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stronomical night (that is, one that is completely dark), lasting at least 4 hours, in Iceland occurs from mid-September till end of March. That defines the main ‘aurora season’.
The aurora borealis (or northern lights) is a spectacular phenomenon and certainly one of the top reasons for visiting Iceland in winter. This article gives comprehensive advise on how to see this amazing spectacle.
Summary
If you are looking for simple and clear advice on how to help yourself see the aurora borealis – this summary is for you. However, if you want to understand what the advice is based on, how you can organize your trip differently and what you need to take into account when going to see the aurora – we encourage you to read the entire article.
In the article, you will also find specific places to go to see the aurora, as well as some hotels particularly geared to help you see it.
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Can seeing the aurora borealis be guaranteed?
No, it is impossible to guarantee spotting the northern lights. Aurora hunting is almost a lottery. It is influenced by many contradictory factors that cannot be predicted more than 2-3 days in advance. With proper preparation, you have a good chance (though not a certainty) of seeing some aurora. But seeing a large and strong aurora requires luck as well.
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How can I increase my chances of seeing the Northern Lights?
With the unpredictable weather in Iceland and the aurora forecasts being highly unreliable, hunting aurora is more luck than skill. However, from our experience as tourists hunting the aurora, these are the top important factors:
1. be there in winter;
2. stay for as many nights as you can (7 is a lot, lot better than 3);
3. each night (regardless of the forecasts!) wake up every 2-3 hours, go outside and look to the sky (don’t trust your window view – step outside the building and have a proper look around);
4. or alternatively to p. 3: stay at a hotel with ‘aurora alerts’ (see examples below); -
Is this decade a good time to see northern lights?
Yes, between 2022 and 2026 the Sun is in a period of high activity, so large and beautiful auroras will happen relatively often.
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Which month is best to see aurora borealis in Iceland?
Northern lights are a year-round phenomena, but you need dark skies to actually see it. For this reason the aurora season in Iceland lasts from September to April, when the nights are not too short. In our opinion, February and March are the best months for hunting the northern lights in Iceland. October is also a good choice. Later in the article we describe why this is so.
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Does a trip to see the aurora need to be organized at the last minute, or can it be booked more in advance?
With regards to local aurora hunting tours: you can book them last minute. And that’s the best option, because you can do it when/if the weather forecast is good (cloudless) and the aurora forecast is strong (KP 4 or higher).
With regards to a whole trip to Iceland, where the key objective would be to see the northern lights, you’d have to do that on a 3-day notice, if you want to increase your chances significantly. Follow the 3-day aurora forecasts (see which ones are they below) and organise your trip accordingly.
Obviously organising a whole trip on a 3-day notice is difficult and usually expensive. So you might want to book in advance, but increase your chances of seeing the aurora by extending the duration of your trip. If you spend about a week in Iceland, you have a really good chance of seeing the aurora at least once (although it won’t necessarily be the biggest “specimen”). This way you also have ample time to see all other attractions of wintery Iceland (see: Winter trip to Iceland – a Complete Guide).
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Which forecasts to follow when planning an aurora trip?
Unfortunately, only the 30-minute (sic!) aurora forecast is accurate, and we have to treat the 3-day and 30-day forecasts somewhat indicatively.
However, it is worth planning a trip at a time when the moon is new. Lunar calendars are accurate and reliable. You can find links to the forecasts and a discussion of how they work in the article.
There’s also information on the general weather forecasts that are most reliable.
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Where in Iceland can you see the aurora? Where is the best place to hunt for it?
If the aurora is weak, it is best seen in the Northern Iceland. But if the aurora is medium or strong, it can be seen very well from all over the island. We recommend looking for the aurora north of Borgarnes (so also north of Reykjavik), but this is not a prerequisite.
In the article below you’ll find a map of some really good parking lots and viewing areas in different parts of Iceland worth going to for night hunting, as well as some hotels where you could stay overnight for this purpose (if your budget allows).
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When, at what time of day/night, is the best time to look for the aurora borealis?
Statistically, the aurora is strongest near midnight – between 10 PM and 2 AM, but it can be seen throughout the night. The morning aurora (and evening aurora) has an additional beautiful blue “plume”.
