Northern Lights Tour

Highlights

• Your best chance to see the magical Northern Lights in Iceland!
• Learn everything you need to know about the Aurora Borealis from our knowledgeable guides!
• Enjoy a bucket-list experience, a night you’ll never forget!

Inclusions

• Round-trip transportation with convenient collections/drop-offs
• Professional tour guides with expert knowledge of the Northern Lights
• Free WiFi to keep you connected
• Modern, well-equipped coaches to keep you warm and comfortable

Tour Itinerary

On our expertly guided Northern Lights tours from Reykjavik, you’ll have your best chance to see Iceland's incredible Northern Lights displays. We’ll whisk you away from the bright city lights of Reykjavik and into the remote Icelandic countryside, searching the skies for the Aurora Borealis.

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon triggered by charged particles from the Sun colliding with the Earth’s atmosphere, high up in the heavens.

Seeing them from the ground also requires clear, dark nights, so we’ll need the right weather for a successful Aurora hunt! Our experienced Northern Lights guides will read the weather forecast and pick the right places each night.  

What do you need to do?

After you’ve completed your booking, all you need to do is be ready for collection at the designated location, sit back and relax and enjoy the drive out of the city to the chosen places for aurora hunting. 

Our experienced guides will entertain you with fascinating facts about the Northern Lights and the locations we’re visiting.

As soon as the Aurora Borealis has been spotted, you can witness this magical spectacle in eye-catching surroundings, taking as many photos as you want! 

We’ll help you with your camera or smartphone settings if you need advice.

Why should you book a Northern Lights tour with us?

Iceland is one of the most beautiful places on Earth to see the Northern Lights, with stunning landscapes just a short drive from the city. 

As well as that, Iceland isn’t as built-up as other countries, so it’s much easier to reach secluded areas in complete darkness. That makes a big difference when you’re hunting the Aurora Borealis! 

Our Northern Lights tours have over a decade of experience making the most of this magical phenomenon, discovering the best places to watch the skies dance. 

So, let us do all the driving while you prepare for an experience you’ll never forget. You’ll never have a better opportunity!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What causes the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are generated by unpredictable activity on the Sun, including solar wind, solar flares, and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME). 

Charged particles are flung across the cosmos from the Sun, reaching the Earth’s atmosphere at different speeds, drawn to the magnetic fields around the North and South Poles. 

The solar particles interact with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating tiny bursts of light, which we see as a colorful aurora.

Iceland's long dark winters offer you a fantastic opportunity to see this natural phenomenon yourself!

2. When is the best time to see Northern Lights in Iceland?

The best time of year to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is from late August until late April. The darker the nights, the brighter the lights may appear! 

The optimum time of day for aurora hunting is between 9 pm and 2 am.

Iceland’s nights last longest in December (up to 20 hours of darkness!). When there’s more daylight, the chances will reduce. That makes the Northern Lights a magnet for winter visitors to Iceland! 

Remember that we need clear skies, so we’ll look for cloudless areas around the capital each night to increase your chances of success.  

3. Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights?

This will change minute by minute on each night of the Northern Lights season. 

If the Icelandic skies are clear, you might stand a chance of seeing them from your accommodation in Reykjavík by just looking up! But the light pollution from the street lights will significantly reduce the spectacle. 

When the weather is changeable, clouds will obscure the aurora from sight, so you need to be able to move quickly from one place to the next.

That’s why it’s always best to take an organized tour with our experienced guides, who know the best places outside the city to hunt the clearest and darkest skies for the best view possible! 

4. Are the Northern Lights seen every night?

The Aurora Borealis are a natural phenomenon, so there’s no guarantee of seeing them. A successful Northern Lights tour needs the right weather and certain levels of aurora activity.

This is measured by the Kp index, which indicates when the aurora is most likely to appear. The scale is numbered from 0-9 - the higher the number, the greater the level of solar activity.

With more than a decade of experience, we know how to read the weather forecast and the Kp index to offer you the most excellent chance to see the Northern Lights in Iceland.

5. Where else are the Northern Lights found?

The Aurora Borealis can be seen in a heavenly halo around the Earth’s northern latitudes, across Alaska and Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Scandinavia, and Russia. 

Its southern counterpart, the Aurora Australis, will be seen in a similar band around the Southern Hemisphere in places like Australia, Chile, and Argentina.

6. How long do the Northern Lights last?

“How long will this rain shower last?”. “What time will that rainbow fade away?”. 

If you can answer those questions, you might also know how long a Northern Lights display will last! 

Sometimes the Northern Lights will dance across the sky for hours with a kaleidoscope of colors, including green, white, blue, red, and purple. 

On other nights, the aurora may appear for a few minutes, with ethereal wisps of green creating an eerie glow. 

Nobody knows for sure, which makes this a magical mystery tour for you!

7. Why do the Northern Lights change color?

The Northern Lights are generated by solar particles drawn into the Earth’s magnetic field, where atmospheric reactions charge those particles to generate a glorious range of colors in the sky.

Different gases in the Earth's atmosphere release different light colors depending on their type and height in the atmosphere.

Green is the most common color, appearing about 100 – 240 kilometers above. Blues and violets occur below 100 kilometers. And reds (rarely seen) will be above 240 kilometers.

8. How do I take pictures of the Northern Lights with my smartphone or camera?

Our expert guides will offer helpful technical advice to help you take the best pictures with your cameras and smartphones. 

The latest smartphones have Night Mode options, enabling you to capture fantastic images, even when the aurora is not as visible to the naked eye. 

If you’ve brought a digital camera to Iceland, read the manual in advance so you’re ready to get those perfect pictures! 

Find more FAQ about the Northern Lights here.

Please note

• You need clear weather and confirmed aurora activity to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. We’ll make a decision each day at 5 pm. You can check the tour status on book.grayline.is, contact your hotel or sales office.
• Remember - the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get to see the aurora. But our experienced guides will make the most of every tour, taking you to the best places to maximize your chances!
• This tour is non-refundable. If you don’t experience the Northern Lights, you can rebook another Northern Lights tour for free! Just select REBOOK/CHANGE. The offer is valid for two years from the departure date of your original tour.
• As we chase the aurora, we’ll remember your comfort, too, making stops for restroom breaks when possible.
• All tours include expert aurora-hunting advice given in English.

Pickup points

Not booked your hotel yet? Hotel not listed? Staying with a friend/family?

Don't worry, you can give us that information when you add this item to your cart.

Pickup Info

Please present your electronic travel voucher / ticket at the time of tour departure.

Pick up and drop off
Pick up from hotels, guesthouses and designated bus stops starts 30 minutes before the tour departure time stated on your voucher.

Need assistance?
Call: +3545401313 or e-mail: iceland@grayline.is