This 3-night break offers the chance to see many of Iceland’s natural wonders whilst staying in the vibrant capital, as well as aurora hunting, whale watching, and a superjeep tour.
Iceland Northern Lights & Whale Explorer
Whilst whale watching has traditionally been a summer activity in Iceland, the last two winters have proven that the incidence of sightings in the winter is also very good, at about 70%, so now you can see whales and the northern lights at the same time!
Overview
Highlights
- Whale watching boat trip
- Superjeep northern lights hunt
- Northern lights hunt by boat
- Visit to the Blue Lagoon
- Golden Circle SuperJeep Tour; Pingvellir Rift Valley, Gullfoss Waterfall and Strokkur Geyser.
- 3 nights at Alda Hotel
What’s included
- 3 nights accommodation with breakfast at Alda Hotel
- Airport transfers
- Superjeep northern lights hunt
- Northern lights hunt by Boat
- Whale watching boat trip
- Golden Circle Superjeep Tour
A note on flights
While flights are not included in the holiday price, our team will happily provide a quote and arrange them for you. Simply ask one of our Travel Experts for details of the available options.
Day by Day Itinerary
Fly to Reykjavik, Northern Lights Hunt by Boat
Fly to Reykjavik and take a flybus transfer into the centre.
After dinner you have your first exciting excursion lined up, which is a Boat Cruise in search of the northern lights. Hunting the northern lights from the ocean is an amazing experience.
Sail away from the coastline of Reykjavik and hopefully see the aurora borealis out on the North Atlantic ocean with beautiful mountains and the city lights in the background.
This 2-3 hour northern lights cruise includes warm overalls to wear, heated seating areas inside and an expert guide on board to explain the Northern Lights. If you are not lucky enough to see them you have the chance to go out again the next evening at no extra cost (availability allowing).
Meet the guides & captains from the boat tour you will be on.
Overnight in Reykjavik.
Golden Circle SuperJeep Tour, Pingvellir Rift Valley, Gullfoss Waterfall and Strokur Geyser
This guided SuperJeep Tour is a must for anyone that has not been to Iceland before.
You will walk in a dramatic mini rift valley created by Tectonic plate movement, gaze at the thundering Gullfoss waterfall, which can totally freeze in winter, and marvel at the Strokkur Geyser which erupts every 5 mins.
If you are lucky and the weather conditions are right, the guide sometimes takes you up in the Superjeep for a short drive actually on the glacier. Finally, time allowing, the guide will also add a visit to the stunning blue-green volcanic basalt lake Kerid, before your return to Reykjavik.
Evening at leisure and overnight in Reykjavik.
Whale Watching Tour, SuperJeep Northern Lights Hunt
Morning at leisure to enjoy Reykjavik. For ideas of things to do in Reykjavik.
Early afternoon you have your 3-hour Whale Watching trip.
The boats offer comfort, a warm interior and a large outside viewing deck. The captain and crew point out where to spot the whales and give interesting information about the different kinds of whales and seabirds you can expect to see.
The guides also take specimens from the ocean on each tour and show them to the passengers on an on-board screen using special microscopes. Here the ocean comes to life as you get to see and feel objects such as baleen plates, whale teeth and whale bones. Warm overalls are provided to keep you warm and dry and there is a bar where drinks and snacks can be purchased. Meet the guides & captains from the boat tours you will be on.
This evening you will be taken out from Reykjavik in a superjeep into the wilderness for a final search of the northern lights. Cloudless skies sightings can occur from autumn to early spring. The elders say that the colder the nights the more vibrant and intense the colours will be. Swirling and swaying overhead, displays are usually greenish yellow but white, red and pink lights also frequently appear.
Please note the maximum number of passengers in the Superjeep is six in order to give you a very personal and individual tour.
This is in sharp contrast to the coach tours that are available through other companies, or the very large Superjeep Tours with 12 people in. Overnight at Reykjavik.
Visit Blue Lagoon, Transfer Airport for flight home
After breakfast check out before a flybus transfer to the Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland’s most famous sites, whose geothermal waters are particularly good for your skin.
Here you can bathe in the warm bright blue waters, put Silica mud on your face or try out the sauna and steam rooms which are carved into the lava.
You can easily while away a couple of hours and there is a choice of restaurants with lovely views of the Lagoon. We would also recommend the in-water massage treatments which are just heaven!
Afterwards your flybus transfer will take you to the airport for your flight home.
If this is not what you are looking for, you might want to take a look at our Iceland Northern Lights Short Breaks
We have an extensive Northern Lights Information Hub if you need further information
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See what our clients say
1. Gourmet Cabins was excellent and Johan was a friendly and knowledgeable host. The food, cabins, hot tub and sauna were brilliant.
2. Dog sledge was a fantastic experience and we were given the opportunity to drive our own sledge
3. Snow Mobile – really got off the beaten track and into the spectacular mountains
4. Saw the Northern Lights twice in two days. There is no description that can really do them justice
An excellent holiday which was enjoyed by all. The super jeep ride on the second day to the Eyjafjallajokull volcano was memorable and thanks to our driver Margaret who proved to be a really good guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the facilities in the hotel Ranga. The staff were very helpful and we managed to see the Northern Lights. The Hotel Reykjavik Centrum was very nice with amazingly helpful staff. All in all, the whole holiday was brilliant.
