How to See the Northern Lights in Iceland.

Iceland is well known for being one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights.  Seeing them is a must-do item for most Iceland visitors. But how do you go about this task?

In this guide I’ll give you all you need to know about how to see the Northern Lights in Iceland – how to chase (and find!) them on your own, how to capture them in your photos, and what tours are available if you’d rather leave the chasing to an expert guide!

But first – let’s go over some basics!

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What are the Northern Lights?

Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, form when charged particles from the sun, generated most often by solar flares (solar storms) are carried toward the surface of the Earth by the solar wind. When they hit the Earth’s magnetic field, they release their energy and, as a result, glow in different colors.

Northern Lights are usually green and/or pink.

Best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland

The best time of year to see the Northern Lights is in the winter months, usually from September to March, maybe early April.

Please remember that it is a natural phenomenon and there is never a guarantee that even if you plan your visit in those “Aurora prime” months you WILL see the lights.

If you’re very lucky you may have a chance to see them in late August, but it’s rather unlikely. We’ve been to Iceland twice in August and weren’t able to spot them, but I do know of people who did. Again, it’s nature and a bit of a lottery!

Where to see the Northern Lights in Iceland?

The short answer is everywhere! Being so close to the Arctic Circle, the whole country of Iceland is great for Northern Lights viewing.

Later in this post, I’ll list the conditions that need to be met to greatly increase your chances of seeing Aurora.

As a general rule, more remote locations, outside urban areas are considered best spots for Northern Lights viewing. Some popular spots on the Ring Road include the black sand beaches of the South Coast, Thingvellir National Park on the Golden Circle, and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.

Please keep in mind – as the Northern Lights season falls in the winter months, always check the weather forecast and road conditions before you embark even on a short drive. Safety first! If you’re not used to driving in the dark (rural roads in Iceland are not lit up at night) and/or snow, it may be a good idea to book a guided tour (more about tours later in this article).

Can you see the Northern Lights in Reykjavik?

Yes! There is one particular location just outside the downtown area that is well-known as the perfect spot for Northern Lights viewing. It’s the Grótta Lighthouse on the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula.

Read more about it in this Reykjavik guide!

Three things you need to see the Northern Lights:

1. High solar activity

The solar activity is tracked as the KP index with the range from 0 to 9.

The higher the number, the more activity is happening and the better your chances of seeing the lights. Generally, a KP index of 3 or above is considered good and indicates that you’re likely to see Aurora. 

2. Clear skies

Clear night sky is a must – you will not see the lights on a cloudy day, you need to be able to see the stars.

3. Darkness or at least as little light pollution as possible

Low light pollution is a good rule although not as crucial as the previous two. Of course, it is best to get away from the city lights, however, I have seen my best Aurora show while walking from the car rental return to the Keflavik airport terminal to catch my red-eye flight back home! Talk about light pollution there! 

In fact, they were so strong that I was able to record a video without a night mode on – you could see everything just by looking at the sky!

Watch the video here:

And of course, you need to be prepared to stay up late! And patiently wait for the show!

How to track the Northern Lights?

During my recent trip in September, I found two things to be very helpful in tracking the Northern Lights:

Icelandic Meteorological Office

The Icelandic Meteorological Office website and the phone app give you the Northern Lights Forecast, including the KP index and the cloud coverage for a few days ahead.

Keep checking it often as the weather in Iceland changes often!

Sometimes the website version is a little easier to read than the app. Just type in: “Vedur Aurora Forecast” and you should get this handy map:

You want your area to be in the white, green indicates higher cloud coverage.

2. “My Aurora Forecast” app

Now, there are MANY AURORA TRACKING APPS! They are probably all very good, too. I just happened to like this one and it worked for me very well.

What it gives you is real-time live updates regarding your chances of seeing the Northern Lights in your location.

Make sure you have location services enabled on your phone. 

This app will give you the KP index, cloud cover, viewing probability, and – my favorite feature – “best locations right now”, which will also lists Aurora sightings reported by app users around you.

That’s how I knew to go out and try to spot them when we were staying in Selfoss – someone just reported seeing them in Hella, a nearby town. 

We drove a bit out of town, towards the Selfoss golf course, and saw our first-ever Northern Lights!

Photographing the Northern Lights  

Full disclaimer – I do not own a professional camera so I can’t give you any instructions here regarding equipment, settings etc.

I can, however, give you advice on how to capture the Northern Lights using just your phone.

First of all, if the KP index is on the lower end, you may not be able to see the light in full color in the sky, in fact you may not see them with your naked eye at all! What you will see may look like glowing, moving, sometimes very faint white shadows. 

If that’s the case, look at the sky through your phone camera and you’ll find them that way.

Make sure to set your camera to night mode and maximum exposure.

Keep your hand steady when taking the picture and be patient – it will take longer to capture the image!

Helpful hint: Use a tripod to keep your camera from moving. If you’re cold, your hand will shake and you’ll get a blurry picture.

Guess how I know that? We were so cold and unprepared that first night (we left the apartment so quick, sooo excited that we didn’t take gloves or a tripod!). This is the picture we got:

What if you don’t see them?

As I mentioned earlier, there is no guarantee of seeing the lights even in the most promising conditions.

So you can just try another night, or a little later the same night. If you’ve taken a tour, most operators will invite you to join another tour at no cost if there was no viewing (more on tours below).

If you don’t have the time in your itinerary or the weather doesn’t cooperate during your trip, you can always see the next best thing – the Áróra Planetarium Show at Perlan Museum in Reykjavik. It’s amazing and quite close to the real thing!

Northern Lights tours

There are so many choices when it comes to the Northern Lights! Here are some good options of tours departing from Reykjavik:

Bus/minibus tours:

• Northern Lights Tour with Lifetime Guarantee – you can reschedule for free if you don’t see the lights during your tour.
• Northern Lights Tour with Hot Cocoa & Photos – this is a minibus tour with some extra treats.
• Aurora Minibus w/ Pro Photos & Unlimited Retries – you get to wear traditional Viking outfits for photos during this tour!

Boat tours:

All boat tours last about 2-2.5 hours.

• Northern Lights Sightseeing Cruise – a cruise on a whale-watching boat.
• Northern Lights Guided Boat Tour with Photos – your tour photos are included in the price.
• Northern Lights Motor Yacht Cruise – a smaller group tour.

I hope this article showed you that it’s not too difficult to track the Northern Lights on your own, and really easy to book a tour if chasing is not your thing.

Helpful tip: don’t schedule your entire trip around the Northern Lights viewing. While it is a bucket list item for most of us, you’ll miss out on so many other amazing places you can see in Iceland! Get some inspiration here!

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• 6-day Iceland Itinerary (How to See the Best of Iceland in a Short Time)
• Golden Circle in One Day – Full Guide to the Main Stops and Best Detours.
• Snæfellsnes Peninsula – A Complete Guide and Top Things to See.
• Reykjadalur Valley – a beautiful hike to a hot river (+ tips for the best experience)
• 30 Best Things to Do in Reykjavik, Iceland.
• How to Visit Glaciers in Iceland – Need to Know Facts, Safety Tips and Best Tours.
• 8 Best Things to do Around Lake Mývatn – a Complete Travel Guide.
• Friðheimar Tomato Farm – a Unique Dining Experience in Iceland.
• Möðrudalur – a Complete Guide to the Most Charming Farm in Iceland.

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