South Coast, Glacier Hike & Northern Lights

View at Reynisfjara black sand beach in Southern Iceland. Reynisfjall mountain and Gardar basalt columns are at left and Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks are at right background.

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Top Attractions:

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Skogafoss Waterfall

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach Iceland - Complete travel guide

Solheimajokull Glacier in South Iceland

Overview

Explore Iceland's famous South Coast, where we will see a number of incredible sights including Seljalandsfoss & Skogafoss waterfalls, before going on an exciting glacier hike on Solheimajokull glacier outlet. Then, visit Reynisfjara black sand beach before heading back to Reykjavik in time for dinner before heading on another adventure... a search for the Northern Lights! It is an action-packed day filled with awe and wonder, offering the opportunity to see some of the most magical things that the land of fire and ice has to offer.

Tour Snapshot

Duration

16 hours

Level

Easy

Availability

january - april, september - december

Starting point

Reykjavik

End point

Reykjavik

Languages

English

Trip style

One-day tours

Minimum age

6 years

What to Expect

On Tour

Glacier hike with a certified glacier guide
Necessary glacier gear (crampons, ice axe and helmet)
A guided tour of south coast highlights
A Northern Lights hunt in a minibus
Northern Lights photos
Hot cocoa, chocolate & blanket

Transportation

Meet on location
Pick-up & drop-off in Reykjavik
Pick up is at 08:00 am from your hotel or a nearby meeting point in Reykjavík. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.
For the Northern Lights adventure, pick up is at either 20:30 (8:30 p.m.) or 21:30 (9:30 p.m.), depending on the season. You’ll find the actual pickup time on your final voucher. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.
Available pick-up points.

Accommodation & Meals

Meals
Accommodation

Itinerary

16 hours

South Coast and Glacier Hiking

Our first stop will be the dramatic Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, whose powerful circular torrent cascades 60 meters down into a valley below. There is a hidden cave located behind its curtain of water, allowing us to view this incredible natural wonder from a completely different perspective.

From there we will head to our base camp at the foot of the Sólheimajökull Glacier, where our friendly guide will give us a quick safety briefing and gear you up with crampons, harnesses, ice-axes, and helmets. Then we will head out onto the glacier itself for an exhilarating experience that will take us across an ever-evolving icy landscape, replete with crevasses, ice-sculptures, and volcanic craters. The entire hike lasts for about an hour and will be on the Sólheimajökull Glacier that unfurls like a tongue from the larger Myrdalsjökull Glacier, which covers the capricious Katla volcano, which is one of Iceland's most active. Our friendly guide will tell us all that we need to know about glaciers and how they have helped to craft Iceland and the wider world, ensuring an educational and fun experience that everyone is sure to enjoy.

Our journey will then take us from the pristine white world of the glacier to the black sands of Reynisfjara Beach, whose dark volcanic landscape provides a stark contrast to the white-tipped waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Behind it are a series of dramatic basalt sea stacks, whose columnar shapes rise up against a craggy cliff face. They are highly photogenic and are a bit like the Giant's Causeway in Ireland.

Our final stop will come at around twilight at the Skogafoss Waterfall, which is both incredibly beautiful and steeped in local legend. Its roaring cascade tumbles over a volcanic rockface into a teeming white pool below. There is a winding path on the hill next to it that offers a panoramic view over the falls and surrounding area. On our way up, we will see a couple of fascinating rock formations that local legend holds are petrified trolls who were turned to stone when they forgot about the dawn. Locals also believe that there is a treasure hidden somewhere close to the cascade, although it can only be found by someone who was born at the nearby Skogar Farm and has been raised on horse milk and horsemeat, without ever hearing the name of God. Suffice to say no-one has yet fulfilled these stringent conditions, so the treasure remains there!

We will then return to Reykjavik and drop you off at your Reykjavik accommodation at around 19:00.

Northern Lights

We will pick you up at your Reykjavik accommodation at *21:30 (9:30 p.m.) for the second part of our adventure, which will take us in search of the ethereal light show that dances across the Arctic skies during the winter months. Known as the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis it has enchanted humans throughout the centuries and is widely considered to be the closest thing to the supernatural that it is possible to experience. The Auroras are a natural phenomenon and therefore impossible for us to guarantee that we will see them. Also, weather conditions play a massive part in us seeing this elusive miracle. However, our expert guides will take us to the locations that give us the best possible chance depending on the forecast and take us to locations that have no light pollution. We will arrive back in Reykjavik at around 00:00-01:00 depending on the conditions.

There is nothing quite like seeing the Aurora Borealis dance, a heavenly light show that paints the sky with greens, purples, reds, and pinks, which dance across the sky and illuminate the surrounding area. Almost every place that experiences the Northern Lights associates them with the divine and Nordic religion is no different, believing that they are the fierce Valkyrie charging into battle in Valhalla. The experience is truly miraculous, and words cannot do it justice, but if we see them, it will inspire awe and wonder in equal measure.

