Winter Hiking and Northern Lights Chasing in Iceland

Emma was a really informative guide. Loved all of the activities, particularly the ice climbing which was really fun and hike on the last day. We didn't get to see the Northern Lights but only due to the weather for the most part; the first night however was clear, and yet we did not leave the accommodation. I wonder if it's worth planning in a drive, even for half an hour, to somewhere that's secluded, as even looking at the stars was awesome. If I was being super critical, the tour name is slightly misleading; "Golden Circle and south coast adventures" would be more accurate as there is minimal hiking other than on the last day (the walk on the glacier is pretty short due to the time spent climbing). But would still totally recommend this tour and will definitely use the company again.

Super well organised trip and Emma was a great guide who looked after us really well. I would say it isn't an active trip so if you're looking for a challenge this isn't the one for you. Beautiful scenery makes up for it though.

Great trip overall! Jon was a fabulous guide - local guy with tons of historical and local knowledge. He was the only reason I could figure out how to pronounce anything! The group was amazing, and we formed such lovely bonds over our short time together. Only wish we did more active hiking. One day felt like a hop on/hop off bus tour. Hike to the natural hot spring was the the most active and refreshing activity

An absolutely fantastic experience. We made so many amazing memories and had so much fun. Jon was a brilliant guide, so knowledgeable and friendly. We would recommend this to everyone you will not be disappointed

What a great group of people to travel with and Jon our guide was amazing, I wish it had been longer.

My only grumble was that I wanted more hiking, the second day was mostly driving to amazing tourist locations but wasn’t very active.

Loved it, the group of people was brilliant, the guide Jon couldn’t have been better, always positive with plenty of stories along the way, and definitely knew the best times to visit certain spots to avoid the crowds. Absolutely loved it. We didn’t get to see the Northern Lights but everything else was so good I really don’t mind! Thanks again Jon!

Jon is an excellent guide. Perfect for that short trip.

This trip was incredible. We felt so lucky to see everything we saw and our guide, Jon, made this a once in a lifetime experience!

Really wonderful trip, which packs in a huge amount of sights. The trek up the frozen valley to the hot springs river was absolutely unreal. And huge thanks to Jon-Yngvi for being an incredible guide and host.

Wonderful trip which exceeded my already high expectations. Couldn't recommend our host Jon highly enough, friendly, helpful, very knowledgeable and keen for us all to enjoy ourselves.

This was our first MBA trip. We had an excellent time and got to see bits of Iceland we'd never have seen had we gone alone. Our guide Jon was amazing, with a wealth of experience - recounting sagas on the drives, explaining geological events on the walks and making sure we were safe and well fed throughout the trip. I understand he's previously been described as part-man, part-mountain goat. Following him up a hill, I can see why.

The Laugavartan hostel was comfortable and the food was excellent. It was a great base to return to after the day's adventures with a great group of people we got to share the trip with.

Lastly, the scenery was spectacular. I felt Jon made sure we got to areas at the right time of day to miss the big crowds and also showed us places other groups and tourists would never get to. His local knowledge was invaluable.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too cloudy for the Northern Lights, but we tried and had an expedition out on a clearer night where despite there being no lights, we got to experience a little bit of the magnificent serenity of Iceland at night.

We couldn't recommend this trip more and I certainly don't think this will be our last adventure with MBA.

Well organised, good fun and a great way to visit the island with a guide full of local knowledge.

I'd never been to Iceland and I think I spent the whole time in awe, the landscape was incredible and this trip was such a great way to experience it. Our guide Jon was super knowledgeable, he was always telling wonderful rambling stories (which seems to be a national pastime) and looked after us so well. It's really well organised and we had such a lovely group of people, I booked on my own but it doesn't make a difference as everyone was so friendly. The walks aren't too strenuous, even going on the glacier, it just took a minute to get used to the crampons. That was probably a highlight for me though it's really hard to choose, relaxing in the hot river after the hike to reach the bathing area was also pretty special. I'd definitely recommend!

I had never been to Iceland before and I'm so glad I went with this trip, it gave me the opportunity to see lots of cool things in a short amount of time and my group were fab too. Our guide was super, he was knowledgeable, fun and had endless stories. The scenery was incredible and I would highly recommend this trip

This was a full on trip with a jam packed schedule. Solvi was a fantastic trip leader with a phenomenal knowledge of all things Icelandic.

A great trip, hitting the tourist spots but with some good hiking as well.

We had pretty bad weather with heavy snow, rain and strong winds. Our guide was brilliant though, making an extra stop on the first day to take in a sight he expected to be closed due to bad weather the following day and taking us on a really great alternative hike when snow closed the roads.

Another great trip from MBA! MBA have been fantastic throughout all the covid disruption with me having to delay and reschedule trips. When I had to finally cancel a long awaited trip due to logistics, it was a no- brainer to book with them onto this one. The local hosts were brilliant at answering my pre trip questions and our guide Solvi made the whole experience one to remember for all the right reasons. He adapted the itinerary to work around the adverse weather conditions and did an amazing job keeping us all safe on the hikes. We even got a bonus hike in to some beautiful waterfalls. This was a really packed full trip taking in lots of the famous sight seeing spots as well the main hiking events. Cant recommend this highly enough as a way to see and learn more about Iceland.

Great trip with lots of fun and experiences ! Weather set some challenges , but our guide Solvi was brilliant in making changes to suit the conditions and we managed to do everything planned . A great 3 days in a special place . Many Thanks !!

This trip was amazing. Everyday was incredible. Are guide solvi was brilliant the whole trip clearly love's his job. No northern lights but it was such amazing trip it really didn't matter

Really fantastic trip, much better than I expected. Lovely group of people, adventure packed days, lulling icelandic stories on the bus & some brilliant hiking. My favourite part if I had to choose was hiking up to the top of the snow covered mountain and swimming in the thermal spring. The brilliant guide, Solvi, made the trip! We didn't see the northern lights but it didn't matter one bit, I'll just have to come back again.

Absolutely incredible trip! The trip ran smoothly and the accommodation was comfortable. Our guide Solvi was great and had incredible knowledgable of the history, geography and geology of Iceland. The highlight of the trip was the glacier hike and bathing in the warm river in the Reykjadalur valley. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the northern lights however the trip was packed with activity to make up for it. Overall I would highly recommend this trip.