Iceland: North Coast
Legendary landscapes, volcano-created scenery and cinematic waterfalls will inspire both long and fast shutter speeds as we venture along the less-visited north coast of Iceland. Hot springs, fumaroles and vivid geothermal colors rise out of the countryside. Lava tubes and Iceland’s largest cave will call us underground, while the whales will remind us to explore the coastline. Most importantly, there will be fewer tourists, as well as the auroras of a solar maximum to chase!
Tour Details
April 11-19, 2025
This is a 8-night, 9-day tour. Your adventure begins with an overnight flight on April 10 (landing on April 11), and ends with your flight home on the afternoon of April 19.
$7,995 for singles, $13,495 for two sharing a room. Register below.
Skill level
Open to all who have an understanding of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras.
Group size
10, with 2 instructors — 5:1 ratio
Tour Leaders
Registration
| • Deposit of $1,995 (single) or $3,495 (two people sharing a room) is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $6,000 (single) or $10,000 (two people sharing a room) is due on January 12, 2025. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is January 11, 2025. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • See "Ticket Info" further below for what is and is not included with your ticket. |
The Iceland North Coast Experience
Welcome to Northern Iceland!
Your adventure starts when we pick you up from the Akureyri International Airport and check you into our hotel before having a welcome dinner and keeping an eye open for aurora activity.
Over the next week we’ll chase the light during the day and night as we check off locations such as Hvitserkur, one of the most epic sea stacks in the world. Known as the troll of northwest Iceland, this 49-foot hunk of basalt rock protrudes out of Hunafloi Bay with multiple arches to be captivate the viewer.
We’ll also visit two of the largest and most powerful waterfalls in all of Europe—Godafoss and Dettifoss—both of where were featured prominently in Game of Thrones and Prometheus, respectively.
We’ll step back in time and visit picturesque turf houses and small fishing villages as we journey up and down jaw-dropping fjords. Lighthouses will guide us to areas named Trollaskagi, Siglufjordur, Olafsfjordur, Migandifoss and Raufarhöfn, which will become part of our daily lexicon and shoot locations.
The kaleidoscope of colors from geothermal Peistareykir will mesmerize us as the land bubbles and bursts with color, smoke and raw energy. We’ll have plenty of time to soak in some of that energy at Lake Myvatn, which has a spa that is similar to but less crowded than the famous Blue Lagoon in the south.
Want more waterfalls? Iceland has them! Also on our hit list are the twin lava-field falls of Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Hraunfossar is made up of endless little waterfalls that pour into the Hvita river. Barnafoss is one of the most rapid waterfalls, surging down a narrow, rugged valley of volcanic landscapes. This region has many caves formed by the constant volcanic activity. Vidgelmir is the largest lava tube in Iceland, and well worth exploring.
Finally, the thing we are most excited to share is a pilgrimage to Arctic Henge. This “Stonehenge” of Iceland is like a huge sun or star dial. Our dream is to capture it with you under the northern lights.
What You Should Know
Participants must have at least basic photo skills, know their cameras well, and be comfortable shooting RAW in manual mode with a DSLR or high-end mirrorless camera.
Night photography experience is helpful, but not necessary. Even folks with extensive experience shooting at night will find this tour challenging, stimulating and inspiring.
If you would like to attend this tour but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-tour tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-tour reads.
What You Will Learn
You’ll go home after the tour with a body of both day and nighttime images made in a variety of environments and conditions. Instruction on photographing the aurora borealis will be offered, along with one-on-one field guidance as requested.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
photographing the aurora borealis during a solar maximum
leveling up your landscape photography
daytime long exposure photographs with neutral density filters
panoramic landscapes
drone photography
and more …
As this is a photo tour rather than a workshop, the emphasis is on getting participants to great locations with great light and making sure that everyone has the trip of a lifetime. We figure that you don’t travel to Iceland very often, and you wouldn’t want to spend your time in a classroom. As with most of our international tours, we will not be offering formal lessons or image reviews, but rather assistance as needed in the field. We’ll be photographing day and night.
