ICELAND: NORTHERN LIGHTS, HIKE THE GLACIER & OTHER WONDERS
August 21st- 28th | $5499
What to ExpectICELAND: NORTHERN LIGHTS, HIKE THE GLACIER & OTHER WONDERS
Experience Iceland at its most luminous on this expertly crafted 7-day summer expedition combining serious hiking with the island's most compelling geological wonders. When August's endless daylight bathes volcanic highlands in golden radiance, Iceland reveals landscapes that exist nowhere else on Earth—where you'll trek through remote mountain valleys, snorkel between tectonic plates, and witness the primal forces still shaping our planet. This journey is designed for active travelers who seek authentic wilderness immersion without sacrificing comfort.
Your adventure balances backcountry trekking with Iceland's iconic natural theater. Begin with the Sky Lagoon's geothermal sophistication and Reykjavik's vibrant Nordic culture, then venture to Thingvellir National Park for snorkeling in crystalline waters or exploring this historically sacred landscape. Enjoy the Golden Circle Geyser's explosive thermal activity and cascading waterfalls before your expedition's centerpiece: Thorsmork, the legendary mountain sanctuary accessible by glacier river crossing. Spend two and a half days immersed in this remote alpine paradise, hiking through impossibly green valleys framed by ice caps and volcanic peaks, based in a mountain cabin far from civilization. Continue south to witness Skaftafell's dramatic glacier landscapes, Vik's otherworldly black sand beaches, and countless waterfalls plunging from ancient cliff sides, where we will hike on the glacier and boat on the glacier lagoon.
WHY TRAVEL WITH KIKI AND BELL?
Kiki Keating treats travel as an art form—each journey composed with precision, intuition, and a taste for the unexpected. She curates intimate, life-shifting journeys with a sharp eye for detail and a refusal to follow the expected. Each itinerary is a collaboration with world-class guides and insiders, blending culture, music, art, and exceptional food with access that feels both rare and effortless.
Her career began in 2000, leading international programs at Dartmouth, and has since evolved into KikiNetwork Travel—a decade-strong venture dedicated to transformative travel. While her trips touch iconic landmarks, the real focus lies deeper: meaningful encounters, cultural fluency, and connections that linger long after the journey ends.
Annabel Giraud-Telme, British-born and French-raised, moves easily between cultures and landscapes. Her work sits at the meeting point of alpine clarity and refined craftsmanship—rooted in movement, yet always composed.
Trained under the master tailor to Queen Elizabeth II and later drawn to the mountains, Annabel blends precision with instinct. Her path—from fashion and finance to mindful alpine living—reads less like reinvention, more like return.
As a travel leader, she creates experiences that are as seamless as they are soulful, weaving together expert guidance, creative expression, cultural immersion… but mainly infused with a great deal of FUN. For Annabel, travel is a quiet unraveling: a chance to move, to connect, and to rediscover what feels most essential—often around a shared table, far from home.
❋ Intentional StructureWe blend guided moments, open exploration, and days to hike —so the experience feels both focused and fluid.
❋ Collaborative EnergyConnection is a core part of the process. You’ll learn just as much from the group and guides then the activities itself.
❋ Expert FacilitationLed by experienced guides who know how to hold space, encourage participation, and keep things moving with purpose.
❋ A Supportive SpaceOur events prioritize comfort, safety, and respect—so you can show up as you are and fully engage in the process.
Itinerary
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07:00 Shuttle to Fosshotel Raudara in Reykjavik where breakfast is served.
09:45 Shuttle to te Sky Lagoon Thermal Spa.
Lunch: Sky Lagoon
Afternoon: Shuttle back to the hotel and settle in before dinner.
Dinner: Group dinner at food hall showcasing the best local produce.
Accommodation: Fosshotel Baron
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch -
Morning: Embark on the Golden Circle with a choice that defines your day: explore Thingvellir's dramatic rift valley on foot or snorkel between continents in Silfra's crystalline fissure (for an additional cost)—both revealing where tectonic plates literally tear Earth apart at this UNESCO World Heritage site and explorers traverse the same continental rift with your guide, witnessing the physical evidence of Earth's restless crust and discovering why this landscape shaped Iceland's most pivotal historical moments.
