In-Depth 5 Day Northern Lights Road Trip to Iceland’s Golden Circle & Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Today marks the beginning of your countryside adventure.

Otherwise, start the day by leaving the capital and make your way past the city mountain Esja. If you are not in a hurry, you can drive the Hvalfjordur fjord instead of taking the tunnel. This route takes a little longer, but you'll be rewarded with incredible views of mountains and the ocean and ruins of an old WWII army base.

On the other side of the Hvalfjordur fjord, you'll drive through the farmlands of western Iceland until you near the town of Borgarnes. Before you reach Borgarnes, it is recommended that you take a slight detour to some of West Iceland's most beautiful attractions.

You can start by heading to a couple of beautiful waterfalls, Barnafoss and Hraunfossar. The former rushes violently through a narrow, rocky gorge while the latter trickles down black lava from Hallmundarhraun lava field.

Hallmundarhraun was formed in an eruption just over a thousand years ago, just after Iceland was settled. Found inside this lava field is one of the largest caves in Iceland, Vidgelmir. If you wish, you can join a tour where you explore the depth of this lava tube and see its strange rock formations, glistening icicles, and amazing color display.

You can also have a slightly different kind of underground adventure today and take a tour of the ice cave tunnels at Langjokull glacier. These man-made tunnels were carved inside Iceland's second-largest glacier and provide a unique insight into the ever-changing nature of the ice cap.

As you head back in the direction of Borgarnes town, you'll drive by the hot spring Deildartunguhver. It is worth a stop to explore this large area and witness firsthand Mother Nature's awesome power. You can explore it even further with a stop at Krauma spa, where hot water from Deildartunguhver has been mixed with cold water from a nearby glacier, thus creating the perfect bathing temperature.

The town of Borgarnes is a great place to stop for a bite to eat before you make your way towards your accommodations on the Snaefellsnes peninsula. If you still have some energy left after the day, you can explore Snaefellsnes a little, but you will also have the whole day tomorrow to do so.

When Icelanders think about the Snaefellsnes peninsula, their first thought is usually ‘mystical energy’. It is rumored that the great Snaefellsjokull glacier, which towers over the entire peninsula, holds strange, extraordinary powers. You’ll find out for yourself today if that is true, as you’ll explore this 56-mile (90-kilometer) stretch of land.

On the northern side of the peninsula, you’ll find the town of Grundarfjordur. This small fishing village was once an important trading port, but in recent years, people flock to it for another reason, as nearby is Iceland’s most photographed mountain, the stunning Kirkjufell. The HBO series Game of Thrones fans might recognize it as the ‘arrowhead mountain’ from seasons six and seven.

Continue west along the coastline, into the Snaefellsjokull National Park. You’ll pass small fishing villages on the way while the mystical Snaefellsjokull glacier gets bigger and bigger with every mile. The glacier covers a 700 thousand-year-old volcano. The location was used as the entryway to the underground trip in Jules Verne’s classic novel ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’.

Inside the national park, you’ll find Djupalonssandur beach, but to get there, you’ll have to walk through a maze of natural sculptures made from hardened lava. At the other side of the labyrinth is the beautiful beach made out of smooth black pebbles. Scattered around the area are the remains of a trawler that perished in the water 70 years ago.

The southern coastline of Snaefellsnes peninsula is considered exceptionally beautiful, and you can stop at Londrangar rock stacks and the ancient hamlets of Hellnar and Arnarstapi for a closer look.

After a day of exploring, return to your accommodations on the peninsula. As you are traveling in the winter, make sure to look up into the sky for a chance to see the beautiful but elusive northern lights.

Now it is time to bid farewell to the beautiful Snaefellsnes peninsula. However, your adventures in Iceland are far from over as today begins your exploration of Thingvellir National Park, Geysir geothermal area, and Gullfoss waterfall, a trio of destinations known as ‘The Golden Circle’.

Before you leave the West behind, you can stop at Gerduberg cliffs, a 0.31-mile (500-meter) long cliff face comprised of hundreds of hexagonal basalt columns that stand tall like an intimidating army of pillars.

Continue your countryside journey until you reach your first stop on the Golden Circle route; Thingvellir National Park. The park is both the birthplace of Iceland’s parliament, Alþingi, and as a geological wonder because it does not sit on top of the Eurasian tectonic plate nor the North American one, but in a rift valley between.

The unusual location results in some remarkable landscapes; throughout the park lie cracks and fissures formed as the tectonic plates move apart. One of these fissures, Silfra, is filled with crystal clear meltwater from the nearby Langjokull glacier, and today, you can opt for a snorkeling tour where you’ll discover a beautiful blue underworld inside Silfra fissure.

Make your way from Thingvellir National Park to the geothermal area of Geysir. Here is where you can see bubbling mud pools, steaming hot springs, and erupting geysers. The most active geyser is Strokkur which burst out into a 49-66 ft (15-20 meter) high water column every 5-10 minutes or so.

Mother Nature combined both beauty and power when she created your next stop, the waterfall Gullfoss, where freezing glacial water that rushes forth from Langjokull plunges into a canyon created eons ago. From Gullfoss, you can take a snowmobile tour on Langjökull glacier, getting your blood pumping by racing across the ice cap.

You'll start the last day of your holiday in Reykjavik city. If you have a late afternoon or an evening flight, you can do a little exploring before you go. Just make sure that you arrive at Keflavik International Airport in good time to catch your departing flight.

For those who have a later flight and choose to visit the Blue Lagoon today, you will finish off your stay unwinding before you head to the airport. This is the perfect place to relax as you bathe in the warm, mineral-rich waters as you look back on the incredible adventure you have just taken in the land of fire and ice. If your flight is later, there are plenty of things to do in Reykjavik. If you have an early flight back home, we wish you a pleasant journey.

A great way to explore Reykjavik is to walk down the Laugavegur shopping street in the downtown area. There, you'll find colorful houses, delicious bakeries, designer shops, and quirky museums like the Icelandic Punk Museum and Freddi Arcade and Toy Museum.

You can also use the time to unwind in one of Reykjavik's many geothermal swimming pools.

Have a great flight, and come back soon!