Winter in Iceland is our favorite season, offering raw beauty, untamed wilderness, and thrilling adventures in deep snow. Over seven unforgettable days, we’ll traverse snow-covered landscapes on invigorating snowshoeing tours, trek across magnificent glaciers, and explore the untouched wilderness of the Icelandic highlands. Each day is thoughtfully designed to make the most of the limited daylight, ensuring we see the best of Iceland’s winter charm and get a truly authentic winter experience. Away from the usual tourist routes, you’ll find serenity in the crisp, cold air and the pristine, white terrain. With a bit of luck, the Northern lights will grace the night sky, adding a touch of enchantment to our adventure. Join us for an intimate and extraordinary exploration of Iceland’s winter wonderland.
Explore the enchanting beauty of Iceland's winter on this immersive 7-day tour. From chasing the Northern lights to traversing snow-covered landscapes on snowshoes, each day unveils new wonders. With expert guides and carefully curated experiences, this journey promises unforgettable moments in one of the world's most captivating winter destinations. Embark on a voyage that blends adventure, relaxation, and the natural splendor of Iceland's winter wonderland.
After your pick up at the airport, you’ll have the time to explore the city of Reykjavík on your own before your winter adventure starts. Get settled in your accommodation and meet the rest of your group over a welcome dinner.
Driving: 1 hour
Meals: Welcome dinner
Today we’ll go snowshoeing in the Hengill area. Hengill is a large volcano close to Reykjavík, with a lot of geothermal activity around it. We will look for the best snow conditions in that area and spend the day snowshoeing through the beautiful landscape. Few outdoor activities are as beginner friendly as this, so no worries if you’ve never snowshoed before. Your guides will make sure you have the best equipment and they’ll show you basic techniques for walking in the deep snow.
Driving: 2 hours
Hiking: 3-4 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Thorsmork is an isolated valley, hidden behind glaciers and volcanoes. There’s only one mountain road that leads to it, and in wintertime you need a big modified 4×4 vehicle to reach the valley. The whole day will be spent exploring Thorsmork in its winter coat. Canyons, glaciers, volcanos and big rivers are what awaits us in this dramatic landscape.
Driving: 2-3 hours
Hiking: 2-3 hours
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
The south coast is one of Iceland’s most iconic areas. Filled with waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches and some of Iceland’s largest volcanoes, there’s no shortage of spectacular things to see. We’ll spend the full day exploring the coast with sights including Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss and Black sand beach. In the end, we’ll strap on crampons and throw on some harnesses for a glacier walk on Sólheimajökull.
Driving: 2 hours
Hiking: 2 hours
Meals: Breakfast
We leave our hotel behind and our goal for the day is to go deep into the Icelandic highlands, an area called Kerlingarfjöll, where we spend the next two nights. We get in another big modified 4×4 vehicle and the whole journey to reach Kerlingarfjöll is an adventure all to itself, driving through deep snow and completely untouched wilderness. Kerlingarfjöll is a mountain range, located almost in the center of the island, where there’s nothing except one great hotel and endless possibilities for winter activities. It’s also the perfect spot to see the northern lights!
Driving: 3-5 hours
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
We’ll spend the whole day snowshoeing in the Kerlingarfjöll area — beautiful landscapes all around us, with a big geothermal area and stunning mountains. On a clear day you can see a large portion of the country! After a full day of snowshoeing, you’ll be able to soak in the natural geothermal pools located close to the hotel. A truly unique place for winter and surely one of the highlights for this trip!
Hiking: 3-6 hours
Meals: Breakfast
Today we head back to civilization. We have a long drive ahead of us back from Kerlingarfjöll, all the way to Reykjavík. We’ll make a couple of stops along the way and reach the city in the afternoon, where you can stay longer for some sightseeing or head to the airport to catch a flight back home.
Driving: 3-5 hours
We had the pleasure of being on a group tour led by Orri. He was very knowledgeable and helpful with everything we wanted to know and learn about Iceland. He provided a great mix of history, local knowledge and personal stories. His enthusiasm surrounding our pursuit of the northern lights paid off. We have great pictures taken by Orri to remember it all! We highly recommend adding Orri to your Iceland adventure!
Please use Orri and Kria Adventures! We were lucky to have Orri as our guide during our family vacation to Iceland. He is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, friendly, and fun to be around. Orri was attentive to our needs and went out of his way to make sure the trip was extra special and beyond our expectations.
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
To join this guided hiking trip in Iceland, you need to be in good physical condition. All participants should have hiking experience in winter conditions. It is enough to be accustomed to full-day hikes. On this tour, you will mostly have a longer hike one day and a shorter hike the next day—this alternation will allow everyone to recuperate and have a more enjoyable experience. You will also go on a snowshoeing tour on Day 2 and Day 6. Your guide will teach you the basics and you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.
