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South Coast Iceland Tour: Explore Glaciers, Waterfalls & Northern Lights from Reykjavik
Discover the marvels of Iceland’s southern coast and the mystical flickering lights of the extraordinary Aurora Borealis on this day excursion available straight from Reykjavik.
Discover the marvels of Iceland’s southern coast and the mystical flickering lights of the extraordinary Aurora Borealis on this day excursion available straight from Reykjavik.
Duration:
16 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Reykjavík - We’ll start the day off by going to the south coast of Iceland. Explore waterfalls, black sand beaches and glaciers. In the evening hunt for northern lights.
- Reykjavík - We’ll start the day off by going to the south coast of Iceland. Explore waterfalls, black sand beaches and glaciers. In the evening hunt for northern lights.
What's Included
- Reykjavik pick up & drop off
- Guided glacier walk on Solheimajokull glacier
- Northern Lights hunt in a minibus
- South Coast of Iceland sightseeing tour
- Certified guides
- Reykjavik pick up & drop off
- Guided glacier walk on Solheimajokull glacier
- Northern Lights hunt in a minibus
- South Coast of Iceland sightseeing tour
- Certified guides
What's Not Included
- Food & drinks
- Food & drinks
Additional Information
- This is a combo tour of 2 different tours, a south coast sightseeing tour with a glacier walk and a hunt for the Northern Lights. You are dropped of at your original pickup point in Reykjavik in between tours.
- The northern lights are a natural phenomena, and as such can not be guaranteed. The success of the northern lights tour is heavily dependent…
- This is a combo tour of 2 different tours, a south coast sightseeing tour with a glacier walk and a hunt for the Northern Lights. You are dropped of at your original pickup point in Reykjavik in between tours.
- The northern lights are a natural phenomena, and as such can not be guaranteed. The success of the northern lights tour is heavily dependent on weather conditions, the operator reserves the right to cancel this part of the tour until 18:15 on the day of departure. If the tour goes ahead and no northern lights are seen we offer you the chance to join another evening´s departure free of charge upon availability. Note: you must contact the operator to rebook.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(11 Ratings)
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Mvice001
Apr 5, 2023
Highlight of our Iceland Trip - We took a chance based on reviews and decided with Arctic Adventures and we were lucky to have Vjeran as our tour guide. You can tell that he loves Iceland and truly feels the essence of the beauty of this magical country. He was very knowledgeable and I, my wife, and especially our 10 year old daughter learned a lot about the volcanos, and the glacier and the impact they have on one another in forming the beautiful landscapes, but also the impact they had on Icelandic society. A true history lesson. Vjeran was very personable and went out of his way to make sure that the group had the best time which includes answering all questions, making sure that we had plenty of places to stop to use the bathroom and eat (He even gave great food recommendations) and making himself available to take pictures for us at every stop for the first 10 minutes. He did this for all of his customer. He truly loves Iceland and that to me was the selling point as a guide is to have someone passionate in showing tourist as much as he can. He made us feel like we were friends and family and not just tourists. I wish I remembered the guide who took us on our glacier hike and cave tour, because he was incredible also and really made my daughter feel comfortable and confident. The hike and adventure is a bit overwhelming because it is uncharted territory but he took care of us. This 2 day trip was literally a once in a lifetime experience and it was the highlight of our 9 day stay in Iceland. Everything was wonderful. Lastly, we had booked with other tours guide throughout our vacation and he was absolutely the best. Cheers Vjeran and Arctic Adventure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Claudiacc4539mh
Mar 17, 2023
