Jökulsárlón & Northern Lights Winter Self-Drive - 5 Days

On a self-drive trip with Iceland Tours, everything is pre-arranged before you arrive. Your rental car, accommodation, and any booked activities are confirmed in advance, so when you land at Keflíavík Airport you can collect your keys and get on the road without any logistics left to sort out. All you need to manage is your own time each day.

Every trip comes with a detailed day-by-day itinerary created by our Reykjavík-based travel team, giving you a clear route, suggested stops, and things to do and see at each stage. You can follow it closely or adapt it as you go. The important thing is staying within reasonable distance of your accommodation each night, which is already booked for you throughout the trip.

Every car also comes with a portable Wi-Fi device (Mi-Fi), so navigation and staying connected are both covered from day one. If anything comes up during your trip, a 24/7 emergency helpline staffed by our local Reykjavík team is available throughout your journey. You can explore our full range of Iceland self-drive tours to find the right length and route for your trip, or read more about how car rental in Iceland works before you book.

Daylight varies throughout Iceland's winter season. December and January offer 4-5 hours of daylight (approximately 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM), while February and March extend to 8-10 hours, giving you more time to explore.

Booking at least a few weeks before your travel date gives us enough time to confirm your preferred accommodation and finalize your itinerary. We are unable to accept bookings with less than one week’s notice.

For summer travel between June and August, booking several months ahead is strongly recommended. Accommodation in rural areas fills up quickly during peak season, and popular activity add-ons like glacier walks and whale watching can sell out well in advance. Booking early also lets you lock in your preferred car type and accommodation tier before availability narrows.

You only need a 5% deposit to secure your trip, with the balance due closer to your departure date. This low-deposit model means you can confirm your plans early without a large upfront commitment. If your plans change, our cancellation policy offers up to a 95% refund up to five days before arrival, with the retained 5% converted into a long-valid travel credit you can use on a future booking. See our how to book with us page for full details.

Most international driving licenses are accepted in Iceland. You need to be at least 20 years old to rent a standard car, or 23 years old for larger vehicles like 4x4s and vans, and you must have held a valid license for at least one year. You will also need to present a credit card in the main renter’s name when collecting your vehicle.

An International Driving Permit is only required if your license is not in Latin script, for example if it is in Arabic or Chinese characters. If you are unsure whether your license qualifies, our team is happy to advise before you book.

Iceland drives on the right, with speed limits and distances in kilometers. Roundabouts are common, especially around towns, and in rural areas you may encounter single-lane bridges, gravel roads, and sheep on the road. Our detailed itinerary includes route guidance for each day, and the portable Wi-Fi device means you can use live navigation throughout the trip. For a full overview of what to expect behind the wheel, see our guide to driving in Iceland and our page on car rental in Iceland.

Yes. Every self-drive trip can be extended with additional nights in Reykjavík or elsewhere along the route. If you have a particular interest or a region you want to spend more time in, we recommend getting in touch with our travel team before you book. This way we can advise on what’s possible, flag any additional costs, and make sure your preferences are built into the booking from the start. This means a smoother process and no amendment fees down the line.

The itinerary itself provides a well-tested route and daily plan, but the self-drive format gives you genuine flexibility to adjust your pace, linger at stops you enjoy, or take side routes as conditions allow. The structure handles the logistics so the day-to-day decisions remain yours.

If you are looking at a range of itinerary lengths or want to compare what is covered across different trips, you can browse the full Iceland self-drive tour collection or get in touch with our Reykjavík-based team through the contact page to talk through your options.

Optional activities are available to add during the booking process, and you will be shown exactly what is on offer for each day of your trip at checkout. Popular additions include glacier walks, whale watching, ice cave tours, lava cave explorations, horseback riding, and geothermal spa visits.

Adding activities through Iceland Tours at the time of booking means everything is coordinated with your itinerary and accommodation in advance, rather than arranging things independently on arrival. This is particularly worth considering for activities that require guides or have limited availability, since spots can fill up during peak season.

