Leading lights in spas and stars
two-and-a-half hour flight from Liverpool. Driving past snowtopped mountains, lakes and lava formations, the country’s natural beauty, as well as the sub-zero temperatures, take your breath away – so a hot beer bath is the perfect way to rejuvenate.
Whether you want to experience whale-watching, natural spring baths, museums, waterfalls, the Northern Lights, or even skiing, this super-charged island has it all.
If you’re here for a short break, booking a package tour is the easiest way to make the most of it.
We travelled with Super Break, the only operator that offers direct flights to Northern Iceland from the UK, which are part of its winter 2018/19 programme of breaks that run until March.
The company offers a threenight break, flights, transfers and selected excursions, all for under £500 – a bargain for a country which is notoriously expensive.
Feeling relaxed after our beery soak, we headed to the pretty
Sigló Hótel in Siglufjördur, Iceland’s northernmost town.
Based by the harbour, guests can take a night-time dip in the outdoor hot tub. Just sit back and enjoy a vast dark sky full of stars.
Our next mission was to the incredible Lake Mývatn, around 65 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
While travelling in a super-jeep, our tour guide from GEO Travel casually pointed to the locations where Game Of Thrones was filmed. Indeed, a lot of the hit series was shot in the area, with the frozen landscape providing a perfect backdrop for the lands beyond the Wall.
We also managed to cram in a spot of snowmobiling – it felt like a cross between quad biking and skiing – with Amazing North, a small family-run tour operator based at Lake Mývatn, which uses carbon-neutral vehicles.
THEN IT was off to the Mývatn Nature Baths, dubbed the Blue Lagoon of the north. The warm water of the geothermal pools full of minerals combines with the cold air to leave you feeling extremely refreshed.
On this underpopulated island marooned in the North Atlantic you never can get enough of the scenery and luckily, Sel-Hótel Mývatn offers sweeping snowy views from its rooms.
The next day we set off for another of North Iceland’s defining features, Dettifoss waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park. After trekking through the snow, we stood on a ledge to view the impressive spectacle.
At 148ft high and 328ft wide, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it is Europe’s most powerful waterfall when you see it in action. Around 110,000 gallons of water plunge over the edge every second.
The boiling mud pots and geysers at Námafjall, where the steam mysteriously rises out of the earth, are also must-sees.
Of course, no trip here would be complete without trying to witness the Northern Lights. There’s a 65 per cent chance of seeing them during a three-night stay, rising to 90 per cent over five nights, according to the North Iceland tourist board.
We were fortunate enough to see the dazzling display of pink, green and violet dancing across the night sky – a naturally occurring phenomenon caused by collisions between electricallycharged particles from the sun entering the earth’s atmosphere.
Icelandair Hotel Akureyri, which offers great views of the city, is a cosy retreat after a busy night chasing the aurora borealis. The public swimming pools opposite also give you the option of an early morning dip.
Having packed so much in to a few days, I thought I’d seen it all. But there was just time to squeeze in a spot of whale-watching on an excursion run by Elding tours.
Catching a boat from Akureyri on the magnificent Eyjafjördur, our vessel was soon surrounded by dolphins and humpback whales, another incredible sight on a trip jam-packed with wow-moments.
GETTING THERE
Super Break has limited availability with a four-night package flying from Newquay, Cornwall on March 4 starting at £349pp including transfers, the Northern Lights excursion and the Lake Mývatn Adventure – Land of Fire and Ice tour. Other departures from the Isle of Man, Inverness and Jersey available until March 11. superbreak.com Tourist info: northiceland.is/en