Amazing tour- one of our favorites of the trip! - We would highly recommend SENSATIONAL ICELAND - SOUTH COAST, GLACIER HIKE & NORTHERN LIGHTS tour! The tour was capped at 19 people and ours had about 17 or 18- nice and small group size to keep everything moving along and not get caught up in annoying transitions or long breaks. The van was compact (honestly if you are claustrophobic or a larger person, it probably wouldn’t be the most comfortable van) but it was fine for us moderate-sized people. Be mindful that everything you pack needs to remain on your lap or between your feet unless compact enough to fit in the micro-overhead container. The van pickup throughout the city was so easy and took less than 30 minute total. Our tour guides were Bessi and Martin and they were excellent. Informative and funny. The entire drive there was filled with the perfect amount of information about the geography of Iceland and cultural history. Bessi talked just the right amount to keep the drive interesting but not overpowering. After about an hour-ish there was a quick 20 min rest stop break and then after about another 30 min we stopped at the first waterfall Skógafoss for about 40 mins. A perfect amount of time to walk around and take pictures. Then we drove about an hour more and stopped at Reynsjara for an hour for the black sand beach and lunch. Bessi was extremely informative and kept us safe at the beach. There is a cafeteria at the beach to purchase food. Then we drove about 30 min and started the glacier hike with Simon. Simon was an excellent tour guide. He was so knowledgeable about the glacier. The hike in total lasted about 3 hours and it was about 2 hours of active hiking. The company provided a helmet, crampons, and a pick. This hike was challenging in that you needed to be physically fit because there are some steeper inclines and you need a little bit of balance. It was completely doable because Simon told you exactly how to do everything safety, easily, and correctly. There were also plenty of breaks and opportunities for photos. This hike was the coolest part of the tour!! After the hike we returned to the original bus (we were able to leave our bags on the bus if we wanted), we drove another 30 min to Seljlandsfoss and spent about 20 minutes there. This was a good amount of time as it was getting cold and cloudy and we were all pretty tired at this point. Since it was winter, the path behind the waterfall was closed. If it were warmer, the path were open, and I had more energy, I would have wanted more time, but under these circumstances I did not, and I think most of the tour group felt the same way, and Bessi selected the time appropriately. The drive all the way back to Reykjavík was about 1 hr and 45 min and we all pretty much slept on the way home, arriving back around 7 pm. Excellent excellent tour!! A note about clothing: we went in March, and had warmer weather. For the waterfalls, we wore leggings, waterproof pants, a long sleeve, a thinner jacket, and a puffy coat. For hiking, we stripped some layers, and removed the puffy coat and wore multiple thinner layers- a windbreaker was very helpful here, but Simon did share that we were lucky with the weather and it rains 6/7 days. On to the Northern Lights tour... We would highly recommend our northern lights tour and that is pretty much all due to our tour guide Fred! Firstly, for anyone interested in booking a northern lights tour, I'd highly recommend completing your research on the northern lights as it is a phenomenon and you must "hunt" for the northern lights. Fortunately, we completed this research and entered the tour experience knowing that we would spend most of the evening driving around looking for breaks in the clouds for the chance the see the lights. This is how Fred made this experience! We had a cloudy night, and he made the 1.5 hours we spent looking for a break in the clouds so enjoyable. He educated us on how the Northern lights occur, how they are tracked/predicated (and why he doesn't think the predictions are accurate), and his history as a 15 year northern lights hunter. He also prepped us on how to capture the lights on our cameras. Fred also shared some folklore and a special Elf dance to make the lights appear. We eventually found the northern lights and all took photos and the photos that Fred took of us were excellent and shared so quickly. Of note (which again we knew from doing research, but might come as a disappointed if research isn't done), the northern lights appear very green and bright in pictures but to the naked eye can vary in appearance. My one friend just saw gray streaks while my other friend saw green. I saw gray and had a hard time discerning the lights from clouds (which Fred helped explain how to do!). After we saw the lights, Fred played a song on the harmonica to thank the elves for the lights. Overall it was such a great experience because of Fred!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brandonmp8903im
Jan 21, 2023
