Visit Southern Iceland on a winter’s night, and you’re in with a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights dance above a dramatic landscape of smoking volcanoes, blue-white glaciers and black sand beaches. In fact, this remote part of Iceland is one of the best spots in the world to watch the emeralds, blues, purples and reds of this cosmic light show.
Indeed, many people travel to this rugged part of Iceland between September and April to tick the Aurora Borealis off their bucket list. And when it comes to accommodation that enhances your once-in-a-lifetime Northern Lights experience, Hotel Rangá is a top choice. The resort offers guests a wide range of experiences, from glacier and volcano tours to ‘flightseeing’ over Iceland’s geologically rich landscape, but the Northern Lights are firmly front and centre here.
The hotel is located in the Icelandic countryside, far from any light pollution. As day turns into night, the hotel switches off its external lights, providing optimal conditions for viewing the night sky. If you don’t want to spend the whole night waiting for the Aurora Borealis to appear, opt for the hotel’s Aurora wake-up service, which gives you a call when the heavens begin to glow.
Sit outside the hotel on handmade wooden benches that are specially designed for cosmos-gazing, warmed by a snowsuit, blanket and a steaming mug of hot chocolate. For a luxe experience, watch the Northern Lights streak across the sky while you soak in a geothermally-heated hot tub with a glass of fizz in hand. On cloudless nights, you should be able to spot awe-inspiring constellations, galaxies and distant planets as well.
You can learn about the cosmos here, too. On the clearest winter nights, the hotel invites local astronomers to its on-site observatory, to guide guests through a tour of the skies. The Rangá Observatory, open between September and April, is home to two high-quality telescopes, enabling you to spot incredible details not visible to the human eye. There are also tripods available for guests hoping to capture the night sky in long-exposure photos.
Accommodation: Rustic Suites with Plenty of Personality
When they’re not outside, gazing up at the sky, guests slumber in Hotel Rangá’s range of comfortable rooms and suites, each of which has a distinct personality. Housed in a rustic wooden lodge, accommodation ranges from Standard and Deluxe Rooms up to the hotel’s well-appointed Master Suites.Each wood-panelled room features cheerful, cosy décor. Murals hand-painted by local artists brighten the walls, from scenes of mountains and the cosmos to depictions of Icelandic horses and sheep, while ensuite bathtubs provide a soothing place to unthaw and relax after days exploring Iceland’s snowy wilderness.
Standard Rooms, which sleep a maximum of two and also include breakfast, come with twin or king-sized beds, cosy bathrobes, soft slippers and an epic view of Hekla volcano. The larger Deluxe Rooms sleep up to three guests, and you can choose between river and mountain views. Alternatively, opt for a Deluxe Superior Room for views of the Rangá River flowing through the countryside, direct access to geothermal hot tubs and a spacious, comfortable seating area.
Then there are the themed suites, inspired by cultures and continents from around the globe, from America and Africa to Asia and Antarctica. Decked out with handmade furniture and original artwork, each Junior Suite sleeps three and features a soft King Size bed, a river-view balcony and a coffee maker. The Master Suites are almost double the size and sleep up to four.
All guests have access to 24-hour room service, as well as a laundry service.
Eating and Drinking: Wild Game and a Long Whisky List
Rangá Restaurant’s menus are grounded in Nordic cuisine, with a focus on celebrating fresh, local ingredients. In a wood-panelled room with cream tablecloths, the surroundings are simple and rustic, with the floor-to-ceiling windows ensuring that the rural view is the star of the show.At breakfast, served from 7am-10am, choose between a continental option or a hot meal. Crowd-pleasing lunch options include sandwiches, vegan burgers, wild mushroom soup and Arctic char, while at dinner, diners can try local specialities such as salmon and reindeer. The bar list offers lighter bites, while a children’s menu keeps the little ones happy. You can also order a lunch box to take along on the day’s adventure.
If you’re lucky enough to be there when they're serving the wild game menu – available on certain weekends in October and November – you can enjoy a gourmet experience showcasing the flavours of Southern Iceland. Tuck into goose liver pâté, smoked duck breast or reindeer steak with crowberry sauce, before sampling an Icelandic pancake.
After dinner, head to the well-stocked Rangá Bar, which boasts one of the most extensive whisky collections in Iceland. You’ll also find a good selection of international wines, while signature cocktails include the fruity and smoky Hekla, named for the active volcano that smoulders behind the hotel.
