3 Day Winter Package | Blue Ice Cave, South Coast, Golden Circle & Northern Lights

 

About Tour

Come with us on this beautiful 3-day excursion of the Golden Circle and the South Coast and get a good amount of one-on-one time with mighty glaciers, glacial lagoons, lakes, waterfalls, geysers, ice caves, national parks, and if the weather allows, even the northern lights. Needless to say, this tour will cover almost all top tourist locations of Iceland meaning, more stops in a lesser amount of time leaving a few extra days to visit as many places as one can on a vacation. So, wait no more and hop on to our comfy minibus with 3-days-worth luggage and start this glorious tour of the jewels of the land of ice and fire.

Tour Itinerary– A Detailed Breakdown

Since you will be out on a three-day-long excursion, we have broken down the schedule for each day of the tour so that you have a fair idea of the places you will be visiting on each day and the time that it is going to take. Starting your journey from Reykjavik, you will head to the golden circle and then towards the south where you will stay for the last two days.

Day 1 – Covering the Golden Circle

The first day of your tour will begin from the legendary Golden Circle of Iceland. After being picked up from the designated pickup location of the capital city Reykjavik, you will make your way to Route 1 and head towards the destinations one by one starting with the Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir National Park

The first day of the tour will be spent covering the entirety of the golden circle. Starting with Thingvellir National Park, the only UNESCO world heritage site in Iceland. Thingvellir National Park is the only place on the planet where the two tectonic plates of the earth can be seen in reality. Featuring the North American and the Eurasian plates, the park gives you the chance of walking between the two continents, an experience which is impossible to have had at any other place in the world. Located in the middle of these two tectonic plates is the Silfra fissure, the top snorkeling and dive site of Iceland. Apart from that, there are several beautiful mountains, rivers, and lava fields that you will explore when visiting the Thingvellir National Park along with the very first parliament building of the country. If you are lucky, you may get to spot some beautiful little migratory birds as well.

Geysir Geothermal Area

After getting through the Thingvellir National park, you will make your next stop at the Geysir Geothermal Area, a place filled with hundreds of geothermal pools, steam holes, and erupting geysers. The area is name after one of the geysers which are located here – Geysir. Event though Geysir is now dormant and does not erupt at all, it used to shoot up water with an incredible force making it go up to 120 meters at a time, imagine that. Now, the most prominent geyser here is Strokkur which can erupt water at a height of 15-20 meters. Geysir Geothermal Area can be recognized from miles away as you will start spotting rising steam as you start getting closer to the place. Your tour guide will keep you updated about interesting facts and figures about the place.

Gullfoss Waterfall

Fed by the melting waters of the second largest glacier of Iceland, Langjökull glacier, the Gullfoss waterfall is a sight to behold in every possible way and every single season. Also known by the name of Golden Falls, this beautiful, wide, and powerful waterfall is a brand-new self, depending on the weather. A bright sunny day will have you meet with a lush green landscape, brown and black rocks, and water flowing down in the deep gorge like molten gold, reflecting the bright shiny sun. Winters come with a thick blanket of snow that covers the surrounding rocks completely. The electric blue waterfalls in the snow-clad gorge and give rise to a heavy mist. It is nothing short of heavenly and probably the most beautiful attraction on the Golden Circle.

After the completion of the Golden Circle tour, you will head back in the minibus to the arranged accommodation for rest for the night. The next day will begin the journey to the south coast of Iceland.

Day 2 – Waterfall, Glaciers, Hikes, and the Northern Lights

The second day of your tour will be all about exploring some of the prettiest waterfalls of the south coast, the glorious Vatnajökull glacier and Skaftafell in the Vatnajökull National Park, and last but not the least, the northern lights. Let us see the breakup of the second day of your tour.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

The first stop that you will make on day 2 of the tour is the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, the glorious waterfall of the south with a mystical hidden cave behind it. Yes, that’s right. Seljalandsfoss comes with a beautiful cave that is hidden behind the cascading waters of the fall and can be accessed after a short hike. The labor and time that you will invest in getting to this cave will be very well worth your time and effort. The view of the waterfall is simply magnificent from that angle and is a one-of-a-kind experience, even in a country like Iceland which is full of surprises. Incredible lush green fields, dark-colored contrasting rocks, and the white mist rising from the gorge is everything that a photographer needs for good pictures.