Amazing adventure for a young couple! Loved every part of it. And amazing tour guides! - Amazing guide, pretty sure goes by the name Egor, kept saying to call him Chris 😂 was a awesome dude, bald and wears a flat cap, funny as. Makes great conversation and told many story's and interesting facts about Iceland, gave tips and interesting information on other tours and things to do, explained everything very well and spoke great English, had an amazing time during the tour, the glacier was amazing led by a Greek lady who was a great guide up the glacier itself the waterfalls and the beach was amazing. All safety concerns were properly followed and delt with and we had plenty of stern warning from the guide on what to do and what would happen if anything went wrong or how it could go wrong. So we felt safe! Overall one of the best experiences I've ever had and my girlfriend loved it too as it was her first time in Iceland! Thankyou to all the tour guides we had, Egor(Chris) I think*. And the Greek lady on the glacier!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scottscpa
Aug 22, 2022
A wonderful day exploring some of the beauty of Iceland - It was an excellent experience. Each stop along the way was gorgeous and as we moved along each stop was better then the prior , culminating with our Glacier walk. Our guide on the walk was excellent and always put our safety first. Maura paid special attention to my wife and myself as we were the oldest members of the tour. All in all beautiful exhilarating and a terrific day
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Misterlewis87
Jul 26, 2022
Wonderful waterfalls, black sand beaches, and glaciers - Had an amazing day trip with our awesome tour guide Ronan who took us on an adventure to see the best waterfalls in Iceland and hike a glacier. We lucked out with great weather so Ronan was able to take us behind the waterfall and be our photographer. Considering he does this trip everyday, he didn't lose any of the enthusiasm as you would expect. I think most guides having done this tour for the 1000s time would stay in the van and have the tourist run off but Ronan was there at every waterfall, getting soaked with the rest of us in icey glacier water, and sharing with us lots of stories and culture of Iceland. He certainly made the adventure all the more memorable. Also being french, he has great tips for where you should travel in France if you are interested. All in all well worth spending the day doing this trip. *Pro Tip: Bring waterproof pants and boots with ankle protection.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Georginagriffin
Feb 11, 2022
Fantastic tour!! - We had a fantastic time! Our guides Vjeran and Siggi were so knowledgable and funny making the whole experience unforgettable. They are also fab photographers. We had a great time hiking on Sólheimajökull glacier with Valerio - such a fantastic and entertaining experience. 10/10 would recommend this to anyone wanting to do a stress free day trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Renkemie
Mar 25, 2018
Amazing experience - Tour guide was very knowledgeable during our glacier hike. He was proactive in sharing with us information about Iceland. Open for questions. Ready to take pictures of us at any stage. Clean and comfortable mini vans. Pick up timings were accurate and driver easy to locate. We DID see the Northern lights, the sane day of our tour I got an SMS about the weather forecast and the fact that the tour was confirmed as the northern lights remain a natural phenomenon and not guaranteed to see. It was an amazing experience. Professional pictures taken of us and shared on website. Just a wonderful tour company to book a tour with. Recommended 100%
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ourwanderings
Dec 19, 2023
Beautiful glacier scapes - We picked this combination tour so that we could visit key locations in the South Coast including Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skogafoss Waterfall, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and Reynisdrangar Basalt Sea Stacks. The pit stops were relatively short but we didn’t mind it too much as the highlight for us was the Solheimajokull Glacier hike which was around 3 hours. For the hike itself we would recommend proper hiking shoes with good ankle support and then adequate clothing (we went during winter so we had to layer up). The Artic Adventure staff at the glacier are ever so friendly and it just topped off the experience. They help you check your clothing and provide hiking crampons and a pickaxe. We would just say that the hike is although relatively manageable it still involves hiking up and down crevices and at times steep slopes. The views at the plateau of the glacier are absolutely breathtaking in winter and definitely worth the visit - We’ve never seen something quite like this!
