Nine days of Nordic midwinter. The week opens with fireworks over the Oslofjord and closes at an Icelandic bonfire.
In early January the sun is up for about six hours in Oslo and four and a half in Iceland. We lean into it. Days are for saunas, cold plunges, waterfalls and long lunches. Nights are for dinners, rituals and looking up.
We stay in two thermal houses. The Well, Scandinavia's largest spa, is an adults-only retreat in the forest 15 minutes from Oslo. Reykjaböð is a hot-spring bathhouse that opened this autumn at the mouth of Iceland's hot-river valley.
Four nights at The Well in Kolbotn. It has hamams, a Japanese bath house, sauna rituals, and a pool you can float in while snow falls outside.
Flights land through the afternoon. Make your own way from Oslo Airport to the forest; we'll send the best train and taxi options. By the time it's dark, which is 3:21 pm, you're in the water.
Spend the day in the spa. The sauna masters run aufguss rituals all afternoon: towels, essential oils and heat that builds in waves.
Pick your morning:
Stay in. The spa opens at 10:00.
It starts with our own long table: champagne and a candlelit dinner for the group. A DJ and live music carry us toward midnight, then we step onto the terrace for the countdown while fireworks go up across Oslo. When the crowd thins out, the night is ours again. The sun doesn’t rise until 9:18.
At midnight, all of Oslo sets off fireworks at once, and every hill and window across the fjord lights up.
1 January is a public holiday and the city is quiet, so we stay in the forest. We begin together with the First Fire: a gentle host-led winter walk, hot coffee and pastries, and a reset for the year ahead. The rest of the day is open for the forest sauna, pools and lounges.
We go into Oslo by the waterfront: a slow morning at the Opera roof and the harbour, then the afternoon on the water.
Pick your morning:
MUNCH, the museum on the fjord, with The Scream and twelve floors of Munch.
Two private sauna boats, just our group, take us out onto the Oslofjord. The boats sail while you sweat. We drop anchor in a quiet bay and jump straight into the winter sea, then climb back into the heat and watch the sun go down from the deck.
Chilled bubbles and Norwegian open sandwiches wait on board for between rounds.
We fly from Oslo to Keflavík, then cross the lava fields to Hveragerði, about an hour's drive. Make your own way; we'll share the best options. The sun comes up two hours later and sets at about the same time.
Four nights at the Hot Springs Lodges beside Reykjaböð in Hveragerði. The hot-spring river runs through the valley above, and the Golden Circle is up the road.
It's already dark when we arrive. Drop your bags at the lodge and walk down to the springs, where water from the valley's hot river fills the pools.
Reykjaböð hot springs from above (venue rendering).
For four nights home is the Hot Springs Lodges by The Greenhouse, just across from Reykjaböð. Timber cabins sit in the moss with a deck each, and the springs are a short walk away.
The lodges in summer (venue rendering).
A private van takes us to Þingvellir, where two tectonic plates pull apart, then to the Geysir field and Gullfoss half-frozen in its gorge. Lunch is tomato soup inside the Friðheimar greenhouse.
The classic loop with lunch at Friðheimar. Back by dark.
January has the longest nights of the year, and there are no city lights out here. A guide watches the forecast, and on the clearest night of our stay a private van takes just our group to the darkest spots nearby. Dinner beforehand is à la carte.
The Nordic bathhouse at Reykjaböð has ten spaces built around contrasts: hot, cold, loud, silent. Spend a slow morning there (entry à la carte), then pick your afternoon. In the evening we all go into Reykjavík together.
Hike 3 km up Reykjadalur to bathe in the hot river itself. Ice cleats provided.
6 January is Þrettándinn, the thirteenth day of Christmas. Icelandic towns see the season out with torch parades, fireworks and huge bonfires, and the elves are said to move house that night.
We start the evening together at the springs and the bathhouse, with heat, cold plunges and the steam rising into the dark. Then we drive 15 minutes to the bonfire in Selfoss.
Before the airport, we gather once more for the Last Fire: a closing breakfast and hosted circle, then one last dip. Make your own way to Keflavík; we'll share the best options. You'll go home with a group chat full of people you now know well.
The trip is designed as one story, and the full week is the way to see it. If you can only make one leg, join for Oslo or for Iceland. Book all-in with a room, or take the Trip Pass, which covers every experience, and book your own bed. If you'd like to bring your craft to the week, apply for a Community Pass.
Stay where it all happens. Wake up in the spa.
Early pricing until 28 October · then $5,250–6,600 shared, $8,900–9,450 private
*Flights and airport transfers not included. Room prices are estimates until booked.
Request an invitationOne price covers every group experience of the week: the group dinners, New Year’s Eve, the saunas and the days out. You only book your own bed, flights and airport transfers.
Early pricing until 28 October · then $3,600
Optional add-on: The Well spa day pass, $100 · $85 on 1 Jan
*Lodging, flights and airport transfers not included.
Request an invitationFor people who belong on this trip and bring something to it. You pay a reduced fee that covers the shared moments, and in return you help make the week. A few places, by application.
*Lodging, flights and airport transfers not included.
Request an invitationFour group dinners are included across the week: two with wine (New Year’s Eve and the 6 January farewell) and two where dinner is included and drinks are on you (the Oslo welcome and Reykjavík night). Other meals are à la carte. Flights are never included, and airport transfers are yours to arrange; we’ll recommend options. Prices are in US dollars, per person. Once you're selected, a deposit holds your place. Room prices are estimates and are confirmed when you book.
Every guest is hand-selected, members included. Choosing who's in the room is part of the planning. Already a Dani member? Verify your phone and request your spot in a minute. New to Dani? You'll apply first, and we reply within a week.
Opens in a new tab. Members request their spot directly; everyone else starts with the Dani application. Every request is reviewed personally. Once you're selected, we confirm your leg, your pass and your room with you, including Community Pass requests.