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  Fire, Ice and the Aurora Itinerary                    
     
 
 
   
 Itinerary Overview: 
 
 
 
 Day 1  Sat, Sep 27 Arrive Reykjavík,  Reykjanes Peninsula,  Blue Lagoon & City Tour
 Day 2  Sun,  Sep 28 Free day in Reykjavík or beyond
 Day 3  Mon, Sep 29 Thingvellir ancient Viking parliament, Geysir Thermal Area and Gullfoss Waterfall.
 Day 4  Tue, Sep 30 Landmannalaugar Volcanic Zone
 Day 5  Wed, Oct 1 Thjórsádalur Valley & Icelandic Highlands
 Day 6  Thu, Oct 2 Iceland's Scenic South Shore
 Day 7   Fri, Oct 3 Thorsmork Nature Reserve
 Day 8   Sat, Oct 4 Scenic drive and flights onward
 
   
 
  
     
  DAY 1 Saturday, September 27, 2008                                                                    B
Arrive Reykjavík - Reykjanes Peninsula - Blue Lagoon & City Tour		  
 

    After our early morning arrival at Keflavík Airport, we’ll clear customs and travel by private motor coach to the nearby Reykjanes Peninsula, to see ancient lava flows, hot springs. sulfuric vents, mud pools, and fissures. Then it is off to the famous Blue Lagoon, where we’ll enjoy a private entry to relax in the warm aqua-tinted, mineral-rich water known for its curative powers. In the early morning light, the lagoon’s steaming waters is unforgettable. After breakfast at the Blue Lagoon, we’ll travel through jagged lava fields en route to the capital city of Reykjavík. Later this afternoon, we’ll enjoy a private bus tour of the city. Weaving our way through narrow alleys framed with old timber houses, we’ll learn about the city’s history, from its very beginning in AD 874. We’ll visit the harbor and Hallgrimskirkja, whose church tower offers a panoramic view of Reykjavík, the fjord and distant mountains. This evening is yours to enjoy Reykjavík on your own.
    Travelers may book their own flight to Reykjavik (KEF) or use TravelQuest special arrangements with IcelandAir, with non-stop flights available from New York, Baltimore-Washington, Boston, or Minneapolis. Connecting flights to these cities are not included. Contact TravelQuest for flight schedules.

  
 

Overnight: Hotel Odinsve  (2 nights)

  
     
 
 
     
  DAY 2 Sun, September 28                                                                                    B
 Free day in Reykjavík or beyond		  
      Today is free to explore Reykjavík on your own, enjoying the shops, museum, galleries and scenic areas in the city’s quaint downtown area. Another choice is to join an optional sightseeing excursion (price to be announced) - a full-day trip that begins with a 45-minute IcelandAir flight that takes you to the northern coast of Iceland and the northern capital city of Akureyri. You’ll then continue to Lake Myvatn to visit the area’s natural wonders including Skútustadir’s numerous pseudo-craters, Dimmuborgir’s (dark castles) amazing rock formations, and colorful hills with boiling gray mud pots.  
     
  Day 3 Mon, September 29                                                                                     B/L/D
Thingvellir ancient Viking parliament, Geysir Thermal Area, and Gullfoss Waterfall		  
      After checkout this morning, we’ll travel to Thingvellir National Park to stroll around Althingi, Iceland’s most sacred site and the home of the old Viking parliament. Thingvellir (located near Iceland’s largest lake, Thingvallavatn) is known for its fascinating natural beauty and, set on a vast plain flanked by large fissures, is geologically spectacular. Later, we’ll explore the otherworldly hot spring area of Geysir to see multicolored pools of water and mud. Here the geyser Strokkur erupts to a height of about 80 feet (25 meters) every 5 to 7 minutes. After lunch, we will drive to the mighty Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall), perhaps the most beautiful waterfall in the country. We’ll walk to the edge of Gullfoss, where the Hvitá River tumbles 100 feet (32 meters) in a double cascade. When the Sun is shining, we may see a rainbow through the massive spray from the falls.
    Late this afternoon we’ll arrive at our 3-star Iceland Highland Lodge, our home base for the next two nights. Situated in Iceland’s stark highlands, far from any settlements, our lodge offers perfect aurora-viewing opportunities. After dinner this evening, join us for a discussion on the aurora and night sky photography techniques, followed by the first of five nights of aurora viewing and stargazing.		  
  Overnight: Iceland Highland Lodge (2 nights)  
     
 
     
 

Aurora Prospects from Paul Deans

  
     
  If you think it’s difficult predicting the weather a few days in advance, consider attempting to forecast the appearance of the northern lights as far ahead as September 2008! That’s a tough assignment, and it’s impossible to be completely accurate, but we can make some generalized comments about what we expect to see.  
     
  The 11-year solar cycle has just passed minimum; a new cycle officially began in January of this year. This means the Sun will gradually become more active during the year, but the occurrence of sunspots and flares will remain low, and we’re unlikely to experience a Coronal Mass Ejection — a major outburst from the Sun that often results in a beautiful display of the northern lights.  
     
