5 Days Christmas & Northern Lights Adventure

Christmas & Northern Lights adventure

This is an escorted tour program taking you to the Icelandic countryside to celebrate Christmas in a casual and Icelandic way. We recommend booking early, as this program is only available for a maximum of 40 persons.

You explore Reykjavík, the lunar landscapes of the Reykjanes peninsula, and the Golden Circle route with the Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and Geysir hot springs. You travel to South Iceland, a region with glaciers, waterfalls and black lava beaches. Of course, a warm and relaxing soak in the famous Blue Lagoon during the cold winter days is also included.

Most Christmas programs in Iceland are based in Reykjavík and include superior class hotels and gourmet restaurants. As an out-of-the-box alternative GJ-Travel offers a casual Christmas adventure where you stay in simple hotels and cottages in Reykjavík and South Iceland. All rooms with private shower/wc. We spend two nights in Hella, a small village in South Iceland where you will be able to discover and experience how Icelandic countryside people celebrate Christmas. We promise that even in a casual program the meals and drinks will be delicious. Oops, did we mention the Northern Lights? Árhús cottages in Hella are located in a large and dark garden where it is very easy to see the Northern Lights, also called Aurora Borealis, if the weather conditions are suitable. Our expert tour guide provides you even with a fact talk about the Northern Lights and gives you some tips on how to take photos of this natural phenomenon. On the 26th of December, the program includes fine dining at a culinary restaurant in Reykjavík.

Arrival & departure airport transfer by FLYBUS (no guide)
4 nights budget accommodation, rooms with private showers/wc
Fully escorted 3-day coach tour with English speaking guide/driver-guide
Christmas lights tour and Christmas Celebration on day 2,
Daily breakfast
4-course festive dinner on the 24th of December
Fine dining at culinary restaurant on the 26th of December including transfers
Entrance to the Blue Lagoon & use of towel
Northern Lights program during two evenings
Skógar Folk Museum & Turf Houses

Arrival to Iceland
The Flybus shuttle brings travellers from Keflavík International Airport to Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík where you spend one night. We provide you with ideas on how to explore Iceland’s capital on your own.

Overnight location:
Hotel Cabin, Reykjavík (Standard room is 10m²). A la Carte dinner is on your own (50km / 31mls)
Reykjanes Peninsula, Blue Lagoon & Christmas Celebration
At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group the Christmas spirit of the capital and the Reykjanes Peninsula with its hot springs, mountains, moon-like landscape, bird cliffs, lighthouses and fishing villages. At the end of the day, we get to soak off our travels in the warm blue waters of the famous Blue Lagoon. We stay for two nights in simple cottages in South Iceland.

In the evening we celebrate Christmas the Icelandic way. Before dinner, we join a guided bus tour to visit the Christmas lights in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Christmas lights had their origins in the Middle Ages when people needed to keep the lights in their abodes during the Winter Solstice. In Iceland, the tradition finds its roots in the Pagan Old Norse beliefs when people would keep the fire alive inside the central pit of the Viking longhouses to keep the darkness of the Winter Solstice outside.

Your festive 4-course dinner starts around 19:30 and is served at Árhús Restaurant on the river banks in Hella, which is a small village in South Iceland. Drink a toast of sparkling wine as you enjoy a real special Christmas Celebration. Naturally, once darkness falls, you are out in the garden waiting for the Northern Lights.

Overnight location:
Arhus Cabins, Hella. Breakfast & festive 4-course dinner included (220km / 137mls)
South Iceland
Today we travel along the south coast. We visit the state-of-the-art educational Lava Centre and experience volcanic eruptions in a cinema auditorium! We continue to the area beneath the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and glacier and stop at Seljalandsfoss waterfall. At lunch, we visit the Skógarfoss waterfall.
In the afternoon the tour continues further south where you walk on the famous Black Lava Beach at Reynisfjara, observe the Cap of Dyrhólaey and the Reynisdrangar Sea Cliffs before visiting the charming village of Vík.

If the night is clear, you might be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights swirling in a wild and carefree dance across the heavens in dramatic shapes, colors, patterns and sizes.

Overnight location:
Arhus Cabins, Hella. Breakfast included. A la Carte dinner on your own (200km / 124mls)
Golden Circle & Culinary Experience downtown Reykjavík
In the morning we learn about the Icelandic horse, its unique qualities and history and visit a geothermal greenhouse. Then we travel the Golden Circle route, see steam rising from the Geysir geothermal fields and admire the double waterfall of Gullfoss. We end the afternoon at Þingvellir National Park, the location of the ancient Viking Parliament and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Overnight at Hotel Cabin. The program includes a culinary treat at a traditional restaurant located downtown Reykjavík. Return transfer included.

Overnight location:
Hotel Cabin, Reykjavík (Standard room is 10m²). Breakfast & fine dinner included (210km / 130mls)
Departure Home
Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport.

Breakfast included. (50km / 31mls)

South Iceland

A 100% charge applies if canceled within 28 days of the start time.
A 50% charge applies if canceled within 42 days of the start time.
A 20% charge applies if canceled within 56 days of the start time.

Please note

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
CHILDREN DISCOUNT: 25 % discount for children 8-11 years of age if sharing room with parents. Tour is not recommended for children younger than eight years of age. Triple rooms are double rooms with extra bed and ideal for two adults and one child.
ACCOMMODATIONS: For this program, we use budget accommodation to offer an attractive package price. You get great value for money. First and last night is at Hotel Cabin (small rooms). 2nd & 3rd night are at Árhús Cabins in Hella, South Iceland, where 23 simple cottages with shower/wc are located in a large garden right on the river banks in Hella. Árhús Cabins are popular with outdoor active guests and families traveling with children. All cottages are equipped with a small kitchenette and free Wi-Fi. There is a restaurant on premises, and the program includes 2x breakfast and 1x festive 4-course dinner.
NORTHERN LIGHTS: This program includes during two evenings a combination of presentations, lectures, film and guided Northern Lights searches in the hotel garden in South Iceland. The tour is dependent on weather, and therefore sightings are not guaranteed. The Northern Lights are in the northern sky from September through April but are only visible when the sky is clear and free of clouds. Like many of nature's wonders, it's ephemeral – they may be visible, they may appear for a bit and then be gone (it is not a TV show that you can just turn on and off). But it's worth the patience required. Because they're a winter event, you need to be prepared to wait outside, while looking for them. It's best to dress very warmly, in layers, with good footwear, gloves, hats and whatever else will make you comfortable while you await this truly outstanding event. For the best photos, we recommend using a tripod.
CHANGE OF PROGRAM: Itineraries may be subject to change at short notice during severe weather conditions and certain outdoor activities/day trips may be canceled during the winter season in Iceland. In these rare cases, where situations of force majeure apply, excursions/activities cannot be refunded but the local guides will try their best to find reasonable alternatives where and whenever possible.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
COMPLEMENTARY: Free Wi-FI on the bus, Use of flashlight, Use of ice grippers spikes for shoes
OPTIONAL: Glacier hike on day 3 (booked online), Northern Lights cruise