Iceland’s Epic Adventure: Waterfalls, Glaciers, and the Northern Lights hosted by the Greenhouse Hotel
After the events of the last few years, most of us are looking for an unforgettable adventure. To go somewhere out of the ordinary to do something big and epic and not just your normal run-of-the-mill summer visit to the beach type of vacation. We are looking for that trip of a lifetime. One place that offers such an experience is Iceland with cinematic waterfalls, hikes across glaciers, or a horseback ride on a black sand beach. And with all that Iceland has to offer, starting now through March is the chance to see one of nature's most unusual phenomena, the aurora borealis or Northern Lights.
The Greenhouse Hotel is made for the adventurous traveler and makes the ideal base to experience the volcano and the best of Iceland. It is perfectly located close to the famed Golden Circle, Iceland’s South Coast, the capital of Reykjavik. The sustainably focused and design-led boutique hotel has arranged a five-night vacation package so that visitors can experience the best of Iceland. The Greenhouse Epic Adventure package includes airport transfers, accommodations, and five days filled with thrilling tours.
Here are some of the package highlights and the sights you’ll see.
The Northern Lights
Nature's laser light show occurs close to the north and south poles when electrically charged particles from the sun collide with the Earth’s atmosphere. Particles from this solar wind become ionized which gives them their colors, usually green, but occasionally purple, red, pink, orange, and blue.
As Iceland is on the southern edge of the Arctic Circle, at 65° N, the aurora borealis is visible almost every night between September and March. Iceland makes the ideal place to see the Northern Lights due to its small population of only 300,000 people which relates to less light pollution, darker skies, and more unpopulated places to see them. Additionally being at the southern edge of the Arctic Circle, temperatures are more tolerable than in the colder Scandinavian countries to the north. The small group guided tours include visits to locations that are most likely to see the Northern Lights with a knowledgeable guide
Iceland's Golden Circle
With or without the Northern Lights, Iceland is a country with an endless offering of natural beauty. Its most famous region is known as the Golden Circle, an area with stunning sights, the best of which one can see on a day tour. The tour includes a UNESCO-listed National Park, erupting Geysers, and powerful waterfalls.
The Golden Circle includes the Thingvellir National Park with walks through a corridor of volcanic rock formations, gorgeous vistas, and a view of the largest lake in the country – Þingvallavatn. There is also an unusual geographic occurrence there and where the tectonic plates of two continents meet. Visitors can literally walk from Europe to America and back. The most moving sight in the park is the Gullfoss Waterfall. This is one of the most popular and beautiful waterfalls in Iceland due to its two levels and colossal size. Another experience that makes the Golden Circle popular is the Valley of Geysers with geysers that erupt about every ten minutes and shoot 100 feet into the air. Truly a phenomenon to behold.
Iceland's South Coast
The South Coast of Iceland offers the country’s most dramatic scenery. The 200-foot Seljalandsfoss waterfall is the most iconic and one you’ve probably seen on Instagram. Not only is a stunning from afar, but visitors can actually walk behind the waterfall and see through it from inside a cave. It’s truly an unmissable experience. Further along is the equally impressive Skogafoss, which is an iconic waterfall as well and 200 feet tall and 80 feet wide, and one of the South Coast’s most popular landmarks.
The South Coast is so much more than its brilliant waterfalls. A visit to a glacier is a must as well with an unforgettable landscape of ice, lakes, and volcanic ash. The natural attractions to be seen on Iceland’s South Coast truly boggle the mind including the black sand beaches with pure black gravel and black boulders -another popular image from your favorite travel Instagram feed or perhaps you’ve seen it as a backdrop in a film or fashion shoot..
The Reykjadalur Valley
A few minutes from the Greenhouse Hotel Iceland are the beautiful landscapes of Reykjadalur Valley. Hiking through the mountains leads to an unmissable Icelandic experience of soaking in the hot spring-fed river. Throughout the area are unusual sites of steam rising in the air from thermal springs found throughout this area. Visitors will want to stop in the Reykjadalur River Lodge for a drink and lunch after their thrilling hike to complete the afternoon.
Other activities in the package include a two-hour ATV ride through sandy dunes, along the stunning mountain landscapes, and then racing at top speed on a black sand beach. In the evening, the guest will go on an hour-long subterranean excursion through a lava tunnel to see the formations left behind by volcanos that erupted hundreds of years ago.
One of the most memorable experiences in Iceland is river rafting through the category three rapids and the stunning natural beauty of the Hvítá River, visiting the Brúarhlöð canyon, and perhaps a cliff jumping into the blue waters below. The water is brisk, yet wetsuits protect from frigid waters. After the adrenalin-filled rafting adventure, the experience completes with time to relax in a Finnish sauna or a soak in a hot tub. Rafting runs through September after which it will be substituted with a thrilling ATV Buggie mountain ride, snowmobiling on a glacier or similar experience.
The Greenhouse Hotel Iceland
Your host of the Iceland Epic Adventure Package is the Greenhouse Hotel Iceland. A sustainably focused adventure hotel located thirty minutes from the capital Reykjavik and an hour from the international airport.
The 50-room design-led hotel features a ground floor with a food hall and five different restaurant options as well as a café and shopping pavilion. The hotel has a lively atmosphere with a cocktail bar and a two-story atrium with several lounge spaces including a rooftop bar.
The Greenhouse Hotel Iceland Epic Adventure Package
The Greenhouse Hotel Iceland Epic Adventure Package Includes five nights and six days of accommodations queen size bed or two full-sized beds. All activities are with small group tours (approx. 6 -12 persons) and include the Northern Lights experience, Golden Circle, South Coast, Black Sand Beach ATV Tour, Lava Tunnel Tour, and the River Rafting tour.
The rate for the tour is $2500 pp for single occupancy and $2200 pp for double occupancy. For more information or to book the package visit. TheGreenhouse.is or GreenHouseEpicAdenture.
