TRAVEL THROUGH TIME IN ICELAND
Hopping between two diverging tectonic plates in Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park is one of many primeval highlights on Audley Travel’s tailor-made Northern Lights Winter Break in Iceland. You might also be lucky enough to admire the aurora shimmering above bubbling mud pools and black-sand beaches on the Reykjanes Peninsula. As well as driving the highlights of the Golden Circle (including Gulfoss waterfall and Geysir’s hot-water spouts) and dropping in on the Blue Lagoon in the quieter winter months, you’ll don crampons to trek on the Sólheimajökull glacier surrounded by white-capped volcanoes. Afterwards, return to your hotel’s astronomical observatory to gaze at starlight that began its journey across the cosmos some 2.5 million years ago. Audley Travel (audleytravel.com). Flexible dates; 6 days from £5,495pp, including international flights.
SET SAIL FOR THE WHITE CONTINENT
At the peak of the Antarctic summer, melting ice opens up intriguing routes below the 66th parallel south. For expedition ships such as the MS , it’s an invitation to explore further. The cruise with HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions), departing Ushuaia, sets its compass for remote Marguerite Bay on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, where the ship will hop between islands, allowing you to venture onto land and kayak among giant icebergs (conditions permitting). In between spotting krill-gulping ().
