This exciting winter getaway includes an active 8-day guided northern lights programme in Iceland’s remote Westfjords region, an ideal place for aurora spotting with its dark skies far from bright town lights. You’ll also enjoy various day tours during the adventure, along with some free time in Reykjavik, a tour of the famous Golden Circle and a lot of time to explore the wondrous Westfjords.
A day-by-day plan to guide your journey.
Download PDFOn arrival to Keflavik Airport, you will be greeted by a driver who will take you to your accommodation in Reykjavík. After settling in, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the vibrant city centre and its many museums, restaurants and bars for all tastes. If you're interested in checking out Icelandic design or experiencing the city's thriving coffee culture, head to the main street, Laugavegur, to enjoy its various shops and cosy cafes.
Spend the night in Reykjavík.
Today your journey to the Westfjords begins! This region of Iceland is remote, far from bustling towns, allowing you to be close to nature in an area that few tourists get to experience. After your morning pick-up, you’ll travel with your guide and fellow travellers through beautiful west Iceland. Along the way, there will be a stop in Borgarnes at the Settlement Centre, where you can enjoy the exhibitions about Iceland‘s first settlers. After lunch at the museum restaurant, you will then get to see the largest (by volume) hot spring in the world, Deildartunguhver, followed by the beautiful twin waterfalls, Barnafoss and Hraunfossar, that flow over a lava field. This drive also takes you through Reykholt, an important site from the Icelandic Sagas.
After driving through more impressive landscapes, you will arrive to Heydalur guesthouse and enjoy a three-course dinner in the evening followed by some optional relaxation in the hot tubs outside. The night ends with a leisurely search outside for the northern lights with the guide and others in your group.*
Spend the next four nights at the Heydalur Guesthouse.
*Please note that the northern lights are a natural phenomenon, so sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Heydalur is a beautiful area to visit and spend time hiking, but it is quite isolated during the winter months as it is far from other towns and villages and the weather and roads can be challenging. The only services available in the region are at Heydalur.
The next three days are dependent on the weather conditions and guests' interests. Excursions typically included in the program are:
• Guided hike to the Drangajökull glacier (weather permitting) or else a snowshoe walk in Heydalur valley
• Guided ice fishing tour (winter) or horse riding or kayaking (autumn), followed by visits to the salt factory in Reykjanes, the old Viking ruins at Vatnsfjörður and the Þrandur "troll"
• Guided tour in Ísafjörður, the “Capital of the West Fjords”, with stops at the church, library and the historical old town followed by photo breaks at scenic viewpoints such as the seal colony at Hvítanes. Also includes visits to the Osvör Museum, the Fox Museum in Suðavík and Litli Bær for waffles with the locals.
Each evening, you’ll head back to the guesthouse to enjoy dinner with the group and go out on more northern lights excursions led by your knowledgeable local guide.
Spend the night at Heydalur Guesthouse.
Enjoy more activities with the group today, depending on interests and weather conditions. In the evening, you’ll head back to the guesthouse to enjoy dinner with the group and go out on another northern lights excursion with your guide.
Spend the night at Heydalur Guesthouse.
Enjoy more activities with the group today, depending on interests and weather conditions. In the evening, you’ll head back to the guesthouse to enjoy dinner with the group and go out on another northern lights excursion with your guide.
Spend the night at Heydalur Guesthouse.
After your adventure in the West Fjords, it’s time to head back to the capital city in the morning after breakfast. On the way there will be a stop at the Witchcraft Museum in Hólmavík for one last cultural experience of this unique region. Back in Reykjavik you will be dropped off at your hotel, and then you can enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure.
Spend the night in Reykjavik.
Today you will visit some of Iceland’s most famous attractions with a guided personal small group tour of the classic “Golden Circle” route in South Iceland. One of the many highlights on this journey is Þingvellir National Park, a place of great historical and geological significance that is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Þingvellir is the site of the country’s first parliament and is located along the edge of the great rift created by the drifting of the Eurasian and American tectonic plates. Other attractions include the beautiful two-tiered Gullfoss waterfall and the spouting hot springs of Geysir. While Geysir lies dormant, its neighbour Strokkur erupts every few minutes, gushing steam and water from the bowels of the earth. A taste of Icelandic food and drink is included during the tour. On return to Reykjavik, you will see the beautiful waterfall Faxi.
Spend the night in Reykjavik
Depart to Keflavik International Airport via a semi-private transfer. If your flight is in the afternoon, you will have time to visit some of Reykjavik´s boutiques or museums. You may also opt to take an exciting optional activity (not included), like whale watching or a relaxing visit to the Blue Lagoon.