Skógafoss Waterfall

Not far from Seljalandsfoss is the Skógafoss waterfall. Fed by the Skógá river, the Skógafoss waterfall is tucked in a very small gorge but boasts a height of about 60 meters. Falling from such a height into a rather smaller gorge for its power and size, the waterfall creates an impressive amount of mist at the bottom which in turn creates beautiful rainbows when coming in contact with the sunlight. The Skógafoss waterfall has a staircase on the side that leads to the top of the falls. You can hike these stairs and go to the top in order to take in a different kind of view if you like. 

Glacier Hike in Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park

Next up is glacier hiking in Skaftafell Natural Reserve, a part of the infamous Vatnajökull National Park. Gaining immense popularity from shows and movies like Interstellar, Game of Thrones, and James Bond, Skaftafell glacier has become one of the top hiking spots in Iceland, and all for good reasons too. The landscape here is completely out of the world. So much so that it was used to represent a whole different planet in the movie Interstellar. Electric blue and white ice crawls with black lava ash veins and there is nothing but ice for as far as the eye can see.

You will meet with the certified glacier hiking instructor and guide at the foot of the glacier who will brief you about everything you need to know before the hike can begin. The hiking instructor will provide you with all the necessary hiking equipment like crampons, harnesses, and helmets. After everything is said and done, you will set out to conquer the glacier.

Chasing the Northern Lights

After the hike, you will head towards the assigned accommodation for the night and relax for a while, have dinner, and such. Once it is dark enough out there, you will meet back with your guide with the rest of the group. The guide will examine the weather and sky conditions to see whether the conditions to see the northern lights are met. Once everything is set, you will head out to find a suitable location to spot the lights and click some insta-worthy pictures.

Day 3 – The Final Chapter

The final day will be spent exploring the black sand beaches and lagoons of the south coast along with an ice cave tour. After that, you will head back to the capital.

Blue Ice Cave

The blue ice cave will take you inside one of the glacial tongues of the majestic Vatnajökull glacier. The blue ice caves of Vatnajökull glacier are one of the most popular ice caves among tourists. The cave melts down and forms every season so, time is a bit of a constraint when it comes to visiting them. To get to this Vatnajökull glacier ice cave, you will board a super jeep that will take you to the ice cave. Upon reaching you will get enough time to admire the super blue aesthetics of the place.

Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

The crown jewel of Iceland, any trip to the south is incomplete without paying a visit to the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon. This 200-meter-deep lagoon is made with the melting waters of Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacial tongue of the Vatnajökull glacier. Incidentally, the blue ice cave that we would visit in this tour also forms in the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. Now with about 18 kilometers square surface area, Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon has increased four times in size as compared to its initial size at the time of creation. Icebergs from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier break down and fall in the calm water of the lagoon. They keep floating peacefully until they reach the ocean. You can take a walk around the edges and take some very scenic pictures as well.

The Diamond Beach

The next stop on your trip, the creation of the diamond beach is the courtesy of the icebergs from Breiðamerkurjökull that flow in the lagoon and then reach the Atlantic Ocean. The icebergs get shaped by the waves of the ocean and then wash up on the nearby black sand beach. These washed-up icebergs have now been turned into beautiful transparent blocks of ice that look like a diamond and hence the name – Diamond Beach. Albeit beautiful, diamond beach is quite risky to be at. From sneaker waves to heavy winds, there are a lot of ways one can get hurt so, make sure you keep a safe distance and always follow the safety instructions described by the guide.

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

The final stop on your 3-day tour, you will find Reynisfjara black sand beach to be a whole different picture from the Diamond Beach even though both of them are black sand beaches. Reynisfjara is heavy of green beauty along with beautiful long stacks of basalt columns on the side and puffins flying over on the Dyrhólaey cliffs in the distance. Sneaker waves are at rest here quite a lot so you can let loose and take as many pictures as you like and watch the migratory birds of Iceland enjoying themselves.