  What is more likely is that we’ll see auroral activity thanks to coronal holes, which are quite common during periods of low solar activity. These holes are openings in the Sun’s magnetic field that let the powerful solar wind escape into space. When one of these holes is pointed toward Earth, the result can be a lovely show of the northern lights at high-latitude locations such as Iceland. While we can’t predict the appearance of coronal holes far in advance, they occur regularly enough that it’s very likely we’ll see some aurora in September 2008.  
     
  One more thing. For reasons as yet unknown to astronomers, aurora activity peaks just after the spring and autumn equinoxes. This is why we plan to be in the dark skies of the Icelandic countryside a week after the autumn equinox.  
     
 
     
  Day 4 Tue, September 30                                                                                    B/L/D
Landmannalaugar Volcanic Zone		  
 

    Today we’ll travel to Landmannalaugar, a volcanic zone with a mixture of colorful rhyolite stones and black obsidian stones, which at this time of the year are sometimes covered with a field of snow. You’ll see Mt. Hekla, the most active volcano in Iceland (last eruption Feb 2000), and Ljótipollur (ugly lake), a huge crater formed in the 15th century. Take a dip in a natural hot water spring and enjoy a picnic lunch in an Icelandic mountain hut heated year-round with the natural hot water flowing in the brook next to it. After dinner back at the lodge, join us for our second night of aurora viewing.

 
     
  Day 5 Wed, October 1                                                                                          B/L/D
 Thjórsádalur Valley & Icelandic Highlands		  
 

    After checkout today we’ll further explore the Icelandic Highlands, as we travel through the Thjórsádalur Valley, where we’ll get a better idea of the rugged volcanic landscape that comprises more than half of Iceland. We’ll stop at Hjálparfoss, a waterfall framed by twisted basalt columns, and at a reconstruction of a 12th-century Viking farmhouse. We will end our day at our hotel for last three nights in Iceland. With your choice of expansive dark grassy areas, perfect for photography, and two geothermally heated hot tubs, perfect for star and aurora-gazing, you could not ask for a more beautiful place to experience Icelandic nights! After dinner, join us for our third night of aurora viewing.

 
  Overnight: Iceland Aurora Lodge (3 nights)  
     
  Day 6 Thur, October 2                                                                                          B/L/D
Iceland's Scenic South Shore		  
      This morning will begin with a visit to the thundering 180-foot (55-meter) Skógafoss waterfall and the village of Skógar, a living folk museum where old homes are preserved in their original state and a modern building is filled with a vast collection of household items depicting Iceland’s past. After lunch, we will continue east, to see the Myrdalsjökull and Solheimajökull glaciers, and visit the beautiful volcanic, black-sand beach of Reynisfjara, with its massive basalt columns and rock formations. Join us tonight for our fourth evening of aurora viewing.  
     
  Day 7 Fri, October 3                                                                                             B/L/D
 Thorsmork Nature Reserve		  
      This morning we’ll drive inland from Iceland’s southern shore along the Markarfljot River to the beautiful Thorsmork Nature Reserve, one of Iceland’s most beautiful areas, surrounded by three glaciers. With its scenic surroundings and glacial rivers, Thorsmork is a place of unique natural beauty and ruggedness. A picnic lunch at the mountain hut is included. On our way back to the lodge, conditions permitting, we’ll go for a walk behind the mist of Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Join us for a special farewell dinner and our fifth and final night of aurora viewing.  
     
  Day 8 Sat, October 4                                                                                            B/L
 Scenic drive and flights onward		  
  After checkout this morning, we’ll travel west through the geothermal town of Hveragerdi and more scenic stops on the way to the airport. Following lunch, we’ll reach Keflavík Airport in time for our late-afternoon flights onward.  
     
 

Note: Extreme weather conditions in Iceland may affect access to some areas.
We reserve the right to change this itinerary as conditions require.

  
     
 
     
  What to Expect:  
     
 

    Weather in Iceland is 100% variable, both day and night. It is possible for us to see sunshine, rain and snow – all in one hour’s time! Travelers need to be able to climb into and out of high-suspension buses, and carry their own luggage. Participants must be able to enjoy comfortably paced, easy to moderate walks over varied terrain, including uneven trails that may be unpaved and muddy. Walks tend to be short in duration, but often up and down hills.

  
     
      Daytime temperatures in September/October typically hover between 4-10°C (40-50°F), with evenings a couple degrees cooler. Rain, sleet or snow can be expected. Evenings at our Iceland country lodge tend to be clearer and colder, -2-+2°C (25-35°F). Although many locales claim that if you don’t like the weather wait five minutes, this is especially true in Iceland! Travelers must be prepared for any type of weather, even clear sunny autumn days.  
     
 
     
 

 
     
   
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Revised: January 18, 2008.
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