Exciting 10-Day Winter Adventure Package with The Highlands and Ice Caves

On day three of your winter vacation to Iceland, you’ll be picked up in Reykjavik for a two-day tour along the South Coast. 

While tomorrow will be focused on the once-in-a-lifetime exploration of an ice cave, today, you will marvel over the countless attractions this region boasts.

The first two significant sites you will witness along this stretch are spectacular waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss waterfall is narrow but tumbles before an enormous cavern from a 197-foot (60-meter) tall cliff, making it a breathtaking sight. 

Skogafoss waterfall is just as tall but far more powerful, creating an enormous spray as it crashes into the ground.

As you continue along the South Coast, you’ll catch glimpses of other marvelous Icelandic attractions, such as the Westman Islands out to sea and the Eyjafjallajokull subglacial volcano inland. 

The next site you will explore is the haunting and beautiful Reynisfjara Beach.

Reynisfjara Beach is renowned for having vast stretches of black volcanic sand, powerful waves, and stunning coastal geology. The Reynisdrangar sea stacks, for example, are impressive monuments just offshore, said to be trolls frozen when caught out in the sun. 

A little further away, arching from a set of cliffs into the water, is the mighty Dyrholaey rock arch.

After leaving Reynisfjara black sand beach, you will continue eastwards until the tongues of the incredible Vatnajokull glacier begin to materialize on your left. 

The landscapes moving forward will only get more dramatic until you reach your final destinations for the day, the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach.

The glacier lagoon has earned the nickname ‘the Crown Jewel of Iceland’ due to its unbelievable beauty. Located between a disintegrating glacier tongue and the ocean, the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon is the country’s deepest lake, filled with vast icebergs year-round.

It is a mesmerizing experience to watch and listen to them as they slowly make their way through the waters, made all the more enjoyable by the resident seals.

Diamond Beach is where these icebergs wash up when they finally reach the sea. Breathtaking due to the contrasts between the melting ice and black sands, this is a magnificent place to finish the day.

Before heading to your nearby countryside hotel, you may see the northern lights descend over one of these sites.

The fourth day of your Icelandic winter vacation will begin with one of the country's most memorable experiences: exploring a crystal blue ice cave.

After being picked up by an experienced guide from your accommodation, you will be taken to a corner of Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe. The glacier, also a national park, covers at least 10% of Iceland's landmass.

Before beginning your adventure, the guide will provide glacier equipment to ensure a safer and more comfortable caving experience. Included here are safety pieces of equipment like a helmet and crampons.

Then, the guide will take you deep into the Vatnajokull glacier. While en route to your destination, your small group will pass through some stunning landscapes in the national park.

Ice caves are most famous for their spectacular range of vivid blues, strange textures, formations, and the beautiful way the light penetrates them. Inside the cave, you can see different ice shapes and walls that are all stunning to see up close.

This winter season, two beautiful ice caves have been discovered in the Vatnajokull National Park: the Western Ice Cave and the Eastern Ice Cave. On this amazing adventure, you will get to visit the best ice cave accessible on the day, taking into account the weather conditions and visibility to ensure the ultimate ice-caving experience.

You'll have plenty of time to explore and take photographs as your guide tells you fascinating facts about the caves and glaciers. You can also ask them questions if you're curious about Icelandic ice caves, from their formation to associated folklore.

After an unforgettable experience, you begin your journey back to Reykjavik. 

Though the drive will last a few hours, the landscapes around you promise to be mesmerizing, and you will also stop at some lovely locations to stretch your legs and enjoy some refreshments.

You will reach Reykjavik in the evening. If the sky begins to darken beforehand, you may see the northern lights dancing from the road. 

After settling into your hotel in the capital, you could head to the bars to check out the live music scene or explore the wintry streets before retiring.

On the fifth day of your winter vacation, you will experience a super jeep trip to the Highlands of Iceland. This remote region is mainly inaccessible in winter, making this another unique opportunity that very few guests to the country get to experience.

The Icelandic Highlands is famous for its towering mountains, nature reserves, valleys, glaciers, and hiking trails. It’s an excellent place for travelers keen on having an off-the-beaten-track adventure surrounded by nature.

Your first destination on the way to the Highlands is Thorsadalur Valley, a spectacular valley most famous for being home to the waterfall of Hjalparfoss. Here, two streams meet as they cascade into a beautiful basin. 