City lights (and buildings!) might obstruct the view, but in reality if the aurora is at least medium strength, it can easily be seen from inside Reykjavik, too.
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What sites and apps help you see the aurora borealis?
The top ones we recommend are the aurora forecast subpage on vedur.is and the ‘hello aurora’ app (see details below).
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What’s the difference between Aurora Borealis and the Northern Lights?
There is none. It’s two names for one and the same thing. The same phenomenon happening in the southern hemisphere will be called Aurora Australis and the Southern Lights. Still the same thing, just near the other pole.
We provide a detailed explanation and elaboration of each of these points in the article below – we encourage you to read it.
If you’d like to learn more about what an aurora is in general, where it comes from, how it works, what colors it can have and why; what the KP index means; and how magnetic storm forecasts are made, we’ve compiled comprehensive information in this area in a separate article: Aurora Borealis – a Scientific Perspective.
Photos of the aurora borealis in Iceland
Which month is the best to see the aurora in Iceland
Unfortunately, there are several opposing factors that affect when is the best time to see the aurora borealis. Long-term aurora forecasts won’t help us either, as they are inaccurate and unreliable.
In principle, when planning a trip, you need to balance when there is the best chance for the aurora to happen with when is the best chance for many hours of cloudless skies. Obviously you won’t see the aurora if it happens above a thick cloud cover.
Bare in mind that a weak aurora can be seen almost always – even when the KP index (indicating the strength of the solar wind forming the aurora) is at zero. That’s just how the KP index works. So extending your stay in Iceland and looking to the skies every night, and every couple of hours each night, greatly increases your chances of seeing the northern lights.
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stronomical night (that is, one that is completely dark), lasting at least 4 hours, in Iceland occurs from mid-September till end of March. That defines the main ‘aurora season’.
To pinpoint the best month to see the aurora, we need to briefly discuss when the biggest magnetic storms occur and when Iceland has the best cloudless weather. So let’s take a look at these two issues.
When do the best auroras happen
The aurora borealis phenomenon itself occurs – with varying strength – basically constantly, throughout the year.
The frequency of strong magnetic storms of interest depends on solar activity (the number of eruptions and ‘spots’ on the Sun), which is currently on the rise, but it’s not related to months or seasons.
Theminimum of activity in the current Sun cycle fell in 2020, and the maximum is predicted for the turn of 2024/25. Therefore, from the winter of 2022/23 to the winter of 2025/26, strong aurora should occur relatively frequently in Iceland. It is the perfect time to “hunt” the aurora.
Accurately predicting a day when a strong magnetic storm, and therefore a beautiful aurora, will occur is very difficult. The only reliable aurora forecast is the 30-minute one. The 3-day forecast is already only moderately reliable, and the 30-day forecast is very unreliable and inaccurate. Longer forecasts – if they exist – have little basis in the actual science of auroras.
If you can plan your trip just 3 (or 30) days in advance, it is certainly worth supporting yourself with these forecasts. But remember they are still only forecasts and we know from first-hand experience that the projected KP index can change significantly even within that short 3-day window…
Direct links to forecasts:
For more on forecasts and scientific knowledge of the aurora, see separate article: Aurora Borealis – a Scientific Perspective.
What is the best weather to see the northern lights
Even if there is a strong magnetic storm going on in the atmosphere at the moment, you won’t see the aurora at all if it happens during the day or if the sky is overcast. If the aurora is weak, a bright moon in the sky might also make it impossible to see. So let’s take a look at when the longest nights are in Iceland, and when is your best chance for cloudless skies.
Hunt for aurora when the night is NOT the longest
The northern lights are most pronounced when the night is dark. When it’s well past sunset and still hours to sun rise. But it’s not “always on” – it can shine for an hour or two and then disappear. And appear again after some time. Or not. That’s why we “hunt” for it and that’s why long nights are really essential for success.
The longest night of the year is – obviously – the night of December 22nd. That’s the Winter Solstice. If you consider the really long Icelandic dusks and dawns, there’s only a couple of hours in the very middle of day, where you can’t really hope to see the northern lights in Iceland in late December.
