Iceland - Gyrfalcons & the Northern Lights

Tour Code: ISL02

A 5-day holiday to northern Iceland timed to offer the very best chance of enjoying the Northern Lights, as well as Iceland's winter wildlife and spectacular landscapes.

5 days from
£2,395 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,995
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, have been a source of mystery and wonder for thousands of years. To enjoy the Lights at their best we will position ourselves beneath the ‘Auroral Oval’, an expanse of atmosphere that sits over the Earth’s magnetic north pole, at the time of a new moon, close to an equinox … which we will do, so all we need is a clear night, and we should be able to sit back and enjoy one of nature’s most impressive spectacles! We’ll also visit Lake Myvatn in search of special waterfowl and other high-Arctic winter specialities, and no visit to Iceland is complete without a taste of its geothermal activities.

  • Pulsing green, blue & red glows & dancing patterns of the Northern Lights
  • Barrow’s Goldeneye, Snow Bunting & Ptarmigan
  • Stay in scenic Skútustaðir, under the flight path of a Gyrfalcon!
  • Glaucous & Iceland Gulls
  • Wintering sea-ducks near Husavik
  • Boiling mud pools, cinder cones, black lava fields & steaming fumeroles
  • Led by an expert naturalist guide

Grading

Easy to moderate day walks.

During the height of the Arctic summer the dramatic volcanic island of Iceland is bathed in 24- hour daylight. As the summer sun sinks lower in the sky, however, and winter’s icy grip gradually takes hold, the nights lengthen and heavens darken to reveal one of the natural world’s greatest spectacles, the ethereal flickerings of the Aurora Borealis, or ‘Northern Lights’. The Aurora has been a source of wonder and mystery for thousands of years and, although we now understand the science behind the spectacle, these mesmerising, other worldly lights still transfix all that witness them to this day.

To enjoy the Northern Lights at their best we must head north and position ourselves beneath the Auroral Oval, a ‘doughnut-shaped’ expanse of atmosphere that sits over the Earth’s magnetic north pole. This oval expands or contracts with the intensity of the solar wind, the stream of hot plasma ejected from the sun reacting with gas molecules in the upper atmosphere to create the light display itself. When solar wind activity is high, the Lights often take the form of dancing curtains which evolve and change continuously, each curtain consisting of many parallel rays lined up with the direction of the magnetic field. At other times it may take the form of a slowly pulsing green, blue or red glow in the sky. To stand the best chance of witnessing the very best of auroral displays we have based our tour in northern Iceland, not only because it lies further under the Auroral Oval, but because the weather is typically drier than in the south. Since there is also plenty of daylight at this time of year, we will spend our diurnal hours exploring the dramatic landscapes of northern Iceland, enjoying the winter birdlife and geothermal features of this geologically active island.

We begin our tour with a flight to Keflavik and one night at a comfortable hotel overlooking Lake Ellidavatn, on the outskirts of Reykjavík, away from the city lights. The following morning we take the short flight to Akureyri and drive east to the beautifully positioned Hotel Myvatn which will be our base for the next three nights of the tour. Our hotel overlooks Lake Myvatn and offers a wonderfully open panorama from which to enjoy the Northern Lights. It is also on the flight path of the local Gyrfalcons! We will return here each evening to gaze upwards to the heavens in the hope that the skies will be clear and the Aurora on show. The Northern Lights can be active at any time after dark, but activity tends to peak around midnight. We can therefore expect late nights on this tour, but no compulsory early mornings!

During the daylight hours we will focus our attention on the scenic delights of north Iceland and the limited wildlife on offer at this time of year. Lake Mývatn (one of Iceland’s foremost birdwatching spots in the spring) is likely to be mostly frozen in February and March, but there will be areas of open water. Here we will be looking out for such ducks as Barrow’s Goldeneye, and perhaps a few wintering Whooper Swans or geese. Snow Buntings are often recorded around the lake shores, whilst a little further inland Ptarmigan are common. The winter landscape here is spectacular and we will stop frequently to take short walks and to admire the cinder cone of Hverfjall, the Psuedo-craters and the peculiar lava formations at Dimmuborgír.

Iceland sits astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is geologically active. One of the most accessible pockets of geothermal activity is found at Námafjall and Krafla, a short distance from Mývatn. Here boiling mud pools and steaming fumeroles create an alien landscape of yellow sulphur deposits and swirling clouds of steam. These are in turn surrounded by vast black rocky lava fields, some of which erupted as recently as the 1980s. We will also venture north to the coast at Husavik in search of birds such as Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull and wintering sea-duck, including the beautiful Harlequin Duck.

Whilst we have done our very best to ensure that this tour is located to give the best chance of witnessing the Northern Lights, ultimately only ‘mother nature’ will decide whether or not the show will take place. Aurora or not, a journey around north Iceland during this season has much to offer and we are sure to return home transfixed, not only by the nocturnal light displays but also by the spectacular landscapes, wildlife and hospitality of this unique, and far-flung, corner of Europe.  

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Keflavik and overnight near Reykjavik
Day 2
Fly Akureyri and transfer Myvatn
Day 3/4
Excursions from Myvatn
Day 5
Fly London
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    For the first night we stay at Hotel Kriunes on the outskirts of Reykajvik, then we transfer to the Hotel Myvatn for three nights, which commands a beautiful position overlooking the shores of Lake Myvatn. All rooms have private facilities.

  • Food:

    All food included in the price.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Wed 5th Feb – Sun 9th Feb FULL £2,395
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,995
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£220
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Rob Mileto
TL Rob Mileto

Tour Leader: Rob Mileto

Rob puts his interest in wildlife and nature conservation down to being brought up in a 'new town' where fields, ponds and hedgerows were constantly being turned into houses and roads. After graduating in Ecology and Nature Conservation he worked for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and RSPB, and spent two years wardening Aride Island Nature Reserve in the Seychelles. He has also travelled extensively in east and southern Africa and undertaken voluntary conservation work and research in Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe. He now runs a wildlife consultancy in Shropshire but disappears off on long holidays and advisory projects abroad whenever he can.

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Sat 7th Feb – Wed 11th Feb FULL £2,395
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,995
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£220
Wed 11th Feb – Sun 15th Feb FULL £2,395
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,995
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£220 
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Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists


The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.


Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours


We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.


The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.

Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:



Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection


Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."

Byron Palacios - Tour Leader




  


 


All Birdwatching Tours

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Seeing the Northern Lights


It is many people’s wish to experience for themselves the fantastic celestial phenomenon of the Northern Lights. Caused by particles from the sun disrupting the upper atmosphere and exciting atoms in the sky, it is an ephemeral, unpredictable and thrilling marvel of nature. One moment there might be a faint green glow on the horizon, the next minute there can be pulsating ribbons of green, magenta or even red light spreading across the sky. Every display is unique!


Auroral activity can be seen throughout the long, far northern winter, but it can be variable. At Naturetrek, we combine looking out for Aurora Borealis, as Galileo called it, with daytime searches for wildlife, ranging from winter birdlife to cruises for whale watching.


 




Our specialist recommends...






"If you travel to northern latitudes during the winter months you stand a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Our tours in Iceland visit remote regions with little light pollution so when the skies are clear, we will be on the lookout for Aurora. I recommend the 'Iceland - Northern Lights & Winter Wildlife' holiday for stunning winter landscapes, winter birds including Gyrfalcon, whale watching and Northern Lights. ” 

David Phillips – Operations Manager 


 




All Northern Lights Tours

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Register Interest for Future Dates

Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!