If you would like more activities built directly into the itinerary rather than added as extras, our 10-Day Active Ring Road & Snæfellsnes Self-Drive is structured with more activity inclusions as standard. You can also read more about planning your trip on our Iceland travel guide.

Iceland drives on the right, with steering wheels on the left side of the car. Speed limits are posted in kilometers per hour. The rules of the road broadly follow European conventions, but there are a few things worth knowing before you set off.

Roundabouts are very common throughout Iceland, particularly in and around towns. Traffic already in the roundabout has right of way, and if you are in the inner lane of a multi-lane roundabout, you also have priority over vehicles in the outer lane. In rural areas, you may encounter one-lane bridges, blind hill crests, and gravel roads on some secondary routes.

During summer, sheep roam freely and often wander onto the road, so be prepared to slow down and give way when you encounter them. In East Iceland during winter, you may also encounter reindeer. Your trip comes with a portable Wi-Fi device for navigation, and our detailed itinerary notes specific things to watch for on each leg of the route.

If you are planning a winter trip, our local team monitors road and weather conditions and is reachable 24/7. For a comprehensive overview of driving conditions, road types, and seasonal considerations, see our guide to driving in Iceland.

Although Iceland’s weather can sometimes get in the way, it’s perfectly possible to have a safe self-drive trip in winter. The main roads are cleared regularly and there is good 4G coverage in most of the countryside if you need it.

That said, roads can sometimes close in winter if there are storms or heavy snowfall. When you book with Iceland Tours, you’ll get access to a 24/7 helpline while you’re in Iceland. Rest assured that help is at the end of the phone when you need it.

We’ll often contact you proactively if we think your trip will be affected by bad weather and adjust your plans accordingly. This means you’ll always stay safe and get the most out of your trip, no matter the weather.

Once you have paid your deposit, we begin finalizing your accommodation, rental car, and any booked activities. As soon as confirmation is received from all partners, we will email you to let you know your travel documents are ready to access in our booking portal.

We aim to have everything confirmed within a few weeks of receiving your booking. During busy periods this may take a little longer, but you will always receive your complete documents before your departure date. Your documents include your full day-by-day itinerary, accommodation details, rental car pickup information, and contact details for our 24/7 in-Iceland helpline.

If you have questions about your booking at any point before your trip, you can reach our Reykjavík-based team through the contact page. Iceland Tours has been organizing Iceland trips for over 40 years, and our local team is available to help with any questions about your itinerary or preparations.

Your rental car can be collected from the arrivals hall at Keflavík International Airport. Your travel documents will confirm the name of the car rental company and advise you to proceed to their service desk in the arrivals hall. Have your driver’s license and credit card in the main renter’s name ready when you arrive.

Rental car desks at Keflavík operate at different hours depending on the provider. If your flight arrives outside standard desk hours, the rental company will typically have made arrangements given your expected arrival time. Your travel documents will include a contact number if you need assistance on arrival.

Your car comes with unlimited mileage, collision damage waiver, and authorization for a second driver as standard, along with the portable Wi-Fi device included with every trip. If you are planning to spend extra days in Reykjavík before your self-drive begins, you also have the option to collect your car from the city rather than the airport. See question 9 for details.

Yes. If you prefer to pick up your rental car in Reykjavík rather than at Keflíavík Airport, simply let us know in the special requests field during checkout and we will arrange it for you.

This is a practical option if you are arriving early and want to spend time in the city before your self-drive itinerary begins. Reykjavík has a lot worth exploring, from the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church and the waterfront Harpa concert hall to the city’s well-regarded restaurant scene. Our downtown Reykjavík and Reykjavík attraction pages are a useful starting point for planning those extra days.

If you request different pick-up and drop-off locations, for example collecting in the city and returning at the airport or vice versa, a one-way fee of around ISK 7,900 (approximately EUR 60) applies. This is paid directly to the rental company when you collect the car.

