Iceland Northern Lights

Customer Reviews

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  barbara

  · December 7th, 2016
  I enjoyed my trip.
  Trip date: December 2016
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  Brian

  · November 22nd, 2016
  The experience was fantastic. It was a great way to get acquainted with Iceland. Our guide Petur is an expert on the country, its history and all of the sites that you are seeing. He genuinely enjoyed sharing his country with our tour group. The accommodations were nice, clean and comfortable. The trip exceeded my expectations!
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  Trip date: November 2016
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  Brian Libby

  · November 22nd, 2012
  Karen and I would like to say
  Trip date: November 2012
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  Karen Mather

  · April 26th, 2013
  This was probably one of the best holidays that i have been on and a great taster for seeing what Iceland has to offer.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Where do i begin? There were so many. Iceland is a fantastic place - stunning views of snow covered volcanoes; black sand beaches covered with 'diamonds' of  ice decorating the shore and waves crashing in over the Icebergs in the sea; lichen covered fields of lava that seem to go on forever; waterfalls that take your breath away; a truly stunning iceberg lagoon that i could have spent the whole day watching and a walk on a glacier - something i never thought i would experience.Of course the one big reason for going is to see the Northern Lights and i wasn't disappointed. To see them dancing across the sky is a view i will never forget - even if my own photos of the event didn't turn out too well.What did you think of your group leader?Petur was brilliant and really made us all feel so welcome to a country that he obviously loves. His ' No Stress Bus' was well stocked with great snacks to keep us going on our trip in the south of the island. He helped make the trip so special.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Take plenty of warm clothing and layer up to keep the chill out. Iceland can have all seasons in an hour let alone a day so be prepared. You'll need warm gloves for Northern Light watching unless you have ones that you can use your camera with. A good hat that will cover your ears is also very useful.I took both good walking boots for the day and insulated snow boots for the evening when you are standing around and not generating too much heat. One thing i would recommend is if you are a photographer make sure you know exactly how to set up your camera for taking photos at night. There are some good YouTube videos that might help. It's an experience that you won't want to miss and being prepared will make sure you see the lights with your own eyes and not just through the lense of a camera all the time. Is there anything else you would like to add?I have been way as a solo traveller for last few years but never on an organised trip. This was my first time and although i wasn't at all worried , there was an element of apprehension of how everyone would get on. Why did i worry ?? The 'Icelandic Crew' were brilliant and we all got on very well from day 1. That's what helped to make the trip so special.I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to get a taste of the country. It's definitely a place that i would like to re-visit and see more of. 
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  Trip date: April 2013
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  Anthony Spinks

  · April 9th, 2013
  Iceland is an amazing country with some very dramatic scenery. Although a short trip, we packed a lot into the time available. Seeing the Northern Lights (as we did) is undoubtedly a bonus - but even if you don't get an Aurora sighting, the trip is still very worthwhile.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Without doubt the glacier day.  We awoke to bright blue skies and sunshine.  The walk over the glacier was amazing.  Because of the excellent weather conditions, we were able to spend longer on the glacier than usual and also got a lot closer to the glacial lagoon.  Next stop was the glacial lagoon from "the tourist side", and then down to the beach to see the icebergs.  After an action-packed day, there was just time to pop into the small museum before a sustaining meal.  It was then off again in search of the Northern Lights, which we were fortunate to see.  A perfect end to a perfect day.What did you think of your group leader?Petur was a great guy with a wonderful sense of humour.  He was willing "to go the extra mile" to ensure that we got the most out of our relatively short trip.  He was full of interesting information and told us lots of tales - we even watched "The Deep" on the Iceland Air flight on the way home, after hearing his story about "a troll".Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Take LOTS of warm clothing.  Practise with the manual settings on your camera before you go.Is there anything else you would like to add?Four nights is quite a short time to spend in Iceland, although we packed an awful lot in - we were just beginning to get to know each other when it was time to go home!  If possible, try and tag some extra days on to the trip, either at the beginning or the end.  We spent three nights in Reykjavik at the beginning of the holiday (stayed in the Reykjavik Residence Hotel, which we can thoroughly recommend).  We were fortunate to see the Northern Lights on our very first night (on an organised tour from Reykjavik).  Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos as we were still getting to grips with the manual settings on the camera.  However, it meant that by the time we saw the Northern Lights with the Exodus group, we were much better prepared and got some good photos.
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  Trip date: April 2013
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  Ayme Lipscombe

  · April 9th, 2013
  Wow, what can I say, it was brilliant!!! My first group holiday and I definately chose well. Glacier trekking was awesome, we were lucky to have fantastic weather on this day, we also saw the iceberg lagoon and yes, later that evening we saw the Northern Lights too. While in the East we stayed on a farm which was located in front of mountains and just in front of the ocean, a beautiful setting! Petur the guide was great, incredibly knowledgeable about Iceland - past and present, we had all sorts of stories from him about the Vikings, he was a good laugh, oh and he has a very large box full of nibbles on the mini bus, this went down very well! :) . Caving was great too, but I was very nervous as I'm not good with small spaces, you didnt have to do the caving, but Petur reassured me and looked after me the whole time, definately worth doing! All together an excellent holiday, there's some travelling but lots of stops to see waterfalls and sites, oh and the food was good too, especially the trout at the farm, yummy. The whole experience was that good that I'm planning my next holiday with Exodus already. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Glacier trekking, absolutely loved this, it was difficult to take in the views around you, it was like you were in a picture postcard, so peaceful and beautiful and very breathtaking.  Everytime you looked up (you had to concentrate where you were walking) you just simply said to yourself.....WOWWW!!!What did you think of your group leader?Brilliant!  Looked after everyone, was fun and interesting too.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Take salopettes, it's not on the list of items to take, but you do need them, most people had them and were greatful for taking them.Is there anything else you would like to add?Don't hesitate, book it!
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  Trip date: April 2013
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  Beverly Cotterill