Lunch: Group
Afternoon: to Geysir's explosive thermal theater where Stokkur erupts with clockwork regularity, then witness the raw power of Gullfoss—Iceland's most majestic waterfall—before returning to Reykjavik.Dinner: The day's final act is yours: discover the capital's celebrated culinary scene at your leisure.
Accommodation: Fosshotel Baron
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch
Optional activity and cost: Silfra snorkeling $190 -
Þorsmörk pronounced Thorsmörk
Dawn shuttle on the highland bus for a journey few people experience: a glacier river crossing into Þórsmörk, Iceland's mountain valley accessible only to specialized vehicles. As you traverse through the villages of Selfoss, Hella, and Hvolsvöllur, civilization gradually falls away—revealing why this remote sanctuary, cradled between glaciers, has captivated explorers for centuries.Lunch: on trail
After lunch, we’ll embark on our first trek to Song Cave before summiting Mt. Valahnjúkur—a 400-meter ascent rewarding us with sweeping views over the valleys below. This is is active exploration through terrain shaped by ice and fire.
Dinner at the Lava Grill Restaurant as midnight sun bathes the mountains in golden light.
This is the Iceland that exists beyond the tour buses—raw, remote, and utterly transformative.Hike 5-8 km (3-5 mi)
Active walking time: 3-4 hrs.
Ascent/Descent 400 m (1312')
Accommodation: The Volcano Hut
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
Breakfast at The Volcano Hut
Today reveals why Thorsmork commands legendary status among hikers. Your full-day expedition traverses 15 kilometers of Iceland's most dramatic alpine terrain, beginning with a river crossing via footbridges over the glacial Krossá before ascending into Slyppugil valley. The reward: extraordinary panoramas spanning Goðaland, multiple glaciers, and Thorsmork's inner sanctum—vistas that exist nowhere else on Earth.
Lunch: on trail
The trail leads to Tindfjallagil and one of Iceland's most intriguing geological curiosities: Tröllakirkja, the "Church of Trolls"—a unique rock formation concealing a small cave beneath, carved by millennia of ice and volcanic forces. Our descent follows the banks of the Krossá river back to the Volcano Hut, covering 450 meters of elevation change across 4-7 hours of active hiking through landscapes that shift from verdant valley floors to stark volcanic ridges.Dinner at The Volcano Hut
Hike 16-18 km (10-11 mi)
Active walking time: 4-7 hrs.
Ascent/descent 450 m (1470')
This hike can be replaced with a hike to Fimmvörðuháls.
Accommodation: The Volcano Hut
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner -
Breakfast at The Volcano Hut
We’ll savor our final morning in Thorsmork at our own pace; rest and absorb the remote tranquility of this glacier valley, OR explore one of the area's numerous trails before our afternoon departure.
Lunch: Group
The highland bus carries us back across glacial rivers to Hvolsvöllur, where our private vehicle awaits for a spectacular journey eastward along Iceland's legendary south coast.
Our route unveils three of Iceland's most compelling waterfalls in succession: walk behind the cascading veil of Seljalandsfoss, discover the hidden canyon sanctuary of Gljúfrabúi, then stand before the thundering 60-meter drop of Skógarfoss—each revealing a different character of Iceland's dramatic hydrology.Dinner: Hotel Búrfell
Accommodation: Hotel Búrfell
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner -
Breakfast at Fosshotel Núpar
We journey deeper into Iceland's raw geological theater as vast sand plains give way to Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap dominating the horizon. At Skaftafell National Park ,we will equip ourselves with crampons and ice axes for a genuine glacier traverse across ancient ice, experiencing firsthand the frozen rivers that have carved this landscape over millennia. This is active exploration at its most exhilarating: walking atop a living glacier with expert guides ensuring both safety and authentic immersion.
Lunch: On Your Own
We continue east, where alpine peaks pierce the skyline and nature's most surreal spectacle awaits: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where colossal icebergs calve from the glacier and drift serenely alongside sunbathing seals. Walk to nearby Diamond Beach and explore the area where stranded ice chunks glitter like scattered jewels against black volcanic sand—a scene so otherworldly it defies expectation.
Accommodation: Fosshotel Núpar
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner -
On our way to Keflavík Airport, we’ll drive along the rugged southern coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula and pass through the “ghost town” of Grindavík—a town that had to be completely evacuated during the dramatic Fagradalsfjall eruption, leaving behind a haunting yet unforgettable glimpse of Iceland’s raw volcanic power.
Meals included: Breakfast