When you book a self-drive package with Iceland Tours, you choose from three accommodation levels: Budget, Comfort, or Quality. All three include continental breakfast every day.

Budget accommodation is guesthouses and country hotels with shared bathrooms, a practical and affordable choice that still puts you in well-located, locally run properties.

Comfort moves to a selection of hotels, guesthouses, and country and farmhotels with private bathrooms, offering a comfortable step up in quality and facilities.

Quality represents the best available accommodation in each area from our selection. This typically means four-star hotels or superior rooms at three-star properties, though in more remote parts of Iceland, where the options are naturally more limited, it means the highest-quality property available in that location. Breakfast is included at all levels.

All accommodations are handpicked by our team and pre-booked before your trip begins. In rural Iceland, accommodation options are more limited than in the cities, which is one of the reasons booking ahead matters. Securing your places early as part of a package means you are not left searching for availability in remote areas during peak season. For travelers who prefer something closer to nature, we also offer Iceland self-drive camping tours. Read more about all accommodation options on our accommodation in Iceland page.

Every Iceland Tours self-drive package includes the following as standard: a rental car of your choice with unlimited mileage, collision damage waiver, authorization for a second driver, and a portable Wi-Fi device. Accommodation at your chosen level is booked for every night of the trip, and continental breakfast is included daily. You also receive a detailed day-by-day itinerary built by our local travel experts, along with access to a 24/7 emergency helpline staffed by our Reykjavík-based team throughout your trip. Carbon offsetting of your tour is included, and all VAT, taxes, and service fees are covered.

What is not included: international flights, fuel and parking, personal travel insurance, the Iceland Road Tax (a small charge collected at pickup), food and drink beyond breakfast, and attraction entrance fees unless otherwise stated on your specific tour page.

Iceland Tours has been organizing self-drive trips in Iceland for over 40 years and is Travelife-certified for sustainable operations. When you book a package with us rather than piecing together a trip independently, every element of the logistics is handled in advance by people who know the country well, so you can focus on the trip itself. See our accommodation page and car rental page for more detail on what is available at each level, and visit our why book with us page for a full overview of what sets Iceland Tours apart.

Iceland’s weather can change quickly regardless of the time of year, so packing for multiple conditions is the right approach even in summer. The essentials are: waterproof walking boots, waterproof trousers, thermal underlayers, fleeces or warm sweaters, a waterproof rain jacket, a warm outer jacket, and a hat, scarf, and gloves. Sunglasses are useful year-round. Swimwear is worth packing since hot springs and geothermal pools appear throughout the country, and lip balm and moisturizer will be appreciated given the wind.

For practical self-drive needs, your car comes with a portable Wi-Fi device so a phone mount for navigation is useful. A portable power bank is handy for longer days out. If you are visiting in winter, ice scrapers are typically provided with the car, but dressing in proper thermal layers for time spent outside makes a real difference.

For a full seasonal packing guide covering everything from summer hiking to winter driving, see our Iceland packing list. The Iceland in winter guide and our Iceland winter weather and packing article are also useful if you are traveling in the colder months.

Carbon offsetting is already included as standard with every Iceland Tours package. We have partnered with an environmental fund in Iceland to cover the carbon footprint of the tour itself, so there is nothing extra you need to do or pay.

Iceland Tours is Travelife-certified, meaning our operations are independently assessed against sustainability standards covering environmental, social, and supply chain criteria. This certification reflects a commitment to responsible travel that goes beyond carbon offsetting, including how we select local accommodation and activity partners.

Carbon offsetting for international flights to and from Iceland is not included in the tour package, but your airline may offer offset options at the time of booking, or you can arrange this through a local or national environmental fund. For more on how we approach sustainable travel, see our sustainability policy and our article on responsible and sustainable travel in Iceland.

