Travel Scandinavia Baltic Tours Antarctica Expedition Cruises

Categories Winter Tours Adventure & Eco Travel Arctic Tours Northern Lights Tours Scandinavia

Celebrate New Year's in a casual and Icelandic way. Explore Reykjavík, the Reykjanes peninsula, the Blue Lagoon, the Golden circle and the South Coast. Stay in simple hotels and cottages in Reykjavík and South Iceland; all rooms with private shower/wc. Discover and experience how Icelandic countryside people celebrate New Year's eve. Oops, did we mention the Northern Lights?

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

Itinerary

The Flybus shuttle brings travelers from Keflavík International Airport to Centerhotel Plaza in Reykjavík where you spend one night. We provide you with ideas how to explore Iceland's capital on your own.

REYKJAVIK CITY TOUR & THE BLUE LAGOON (220 km/137 mls)

At 09:00 meet your tour guide who shows the group highlights of Iceland's exciting capital. Then we head out to the Reykjanes peninsula with its hot springs, mountains, bird cliffs, light houses 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 South Iceland

In the evening you have a presentation about the Northern Lights. If the night is clear, step out in the garden and check if the Northern Lights are visible. Also, known as the Aurora Borealis, these spectacular sky-light shows can frequently be seen in Iceland from September through April on clear and crisp nights. White and green are usually the dominant colors of northern lights but sometimes there are considerable color variations. They are ephemeral, however, sightings are not guaranteed. The grounds of Arhús cottages and Hotel Stracta in Hella are very large and dark that offers you a good location for Northern Lights search if the weather conditions are right. It requires patience, warm clothing and the excitement of "maybe there is Northern Lights".

SOUTH ICELAND & NEW YEARS CELEBRATIONS (200 km/124 mls)

After breakfast we head along the South coast and get out near the active volcano that is beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. We stop at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountain. There's a trail that goes behind the falling water and offers interesting views, if you are prepared to get wet! Further east we visit one of Iceland's finest folk museums. This museum contains an outstanding collection of farm and domestic artifacts typical of Iceland's past, as well as turf-built houses. Nearby is Skógafoss waterfall which is 60 meters high and one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. We continue to the seaside and stroll on the black lava beach to see the amazing bird cliffs at Reynisfjara near Vík.

In the evening we celebrate New Year the Icelandic way. Before dinner we join a guided bus tour to visit the bonfires in the villages of Hvolsvöllur and Hella. The traditional Brenna bonfires of New Year's Eve have their origins in the Middle Ages when people built bonfires to burn the old things they no longer needed. In Iceland there are bonfires all around the country where inhabitants gather, shoot off fireworks, sing and dance as they wait for the New Year to come in.

Your festive 4-course dinner starts around 20:30 and is served at Árhús Restaurant on the river banks in Hella, which is a small village in South Iceland. Around 23:30 one of the local rescue team members joins our group and lights our own small fireworks. Afterwards we walk through the village and celebrate New Years's with a bang when at midnight the sky opens with thousands of fireworks set off across the village by the local inhabitants. This is an experience of a life time, you will never forget. Drink a toast of sparkling wine as you enjoy a real special Icelandic New Year's celebration.

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.

GOLDEN CIRCLE & CULINARY EXPERIENCE (210 km/130 mls)

Today we travel the Golden circle route. You see steam from the Geysir geothermal fields as you arrive. There are a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur "the Churn" which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. You continue to Gullfoss "the golden falls", a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá river, and attracts tourists and travelers in summer and winter. We travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site before returning to Reykjavík for one night. The program includes a culinary treat at one of Reykjavík's best gourmet restaurants.

Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle from your accommodation in Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport.

Notes