In terms of things we felt could have been improved - the website itself says lunch is not provided and to bring our own food, but when we got to the Black Sand Beach there was a little cafe that was serving hot food which we would have preferred especially in the cold. The biggest downfall for us was our driver/tour guide. There was a huge difference from this experience compared to other companies we used during our stay in Iceland where others shared local anecdotes, history and facts to make the trip more interesting, whereas our tour guide was more of a driver bringing us to point A to B. I understand we were running on a strict schedule which was probably more difficult to maintain with poorer driving conditions in the snow but he did make it very obvious he was frustrated with some of the other group members. At times we asked questions he came across rather unfriendly and it did ruin the experience for us but thankfully the glacier walk made the trip worth it. The website also sells that the tour includes highlights to see the Eyjafjallajokull Glacier / Volcano view and the Hekla Volcano view which we didn’t have as part of our tour. Im unsure if that was because of bad weather and visibility during winter but it would have been nice to know if this wasn’t possible.
Unfortunately our northern lights tour had to be cancelled which we already expected that evening due to the aurora forecast but thankfully we managed with another tour company earlier in the trip.
All in all we would still recommend this trip if you’re keen on visiting the South Coast and doing a glacier walk as not many tours provide this (as far as we could find) as it is definitely worth it, but as long as you’re aware of what we’ve mentioned above.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brenda
Mar 22, 2018
Great Sightseeing and experience - We did 2 tours with Arctic Adventures and the South Coast, Glacier Hike & NL combo was one of them.
I don't remember the name of our tour guide for the South Coast, but he was a nice older man and very informative.
It was a small group experience, which I'm very glad I chose this because we didn't have to ride with like 50 other people. It was less than 20 people in the van.
We felt a little rushed on the first couple of stops. My husband and I walked behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall and actually fell on our butts while hiking, so we had to take some time cleaning up the mud from our jackets so we were like 5 minutes late back to the bus. And for the next stop, he kept repeating to us the meeting time over and over again... Like I get it, I'm sorry I was a few minutes late, but I didn't want to get on the bus and make the seats all dirty and muddy... But I understand there are a lot of stops that he had to make, and he wanted to get ahead of time so that he could make a couple of extra stops for us, so that was very nice of him. The waterfalls and black beach were stunning!
The glacier hike guide's name was Kyle. He was very funny and friendly and knew a ton about glaciers. Showed us where it was safe to walk and stopped often to let us catch a breath. Glacier hiking is no joke! Definitely got a work out going but the views were just phenomenal and breathtaking. He showed us a cool way of drinking the flowing water from the glacier and oh my goodness it was the freshest, cleanest, most refreshing water I've ever tasted! All of us spent a lot of time drinking the water :)
What upset me is that we were supposed to be dropped off back at Reykjavik around 7:30pm to grab something to eat and then continue with the Northern Lights tour, but we were dropped off at 8:30... We had to rush our butts to grab some dinner in a nearby restaurant (Fish and Chips), but by then my husband and I decided that we were not going to make it. We didn't want to rush so much to have dinner, so we called them and explained our situation. It wasn't our fault that we got dropped off so late but they said we should hurry up and go to the bus stop or there's nothing they can do about it. Again, it was already too late so we missed it and just walked around the city at night.
Luckily we had already done a Northern Lights tour 2 nights ago (with a different company), and we got a fantastic view of them, so we weren't too sad about missing this tour, but still, I wouldn't recommend doing a day tour with the Northern Lights combo because you might not have enough time to eat before you have to get picked up.
Other than that, the day portion of the tour was great, and we made some amazing memories and new experiences.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Miamifan771
Mar 25, 2022
Customer Services ruins a good tour and guides - This was the first of two tours I had signed for. The first was great . Friendly tour guide, knowledgable. However the Lights part was cancelled. FIne. it happens. Except they would not give a refund for it. The next day I had an Ice Cave hike booked. Despite red travel warnings advising strongly driving at all. Tour was not cancelled, and and again no refund. I would suggest anyone that reads this seek out a different tour company. Especially in the winter and spring months. That's a shame because I think their tour staff is quite good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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