelandic Lights sets out to do one thing well: give you the best chance of the Northern Lights, on a tour small enough to feel personal and paced gently enough to enjoy. Three evenings of guided searches, two nights under the dark skies of the glacier country, and a route that runs from the geysers and rifts of the Golden Circle to the ice of Jökulsárlón, all in the company of a group of no more than 16. It is a winter in Iceland shaped around the light, and around the quiet moments in between.

Explore our full range of Iceland tours and holidays, or read more travel articles related to Iceland.