Around Iceland in Winter – Frozen Landscapes, Wild beaches and Aurora | Wild Photography Holidays - Photography & Adventure Travel

Around Iceland in Winter – Frozen Landscapes, Wild beaches and Aurora

Highlights include…

• Black beaches at Vík
• Reynisdrangar sea stacks
• Snæfellsnes Peninsula
• Many dramatic waterfalls
• Craters and lava formations
• Icelandic horses
• Glaciers
• Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
• Ice cave excursion
• Diamond Beach
• Vestrahorn sunset & sunrise
• Aurora in iconic locations
• Quirky artists’ village
• Eastern Fjords
• Geothermal landscapes
• Sunrises and sunsets
• Vatnsnes Peninsula
• Hvítserkur
• Black church of Búðir
• Snæfellsjökull glacier
• Mt. Kirkjufell
• Gatklettur sea arch
• Reykjavík

Introduction

Join us on our new all-inclusive complete circular tour of Iceland in winter to photograph the dramatic and remarkable locations that make Iceland an incredibly rewarding destination for landscape photographers. Our unique 14-night itinerary is designed to get you to some special and remote locations that would otherwise be impossible to reach at this time of the year. Our experienced Icelandic driver will ensure that you travel between locations worry-free and comfortably in a vehicle designed for off-road travel in difficult conditions. This tour is a perfect choice for those who want to experience Iceland’s best winter locations whilst developing both their creative and technical camera skills. There will be plenty of opportunities for aurora photography, sunrises and sunsets. You can expect to return home with a breathtaking collection of images.
Our regular guests have come to understand that when you book with Wild Photography Holidays there will be no hidden extras. All accommodation, meals, transfers and excursions are included, our prices are fair and our professional photographic guides top-notch. We have been running winter photographic tours in Iceland since 2010. Many of our guests have travelled with us multiple times, this has resulted in the formation of several friendship groups based on shared interests. We very much look forward to welcoming you in Iceland.

Guides & Tutors

The 2026 departure will be lead by James Rushforth, author of two definitive Iceland photographic guide books. James, ‘Rushy’, has been working with us for almost ten years. During this time the reviews from our guests have been consistently excellent.
 

“I have learned so much and would never have believed that I could have produced the results I have. The images of the Aurora are amazing but the whole collection has me very excited. Most of all (James) you were great company. I hope to see you again…”

Alvin – Aurora, Wild Black Beaches & Blue Ice Tour

Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavík

Participants will be arriving on a variety of flights. The first night accommodation in a Reykjavík city hotel together with a Flybus transfer is included. We will meet for introductions and trip briefing at 19:00 before heading out into the city for dinner together.
Hotel Reykjavík (D)

Day 2: Vík, Dyrhólaey, Black Beaches, Sea Stacks and Waterfalls

This morning, after an early breakfast, our driver will pick us up from our hotel and we will embark on our winter adventure with a journey to Vík í Myrdal in the southernmost part of Iceland. This area is famous for its rumbling subglacial volcano Katla, spectacular beaches, a very photogenic church, wild seas, stunning big waterfalls, fabulous mountain landscapes and dramatic black volcanic sands. The beaches around this area are rich in basalt column architecture. Sea arches, caves, cliffs and big waves in winter make for some dramatic photography, particularly at our sunset location on the west side of Vík’s West Reynisdrangar beach. Back for dinner, then hopefully a chance to capture the aurora in one of several good spots that we know around this area. We stay in a comfortable hotel close to Vík and all locations.
Hotel Vík Area (B,L,D)

Day 3: Lava Fields, Icelandic Horses and Glaciers

This morning after a very early breakfast we will start with a sunrise on one of the black beaches. Maybe we will shoot from the east to catch some early morning light on Reynisdrangar the sea stacks of Vík beach. Continuing our journey along the wild and awe inspiring south coast of Iceland we pass through vast lava fields and visit an abandoned farm with a turf covered roof. The location of the farm and the tiny turf roofed church beneath the mighty mountain of Lómagnúpur is spellbinding. Travelling further our vistas are of huge glacial sands, mountains and glaciers. We stop whenever the light and subjects are inspiring.
By lunchtime we should have arrived at the Svínafellsjökull glacier where we will encounter and photograph remarkable close up perspectives of bluish green crevasses and the milky brown lagoon. This surreal icy landscape includes vistas of Iceland’s highest mountain, Hvannadalshnúkur. There are sometimes beautiful ice formations although it is worth noting that we can never predict what these natural phenomena will be like until we arrive as they are constantly changing. Driving east in late afternoon we will take our first look at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in late afternoon light and hopefully return in the evening for an aurora shoot over the floating icebergs.
Hotel close to Glacier Lagoon (B,L,D)