* Please keep in mind, that pick-up time changes at different periods of time:

• From 1st of September until 30th of September & and 1st of March until 30th of April - pick-up starts at 21:30 (9:30 p.m.)

• From 1st of October until 28th of February - pick-up starts at 20:30 (8:30 p.m.)

Went to a tour but didn’t spot the Northern Lights? No worries, you can book another tour to see the lights free of charge. Note that this deal is unlimited and is valid for 3 years. So, don’t give up on your first time, get in touch with our Customer Care to witness this natural phenomenon.

Notable Information

This is a combination of two separate tours. If one of the tours is cancelled, you will still be able to join the other part.

Meet your operator

At Adventures.com we love transparency, there are operators involved in your booking, we just stay with those we trust. This tour is operated by:

Arctic Adventures

Arctic Adventures is a top Icelandic tour operator known for its small-group experiences. Since 1983, they’ve specialized in guiding travelers through Iceland’s wild terrains, from glaciers to volcanoes. Their tours are all about adventure and sustainability, led by expert guides who make sure every trip is safe, fun, and memorable. Arctic Adventures combines deep local knowledge with a strong commitment to nature, making them a trusted choice for anyone looking to explore Iceland up close and responsibly.

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Packing List

Get ready for your trip, here are some items, you should not forget

What to bring (Required)

Warm clothes
Water & Windproof Jacket and Pants
Headwear
Gloves
Scarf
Good hiking boots with ankle support

We're here to answer your questions

Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.

Dressing for that kind of weather can always be demanding, so we suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.

Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.

Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.

You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.

It is good to bring your own backpack on our full day or half day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes and other necessary items.

The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, scenic views that are photographable so you should definitely bring your camera along.

This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.

Lunch is not provided on any of our trips, therefore we recommend you to bring your own lunch especially for the longer trips, snacks and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip).

Crampons make you enable to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.

Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guide on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.

Yes, we provide you with all the necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axe, crampons, harness, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.

Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.

Rain is common in Iceland but we never let the rain be in our way to go forward with our tours.
That’s why we highly recommend appropriate clothing so you can be warm and dry on the tours.
Nature is out of our control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. Your safety is our first priority so if your safety is compromised by going on the tour then we will cancel it and you will get full reimbursement.

The Northern Lights are natural phenomena and we, unfortunately, cannot promise you will see them. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions.

For more information on the Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights tours.

We, unfortunately, do not have one simple answer to this question.

There isn’t just one single setting for your camera that ensures great photos. However, if you have manual options, you are probably best served with experimenting with various combinations of ISO, aperture, and exposure settings. As a rule of thumb, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2 8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed at between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have proven effective.

A good thing to keep in mind, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have given great results.

Different combinations may give very different results. Higher ISO setting will allow you to capture faster exposures, but the downside to this might be for example grainier images.

If the shutter speed is above 15 seconds it will result in a slight star movement.

Wider angle lenses are usually more versatile in low light settings, but longer lenses give you different options for compositions. Make sure that you remove all lens filters, as they may distort images. You will probably get the best results with manual setting for infinite focal length.

Reimbursement is not given if the northern lights tour goes ahead and no lights are seen but we do offer you the change to join a Northern Lights Minibus tour free of charge.

Please contact our Customer Care to re-book your tour.

When Northern Lights tours are canceled it’s usually due to unfavorable weather conditions.

In that case, your options will be to:

Reschedule for another day.
Choose another our tour and use the deposit for it.
Get a full refund.

Please go to the customer portal to re-book your tour or contact us by phone at +354 562 7000.

The northern lights are a pretty difficult thing to predict. We recommend you to check en.vedur.is to see the forecast and if the level is high and the skies are clear then it’s very likely that the tour is going ahead. We do update our website’s tour departure sheet with the information at 17:00 pm the latest. If your tour is canceled then you will receive an email from us.

If we think there is no chance at all of seeing the lights we will cancel the tour. We don’t want to bring you out and disappoint if there is no chance of the lights to be seen.

Yes, the guide on your tour will take a photo of you with the northern lights in the background.
These can be single or group photo’s and are free of charge.

The Northern Lights season is from late August until mid-April. However, if you want to increase your changes of seeing them, it is best to wait until the clear winter months of mid-September until March.

The northern lights depend on luck and weather if that is in your favor than you will be able to see the Aurora Borealis above the inviting streets of Reykjavík. Whether you see the lights or not they depend on two different factors. The first being the weather. If the sky is clear, no clouds, then you are halfway there to seeing the astonishing spectacle that is the Northern Lights (although light pollution can sometimes be a problem). Increased solar activity is the second half so, if these two merge together you may well be able to see the Northern Lights from Reykjavik.

Still not convinced?

Customer Care

For Iceland, Scandinavia & Baltic tour

Open daily from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM GMT

Address

Köllunarklettsvegur 2

104 Reykjavík

+354 562 7000

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