Northern lights tour in Iceland: what to expect, step by step

What an aurora hunt night is really like: the pickup, a route that changes every night, the waiting, the photos, and what to wear so you actually enjoy it.

On a northern lights tour in Iceland we pick you up in Reykjavík after dark, drive away from the city lights towards wherever the cloud and solar forecasts look best, wait outside with something hot in your hands, and bring you back. It takes 4 to 5 hours. What nobody can tell you in advance is what the sky will do, and that is exactly why this post exists: so you know what to expect from the night even when no one knows what to expect from the aurora.

Here is how it works, step by step, on our Northern Lights with Friends outing.

Before we leave: how the route is chosen

Every night is different. The guide picks the destination in real time from two things: the cloud forecast and the solar activity. There is no fixed viewpoint we always drive to. If the sky is open in one direction, that is where we go. If you want to understand those maps yourself, we walk through them in our guide to the northern lights in Iceland.

For you, in practice, it means one thing: you will not know the exact destination until that night, and that is a good sign, not a bad one.

The night, step by step

1. Pickup in Reykjavík. We collect you in the city. Come already dressed in all your warm layers; changing on a dark, windy roadside is no fun.
2. Out towards dark-sky areas. The drive can be short or fairly long, depending on where the clear patches are. There is WiFi on board and the guide explains what we are looking for and why.
3. Time to watch and photograph. This is the heart of the night. We stop, switch off the lights and look up, mostly north. Sometimes the aurora shows up quickly; sometimes it takes waiting, moving, and patience. There is hot chocolate, coffee or tea and a snack to make the wait easier.
4. Photos. The guide helps you set up your phone or camera for the aurora, and when conditions allow we take souvenir photos of the group.
5. Back to Reykjavík. We return to the city at the end of the night.

What you will see (and what you might not)

To be straight with you: the aurora to the naked eye is not always what you see in photos. A faint one looks like a whitish or pale green arc, and the camera makes it far greener. A strong one needs no camera at all: it moves, changes shape, and sometimes shows pink at the edges.

It can also happen that we go out and the clouds never break. That is why our tour has a clear rule: if we don't see the aurora on the first outing, the second one the next night is free. Book it on one of your first free nights, not your last, so that second chance is actually usable.

What to wear: the list that works

Warm clothing is not included, so come prepared. This is the same list on the tour page, with our notes:

For the full packing list for the whole trip, see what to pack for Iceland in winter.

Practical tips for the night

• Turn your screen brightness down and avoid your phone torch. Eyes take several minutes to adjust to the dark, and one flash resets them.
• Look with your eyes first. The photo can wait a minute; the moment the aurora flares up cannot.
• Eat before you go. It is a long night and the snack is a treat, not dinner.
• Nap in the afternoon if you have an early tour the next morning.
• Don't obsess over the KP index. With a clear sky, moderate activity is often enough in Iceland. Clouds matter more.

Price and booking

The tour costs €99 per person. Reserve for free and pay 48 hours before. The season runs from 1 September to 15 April. Change and cancellation terms are in our FAQ, and every other trip is on all tours.

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