Northern Lights in Iceland: Everything You Need to Know

If there is one thing not to miss during your trip to Iceland, it is the northern lights in Iceland. In this article, you will learn everything about the northern lights in Iceland.

Northern Lights Iceland: When, What and How?

If you don’t know what it is, here is what a northern light is: a video filmed in 2010 that I retrieved from Vimeo.

Aurora Borealis – Iceland 2010 from O Z Z O Photography on Vimeo.

The auroras are a miracle of nature. It is a phenomenon that occurs at both poles, there are several polar auroras: the northern lights and the southern lights

Period for northern lights in Iceland:

The northern lights or aurora borealis in Latin actually come from a solar explosion or solar eruption that follows the solar wind. Their color comes from the encounter of these explosions with the Earth’s atmosphere (or Earth’s magnetic field) to simplify.

The best period to go see the northern lights is between November and April because it is during this time of year that there is less sun in Iceland.

To clearly see the northern lights, you need a clear sky (no clouds), to be at the right time of year, and also to be in total darkness.

It is only possible to see these auroras at the poles (Arctic and Antarctic) because these are areas more conducive to polar auroras.

By definition, one can observe a northern light in the Northern Hemisphere (near the North Pole) and a southern light in the Southern Hemisphere (near the South Pole).

Month	Probability	Night Hours
September	Good	~10h
October	Very good	~13h
November-December	Excellent	~18h
January-February	Excellent	~17h
March	Very good	~12h

How does it work to see the northern lights?

There are several options to see the northern lights in Iceland:

• you can rent your own car and go to certain spots where you will have the best chance to observe the northern lights of the polar circle.
• Take a tour from a city: Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital, most people depart from this city.

You leave between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. in search of these northern lights and it usually lasts 3 hours if you get the chance to see them.

It is a unique and rare experience of its kind and if you are in Iceland at the right time, you absolutely must go see the northern lights.

It is one of the most magnificent natural spectacles I have seen.

Here is the link to check if the weather conditions of solar and magnetic activity are optimal to see a northern light: http://en.vedur.is/. The site is in English.

You need to get out of the cities and avoid light pollution to be in a dark place without light. I recommend taking an agency because you need to know the right places to go to see them. Alone, it can take you several nights to find the right spots.

What you need to know about the northern lights in Iceland:

It is not guaranteed to admire northern lights in the sky, some agencies have lower prices but since you are not guaranteed to see one, you might pay for a second session.

I know a tour agency that offers you a second free session if you did not see one the first time. Here is the link.

It is better to take an agency that guarantees you a second free time if you did not see one the first time.

Although many agencies offer this service, I recommend booking because during certain times of the year, the good agencies are taken by storm.

With the agency I chose for you, you can cancel 24 hours before departure and get a full refund.

Did you see the video above? What you will see is not as beautiful as in the video because the capture on the video is taken over a long duration and is done by professionals.

What you will see will be magnificent but it looks more like a small thick luminous flow like a purple cloud up to a green contrast in the sky.

Here is what I was able to photograph after midnight.

Where to see the northern lights in Iceland:

You can see the visible spectacle of the northern lights in Lapland, in Northern Europe, in Northern Canada (Nunavut or Yellowknife or Whitehorse in Yukon), in Alaska and in Russia (in the Tundra or Siberia).

One of the best places to see the northern lights phenomenon is Iceland because it is much more convenient, you don’t have to travel too long, you have to take two planes to go to Lapland for example.

What to do in Iceland? I tell you everything!

I wrote another article for you on what to do in Iceland? if you stay 3 days or a weekend.

I wrote another article on activities to do in Iceland: for example hiking, going to see geysers, swimming in a tectonic fissure, or seeing the glacial landscape, etc.

There are many activities to do in Iceland, if you like hiking, you will be delighted but hiking activities are rather done in summer. I recommend the “Golden Circle” region? Lake Myvatn, the Blue Lagoon (hot springs), .

My testimony on the northern lights in Iceland

I went to Iceland in 2011 for 3 days, I had booked an agency before my departure to Iceland.

We were picked up at our hostel to start the excursions.

We went to a quiet place with a special atmosphere (darkness and calm) to admire the northern lights.

The guide we had was very nice and very dynamic, he explained a lot about the northern lights (many guides are not like that but you have to find the right one).

We were taken next to a national park whose name I no longer remember.

We were in complete darkness and with a clear sky.

It was then, after 10-15 minutes, that we were able to see the northern lights for the first time in our lives! It was amazing.

Other readings that follow the same logic: our review on Iceland in 3 which sets the tone, the practical guide on Iceland land of for concrete details, and finally visiting Costa if you want to extend the reflection.

At first, it was a small beam of light that gradually grew, you could see the color from green to violet.

You can also read my review of Iceland here. If you want more information about Iceland, it’s here.

I have quite a few photos but this one has the best rendering: It’s not exactly like in the video 😀 because you need a tripod.

Other places where you can see polar auroras?

You can see this light phenomenon in certain places around the globe in the far north such as:

• In Finnish Lapland,
• In Greenland,
• In the Arctic,
• In Norway, starting from the Lofoten region
• In Swedish Lapland, in the northern part of Sweden,

Other activities in these Nordic country regions:

• Dog sledding
• Whale watching
• Hiking to see a volcano with a guide or the icebergs
• Geysers of the Golden Circle route
• Seeing puffins on the Icelandic coasts

It’s beautiful, the northern lights in Iceland, isn’t it?

And you? Did you like the northern lights? Are you planning to go see them soon?