But it just so happens that the auroras themselves tend to be stronger around equinoxes, and not near the solstice. So even though the nights are the longest in late December, statistically you’re more likely to see a beautiful aurora in months closer to the equinoxes.
Due
to subtle nuances in how the Earth’s magnetic field reacts with the solar wind, major magnetic storms are more likely to occur around the autumn and spring equinoxes, rather than in the middle of winter. [source: NOAA] Therefore, contrary to some intuition and the length of the night, it is best NOT to hunt for the aurora in December or January, even though that is when the nights are the longest.
Unfortunately, due to very long dusk and dawn this far north, in the weeks near the equinoxes, i.e. at the end of September and March, the real dark nights in Iceland are a bit short. Hence October and February are perhaps the best balance of both these factors.
We write about why February wins out of these two, immediately below.
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are in mind that you CAN observe aurora in the twilight (and dawn), too. And when you do, you’re highly likely to see it with the extra, blue “twilight plume”. A really nice variety to an already amazing spectacle.
Search for cloudless skies
The last prerequisite for seeing the aurora is a cloudless sky. Or at least an intermittent cloud cover.
Some people, including many Icelanders, believe that the best time to see the aurora is October. They argue that this is when the nights are already long enough, the solar storms are still strong, yet the regular, winter storms – the period of absolute worst weather – are not yet there. We disagree. We concede to those who say that October is good, but February is better.
Yes, the storms that bring strong winds, lots of thick clouds and sometimes even force you to stay indoors are more frequent in winter. And when a storm arrives your chances of seeing the aurora are slim to none.
However, these winter storms are (generally) short-lived, and in-between them the weather for aurora hunting is at its prime. Winter periods of very cold weather are perfect for aurora viewing, because they coincide with long hours or days (nights) of cloudless skies. And that’s exactly what you need to see a beautiful aurora.
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tatistical meteorological data shows that autumn is more likely to give mediocre conditions for aurora sightings (in Iceland). In contrast the extreme conditions – both very good and very bad – are more common in winter. So it’s February, when you have better chances that the skies will be clear and the conditions for aurora hunting: sensational.
If you can spare 5 to 7 days (or more) for the trip, in our opinion, it is best to plan for February. You may have to wait out a storm for a couple of days, but on the other days conditions for aurora viewing should be great. And besides – Iceland in winter is gorgeous, while in October it’s “so-so” at best 🙂
There’s also another natural wonder that makes a winter trip to Iceland absolutely worth it. Read all about it here: Ice Caves – Icelandic Natural Marvels.
Avoid the moon
Aurora borealis is – objectively speaking – a rather weak light. Much weaker not only than sunlight, but even than the brightness of a full moon. The moon, obviously, mostly brightens only the part of the sky where it’s at, but even that significantly reduces your chances to see a great aurora. Therefore, when planning a trip, choose the dates when the moon is new or near that.
Fortunately, at least in this regard, we can plan things very carefully. There are many lunar calendars available on the Internet. They give the phase of the Moon as well as the time of its rise and set for the chosen day. The movement of the Moon relative to the Earth is very well researched, so these calendars are also highly accurate.
Note that the moon being full or new is one thing. But in Iceland the Moon sometimes does not rise at all, regardless of its phase. It’s when the highest point of its orbit is below the Icelandic horizon. And in such a situation it really doesn’t matter if it’s new or full – it doesn’t obstruct or ‘outshine’ anything.
You can find information about the current phase of the moon on vedur.is, but for future planning we recommend the Photo Pills app. More about both of these sources later in the article.
