5-Day Northern Lights Winter Self-Drive Tour with the Golden Circle & Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

On day two, you'll visit Iceland's most famous sightseeing route, the Golden Circle. Get a good start to the day and wake up early, or enjoy a few more minutes of snoozing and sleep in. You're behind the wheel, so you get to create the day's schedule.

Today's first main stop is the Thingvellir National Park, a historically and geologically significant site for Icelanders. Thingvellir is home to the rift valley that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. 

As the plates move, they rip open ravines throughout the landscape. One of those fissures, Silfra, is filled with crystal clear meltwater from Langjokull glacier, and today, you can opt for a snorkeling tour in this fissure where you swim between the two continents. Participants need to be comfortable in the water and be able to swim.

After leaving Thingvellir, you'll pass Fontana Spa, a geothermal set of pools immersed in a lake. If you elect to do so, you can dip in here to revitalize ahead of your travels.

You'll continue your journey, making another stop at the Geysir geothermal area. This field is filled with bubbling mud pools and steaming fumaroles, but the Geysir area also contains hot springs and erupting geysers.

Strokkur is the most active geyser, erupting every 5-10 minutes and reaching around 66 feet (20 meters) high. You can walk around the area and take photos of Strokkur and the bubbling mud pools. 

The last stop on the Golden Circle route is the beautiful Gullfoss waterfall. Fed by the glacier Langjokull, the river Hvita rushes south before plunging into a narrow canyon, creating this stunning cascade.

At Gullfoss, you can opt for a tour where you race across the white expanse of Langjokull glacier on a snowmobile. Alternatively, you can book a monster truck across this frozen landscape. 

At the end of the day, you'll drive to your accommodation in Southwest Iceland.

On day three, your journey in the land of fire and ice continues eastwards. You'll travel under two mighty glaciers, Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull, and visit some of the country's most beautiful natural attractions.

The first stop on your South Coast drive is the spectacular Seljalandsfoss waterfall. The days are dark in Iceland during the wintertime, but Seljalandsfoss is lit up with light beams, creating an aura of magic around it.

From there, you'll visit the majestic Skogafoss waterfall. This one is much wider and has a greater flow than Seljalandsfoss. The land underneath the cascade is very flat, so you can walk right up to the wall of water to feel the spray on your face.

Between the two waterfalls are the Myrdasjokull and Solheimajokull glaciers. You can opt for two tours on Solheimajokull, a snowmobile tour or a glacier hike. You can also explore an ice cave near the Myrdarsjokull ice cap.

Next to explore is Vik, an excellent place to stop and refuel as it overlooks Reynisfjara, a beautiful black sand beach edged by hexagonal basalt columns. Out in the ocean rise the massive rocks stacks Reynisdrangar, carved by centuries of Atlantic waters crashing against them.

You could embark on a thrilling black-sand buggy tour along this stretch of shoreline if you did not elect to go glacier hiking or snowmobiling.

From the village, continue driving into the Vatnajokull National Park, past Skaftafell nature reserve and the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. If you wish to stop there to explore, you can, but you'll also have most of tomorrow to spend in the area.

Make your way to your accommodations in Southeast Iceland. If the sky is clear of clouds and the conditions are right, look up to glimpse the dancing northern lights.

The highlight of your drive happens on day four as you explore the diverse features of the mighty Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Europe.

You can start the day by heading to the beautiful Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Many travelers and locals consider it the crown jewel of Iceland because of its incomparable beauty.

Meltwater from Breidamerkurjokull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajokull, fills the deep waters of the glacier lagoon. Floating in the water are massive blue and white icebergs that have broken off the ice walls. Look for seals often seen lounging on top of the bergs. You can opt for a boat tour to get a closer look at the magnificent scenery.

Adjacent to Jokulsarlon is a black sand beach where ice chunks from the lagoon have washed up onshore. As the ice glistens in the sun, they are reminiscent of gemstones on black satin. The scene has thus earned it the name 'Diamond beach.'

From the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, you can opt for an exciting ice cave tour. Witnessing the dazzling structure of a cave in the Vatnajokull glacier is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The ice caves in this area are only accessible during the wintertime as they flood during the spring. 

From the lagoon, drive to Skaftafell, a nature reserve nestled under the roots of the glacier. Many hiking trails and tracks are scattered around the area that leads over glacial rivers and to the iconic Svartifoss waterfall.

At Skaftafell, you can opt for a glacier hike to see firsthand the continually changing environment of glaciers. You'll see incredible ice formations as a glacier guide leads you past deep cracks and blue crevasses on an adventure you'll never forget.

Then, it's time to head back to your accommodation in Reykjavik. As you're behind the wheel on this self-drive tour, you can stop at any South Coast or Golden Circle locations you want to explore further. You can even spend some time in the evening outside the city to hunt for the northern lights.