This focused 5-day Jökulsárlón and Northern Lights tour is specifically designed for travelers who want to experience Iceland's most spectacular winter highlights without the commitment of longer Ring Road adventures. Your Iceland Tours package combines the country's two most famous attractions - the stunning Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon with its floating icebergs and the classic Golden Circle route - creating the perfect introduction to Iceland's winter magic.

The 5-day duration strikes an ideal balance for winter travel, providing enough time to reach Iceland's scenic southeast while maintaining comfortable daily driving distances during variable winter weather. You'll stay in countryside accommodations away from city lights, maximizing Northern Lights viewing opportunities while experiencing frozen waterfalls, Europe's largest glacier (Vatnajökull), and geothermal wonders. This compact itinerary ensures you see Iceland's greatest hits while having flexibility to chase the aurora whenever conditions permit.

Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon represents the absolute pinnacle of Iceland's natural wonders, and winter visits offer the most dramatic and pristine experience possible. Your Iceland Tours itinerary takes you to this extraordinary location where enormous icebergs calved from Vatnajökull glacier drift in ethereal blue waters, creating a constantly changing display of massive ice formations that you can admire by walking along the lagoon's banks.

Winter transforms Jökulsárlón into an even more magical destination - the contrast between bright white and blue icebergs against snow-covered mountains creates photography opportunities found nowhere else on Earth. The nearby Diamond Beach, where polished ice chunks wash ashore on black volcanic sand, becomes even more spectacular with winter's crisp light. Located at the foot of Iceland's highest mountain, Hvannadalshnúkur, this glacier lagoon offers the chance to witness icebergs breaking away from the glacier in one of the planet's most pristine arctic environments. As winter progresses, ice formations and snow coverage increase, making late-season visits particularly dramatic.

Your 5-day Iceland adventure features Iceland's most iconic waterfalls transformed by winter conditions into spectacular displays. The tour includes mighty Gullfoss, the "Golden Falls," where glacial waters cascade dramatically into a canyon often adorned with ice formations and rainbow mists. You'll visit the powerful 60-meter Skógafoss waterfall, one of Iceland's tallest, which creates magnificent ice formations and winter rainbows in the right light conditions. As winter progresses, these ice formations become more dramatic with increased snow and freezing temperatures.

Your Iceland Tours itinerary includes the complete Golden Circle - the erupting Geysir geothermal area where Strokkur geyser shoots steaming water skyward every 5-10 minutes against snowy surroundings, and the UNESCO World Heritage site Þingvellir National Park where you can walk between North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in a landscape enhanced by winter's pristine snow cover.

This carefully planned Iceland Tours adventure positions you in optimal Northern Lights viewing locations throughout your journey, with countryside accommodations in the Vík/Kirkjubæjarklaustur area that offer dark skies perfect for aurora hunting. The 5-day winter timing means you'll experience Iceland's long darkness hours, providing multiple opportunities to witness the Northern Lights dancing across rural skies far from any light pollution.

Your itinerary strategically places overnight stays along Iceland's south coast, an excellent region for Northern Lights viewing due to minimal urban development and clear southern horizons. The flexibility of self-drive travel means you can chase favorable aurora forecasts, extend evening drives to optimal viewing spots, or simply step outside your accommodation when the lights appear. Winter nights along the south coast offer particularly spectacular opportunities to photograph Northern Lights above dramatic landscapes for truly once-in-a-lifetime images.

Iceland's south coast transforms into a winter wonderland that showcases the country's most dramatic seasonal contrasts during your 5-day Iceland Tours adventure. You'll explore the famous black sand beaches of Vík and Reynishverfi, where volcanic sand creates stunning contrasts against white snow and crashing North Atlantic waves. The dramatic coastline features sea stacks, basalt columns, and coastal formations that become even more spectacular when frosted with ice and snow.

Your tour includes opportunities to experience authentic Icelandic culture at locations like the Skógar folk museum, where you can learn how people lived in past centuries in this challenging climate. The flexibility of your itinerary allows you to discover the south coast's stunning winter beauty at your own pace.