Adventures: Explore Iceland’s Volcanoes and Glaciers
Hotel Rangá offers a number of adventures on-site, from stargazing, salmon fishing on the Rangá River and birdwatching, to soaking in its geothermal riverside hot tubs – a real highlight. However, the hotel also organises a wide range of off-site adventures to help you explore Iceland’s dramatic, otherworldly landscape. So while you’ll need to visit between September and April for a chance to see the Aurora Borealis, there’s plenty to do in Southern Iceland year-round.There are a number of thrilling options when it comes to touring your surroundings. Saddle up an Icelandic horse – a unique breed directly descended from ninth-century Viking ancestors – and ride across black sand beaches, moss-covered lava fields or alongside ethereal waterfalls. Horse riding tours are bespoke, with several different options when it comes to length and location.
Meanwhile, an all-terrain vehicle tour will see you race across the mossy tundra to uncover hidden waterfalls and caves. Or opt for an open-air buggy tour. These two-seater 4x4 vehicles are fully automatic and easy to drive, taking you safely through black sand fields and freshwater streams.
Prefer to do your sightseeing from inside a warm car? Choose the super jeep tour. These vehicles are specially modified for the rugged landscape, meaning they’re able to get to hard-to-reach locations year-round. You can take a super jeep tour to Þórsmörk, a stunning nature reserve, or explore the multicoloured mountains of Landmannalaugar. Alternatively, ride up the Eyjafjallajökull glacier-volcano (a volcano covered by an ice cap) for incredible views of the South Coast.
Want to send your adrenaline rocketing? Why not take a helicopter tour – one of the best ways to experience Iceland. From the cabin, you’ll see truly epic sites, getting a bird’s eye view of glaciers, valleys and volcanoes. You can even land atop the Eyjafjallajökull glacier-volcano, which last erupted in 2010 should you be wondering. Alternatively, board a Piper Navajo aircraft to look upon glacier-volcanoes, black sand beaches, Mount Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull from above.
Another option for seeing the area is to hire a guide for the day, to get off the beaten path and learn from someone with expert local knowledge. A variety of day trips are on offer, from the staggering glacier lagoon to the Westman Islands, where you can hike to the top of Eldfell, a volcano that erupted in 1973.
If hiking on a glacier is on your bucket list, opt for a glacier tour, where a guide will keep you safe as you walk up and down the blue-white ice and journey into spectacular ice caves. If speed is more your thing, hop aboard a snowmobile to zoom across the Eyjafjallajökull or Mýrdalsjökull glaciers, with jaw-dropping views across Iceland’s south coast.
Iceland – the Land of Fire and Ice – is famous for its active, dormant and extinct volcanoes, which you can safely explore on a volcano tour. Venture into lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir to walk in the path of 5,000-year-old lava, or take a trip deep into the Þríhnúkagígur volcano and visit its magma chamber. You can also opt for a cave tour to explore Iceland’s mysterious, human-made caves.
Those who love the water should head to the frosty coastline for whale watching, deep-sea angling or a Rib Safari Tour that speeds through the waves alongside black sand beaches. There are watersports here too, with kayaking and river rafting available.
For a gentler, more relaxing experience, sink into one of the nearby geothermal baths or hot springs. There are local swimming pools in Hella and Hvolsvöllur – just a five-minute drive from the hotel – or you can venture further into the wilderness for a more rustic dip. It's a one-hour drive from the hotel, followed by a one-hour hike to get to the Reykjadalur Hot Spring River, but bathing in this steaming body of water, high in the hills, is more than worth the effort.
Icelandic Summer: Hiking, Golfing and Paragliding Under the Midnight Sun
While the activities outlined above are available year-round, there are a few extra expeditions on offer when the weather warms up in summer. And when the Midnight Sun rises in June and July, and Iceland gets almost 24 hours of light per day, you can indulge in these activities whenever you fancy.There are few more thrilling or picturesque landscapes for keen hikers than rural Iceland – and tours on foot are available between April and October. Walk up the nearby Þríhyrningur Mountain, trek into the rugged highlands or stroll through the stunning Þórsmörk Nature Reserve, which is peppered with spectacular waterfalls.
Summer is also the season for golfing in Iceland. The Midnight Sun means golfers can hit the course at any time, day or night. Strandavöllur Golf Course is just a five-minute drive from the hotel and offers wonderful views of mountains, glaciers and Mount Hekla. It’s also worth visiting the stunning 18-hole golf course, created in 1938, on the Westman Islands.
For a true once-in-a-lifetime adventure, try paragliding in Iceland. No prior experience is necessary – simply strap in with your guide and set off on a magical airborne tour of nearby black sand beaches, moss-covered lava fields and fairy tale waterfalls.
All Hotel Images: © Hotel Ranga
