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The perfect winter adventure for amateur and hobby photographers and nature lovers

Are you curious about what it will be like to be in a place with short days and long nights? During the darkest time of the Icelandic winter the sun barely skirts the horizon, daytime has the feel of constant dusk, as if time were suspended. And then suddenly the sun drops below the horizon, and you’ve got hours of darkness ahead of you. But even without the midnight sun, the skies in Iceland are on fire – because Iceland's northern location turns on one of the most amazing light shows in the world: the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis - shimmering dancing curtains of green, yellow and blue light. Sometimes even red.

Would you like to combine your interest in travel, photography and nature with a winter visit to Iceland? To explore this unique landscape together with other international photography fans from all over the globe? A tour where you can share knowledge, tricks and techniques with others and perhaps improve your own photography. We’ll bring you to the right place at the right time, to explore fascinating landscape, show you the hidden secrets here and there and suggest spots to shoot the best pictures. Our guide will help ordinary people snap stunning natural spectacles while travelling through Iceland in wind, rain, sleet, snow and sunshine.

This tour is a perfect winter adventure for amateur and hobby photographers and nature lovers. You’ll go to exceptional places, where you can take plenty of time to explore and photograph winter scenery, lava fields, volcano craters, hot springs, geysers, waterfalls, sea shores, mountains, lakes, fishing villages, farms, light houses and anything else that captures your fancy. There will be stops at Iceland's most popular places like the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle. But we also take you off the beaten track - staying in several remote locations, away from where most tourist usually travel. Good photography needs enough time to explore each place, to adapt to the weather and light situation – you’ll have all that as well as time to relax and soak in geothermal hot pools. Despite the winter, Iceland is not always covered in snow - you will experience Iceland in a variety of weather conditions with the opportunity to photograph extreme landscapes in ever changing colors. Because it's so far north, the low sun and varied weather conditions, create exceptionally beautiful light and contrasts. The rosy dawn, the blue of the clouds scurrying across the sky, the days end in a frozen waterfall, the color of the air and the light is uniquely beautiful. The Icelandic winter sky and clouds sometimes look like paintings. Plus, short days means you can photograph sunrise without getting up too early. Last but not least we will search for the Northern Lights and try to capture them "on film". From dawn to dark, Iceland's light invites to revel in its beauty. This tour is aimed for nature lovers, adventurers and amateur photographers. No experience in photography is required and any type of digital photo camera is suitable. Important, bring a tripod along for northern lights photography!

Itinerary

WELCOME TO ICELAND

The Flybus shuttle will bring travelers from Keflavík International airport to the accommodation in Reykjavík where you‘ll spend the night. We‘ll provide ideas to help you explore Iceland's capital on your own, dinner suggestions too!

FISHING TOWNS IN THE WEST (350 km/217 miles)

You’ll meet your tour guide and start your Iceland winter tour by heading to the fishing town of Akranes in West Iceland. We visit the harbor, the old lighthouse where there is a beautiful panoramic view, the folk museum, and the local "Long Beach". In the afternoon drive over mountains and explore the Snæfellsnes peninsula with interesting photo ops. A unique “treat" awaits us at Bjarnarhöfn, where they make one of Iceland’s traditional foods Hákarl – fermented shark. In the afternoon we’ll explore the “capital” of Snaefellsnes, which is the fishing town of Stykkishólmur. There will be time to stroll around the sheltered harbor which provides a good place for fishing vessels to anchor, and to wander around this charming town with its many old wooden houses. Late afternoon we’ll travel along the north coast of Snæfellsnes to reach the remote Vogur Country Lodge in West Iceland where we will stay for the next 3 nights.

This is a truly peaceful and beautiful place close to Breiðafjörður Bay, which will give you the feeling of being all alone in Iceland. As the day light dims to darkness you’ll see that you are far away from any light pollution, in a location which his perfect for viewing the northern lights, if conditions are right and the skies are clear. From each room you can step directly outside into the darkness to see if the aurora borealis will be dancing in the sky. 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 but sometimes there are considerable color variations. They are ephemeral, however, sightings are not guaranteed.

SAGA LAND (170 km/106 miles)

Few parts of Iceland are as rich in history as Dalir, where records go back virtually unbroken to the settlement in the 9th and 10th centuries. Here we find beautiful nature, rounded mountains, lush valleys, lakes and rivers along with great hiking and bird watching. Close by is Breiðafjörður Bay with spectacular sea shores and amazing view over the mountain panorama of the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Today we travel mostly off the beaten path, experience some short walks here and there, with stops to photograph farms, beautiful little country churches and of course the Icelandic horse. At Haukadalur, there’s a rather authentic replica of the homestead of Eirik the Red, the famous explorer, who founded the Icelandic colony in Greenland. He may have invented modern marketing when he called the rock-and-ice island he’d found “Greenland” to entice his fellow Icelanders to follow him there – which they did!! His son Leif-the-Lucky born in Haukadalur, Iceland, went on to be the first European to set foot in North America. Now the excavated and reconstructed farm is a living Viking museum, which is fun, informative and rather photogenic. The landscape is dominated by mountains, valleys, the sea and wide open spaces. A light lunch is included today. During the night we will keep a lookout for the Northern lights since they can appear in the sky without any notice and disappear just as quickly.

