Nostalgia of Christmas

Duration: 2 days / 1 night
Operated: From 20 of Nov – until 22 of Des
Pick up: Egilsstaðir airport or hotels in Egilsstadir
Drop off: We return our guests to Egilsstaðir at the end of day 2
Departing from: Egilsstaðir
Group size: 2–16
Minimum age: No age limit
Language: gb[1]
Price: 63,900 ISK

For guaranteed departure we need a minimum of 2 persons

These two days are filled with old-time Christmas spirit, mixed with the wilderness experience. The Wilderness Center offers a unique location and peaceful surroundings and the Wilderness exhibition is an adventure that no-one should miss. Enjoy great local food, bathing in hot springs and witness the magnificent landscape of the eastern highlands. Learn how people used to make Christmas decorations in olden days and taste some old recipes.

We provide 

  • Fully guided tour
  • All transport on the tour
  • Accommodation
  • Local food
  • Admission to exhibitions and pool

Optional

DAY 1: YULE LADS, TURF HOUSES, WILDERNESS EXHIBITION, CHRISTMAS WORKSHOP, CABLE-FERRY ADVENTURE, CHRISTMAS FEAST AND TRADITIONAL SINGING

We pick you up either at Seyðisfjörður or Egilsstaðir. On the way to our valley we are going to step back in time. We will stop at the place where history tells us that Grýla, the mother of the jólasveinar or Yule lads (the thirteen Icelandic Santas) is supposed to live. Who knows, we may run into her or some of her relatives, so they can tell us the story and invite us to have a sip of jólaglögg (mulled wine). We also visit the last Icelandic working farm with turf buildings.

At the Wilderness Center we will enjoy local lunch with some Christmas specialties. After a delicious lunch you will explore the exhibition at the Wilderness Center, with a guide telling and showing how life was at Christmas in the old days. We try the delicacy smoked mountain lamb, straight from the smoke hut.

You will also have the chance to make traditional Christmas decorations as well as making a guided adventure trip to an abandoned farm farther up the valley and trying a cable-ferry over the glacial river.

In the evening you’ll enjoy a Wilderness Christmas feast with ingredients from the highlands. The feast is followed by an entertainment with stories, traditional singing and playing on old pedal harmonium and guitar.


DAY 2: VALLEY HIKE, LAUFABRAUÐ MAKING, CHURCH-CINEMA, GEOTHERMAL POOL, HIGHLAND DRIVE

After a breakfast in the cozy old farmhouse, we show and teach our guests to make their own traditional Icelandic Christmas bread, laufabrauð. (We fry it so everyone can take their own laufabrauð home with them.)

Before the tasty lunch we take a short hike in the area, hear stories and experience nature. Satisfied, we leave the Wilderness Center and head to the small country church at Valþjófsstaður, where we watch an old silent film about the most famous outlaw couple in Iceland.

From there we drive a scenic route up to the highlands where we take a dip in the geothermal pools at Laugarfell and enjoy the peaceful highlands. Then we head back to the Smyril Line ferry / Egilsstaðir town with some photo stops on the way (and we may even spot “Rudolf”). 

* This itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions.

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