Following this site, you’ll visit two spectacular lakes: Ljotipollur, which sits in a red-rocked crater, and the serene Frostastadavatn.

Your final destination is the Landmannalaugar Highland Reserve. As you head towards it, you will travel through the stunning landscapes of Iceland’s interior. Expect to see lava fields, towering peaks, and glacier views.

Once you reach Landmannalaugar Highland Reserve, you’ll immediately understand why it is considered one of the most beautiful parts of the Highlands. Beautiful rhyolite mountains and countless hot springs define it. 

It is even more breathtaking in winter when untouched snow blankets the otherworldly terrain.

Your guide will lead you on a hike through the beautiful scenery, allowing you to witness winter landscapes far off the beaten track. Your trek will end at a geothermal spring, where you can take a refreshing bath immersed in nature.

After this incredible experience, you will return to the super jeep to visit two more sites: the beautiful Thjofafoss waterfall and the notorious volcano of Hekla. After marveling over these attractions, you’ll return to Reykjavik for the night.

Once again, you can look to the winter skies to see the aurora borealis.

On the sixth day of your Icelandic winter vacation, you will head to yet another location that few tourists reach this season, Thorsmork Valley. 

The famous Laugavegur trail connects the Landmannalaugar nature reserve and the Thorsmork Valley, allowing you to see where this world-famous hiking route begins and ends.

A friendly guide in a super jeep will pick you up early again, taking you along Iceland's South Coast to your destination. 

On the way, you'll make another stop at Seljalandsfoss waterfall to stretch your legs, and if the conditions allow, visit the hidden waterfall of Gljufrabui.

Gljufrabui waterfall is lesser known than its neighboring South Coast waterfalls. However, it's just as beautiful as the rest. Fewer people frequent this area, so you'll have a better time exploring its beauty with weather conditions permitting.

The Thorsmork Valley is a forested valley sheltered by three magnificent glaciers. Its position protects the valley from the worst of Iceland's winter weather, making it a wonderful place to go hiking. 

The trail you will be led along will take you up the spectacular mountain of Valahnukur, exposing you to incredible views of the south, Highlands, and ice caps.

As you make your ascent and descent, you'll discover and understand why the reserve was named after Thor, the Old Norse god of thunder and fertility. Thorsmork translates to 'Thor's Valley.'

While exploring the Thorsmork Valley, you'll see mountains, lush valleys, canyons, and glacial rivers. Every spot in this area provides an opportunity to take photos and bask in the peacefulness of nature.

After making the most of this incredible place, the guide will drive you back to Reykjavik. If you still have some energy, be sure to check out the city's nightlife, or if it is clear, find a dark spot in the town in the hope of seeing the northern lights again.

You'll spend the night at your accommodation in Reykjavik.

On day seven of your winter package, you will begin a two-day tour exploring the majestic nature and cultural sites of West Iceland. 

You'll be picked up by your friendly guide early, driving north of Reykjavik through some beautiful landscapes, including the flat-topped mountain of Esjan and an abandoned naval base from World War II.

Your first significant attraction will be one of the oldest towns in Iceland, Borgarnes, home to the fascinating Settlement Centre museum. 

After a brief stop here, you will continue to the highest-flowing hot spring in Europe, Deildartunguhver, where you can marvel over the geothermal forces at work just beneath the country's surface.

Following this, you will head to the waterfalls of Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, which are just a short walk apart. Even so, they are dramatically different. 

Hraunfossar waterfall is a series of waterfalls trickling gently in little rivulets through a field of lava. Many of its cascades are frozen in the depths of winter. Barnafoss waterfall, meanwhile, is far too powerful to freeze, racing down a narrow canyon.

You'll follow up these beautiful natural attractions with a visit to another historical hotspot, the village of Reykholt. 

This quaint settlement was once home to the legendary historian, chieftain, and writer Snorri Sturluson, who was instrumental in the beginning and end of Iceland's medieval civil war.

While exploring each attraction on your itinerary, you're free to ask questions from your guide. They can tell you exciting trivia and stories about West Iceland. 

More importantly, they can tell you the rich history of Borgarnes and Reykholt associated with the Icelandic Sagas.

After enjoying all that today has to offer, you will head to a hotel in the countryside of West Iceland for the night. If the sky is clear and the forecast is good, you'll have a great chance to see the auroras over the landscapes here, far from Reykjavik's urban light pollution.