Day 4: Southeast Iceland, Jökulsárlón

Our Southeast base is just a ten-minute drive from the glacier lagoon and the black sand beach (Diamond Beach), which is usually littered with sparkling sea-washed ice and is a particularly good place to be at sunrise when the sun brings out the colours and striking structure of the ice. The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is a remarkable location which will keep on giving in terms of light, landscape and abstract photography. We will also take time to explore the breathtaking Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon, a remote less visited location with a superb glacial and mountain backdrop. Both locations are excellent for sunrises, sunsets and aurora.
Hotel close to Glacier Lagoon (B,L,D)

Day 5: Ice cave and Vestrahorn Sunset

This morning early after breakfast we will board a large modified 4×4 vehicle which will transport our group over the glacial moraine to photograph an ice cave beneath the Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest ice-cap, a unique photographic experience and the source of some stunning images. Following a last look at Diamond Beach, we will head east, calling at Heinabergslón, a lagoon flowing from the tongue of the Heinabergsjökull (glacier). There is a good chance of spotting a large herd of Reindeer en route to their location.
Travelling further East we will arrive early evening at our accommodation on the southeast tip of Iceland close to the world class location of Vestrahorn on the Stokksnes Peninsula. The dramatic peaks of this spiky mountain rise directly from a wild beach of black sand filled with undulating sand dunes and coastal vegetation providing a stark contrast to the snow covered peaks. This is a wonderful place to photograph the aurora arching over the striking rocky spires with colourful reflections in the wet black sand. This location is also a great spot to photograph the Milky Way.
Höfn Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 6,7: Vestrahorn Sunrise and Seyðisfjörður

Following a sunrise shoot of Vestrahorn and breakfast, we set off for the remote and spectacular artists’ village of Seyðisfjörður, located in the far east of Iceland. Travelling north along the edge of the scenic eastern fjords, our day will be productive with lots of varied stops en route for photography. The basalt mountains along the way are dramatic, snow-covered, and often rise straight from the edges of the fjords. We will stop high above the village at a sunset viewpoint down the valley to the fjord below. The film ’Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ has a famous scene where Ben Stiller longboards through a lovely wild landscape down the mountain road right into the village; this is that place, although in its winter attire, the vistas are even more dramatic. The small town’s centre is known for its many original early 19th-century timber houses and the picturesque setting around the lagoon.
Our accommodation is authentic and beautifully renovated. Locations around Seyðisfjörður include a variety of lovely and accessible frozen waterfalls, sheer-sided snow-covered basalt peaks dropping down to the fjord, abandoned farmhouses, and ‘sheep-houses’. The residents, Icelandic long-haired sheep, roam along the edge of the fjord. We may also travel to a neighbouring fjord to the pretty coastal village of Bakkagerði.
Hotel Seyðisfjörður (B,L,D)

Day 8: to Dettifoss, Selfoss & Mývatn

This morning we set off for one of Iceland’s most diverse and striking winter locations, Lake Mývatn. Here we will find desolate craters, bubbling mud pools and geothermal caves. The area is a microcosm of all the natural wonders that Iceland has to offer. Weird, wonderful snowy landscapes, geothermal phenomena, frozen lakes, crazy lava formations, ice-encrusted waterfalls and some fine locations for the northern lights. North Iceland will generally experience the aurora before the south purely due to its more northerly position. Our route today has some exciting locations. From Seyðisfjörður we skirt the vast uninhabited snow-bound interior with an early stop for coffee and photography in Möðrudalur, a village of quaint turf-roofed houses and most likely some very wild looking Icelandic sheep foraging in the snow. Onward to Dettifoss & Selfoss, two of Iceland’s most dramatic and remote waterfalls, which are located in a remarkably wild place on the very edge of the Highlands. The Jökulsá glacial river flows north from the Vatnajökull ice cap. By the time the glacial waters reach this location, they are powerful beyond belief and will make for some exciting photography. We arrive at our accommodation in time to settle in before dinner. Hopefully, there will be aurora tonight right on our doorstep on the shore of Lake Mývatn? We will spend three nights in this iconic area.
Cottages by Lake Mývatn (B,L,D)

Day 9: Geothermal Wonders

For sunrise we will visit Hverarönd, a surreal and colourful geothermal landscape bursting with mud pots, steam vents, sulphur deposits, boiling springs and fumaroles. The backdrop will be the almost Arctic pink and purple hues over some dramatic tabletop mountains. After breakfast, we will set off to drive to explore the area.
Cottages by Lake Mývatn (B,L,D)