TOUCHING THE WEST FJORDS (200 km/124 miles)

If you are interested in bird-watching, the small village of Reykhólar in the southern part of the Westfjords is the perfect hub. Close to shore, the sea is very shallow with a high tidal range. These conditions, combined with the marshes and ponds found inland create a bountiful biota and a perfect environment for rich bird life. There is a unique museum in Reykhólar, which is dedicated to the gifts of nature, and their utilization, in the Breiðafjörður area. From a historical perspective, it shows how birds, seals and fish provided the farmers and fishermen with food and clothes, helping them to get through famines and hardship in the past. Reykhólar is also famous for its kelp factory, the only factory in Iceland that processes seaweed. The products are used in food, animal fodder, fuel, fertilizers and for medicinal purposes, among other places. This area of Iceland is very sparsely populated and abounds with wonderful photo ops; mountain, fjords, the sea and thousands of small islands. A light lunch is included today.

In the afternoon there’s a visit the village of Laugar in Sælingsdalur. The geothermal area at Laugar is the source for the naturally-heated swimming pool built here in 1932 and which also heats the buildings at the place. We visit the local folk museum which opened in 1977. Just outside Laugar you may find the rocky hill that is known to be a home of elves. Nearby is Guðrún's pool, a reconstructed geothermal pool in Sælingsdalur. According to the Icelandic saga Laxdaela, Guðrún Osvifursdóttir, one of the greatest woman in the Sagas, used to dwell by a geothermal pool at Laugar in Sælingsdalur. The original pool was destroyed in a landslide 140 years ago, but was rebuilt in 2009 along with a ”house of modesty“ – dressing rooms. The pool and dressing rooms are built from natural materials, dry stone without any mortar, turf roof and driftwood walls on the dressing rooms, to resemble a Viking age pool. Today the pool is one of the biggest tourist attraction in the remote municipality of Dalir and you are invited to become a real Viking, and soak off your adventures in this unique pool.

VOLCANOES, HOT SPRINGS AND WATERFALLS (185 km/115 miles)

Today we travel over a mountain pass to Bifröst in West Iceland, known for its natural beauty with its lava fields and volcano craters. Interesting colors, Icelandic moss, lava formations, spectacular mountain panoramas will be your photo models in the morning. In the afternoon you‘ll get warmed at Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring which produces 180 liters per second of water which at 97°Celsius is nearly boiling. Then it’s on to Hraunfossar, a series of waterfalls pouring from beneath a long row of lava fields into the Hvítá River, where it mixes with glacier run off for a very colorful scene. Barnafoss “the Children’s falls” is nearby, with it‘s own tragic tale. You’ll spend the night at Fosshotel Reykholt in West Iceland, in a small village with a church, museum and lots of scenery. After dinner, you can check if Northern Lights are visible and enjoy the quiet location from the hotels outdoor hot tubs!

GOLDEN CIRCLE (300 km/186 miles)

The morning starts with a drive along the scenic coast of Hvalfjörður fjord to Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of Iceland's most fascinating places both geologically and for the role it plays in the country’s history and sense of national identity. After a stop here, we head east and you’ll soon see steam from the Geysir geothermal fields. During our stop here you can explore and photograph some of the many hot springs and bubbling pools including the original geyser, which is now dormant, but which has been replaced by Strokkur „the Churn“, which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. You‘ll continue to the third member of the Golden Circle - Gullfoss “the golden falls“, a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá river, whose beauty attracts tourists and travelers year round. Continue to the small greenhouse town of Hveragerði in South Iceland. You will stay for one night at Hotel Eldhestar, one of Iceland's largest horse riding centers.

Tonight, step into the darkness and search for the elusive Northern Lights, while best enjoyed from a comfortable hot tub in the garden of the hotel, amidst the peace and stillness of rural Iceland.

BLUE LAGOON, HOT SPRINGS AND REYKJAVIK (200 km/124 miles)

The last full day of travel takes us to Reykjanes where we’ll take the less traveled route, and see the peninsula’s many unusual geological features, hot springs, bird cliffs, light houses and fishing villages. It will be topped off with a visit the famous Blue Lagoon for a soak in it’s warm geothermal water. Then it’s back to Reykjavík for one last night in Iceland's capital.

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

Notes