Skaftafell represents a crucial component of your Iceland Tours glacier experience, offering an oasis surrounded by glaciers and black sand plains that provides incredible winter scenery and glacier encounters. This area within Vatnajökull National Park showcases the diverse landscapes created by Europe's largest glacier, with dramatic contrasts between ice formations, volcanic landscapes, and winter-transformed terrain.

Located strategically near Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Skaftafell allows you to experience glaciers from multiple perspectives - from the dramatic icebergs of the lagoon to the accessible glacier features of the national park. For those wanting an even more immersive glacier experience, you can add optional glacier hiking tours at Skaftafell, allowing you to walk on the ice itself with professional guides and proper equipment. This combination creates a comprehensive glacier experience that goes far beyond simply viewing from a distance.

This 5-day Iceland Tours itinerary is expertly designed for manageable winter driving, following Iceland's best-maintained south coast routes that receive priority snow clearing and remain accessible throughout winter with proper preparation. The tour covers approximately 750 kilometers total, with daily distances kept reasonable to account for winter conditions, frequent stops, and Northern Lights chasing opportunities.

Your route primarily follows the Ring Road (Route 1) and major regional roads that are well-marked, regularly maintained, and equipped with good mobile coverage for navigation and emergency support. Iceland Tours provides 24/7 emergency helpline support, collision damage waiver, and proactive weather monitoring during business hours throughout your journey. The focused south coast routing avoids more challenging mountain passes or remote regions, making this tour well-suited for winter travel.

This focused 5-day Jökulsárlón and Northern Lights adventure offers the perfect introduction to Iceland for travelers who want maximum impact without the time commitment or winter driving extent of longer Ring Road tours. While 8-10 day packages cover more ground, this concentrated itinerary ensures you experience Iceland's absolute highlights - the glacier lagoon, Golden Circle, and premier south coast attractions - with ample time to fully appreciate each location.

The 5-day duration is particularly well-suited for winter travel, allowing comfortable pacing during shorter daylight hours while providing multiple Northern Lights viewing opportunities. You'll avoid the fatigue of constant packing and unpacking that comes with longer tours, instead enjoying two nights in the same countryside location perfect for aurora hunting. This tour delivers Iceland's most spectacular winter experiences while remaining accessible to travelers with limited vacation time or those preferring a more relaxed exploration pace.

This self-drive format provides excellent flexibility to enhance your 5-day Iceland adventure while maintaining the core itinerary that ensures optimal winter routing and accommodation positioning. Your Iceland Tours package already includes numerous opportunities for spontaneous exploration - from visiting the Skógar folk museum to exploring the dramatic south coast landscapes and black sand beaches.

The tour's focused nature allows for deeper exploration of featured attractions rather than rushing between many locations. You might choose to spend extra time at Jökulsárlón for photography, add optional glacier hiking tours at Skaftafell, or extend stops at the spectacular south coast locations. The self-drive flexibility means you can adjust timing for Northern Lights chasing or adapt to weather conditions. The 24/7 emergency helpline is available for urgent matters to ensure you stay safe during your journey.

For the best combination of Northern Lights opportunities and winter conditions on this 5-day tour, plan your visit between late October and March when Iceland experiences substantial darkness hours for aurora viewing. November and February-March offer excellent opportunities for Northern Lights while maintaining better road accessibility and more manageable weather conditions.

Iceland Tours recommends booking this popular winter package well in advance, especially for travel during peak season when countryside accommodations in optimal Northern Lights viewing locations become limited. Early booking ensures access to your preferred rental car category and accommodation level while securing the strategic south coast positioning that makes this tour so effective for glacier viewing and aurora hunting. The focused 5-day format makes this tour perfect for travelers wanting a winter Iceland experience during shorter vacation windows, while the concentrated itinerary maximizes your chances of experiencing both spectacular Jökulsárlón glacier encounters and memorable Northern Lights displays.