That said, we do encourage you to think about and set goals for the trip.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO GAIN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?
great images?
lasting memories?
a break from the work-a-day stresses?
learn some new photography skills?
see and photograph the aurora borealis?
all of the above?
The instructors will be available for one-on-one guidance in the field. We’ll be glad to review your images with you during quieter moments, but there won’t be formal group image-review sessions.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Ticket Info
Included:
8 nights in your choice of single or shared accommodations
all transportation during the photography tour in a comfortable all-wheel-drive Sprinter van
breakfast and dinners from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last day
Not Included:
international flights to and from Reykjavik
transfer between the airports in Reykjavik
flight to and from Akureyri
all lunches
alcohol
Travel
You will fly to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) and transfer via Flybus to Reykjavik Domestic Airport (RKV), where you will take an easy 45-minute flight to Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland. This means an overnight flight leaving on April 10 (if you’re coming from North America) and an afternoon flight on April 11 to Akureyri. You are responsible for Flybus transfer between the airports in Reykjavik, plus all airfare.
All other in-country transportation is included, and will be in a roomy Sprinter all-wheel-drive van with high clearance and studded tires.
We will provide more detailed information shortly after you register.
Lodging & Food
The tour will be based in two tourist-class hotels in the north of Iceland. In general, Icelandic hotels are clean, stylish and comfortable.
The trip is inclusive of breakfasts and dinners, beginning with a welcome dinner in Akureyri on the first evening through breakfast on the last day. We will eat well, with breakfast at our hotel each morning, and dinner in our hotel or at a restaurant each night.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 40s F, lows in the 30s.
Expect all types of weather in Iceland and even more so in the north. We could have gentle sunny hours mixed with moments of wild winds. We’ll be covering a wide range of the northern territory and will plan to chase the best weather each day. When that is not possible, there are plenty of indoor activities and cultural attractions that will keep us cozy as we wait for a break in the skies.
Recommended Attire
The best way to prepare is to bring lots of layers, including waterproof and windproof outerwear: boots, jacket, pants and at least two pairs of gloves, preferably at least one pair of flip-top mittens, two hats and lots of hand warmers.
If you are not sure-footed (or even if you are), please consider a pair of crampons or Yaktrax for walking on ice and snow.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this tour is Easy to Moderate. (See more about our classifications.)
We’ll be traversing a wide variety of terrain, potentially including mud, snow and ice. There will be uneven ground and it will probably be slippery. Most of our locations will be close to the tour van, but you should be prepared to walk a quarter- to a half-mile over snow and ice. We’re planning a 2- to 3-hour whale watch excursion, so bring your sea legs.
Note: To ensure the safety of individuals and the group, the tour leaders may use their discretion to limit an attendee from engaging in a vigorous activity on-site should that person's physical health or ability be in question. If you are unsure about your ability to meet the physical demands of this tour, we will be happy to discuss your concerns one-on-one before you register. You are also, of course, welcome to attend the tour and sit out any physical activity that makes you uncomfortable. In such cases, we can provide you with ideas for alternative shoot locations for that time.
Additional Info
Please read our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops and tours.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Returning to the Land of Fire and Ice ...
“It was like we were chasing a dream as we spent every day chasing the light. ”
Before National Parks at Night was announced 10 years ago, Tim Cooper and I led a photography tour of Iceland in 2015. For both of us it was our first time visiting this Viking land filled with out-of-this-world landscapes.
We hit waterfall after waterfall and experienced plenty of auroras each night. It was epic. We had an amazing group, as well as wonderful guides who revealed so many prime locations, as well as so many secret spots.
It was like we were chasing a dream as we spent every day chasing the light.
But then something weird happened: We didn’t return. Well, I returned with Lance for National Parks at Night’s Westfjords workshop in 2017, but Tim and I didn’t come back. Not that we did nothing–we’ve been all over the world together!
But this year–a full decade later–we’re changing that. We’re heading back to Iceland together, to revisit the country that inspired us to spend every year searching for luscious landscapes and embracing the northern lights.
We are so excited to share this journey to the less traveled region of Iceland and explore familiar places and hunt out even more secrets.
