9D8N Norway & Iceland Northern Lights
Day 01 – OSLO GARDERMOEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – OSLO
On arrival at
Oslo Gardermoen International Airport, take a short train ride to your hotel in
Oslo. Oslo, capital of Norway, is situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord and surrounded by green hills and mountains. With a history extending back to the Middle Ages, Oslo has undergone several transformations and became the official capital of Norway in 1814. Whilst most of the original town is gone, you can still get a feel of the past in some neighbourhoods and nowhere better than the
Oslo City Museum to have a good appreciation of Oslo’s history. Not to be missed whilst in Oslo are the following:
Oslo Opera House (also Norway’s national opera house) where its public-accessible roof offers panoramic views of Oslo’s mountains and the Oslo fjord;
Vigeland Sculpture Park;
Viking Ship Museum;
Fram Museum;
Royal Palace; and
Aker Brygge (Oslo’s most popular and vibrant neighbourhood and a go-to place for shopping and dining). Apart from the Oslo City Museum, a sight-seeing city tour will bring you to most if not all of the aforementioned places.
Day 02 – OSLO – MYRDAL – FLAM [B]
Depart Oslo in the morning on a wonderfully scenic and thoroughly enjoyable journey that will ultimately end at Bergen (the day after), a journey that will convey you on different modes of transport over a course of two days. The journey begins with a 5-hour train journey to
Myrdal on the
Bergen Railway, a journey widely regarded as one of the finest train journeys in the world! This train ride will bring you across the immense
Hardangervidda Mountain Plateau – an area bigger than the Yellowstone National Park in the US affording visual treats of Arctic flora and fauna! You will pass through
Finse, the highest train station in Norway at 1,222m above sea level. At Myrdal, you will transfer to the
Flam Railway, connecting the Bergen Line to the picturesque fjord village of
Flam situated at the end of one of the arms of
Sognefjord. Sognefjord is Norway’s longest and deepest fjord with an arm that is not only famous but also an
UNESCO World Heritage Site –
Naeroyfjord (tomorrow’s highlight!). The Flam Railway is reputedly the steepest railway in Europe and as it journeys from Myrdal to Flam, you will be treated to some of the most magnificent Norwegian fjord landscape – rivers running through deep ravines, waterfalls cascading down steep mountain sides, farms perched on mountain sides and snow-capped mountains! There will be a photo stop at the beautiful
Kjosfossen waterfall.
(For your overnight stay in Flam, please pack an overnight bag. As you will not be returning to Oslo and to ensure that you enjoy today’s journey without having to concern yourself with your luggage, your luggage will be forwarded to Bergen where you will arrive the day after.)
Day 03 – FLAM – NÆROYFJORD – GUDVANGEN – VOSS – BERGEN [B]
Enjoy Flam at leisure in the morning. Depart Flam in the afternoon and board a 2-hour fjord cruise on the
Næroyfjord bound for Gudvangen. The Næroyfjord is the narrowest fjord channel in Europe and as mentioned before it is an
UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Gudvangen, your journey continues by bus through the Næroyfjord Valley and via the 13 steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva (a 1.5km stretch of road that is only open in summer) to
Voss, a rural municipality. The final part of your journey today is by train from Voss to
Bergen, Norway’s second largest city – a city surrounded by 7 mountains and 7 fjords including the Sognefjord. In Bergen, the
Bryggen Wharf (the preserved remnant of “The Hanseatic Wharf” which used to be a prosperous trading centre between Norway and the rest of Europe several hundred years ago) features very colourful wooden houses occupied by restaurants, pubs, craft shops and historical museums. For panoramic views over Bergen and beyond, take a ride on the
Floibanen Funicular (own expense) to go up the
Floyen Mountain.
Day 04 – BERGEN – REYKJAVIK [B]
Enjoy the morning in Bergen at leisure, and thereafter head to the airport by coach for your onward flight to
Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. On arrival at
Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport, your driver will meet you at the arrival hall and drive you to your hotel in Reykjavik city centre.
Day 05 – REYKJAVIK: SNÆFELLSNES PENINSULA [B]
Today, you will tour the
Snæfellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland. Due to its diverse geology, the peninsula is often called “Iceland in Miniature” – a microcosm of Iceland and its attendant beauty! Highlights include the following:
Snæfellsjökull Volcano – the highest peak in this part of Iceland and wearing as it were a magnificent crown of ice (on clear days, it is visible from Reykjavik);
Ytri-Tunga – a charming farm with a nearby beach that is popular with seals and enjoy watching entire colonies of seals as they bask in the sun or play in the water!;
Arnarstapi and
Hellnar – the cliffs and rock formations including
Gatklettur, a magnificent arch extending into the sea, decorating the coastline between Arnarstapi and Hellnar (2 villages that are about 2.5km apart) offer spectacular scenery;
Lóndrangar – two black basalt columns so tall that they can be seen from the road;
Djúpalónssandur – a gorgeous black lava (pearl) pebble beach where you will probably notice a certain curiosity on the beach: four large smooth stones regarded by the locals as “lifting stones” used to measure the strength of fishermen who once worked and lived in the region by their ability to lift the stones! Health permitting, check out your strength by lifting the stones weighing between 23kg and 154kg .. but, please do not in any way hurt yourself in the process!;
Mount Kirkjufell – rising out of the green hills and surrounded by rivers, this is one of the most popular photography spots in Iceland!
Day 06 – REYKJAVIK: BLUE LAGOON SPA & NORTHERN LIGHTS CRUISE [B]
A day for revitalisation and rejuvenation! A geothermal spa in a lava field south of Reykjavik, the
Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular sites in Iceland. Its warm water, at an inviting 36-39 degrees Celsius, has been known to be wonderful for the skin – the natural active ingredients (mineral salts, silica and blue-green algae) in the warm water are reputed to soothe the body and relax the mind. And for a holistic experience, try out the lagoon’s white silica mud for its revitalizing effect on the skin as it gently cleanses and exfoliates the skin. There is also an indoor Blue Lagoon and geothermal sauna for those preferring not to be outdoors especially in winter. After dinner (own expense), you will go in search of the “
Northern Lights“, yet again! This time, you will do it from aboard a “viewing boat” that will leave Reykjavik’s coast and the city’s lights. Whilst onboard, your guide will tell you all about the fascinating and beautiful “northern lights”, including the folklore and superstition behind the lights, as well as the underlying scientific facts behind this phenomenon. There are light refreshments (own expense) that you can enjoy onboard the boat.
Day 07 – REYKJAVIK: GEYSIR, GULFOSS WATERFALL & ÞINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK [B]
Visit the
Geysir geothermal area today where the most active hot spring
Strokkur spouts steaming water up to 30 meters into the air every 8 minutes or so. Then see
Gullfoss, or the “Golden Falls”, an iconic waterfall located in the glacial river Hvítá. Watch the water plummet down into the 32-meter-deep crevice below. Afterwards, make your way to the historical and geological wonder of
Þingvellir National Park where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart from each other at a rate of a few centimetres per year. Þingvellir has been on the
UNESCO World Heritage list since 2004. Top off the tour with a visit to
Kerið (entry included), a volcanic crater lake roughly 270m long and 55m deep.
Day 08 – REYKJAVIK [B]
Free day to explore
Reykjavik city centre at your own pace.
Day 09 – REYKJAVIK – REYKJAVIK KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT [B]
After check-out, your driver will take you from your hotel to Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport for your flight home.
Whether you prefer the above itinerary “as-is” or have it customised, if you will indicate the start/end dates of your intended travel and provide your contact details, we will get in touch with you to discuss the itinerary on a no-obligations basis on your part.
