Advice for Travellers Booking a Northern Lights Iceland Holiday

The Northern Lights are among the most famous natural phenomena in the world and getting a first-hand view of the Aurora Borealis and its magical light patterns swirling around the earth’s atmosphere is on many travellers’ bucket lists.

Iceland, a beautiful and awe-inspiring country, is also one of the top travel destinations in and around the Arctic Circle, where you can explore the countryside and historic cities, try activities such as swimming in hot springs and glacier hiking, and see volcanos, geysers, and crashing waterfalls alongside the lights.

The Baltic Travel Company experts have collated some guidance to ensure you understand how best to see the Aurora, including the right times of the year to travel, some of our popular Icelandic Northern Lights packages, overnight excursions and trips, and why the weather patterns can influence your experience.

Tips to Maximise Your Chance of an Unforgettable Aurora Experience

Picking the right time to travel to Iceland is key if you have your heart set on seeing the Aurora Borealis. The lights are visible to some extent throughout the period between September and early May, but the brighter the sunlight and the closer to spring it is, the less distinct and clear the lights will be.

For example, travelling to Iceland during the midnight sun season, which lasts from May until around July, means there is very little likelihood you’ll see the lights. In this part of the year, Iceland experiences 24-hour daylight, which, while enjoyable and an unusual experience, doesn’t provide the right conditions for you to see the Aurora.

The official Northern Lights season begins in October and lasts until March when the days are shorter and darker, and the night sky is visible for longer, making it a peak time for viewing.

Much depends on the weather and Aurora forecast, but guides often feel that the Winter Solstice, which falls on 21st December, is the optimal opportunity, with roughly 20 hours of darkness every day.

We’d suggest booking an Iceland holiday with a specific Northern Lights hunt, tour or trip since a guide is the foremost source of advice who can check the weather, cloud cover and conditions and recommend the evening or night during your holiday when you’ll have the best chance to see the lights.

If you’ve chosen a holiday in Iceland that is primarily city-based, it is well worth scheduling a boat ride away from the light pollution or a guided tour into the wilderness since even if the lights are slightly visible within the city, the view further out will be incomparable.

Unusual and Unique Places to See the Northern Lights in Iceland

The ideal way to get an uninterrupted view of the Northern Lights is to travel as far from the cities as possible. We have some incredible opportunities to stay in special, once-in-a-lifetime accommodation to make the most of your Iceland holiday.

While guided excursions and Northern Lights hunts are always great fun, you could consider the following:

• Heading on a romantic evening or nighttime boat tour, seeing the vast open night skies and a clear view of any Auroral activity.
• Private Aurora hunts with a local guide, stopping along the way for refreshments and photos of your excursion.
• Heading to a glamping area or woodland lodge in the winter countryside, miles away from anything that could impact your view.

We’d also recommend heading to some of the many stunning natural sights in Iceland to watch the lights dancing in the evening and night sky, including Ásbyrgi Canyon in Northern Iceland, Kirkjufell Mountain to the west and Thingvellir National Park down to the south.

Some areas in Iceland have particularly good viewing conditions for most of the winter. Although remote locations in the north are good, other spots include those close to the Vatnajökull Glacier, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and the black sand beaches that characterise the area.

Even if you aren’t a keen photographer, it’s a great idea to pack a good camera or ensure your phone is fully charged with plenty of storage capacity before you begin a Northern Lights tour. Many people see the lights only once or twice, and it’s not something you’ll want to forget!

Your guide will often be happy to assist and offer tips to ensure you get a great shot with your loved ones or travelling companions as a keepsake.

Choosing Your Perfect Iceland Northern Lights Trip

Our Icelandic Northern Lights packages are put together to ensure you get to experience all that the land of fire and ice has to offer. These tours include knowledgeable local guides, many of whom use the Northern Lights forecast from Iceland’s Met Office to monitor viewing conditions up to three days in advance.

Some of the most popular holidays to see the Northern Lights in Iceland include:

• Nature and Northern Lights Short Break: Spend five days in Iceland visiting the hot springs, the roaring Gullfoss Waterfall, black lava beaches, and the Blue Lagoon, and touring the Golden Circle to see the Northern Lights in all their glory.
• The Land of Northern Lights: A five-day trip to South Iceland, taking in the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, the Blue Lagoon and a glacier hike along with an excursion to the Reykjanes Peninsula where you’ll get an uninterrupted of the Aurora Borealis.
• Northern Light, Volcanoes and Glacier Lagoon: A winter trip around the Golden Circle, encompassing the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, smoking geysers and the famous waterfall at Hvítárgljúfur Canyon, where you’ll head on a Northern Lights tour from Reykjavik into the Auroral Oval.

We often make special provisions in case the weather patterns or cloud cover make the Aurora difficult to see on your selected travel dates, with a complimentary tour the following day where timings allow.

You’ll find this information and much more in our comprehensive travel itineraries, including the dates and airports from which to select your return flights and airport transfers and all the meals and excursions provided. You can also get in touch with the Baltic Travel Company team at any time for further details about any Iceland Northern Lights holidays.