An amazing trip and excellent service provided by all involved. Great value for money too. Food was excellent. Accommodation was wonderful and the trips booked were outstanding. An amazing trip
We had the most fabulous time and everything worked like clockwork. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and extremely competent. The food was excellent and the experiences, especially Husky Homes, were brilliant. We saw the aurora lights at the mountain top in Abisko where the photography tour will be an enduring memory of a wonderful time. I would very much recommend Weekend a la Carte as a proficient tour operator.
Superb holiday to Iceland, well organised, advice regarding trips informative and far exceeded our expectations (Glaciers and ice Cave) run by South Coast. Hotel Ranga is a lovely hotel, perfect to see Northern Lights (which we did see on our 3rd night), very comfortable, food excellent, staff helpful and informative. SouthCoast Adventure tour company were excellent, guides knowledgeable, and clearly very experienced.
This was a bucket list trip. The company are specialists and I’ve valued their advice. Everything from the when to go for the best opportunity to see the lights and equipment needed and provided.Our activities included, the Ice Hotel, night photo shoot, snowmobiling, guided walk and the sky station meal. All excellent and well run by knowledgeable experts and guides. The Abisko Lodge is warm comfortable and relaxing the food is excellent and the staff welcoming, friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a different and exciting experience.
A fantastic short break which fulfilled all expectations. Well organised with a polished delivery, we could not have asked for more. The accommodation was perfect for us and the guides knowledgeable and helpful. Every day was packed with adventure, each lasting longer than scheduled but we were never rushed; the guides took pride in showing and explaining their beautiful country. We would certainly use Weekend a la carte again and recommend them to others.
We did the aurora nights break and had a great time overall. Everything related to flights, hire car, and hotels ran smoothly. There were a few issues largely relating to the weather and driving conditions (we travelled in mid March), but what we did manage to do was amazing.
The blue lagoon was easy to access from the airport and was a brilliant experience. We booked the standard package and it came with a free drink and face mask. Facilities were clean and organised with free toiletries in the shower rooms, which helps if you’ve gone there straight from the airport.
The drive to Hotel Ranga afterwards was long but fine (check out the road on google streetview to know what to expect). The hotel and staff were great. We were limited to one option as vegetarians on the bar and a la carte menus, but the food was lovely and if you are a meat eater you will see options of unusual dishes like puffin and reindeer.
Our northern lights super jeep trip was cancelled on both nights due to a poor forecast, but we were lucky enough to get an aurora wake up call from Hotel Ranga the first night. We couldn’t use the hottubs as there are only a few and they were always taken in the limited time we spent at the hotel, so don’t go expecting to get lots of time in one and you won’t be disappointed. View them as an add on if you can time it right. We were travelling with an 11 year old, so we didn’t stay up really late. If you are a couple you probably have a better chance of getting one later on.
The glacier/volcano super jeep trip was outstanding. Our driver, Íbí was excellent. She went above and beyond and gave us such an awesome experience. We were also super lucky with the weather the first two days and had great views across Iceland.
The ice cave tour was also incredible and the guides running it were excellent. The group size was much bigger than expected (especially after the more exclusive volcano super jeep tour), but it was broken down into smaller groups that were managed well, with plenty of time factored in for photographs. There were several unexplained delays getting to the cave during the tour that meant we weren’t able to ‘mini tour’ the rest of the South Coast afterwards, so if you plan to do the ice cave don’t overplan for the afternoon as you may not have much time. Not a huge disappointment for us as we got to experience the cave, but I imagine someone who planned a full itinerary afterwards might be frustrated by the estamiated timings not always being right and subject to change with the weather (which was wicked that day).
Driving around Reykjavik was a horrible experience as we arrived around rush hour and weren’t prepared for all the traffic, having only experienced quiet roads along the south coast. It was difficult finding a parking space, so be prepared to drive around a little when you arrive. If you haven’t driven on the right before and are not a confident driver this could leave you feeling stressed. Again, check out the roads into Reykjavik on Google maps to get a sense of what awaits if you aren’t used to self-driving.
We didn’t get to tour the golden circle because of road conditions/ice/road closures, so we spent the day in Reykjavik instead. This turned out okay for us as we did some of the attractions (Lava Centre and Fly Over Iceland – both hughly recommended), but it ended up being an extra expense and we missed out on the golden attractions. Again, not a big issue if you are aware this could happen. The weather is so changeable that having a plan B is a good approach.
Weekend a la Carte sent us a text warning us about the bad weather conditions, which we’d already seen on the Safe Iceland app, but we were grateful for anyway. It was good to know they were looking out for us!
All in all, a remarkable trip, with some unique experiences. If you book this in the knowledge that nature will have her own way, and you may not see everything you want (especially in winter), you will have a great time. Ranga is definitely the best place to maximise your chances of seeing the lights.