One Week of Luxury Northern Lights Vacation | Reykjavik, Blue Lagoon and the Best of Iceland

On the second day of your luxury week in Iceland, you will get to know Reykjavik in-depth with a private guide. They’ll pick you up from your accommodation and tailor the next few hours to the desires and needs of your group.

Want to see the city’s most incredible architectural marvels? You can head to Hallgrimskirkja church, the Harpa Concert Hall, Perlan, and other sites. Eager to learn about the country’s culture and history? They can introduce you to a wealth of galleries and museums. More interested in the city’s nature? You can explore the forest of Oskjuhlid, the geothermal beach of Nautholsvik, or some of the beautiful local parks.

After a fascinating immersion into Reykjavik, you’ll be dropped off for a delicious, upmarket lunch. Once you have enjoyed another example of Iceland’s fantastic cuisine, it is time for an unforgettable adventure by helicopter!

You have two options of how to enjoy this excursion. You can elect for an hour-long flight over the city with a landing on Esjan, the flat-topped mountain across Faxafloi Bay. This opportunity allows you to marvel over Reykjavik’s patchwork quilt of tin roofs and provides a unique perspective over the city’s dramatic landmarks. You’ll even enjoy a glass of sparkling wine during your landing as you look over the spectacular panoramas.

Alternatively, you could upgrade to a two-hour trip that will take you soaring over the beautiful wilderness of southeast Iceland for a better look at the country’s stunning nature. Rather than Mount Esjan, you’ll land on Langjokull glacier, the second largest ice cap in the country. Few views are as breathtaking as those from its stunning slopes.

If you want a more extended flight, your travel agent will be happy to arrange it for you.

In the evening, you’ll enjoy a delicious tasting menu at a boutique restaurant before a second private aurora borealis hunting trip into the dark, beautiful landscapes.

You’ll spend a second night in luxury at your hotel in Reykjavik.

On the third day of your week-long northern lights holiday, you will set out on a private excursion to the Golden Circle. Iceland’s most popular sightseeing route, your guide will provide you with a personalized, immersive experience you will never forget.

The general route takes seven hours and covers three sites. The first of these is Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its stunning landscapes and exciting history. It is framed by two cliffs that mark the edges of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, making it a no-man’s-land between the continents filled with birch forests, lava fields, and crystal clear streams. Furthermore, it was the original site of Iceland’s ongoing parliament, formed in 930 AD.

The second attraction is Strokkur, a geyser in the Geysir Geothermal Area. This feature is renowned for its incredible eruptions, which occur every few minutes and reach around 65 feet (20 meters). The Great Geysir sits right beside it, an inactive geyser that was once so dramatic that it lent its name to all similar phenomena worldwide.

The third site is Gullfoss waterfall. Also named ‘the Golden Waterfall’ and thus the namesake of the Golden Circle, this feature is a great place to marvel over the power of Iceland’s nature. Once almost lost to damming from foreign interests, it is also a testament to the country’s conservationist history.

You can add one of two incredible adventures to your sightseeing route. While in Thingvellir, you can go snorkeling in one of the springs, Silfra. Participants need to be comfortable in the water and able to swim.

Drysuits will protect you against the cold as you marvel at a spectacular underwater world. The 330-foot (100-meter) visibility allows you to admire an incredible range of blues and witness a hidden canyon between the tectonic plates.

Alternatively, you could book a snowmobiling tour from Gullfoss, which will take you back to the spectacular Langjokull glacier. There are few better ways to get your adrenaline pumping than racing across its snowy slopes, marveling over the surrounding views of the south.

If you add an excursion to your trip, the journey will last around ten hours. You’ll still have time for another delicious dinner at a fancy restaurant in your hotel in the Golden Circle area. Don't forget to look up during the night for aurora sightings!

On the fourth day of your week-long luxury holiday to Iceland in winter, your private driver will introduce you to the diverse, magnificent sites of the South Coast. You’ll travel through beautiful landscapes of geothermal areas and rolling countryside before reaching the shore. In clear weather, your guide will point out Eyjafjallajokull, the glacier-capped volcano that erupted in 2010, and the Westman Islands, a dramatic archipelago.

The first two sites you’ll stop at are Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss may not be particularly powerful, but it is remarkably tall and renowned for the cavern behind it. As such, your guide may be able to lead you around it if the weather is clear.

Skogafoss has a much heavier flow and classic formation, providing a quintessential experience of Iceland’s waterfalls.

The following site on this route is the shore of Reynisfjara. Regularly voted one of the world’s most stunning non-tropical beaches, you will get to stroll along the unusual black sands, marveling over the dramatic waves and striking geology. Particularly of note are the hexagonal basalt columns that line the cliffs of Reynisfjall and the massive offshore sea-stacks of Reynisdrangar. According to folklore, these towers were frozen trolls caught by the sun trying to drag a ship to shore.

