Iceland in Winter

Eight nights through the Icelandic winter, from the glaciers of the south coast to a farm on the Troll Peninsula. The days are short, so the evenings belong to the northern lights and to hot water under the snow: through an observatory's telescopes with an astronomer, from the pool at Deplar, and one night by candlelight in man-made caves older than the Viking settlement.

Length: Eight nights
Pace: Three stays
Style: Winter, glacier, northern lights, spa
Route: The south coast to The Troll Peninsula to Reykjavik

The south coastThree nights
The Troll PeninsulaThree nights
ReykjavikTwo nights

The timber lodge on the open plain under a summer sky. — Photo © Ingibjörg Friðriksdóttir and Kristján Pétur Vilhelmsson, courtesy of Hotel Rangá

Days 1 to 4 · three nights

The south coast

Met at the airport and driven through Thingvellir to snorkel or dive the Silfra fissure, between two tectonic plates, with lunch at a tomato greenhouse farm and Geysir and Gullfoss on the way south. A guided walk on Sólheimajökull glacier, a snowmobile on Eyjafjallajökull, and the waterfalls at Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. On clear nights the hotel's observatory rolls back its roof and an astronomer guides you through the telescopes, and one evening, with a week's notice, dinner can be served privately by candlelight in the Caves of Hella. From October to March, a private expert guide can also lead you into Thórsmörk to the Gígjökull glacier, where meltwater reshaped the land in the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. From Skálakot, a breeding farm for the Icelandic horse, a ride can be arranged to the Írárfoss waterfall below Eyjafjallajökull.

Where you stay

Hotel Rangá

Hotel Rangá stands beside the Rangá River in south Iceland and has its own observatory, where guests can study the night sky with expert guidance. Rangá Restaurant serves Nordic cooking from seasonal Icelandic ingredients with a view of the river, and each Master Suite is designed around a different continent.

The turf-roofed farm buildings in a green valley beneath steep mountains. — Photo: Eleven Experience

Days 4 to 7 · three nights

The Troll Peninsula

A 45-minute flight to Akureyri and on to the Troll Peninsula. A private whale-watching trip in Eyjafjörður, Nordic skiing, dog sledding or snowshoeing, and in January and February a snowmobile across the snow to the lodge's outpost cabin. The sauna and the pool, and evenings watching for the northern lights, which can be seen from the lodge itself.

Where you stay

Eleven Deplar Farm

Deplar Farm is a 15th-century sheep farm turned adventure lodge in the Fljót Valley on the Troll Peninsula, with 13 rooms. A geothermally heated indoor and outdoor pool has a swim-up bar, and the spa holds an indoor sauna, a steam room, an outdoor Viking sauna and two flotation tanks.

Days 7 to 9 · two nights

Reykjavik

Back to Reykjavik by air, with a walking tour of the old town and the harbour and a day at the spa, before the drive to Keflavík for the flight home. On request, a private tasting of skyr from family dairies, and a dinner cooked by a chef from the produce of geothermal greenhouses outside the city.

Where you stay

The Reykjavik EDITION

By the Old Harbour in the centre of the city, The Reykjavik EDITION is steps from Laugavegur and the Harpa concert hall. Its 253 rooms and suites look over the harbour to Mount Esja and the Snæfellsjökull glacier, and TIDES serves seafood with its own entrance on the harbour.

Arranged on request

Hotel Rangá's observatory

From late September to the end of March, on clear nights, local astronomers such as Sævar Helgi Bragason guide guests through a 14-inch telescope under a roll-off roof.

Dinner in the Caves of Hella

A private three-course dinner by candlelight with live music in man-made caves that were already there when the first settlers came, booked through the hotel at least a week ahead.

Silfra in winter

Silfra is open for snorkelling and diving all year, in water of two to four degrees Celsius between the plates at Thingvellir.

The outpost cabin at Deplar

In January and February, snowmobiles cross the tundra to the lodge's outpost cabin, and on clear nights the northern lights can be watched from the geothermal water at the lodge.

Thórsmörk with an expert guide

From October to March, with a private expert guide, into Thórsmörk and up to the Gígjökull glacier, where meltwater reshaped the valley during the 2010 eruption.

Reykjavik's dairies and greenhouses

Private tastings of skyr from family dairies, and a chef's dinner made with ingredients from the geothermal greenhouses outside the city, on request.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

Heli-skiing on the Troll Peninsula, from the end of February into early June.
A final night at the Blue Lagoon, with the Kitchen Table at Moss on a Thursday or Friday.
A day on the Golden Circle at a slower pace.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.