Don’t worry, we’ve got this covered.
These should tide you over until you’re in Iceland to take your own pictures.
We don’t like to brag, so we’ll let our happy customers do it for us.
Overall, a very positive trip. Although we only saw the northern lights once (and then they were not at their best), we still enjoyed Iceland. The people are friendly, food was good and the scenery was spectacular. We would like to return in the summer to experience Iceland in that season.
After planning to fly to Iceland from Australia for just a week, I was feeling a little extravagant. This feeling was reinforced by another Australian during the week, who proclaimed it "excessive"!
Well, excessive it may have been, but worth every cent! The organisation by Nordic Visitor, not only enhanced the enjoyment of a wonderful visit to an extrordinary part of the world, but was an inspiration to observe. Having had a background in management in my working life, I still get a buzz from highly effective organization when I come accross it.
From the comprehensive welcome pack on the seat of the taxi, which was waiting for me at the airport and presented proudly by the driver, to the hotel, which was exactly what I had ordered and expected and to each element of my programme. It was all superbly conceived and delivered. I loved Iceland, the Northern Lights ( 8 out of 9"!), the Blue Lagoon and the Icy North out of Akureyri, ( taking off and landing into and out of the fjord was amazing.
I will certainly use Nordic Visitor again, for any future trip to Scandanavia. Thank you Thordis and your team. The incredible Northern Lights, may have been 8 out of 9, but you and the team were 15 out of 10!
All went perfect. We travel a lot and were very well surprised by the organisation and overall quality as all was according to schedule and agreed quality.
Sleep soundly, in the accommodation type of your choice, and wake up ready to enjoy another day of exploration.
Rooms with private WC and shower (or bath) in a three-star hotel or well-appointed guesthouse. All provide breakfast (included in ..
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Please take note that the West Fjords are a remote region and while the area is beautiful during the winter months, services are limited.
We recommend that all of our travellers read through the following information. You will learn what the tour includes, what to pack for your holiday and useful information about the activities included on the tour.
Please note: Small children are not permitted on the guided programme in the Westfjords. However, this tour is suitable for well-travelled, active children (minimum age 12 years old). This tour requires of minimum of 2 participants (max 16).
INFORMATION ABOUT OUR MULTI-DAY TOURS
All accommodation and planned activities (as specified in the itinerary) will be pre-booked by Nordic Visitor. This is a multi-day tour package with no dedicated tour guide for the duration of your stay. For each planned activity, you can expect a different tour operator and guide, and you will have free time in-between activities. Nordic Visitor works with a small group of trusted operators that the company has strong professional relationships with.
ADD-ON & OPTIONAL UPGRADES
Travellers can choose to add-on selected optional activities when booking online. Customers can also choose to upgrade bus tours to super jeep tours. It is also possible to add-on extra nights to packages along with customising the tours to client needs. Please contact us for prices and availability for 1 person on this tour.
HEYDALUR GUESTHOUSE
This tour includes full board (4x breakfast, 4x lunch, 4x three course dinners) at Heydalur Guesthouse for 4 nights and free use of its facilities, including the sauna and hot tubs. Rooms are cosy and have private bathrooms. Please note that the Westfjords are a remote region and while the area is beautiful during the winter months, services are limited. Heydalur is nestled between the small towns of Hólmavík and Ísafjörður and approximately 12 kilometres from road 61.
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, DAYLIGHT HOURS & WEATHER CONDITIONS
The best months to experience the northern lights are October through April, with peak visibility from December through February. Please note that as the northern lights are a natural phenomenon, we cannot guarantee sightings even if the tour is operated.
Please be advised that daylight is limited in Iceland during the winter months, with about 4-5 hours of daylight from December to January.
Although the winter climate in Iceland is generally mild compared to other northern European countries, the temperature can drop below freezing at times. Please bring windproof and waterproof outerwear and plenty of warm layers. Please note that the programme is dependent upon weather and road conditions, and may be altered if conditions are not favourable. For information on weather conditions and daylight hours we recommend visiting our extensive Online Travel Guide.
CURRENCY RATE
All bookings are charged in Icelandic Króna (ISK), the official currency of Iceland. Prices displayed in other currencies are indicative only and based on the daily exchange rate as issued by the Central bank of Iceland. Therefore, conversions from ISK to other currencies will fluctuate from day to day.
AFTER BOOKING WITH NORDIC VISITOR
After booking your package with Nordic Visitor, you will be contacted within two business days by one of our travel consultants, who will serve as your dedicated contact person for all of your travel needs before, during and even after your holiday. Your travel consultant will provide you with details about.
Whether you have a single question or a special request, we're here for you.