You’ll then head to the village of Vik, Iceland’s southernmost settlement and a lovely spot when wrapped in winter snows.

If you elect to call it a day here, then you’ll have enjoyed a fantastic 10-hour sightseeing experience. The adventurous, however, can make an even longer day of it by electing to continue along the South Coast to the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.

Often called ‘the Crown Jewel of Iceland’s Nature’, this spectacular lake is famous for the thousands of icebergs that clutter its waters. Animal lovers will particularly value this attraction due to its abundant seal population.

Please note, however, that such a journey will be at least 14 hours in all.

Alternatively, you could add two more hours to your adventure by adding a trip to the Katla ice cave. You will take a super jeep up the slopes of Myrdalsjokull glacier to a spectacular set of subglacial tunnels and caverns, where the colors, textures, and lighting effects defy belief. Whether you choose this experience or a visit to Jokulsarlon, you will feel as if you have been transported into a fantasy world.

When your private tour is finally complete, you will head back to your hotel in the Golden Circle area. You’ll have a fantastic tasting menu to enjoy during dinner. After this, you can retire to recharge from two full days of sightseeing or step outside in hopes of seeing the aurora borealis.

On the fifth day of your northern lights luxury vacation package to Iceland in winter, you have two choices about how to spend your day. You are welcome to unwind at the Blue Lagoon and recharge from your sightseeing adventures, or else you can embark on another private trip, this time to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

The Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s most famous spa for a good reason. Its azure waters are pregnant with rare minerals and microbes that do wonders for the skin and mental health, and silica masks are available for all guests. You are welcome to book massages and other treatments to indulge even more in the facility’s luxury.

If you elect to stay at the Retreat Hotel, you’ll have access to the exclusive Retreat Spa, which is far less crowded and boasts additional amenities to lavish upon its guests.

Meanwhile, the Snaefellsnes Peninsula has earned the moniker ‘Iceland in Miniature’ due to the diversity of sites that you’ll discover here.

Your private trip will take you around cultural attractions such as the historic town of Stykkisholmur, the abandoned village of Hellnar, and the windswept church of Budir. You will see an abundance of wildlife, with ample bird colonies at Londrangar and a resident seal population at Ytri Tunga beach.

Within the national park of Snaefellsjokull, you marvel over a subglacial volcano of the same name, the black sand beach of Djupalonssandur, and the dramatic crater of Saxholl. Other attractions your guide can introduce you to include the cliffside gorge of Raudfeldsgja and the pyramid peak of Kirkjufell, which Game of Thrones fans will recognize from the later seasons.

If you want to add a little adventure to your day, you can choose to add on a caving excursion into the mystical lava tube of Vatnshellir.

After the excursion, you will head to your hotel at the Blue Lagoon. The standard Silica Hotel is beautiful and lavish, but those who wish to upgrade can stay at the five-star Retreat Hotel. The junior suites here are amongst the most luxurious accommodation choices in the country.

You’ll enjoy a delicious dinner at the Lava or Moss Restaurant before retiring for the night.

On the penultimate day of your week-long luxury holiday to Iceland, you once again have a choice between relaxation and adventure. You can spend another day at the Blue Lagoon or Retreat Lagoon or embark on a private tour of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Despite its proximity to both Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavik, not to mention its incredible landscapes, the Reykjanes Peninsula is little explored by most guests. Your adventure will thus be mainly conducted away from the tourist crowds, allowing you to connect with nature in peace.

Geothermal areas such as Gunnuhver and Krysuvik, cultural attractions such as the ‘troll bath’ Brimketill and Reykjanesviti lighthouse, and striking natural features such as Lake Kleifarvatn and the Bridge Between the Continents are all on the agenda. You can even see the new lava created by the recent eruption at Fagradalsfjall.

As you travel, you’ll get to see beautiful yet barren landscapes of the peninsula, marveling over conic mountains, large craters, and endless moss fields. Your guide, of course, will recommend the best areas based on your interests and allot time at each destination accordingly.

For your final night, you will make the most of the fine dining opportunities at the Blue Lagoon and see if you can catch one more viewing of the northern lights before retiring at your luxury hotel.

Day seven marks the end of your northern lights luxury holiday to Iceland. Your private guide will take you from the hotel to Keflavik International Airport in time for your flight. If you have a late departure, you can arrange a final revitalizing dip in the Blue Lagoon, and if you don’t have to leave until the evening, your travel agent can help you make plans to fill the time.

Have a safe flight, and we hope to see you soon.