To prepare for this tour, we encourage regular cardiovascular exercise (especially hiking!) in weeks prior to the adventure. Keep in mind that you will always have a guide by your side to encourage you, assess your fitness level, and keep everyone safe by changing the route if it is too strenuous or doing an alternate hike due to bad weather.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
This tour includes snowshoeing activities. The good news is that snowshoes fit pretty much any type of boot, so your main concern is to wear something that keeps your feet warm and dry. Insulated, waterproof winter boots with thick soles and rubber or leather uppers are ideal. Bring wool or synthetic socks that wick sweat—carry an extra pair in case they get soaked.
Bring comfortable clothes appropriate for the season. We suggest checking the weather forecast and being prepared for different conditions. Layers with clothing that can handle cold, wet conditions are best.
Group sizes and prices:
Hiking in Iceland can be arranged for private groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Reykjavik, the starting point of your Iceland Northern Lights package holidays, fly into Keflavik International Airport (KEF). From there, you have a 45-minute drive to Reykjavik by bus or a cab. Buses leave the airport every hour, 24/7, so you don’t have to worry about getting delayed.
You’ll meet your guide and your group on the evening of Day 1. It’s recommended that you either pick an early-morning flight so you get to seize the day or spend the night in Reykjavik a night prior to your adventure.
Winter is a fascinating time in Iceland. The country turns from a green and lush island into a stunning winter wonderland, where you can experience amazing winter activities. The days are shorter, because the sun is lower on the horizon, but in return you get this amazing light throughout the whole day that is being cast onto the snowy landscape and is absolutely breathtaking for photography.
Even though it’s winter, you can still easily go out and enjoy nature on foot. Snowshoeing is the perfect way to explore the countryside during winter.
This is also peak season for the Northern lights, so after a full day of adventuring, it’s great to relax at your countryside hotel and be on the lookout from the hot tub. Just keep in mind that lights are never guaranteed and we always advise people to view them as an extra bonus for your trip.
During winter, it becomes very difficult to access the Highlands. Everything up there is covered in snow and there’s no winter service. The only way to access them is to do so on a heavily modified truck, which we call Super-Jeeps. However, this is no problem for your experienced guides!
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance. With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.
Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.
We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Iceland, the “Land of Fire and Ice”, has forever lived with volcanic activity. Minor and major eruptions have occurred every few years since the island was formed. Some of Iceland’s appeal, aside from sheer natural beauty, surely stems from this very fact.
However, every new eruption, such as the recent Reykjanes Peninsula fissure, will make some travelers, tourists, and adventurers uneasy, especially given the fact that sensationalist media is not immune to misinformation and speculation.
Since we work with a number of expert local guides in Iceland, we thought we’d share their input and fill you in on what’s actually going on.
First of all, air traffic has not been affected. Flights to and from Keflavík International Airport and Reykjavík Domestic Airport are operating as they always do.
Second, the effects of volcanic activity have been localized, with some roads closed, and all services in Iceland are operating as usual. Reykjavik, the capital, is around 40 km (25 miles) away from the volcanic fissure, and life there is as normal as ever.
And third, trips offered by 57hours are taking place much further away, and are thereby even less likely to be affected by the volcanic activity, being perfectly safe for adventurers. Naturally, the authorities (and guides) are monitoring the situation and doing everything possible to keep both local residents and visitors safe and well informed.
In case you have any additional questions or dilemmas, feel free to get in touch with either your guide or 57hours. For more information, please visit:
https://safetravel.is/
https://www.visiticeland.com/article/volcano-info
Or watch the video with Dr. Matthew Roberts from the Icelandic Meteorological Office explaining the recent volcanic activities in Iceland:
https://youtu.be/QA3-BXYuYrw?feature=shared
Deposits
You can secure one of the set dates with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price is to be paid 90 days prior to departure, at the latest.
Cancellations
Booking fees are non-refundable in all cases. During checkout, however, you can choose one of 57hours’ flexibility options:
Basic
Flexible
Super Flexible
Early Bird booking
Want to be the first one to know when we publish new dates or secure your spot well in advance? Select a future month that suits you best and lock in your Early Bird spot in time with just a 10% deposit.
As soon as our guides publish new tour dates, you’ll be the first one to know. We’ll hold your spot for 2 weeks until you choose the date that suits you best.
More about how Early Bird bookings work below:
Orri was the absolute best tour guide during my 7 day Iceland trip. Not only was he the most knowledgeable about his land and the history of it but he made it fun by telling folk stories and tales of elves. He was so polite and friendly, always. He answered any question that was brought to his attention and was always excited to give detail. He took us to the most fascinating sites and he made sure he hunted down the northern lights for us to see. We were able to see them perfectly for 2 of the nights! He took our pictures with his camera and made sure to use his little techniques for getting the best photos so we could have them as keepsakes. (Keep in mind we were also very lucky and that’s not always the case!) For our trip specifically, he always made sure dietary restrictions were met (for me) and always educated us on the local cuisines and why it is a specialty. When I get to Iceland again, I will be sure to have Orri as my guide. There really is no way to see the island without someone like him.