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Northern lights tours in Iceland take you away from Reykjavik's city lights to areas with darker skies. Most tours depart in the evening, last 2 to 5 hours, and include hotel pick-up.
Popular options include bus tours, small-group tours, Super Jeep tours, boat tours, and private tours. Multi-day tours and northern lights packages combine aurora hunting with daytime sightseeing, ice caving, hot springs, and other attractions.
Most northern lights tours in Iceland run from September to April, and some bus tours start in late August. Many of these tours offer a free retry on another night if you don't see the northern lights.
The northern lights ranked second among Iceland's top experiences in a 2026 survey of tourism professionals. Solar Cycle 25 peaked in 2024 and 2025, and solar activity often stays high for a year or two after a solar maximum.
The best northern lights tours in Iceland combine experienced guides, weather and aurora forecasts, and the flexibility to find clearer, darker skies. Many tours also include free rebooking if the aurora does not appear.
Reykjavik is the main starting point for northern lights tours in Iceland. Guides check the aurora forecast and the cloud forecast each night and look for the clearest skies near the city. Most tours from Reykjavik include pick-up and last 2 to 5 hours, while combo tours last longer.
Northern lights tours in North Iceland start in Akureyri and drive into the dark countryside around Eyjafjordur Fjord. They are a practical choice if you are staying in Akureyri or exploring Lake Myvatn and want a guide to handle the driving, forecasts, and search for clear skies.
The best multi-day northern lights tours in Iceland give you several nights in the dark countryside, which raises your chances of seeing the aurora. Guided multi-day tours in Iceland last 2 to 8 days and include transport and accommodation, with winter tours often adding ice caves and other seasonal experiences.
The best northern lights vacation packages in Iceland combine Reykjavik accommodation, guided sightseeing, and northern lights tours into one planned trip. They are ideal for travelers who want to see Iceland without arranging each tour separately, with airport transfers and accommodation included.
The best winter self-drive tours in Iceland give you the freedom to choose when and where to look for the aurora each night. They are best for confident winter drivers who want to explore at their own pace, with a rental car, accommodation, insurance, unlimited mileage, and a detailed itinerary included.
Choose a bus tour from Reykjavik if you want the most affordable northern lights tour. For smaller groups, photography help, and access to more remote locations, choose a small-group or Super Jeep tour.
If you have limited time, a northern lights boat tour from Reykjavik Harbor offers a shorter option. For better chances of seeing the aurora, choose a multi-day tour or vacation package, which gives you several nights to hunt instead of one evening.
The best time to see the northern lights in Iceland is from mid-September to early April, when darkness returns and nights are long. Peak aurora viewing hours are generally from 9 PM to 2 AM, though the exact timing shifts with the seasons.
Within that season, our study of the best month to see the northern lights in Iceland found the strongest windows are late February through March and October through November. March pairs the year's highest aurora activity with long enough nights and clearer skies, and October offers more hours of strong aurora after dark than any other month.
If budget is the deciding factor, January is the cheapest month for a northern lights trip, followed by November. Our study on the cheapest time to visit Iceland finds 115 of 119 aurora tours bookable in January and 112 in November, so November gives you a strong activity window at close to the lowest trip cost.
What many travelers don't realize is that the aurora is actually active year-round and can appear at any time of day, as it's a constant atmospheric phenomenon. In Iceland, you can only see it during the darker months, since from late April to mid-August, the bright summer nights and midnight sun make sightings impossible.
Because the aurora depends on both solar activity and clear skies, it is wise to build at least five nights during aurora season into your trip to Iceland. An overcast spell can last several nights, so a longer stay gives you more chances.
You can see the northern lights anywhere in Iceland when the sky is dark and clear. Our study of Iceland's clearest skies found the clearest winter skies on the southeast coast, from Kirkjubaejarklaustur to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Hofn. This is why many multi-day northern lights tours spend a night or two on the South Coast.
The northern lights are sometimes visible even from Reykjavik despite the glow of the city. Knowing the best places to see the northern lights in Reykjavik, such as Grotta Lighthouse or Oskjuhlid Hill, can improve your chances on clear nights.
Going out to look for the northern lights in Iceland is easy. Follow these five steps to give yourself the best chance of seeing the aurora borealis during your trip:
If you're traveling independently, you can use tools like the Icelandic northern lights forecast or Norwegian aurora forecast to see the estimated solar activity. Three key things to check are the Kp index, the cloud cover, and the wind.
A bright full moon can wash out faint auroras, so new-moon periods and the hours after a moonset will give the darkest sky for viewing and photography. Auroras also tend to come in pulses. Even on a slow night, it is worth waiting outside for at least an hour so your eyes can fully adjust to the dark.
Learn more in our ultimate guide to the northern lights in Iceland.
No northern lights tour in Iceland can guarantee a sighting, because the aurora depends on solar activity and clear skies. Book your northern lights tour early in your trip, so you have time to use a free retry.
Dress for long waits in the cold on a northern lights tour in Iceland. Wear thermal layers, a warm jacket, a hat, gloves, and sturdy boots, and bring a power bank because the cold drains phone batteries.
Stay in one of the northern lights hotels in Iceland for darker skies, or one of the hotels in Reykjavik for easy tour pick-up. You can also rent a car and look for the northern lights on your own.
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