Day 10: Mývatn, Aldeyjarfoss & Hrafnabjargafoss

This morning we drive the short distance to one of Iceland’s most iconic and dramatic craters known as Hverfjall. In winter this snow-covered crater dominates the village skyline, we will walk up to the rim for some really wild aerial sunrise shots of the surrounding landscape and the crater itself. After a late breakfast we will set off on the journey to photograph two important and distinctly waterfalls on the Skjálfandafljót River which originates in Europe’s largest glacier the Vatnajökull. We will pass by Goðafoss but save this for the following day. Our main objectives for today are Aldeyjarfoss and Hrafnabjargafoss in Iceland’s Highlands. These two falls are inaccessible in winter unless travelling in modified 4×4 vehicles. The drive is exciting over wild snow covered terrain. The first waterfall Aldeyjarfoss is a twenty minute walk downhill from the vehicle. It’s startling blue water, symmetrical shape and the surrounding ice-encrusted basalt columns make quite a magnificent sight; it is truly one of our favourites. Next stop a few kilometres up river we visit the lovely Hrafnabjargafoss waterfall which is easily accessed. This powerful waterfall becomes ice encrusted in winter and flows beautifully through the ice into a shapely river bowl. This location is remote and very little visited. En the route back to Mývatn we may possibly sight Nacreous clouds or ‘Mother of Pear clouds’ These Polar phenomena have been increasingly sighted by our groups up in the North of Iceland, they are actually rarer than the aurora.
Cottages by Lake Mývatn (B,L,D)

Day 11: Mývatn, & Goðafoss, Vatnsnes Peninsula, Hvítserkur

This morning we will have an early breakfast and set off on our journey north to Hvítserkur. In just under an hour we will stop to photograph Goðafoss. The waterfall is one of the most spectacular and accessible waterfalls in Iceland. The gorgeous blue water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of twelve meters over a width of thirty meters. The rock cirque below is ice encrusted and in places the water flows freely down into an attractive amphitheatre. There are many vantage points including both banks from the cliff tops and also from the very edge of the water. Onward to Iceland’s northerly capital Akureyri for a stop in one of its loveliest coffee and cake cafe’s before a three hour journey to our remote hotel almost on the tip of the Vatnsnes Peninsula. Here it is common to spot seals. After checking in to our hotel we will head out to the cliffs and down onto the beach to photograph the distinctive Hvítserkur which is sometimes called Elephant rock. This is the distinctive feature of the beach and can look very special at sunset.
Hvítserkur Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 12: Hvítserkur to Snæfellsnes

Today after breakfast we will travel west to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland, thought by many to be one of the most beautiful places on the island. Considered one of the world’s most powerful energy spots, it is home to many artists, photographers and other creative people. The area is dominated by the remarkable snow-covered volcano Snæfellsjökull where Jules Verne sent his intrepid travellers on their ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’. The North Atlantic coast is never far away. Our hotel in Arnastapi is situated close to some superb sunrise locations including the dramatic sea arch and cliffs of Gatklettur.
Snæfellsnes Coastal hotel (B,L,D)

Day 13: Snæfellsnes Locations

This is an overview of our locations during the two days we are based on Snæfellsnes.

Snæfellsjökull glacier – this is the dominating feature of the peninsula and provides an excellent backdrop to many of our images.
Sea cliffs – the cliffs around the Snæfellsnes coastline are precipitous, majestic and very attractive with a huge variety of differing and interesting rock formations that are easy to access.
Beaches – Snæfellsnes has black sand beaches of volcanic origin generally give some really unusual striking images. One fine example is the black beach of Djúpalónssandur with its strange lava formations and fabulous sunsets. The black beaches in Winter are often hammered by dramatic wild seas.
Sea stacks and arches – there are a variety of stacks and arches around the peninsula providing fine dramatic photographic subjects
Mt. Kirkjufell – the chameleon shape of this mountain is well known to all Icelandic landscape photographers. It provides striking images both at sunrise and sunset; it’s also amazing to see the northern lights swirling high above its rocky ridges.
Berserkjahraun – situated between Grundarfjörður and Stykkishólmur this dramatic lava field flowed some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. It features strange shaped mountains and convoluted snow-covered lava.
Black church of Buðir – this much photographed subject never ceases to throw out new images and makes stunning foreground for the Aurora.
Snæfellsnes Coastal hotel (B,L,D)

Day 14: Snæfellsnes and Reykjavík

After our sunrise shoot we will return to our hotel for breakfast before checking out of the hotel. We will spend several hours exploring Snæfellsnes locations before returning late afternoon to Reykjavík. We will check in to our hotel before heading out to the city for a celebratory meal together.
Hotel Reykjavík (D)

Day 15: Homeward Flights

After breakfast there will be an included transfer to the airport for your homeward flight. WPH services finish after breakfast.

What’s Included

• Airport transfers to and from the international airport on Days 1&15
• All accommodation
• All meals
• Transport in modified 4×4 vehicle with Icelandic driver
• Ice cave visit

What’s Not Included

• International flights
• Travel insurance
• Drinks and snacks between meals
• Soft- & alcoholic drinks
• Anything not listed as included