Iceland (Northern Lights)

The group leader on this Iceland Northern Lights trip will be either one of our U.S. or local Icelandic based group leaders. His/her job is to ensure the safety and well being of everyone on the trip and, of course, to show everyone the most amazing time ever! While he/she will have a basic knowledge of the history, culture and customs of Iceland he/she may not be an expert in the matter.

A passport is required for this Iceland trip. While your passport must have at least 3 months validity from the time you leave Iceland it is strongly recommended that your passport have at least 6 months validity to avoid any problems. If you hold a U.S. passport you will not need a visa for entry to Iceland as long as you are not staying more than 90 days (during a 180 day period starting from the day of first entry). Please note that Iceland is a member of the Schengen area and, therefore, the 90/180 rule applies if you’ve visited other Schengen countries, too.

You will stay in guesthouses for the duration of this Iceland Northern Lights group trip. You can think of a guesthouse as a B&B – old family homes that have been converted into B&B style lodgings. All the guesthouses are clean, safe, and in excellent locations. The guesthouse in Reykjavik is directly in the center of the city – just a couple minute walk from the famous Hallgrímskirkja Church. The guesthouses in the countryside (nights 2 through 4) are in strategic locations with minimal light pollution to not only minimize the driving time between sites but also maximize the opportunity to witness the Northern Lights. Please note that many guesthouses in Iceland have shared bathroom facilities and, when compared to equivalent U.S. hotel rooms of the same rankings, the rooms can considered small.

In order to budget properly please consider the following items which are not included in this Iceland trip:

• Meals: You are responsible for 4 lunches and 5 dinners. Budget around 25.000 ISK for meals not included.
• Transportation: Airport transfers are not included. Please budget 4.299 ISK for each airport transfer. Note: airport pick up is included in the optional Blue Lagoon excursion.
• Travel insurance: Travel insurance covering our minimum requirements ($100k+ in medical coverage including emergency evacuation) is compulsory for all participants. Budget anywhere from $50 to $130 for travel insurance (from a 3rd party) depending on your specific coverage inclusions.

The single room supplement on this Iceland Northern Lights trip is $499. You will be able to select your preference for a single room supplement when filling out the application. If you are applying for this trip within 3 months of the departure please contact us for single room availability before applying.

If you are opting in to the Blue Lagoon excursion you will meet your group leader (and other Blue Lagoon participants) at the airport on the morning of the first day.

If you are not opting in to the Blue Lagoon excursion you will take the bus directly to the guesthouse (after landing in Keflavik airport) where you will check-in to the guesthouse and then have free time until around 6pm upon which you will meet the group in the guesthouse lobby.

While you will not physically meet your group mates until arrival in Iceland you will be in contact with everyone well ahead of time in the group WhatsApp chat and, in addition, we will provide you with everyone’s traveler bios so you’ll already know each other a little before physically meeting!

On day 1 and day 4 you will have the opportunity to tailor the trip to your style by selecting optional excursions. You will be able to select the optional excursions during the application process and, after, you’ll be sent an invoice to pay.

Day 1:

• Blue Lagoon: 17.500 ISK

You can read more about the optional excursions here.

If you have a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) without foreign transaction fees just bring that as it will be accepted everywhere and there will be no need to bring or use cash. American Express cards are accepted at the majority of places but you might run into a few smaller vendors in Iceland that do not accept AMEX. If you do not have a credit card without foreign transaction fees you will need to obtain Icelandic Krona (symbol: ISK) for this trip.

You may bring any size luggage that you wish though we strongly recommend a carry-on size bag. Please keep in mind that you will be staying in 3 different guest houses during the trip. Further, please note that there are only 2 possible ‘going out’ nights (while the other nights you’ll be in the countryside) so packing lite is very doable.

Yes, you will have WiFi access at all the guesthouses and restaurants.

On the first and last night you will be staying in Reykjavik which has a fun, vibrant nightlife with a range of options from clubs to lounges to dive bars. On the other nights you will be staying in the Icelandic countryside where there is no nightlife at all; we recommend bringing fun games to play with fellow group mates on these nights in the guesthouses! The decision to go out or not (in Reykjavik) is completely up to you.

If you are opting in to the Blue Lagoon excursion you will be picked up at the airport in the morning on your first day and, after the Blue Lagoon, you will be dropped off at the guesthouse.

If you are not opting in to the Blue Lagoon excursion we recommend taking the FlyBus to the guesthouse which drops you off within a 5 minute walk (of the guesthouse). The FlyBus ticket does not need to be booked in advance; you can purchase a ticket upon arrival at the airport (in Keflavik).

This is not a very physically intense trip (outside the optional glacier hike). Aside from the (optional) glacier hike you will not be hiking but rather walking around and exploring various (beautiful) sites throughout the trip. The weather conditions in Iceland (during the winter) are not conducive to hiking. The optional glacier hike is somewhat strenuous normally covering around 4 to 5 miles in a 2 to 3 hour span but if you are physically active in your daily life you will not have a problem with this glacier hike. If you are looking for a physically active trip to Iceland please consider our summer 5 day or summer 6 day Iceland trip.

You will need to dress in layers for this Iceland Northern Lights trip. You’ll need warm and breathable base and mid layers and waterproof outer layers. Hiking shoes should be both insulated and water resistant / proof. We will provide you with a detailed list of everything you need to bring once you join the trip which is very similar to the one featured in this Iceland packing list article.

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and, therefore, we cannot guarantee you will see them. We certainly hope you will but you will still love this Iceland trip regardless!