  · April 9th, 2013
  A fairly intense itinerary that enables you to see stunning scenery and magnificent waterfalls and if you are lucky, some fantastic northern lights.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Seeing the immense and beautiful Skogarfoss waterfall. The dramatic landscape is amazing. Just watching the amount of water pouring over the edge was so incredible. Hearing the noise and standing in the spray from the water was awesome.We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on two nights. Worth going just to see the thousands of stars as well. So pretty.A trip to the blue lagoon was a relaxing end to the holiday.What did you think of your group leader?Petur was well organised and was able to tell us a lot about the geography, geology and cultural history of Iceland.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Make sure you take enough warm clothing as night viewing was extremely cold. We wore ski gear and thermals at night.Practice your night photography before the journey as trying to familiarise yourself with manual settings is not ideal in the dark whilst trying to watch the Northern Lights.
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  Trip date: April 2013
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  Peter Beasley

  · March 12th, 2013
  An excellent short trip to Iceland, made unforgettable by being fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights only a few hours after arrival. But sorry not to have had a few hours available to explore the heart of Reykjavik which looked both interesting and charming. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Undoubtably seeing the Northern Lights.  We were so fortunate, as they appeared only a few hours after we arrived, before we'd even had chance to check-in to our hotel.     What did you think of your group leader?Very good.  With a pretty good command of English, and a decent sense of humour.  Knowledgable and good company when relaxing over dinner in the evening.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Take warm clothing - lots of it as you may well end up spending a long time standing about in the middle of the night waiting and wanting to see the Lights.  Knowing that as soon as you decide to give up because you are too cold they will probably appear.  Thermal socks, thermal gloves, a thermal hat and thermal underwear (despite being about as sexy as a cold shower) are essential.  And a good pair of boots.  Also, learn how to use your camera in the pitch darkness whilst wearing gloves to enable you to take night-time photos.  Tip - wear an inner pair of light woolen gloves inside your thermal gloves, so that when you take your outergloves off to fiddle with your camera your fingers don't freeze.  Alternatively, ask one of your travelling companions - the one with the expensive camera, tripod and all the kit - to emal his/her photos to you when you get back home.  A couple of beers / glasses of wine will probably be sufficient to complete the deal.  Then just enjoy. Is there anything else you would like to add?Be the envy of your friends - catch the Lights while you can.  
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  Trip date: March 2013
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  Dian Reed

  · January 29th, 2013
  This was an amazing trip - Iceland proved to be a very interesting and beautiful country.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Walking on the glacier definitely, closely followed by the lava cave and seeing the Northern Lights.What did you think of your group leader?Kristjian was great, very knowledgeable and passionate about his country.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?This trip is well worth doing, even if you are not lucky enough to see the Northern Lights.  Be prepared for any weather.  Gerdi guesthouse was comfortable and catered well for vegetarians, but if you are eating out, Iceland is not particularly veggie-friendly.Is there anything else you would like to add?Fab-u-lous daaarling!
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  Trip date: January 2013
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  Rachel Smith

  · December 26th, 2012
  Overall a fabulous trip - expect alot of time travelling (hazard of the desire to go further afield than just the usual 'Golden Circle' combined with ever changing weather conditions), but then you get to see some incredibly beautiful sights.When you come home and think about all the wonderful lasting images you have seen and things you have done you will wonder how it all fitted into 5 days!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Viewing photos of stars taken in the pitch black - we had never taken time delay shots at night before so seeing amazing images of the glacial lagoons and the milky way was nothing short of astonishing, (with a hint of the Northern Lights thrown in that was tricky to see with the naked eye, fab results!). We found our fellow exodus-explorers all really helpful with hints & tips on night-time and low light photography, all much appreciated!What did you think of your group leader?Fantastic. Kristjan is a man than can do everything. Tour leader, crampon wielding, bus driving, (& what driving conditions! Ice, ice ice, snow storms ...!), biscuit supplying, magic lunch producer, hot drinks maker, lava caving instructor, information souce, photography improvised genius. Is there nothing this man can not do? Friendly, knowledgeable and never seems to need sleep. Kristjan deserves a gold medal for energy and improvisation!Kristjan is just the nicest and enthusiastically most sincere and generous person you could ever hope to meet.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Don't over pack evening gear. This trip is all about getting out there and cramming in as much as you can. You do cover big distances so have long periods of time travelling on the bus but the scenery changes every few K's so you just dont tire of the incredible scenery. Take a tripod if you're into photography and a small low level light torch so you can see where your gear/shutter release is!Is there anything else you would like to add?If in any doubt about this trip DO IT! We felt as though we were away for significantly more than 5 days, we came back exhausted but brimming with excitement over some of the memories and great shots which are incredibly difficult to edit down to a sensible number. Kind of says it all.
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  Trip date: December 2012