What hours are best for seeing the aurora
Statistically speaking aurora borealis is strongest around midnight, with apogee between 10 PM and 2 AM. But it’s a natural phenomena and doesn’t work by the clock. And when it does show, it need not be continuous. It does happen sometimes that the aurora will appear around midnight, fade out around 2 or 3 AM, and then “bloom” again at 4 or 5 AM. In the series of images below you can see just such a night – the aurora oval almost disappeared (over Iceland) around 3 AM, only to grow enormously again between 4 and 6 AM. That’s why we’ve said earlier: wake up every 2-3 hours and look up to the skies. You have to be vigilant all night long…
Image of aurora activity one night. Source: NOAA
The best places to see the aurora in Iceland
Which part of Iceland is best for aurora viewing
The higher the KP index, the more beautiful and powerful the aurora lights themselves are. But also the larger the aurora oval – the area where the aurora can be seen – becomes. So when the KP index is low, the aurora’s oval is relatively small, and it is best seen in northern Iceland (although it is still weak there). But when KP increases, the aurora oval begins to cover the entire island and its center, the strongest part, moves south. With the highest KP values, the center of the aurora can even fall south of Iceland’s coast. But such an aurora will certainly be very well visible across whole of Iceland, so no need to worry there.
With KP high, but not the highest, the center of the oval often runs north of Borgarnes – about 50-70 km (30-45 mi) north of Reykjavik. And so that’s the region where you want to go to maximise your chances of seeing the aurora at all and seeing a strong one, specifically.
So when planning your aurora hunt, it’s worth finding accommodation for a day or two somewhere north of Reykjavik. In this area, it is easy to escape the city lights and find hills and vast plains from which you can see large parts of the sky unobstructed. At the same time, we advise caution with driving further north – for example, to the West Fjords peninsula. While it’s absolutely beautiful there, it’s also the first place to get seriously bad weather.
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this is your first trip to Iceland, or perhaps your first winter trip here, it’s definitely worth spending at least 2-3 days exploring the attractions of the Golden Circle and the south coast. This is the area where – aside from the chance to see the aurora borealis – you will find most of the top attractions, regardless of the season.
However, at least 1 or 2 days should also be spent on the Snaefellsnes peninsula and around Reykholt, that is, north of Borgarnes. There’s a lot of spectacular places to visit during the day there, and often the best conditions for aurora hunting at night.
Top aurora observation points in Iceland
If you want to hunt the aurora successfully, you should pay attention to two more things: proximity to cities and elevation relative to the surrounding grounds.
If the aurora is strong, you can see it right from downtown Reykjavik. But the glow of city lights always spoils the visibility of the aurora to some extent. And it will ruin your ‘hunt’ if the aurora is faint or low over the horizon. So when looking for the aurora, preferably drive far away from the cities.
It is also worth going to a nearby hill or a high pass to watch the aurora. From such a place you can simply see larger portion of the sky, and the more of the sky you can see, the naturally greater the chance that you will find the aurora on it. Of course please do exercise caution when driving to hills and high passes in winter.
The capes overhanging the ocean and vast, flat, volcanic plains are also good spots. You simply need to find a place, where you can see the skies all the way to the horizon in each direction.
For those who are not afraid of a bit of a night hiking in winter, we recommend a few short trails to places that are daytime attractions, but also great spots for aurora sighting. If there is no fresh snow the trails to these places are often easy to hike, and the places themselves are nice and desolate.
Map: Best aurora viewpoints (click the star right of the title to save to your device).
Glass roof hotels in Iceland
20 Celcius below freezing
It is also straining to “keep guard”. Not everyone can easily endure waking up every hour or two at night to check if aurora is visible. Especially since it’s usually not enough to just have a look out the window. The aurora may be visible from another direction or very high in the sky, and you may not notice it if you don’t actually step outside. It gets really tiring after a few nights.
That’s why glass roof houses are being built in Iceland, and hotels are introducing aurora alerts.
Glass roof houses are usually small buildings with a roof completely made of glass or heavily glazed. Some of them also have glass walls, and some are spherical in shape. What they have in common is that you don’t have to get out of bed to see the aurora and admire its beauty. The view from outside still might be better, but enjoying the northern lights from under a warm feather has some advantages, too.
Unfortunately, all these places are quite expensive. A night in a double room or cottage costs about 500 euros there. Nevertheless many are sold out months ahead…
Most of them are fairly easy to get to – located near Reykjavik or in the Golden Circle area. Some a little further away, but still in the popular and attractive South.
A more affordable exception is Árbakki Iglúhús, where prices start at around 150 euros per night. But the roof is not “full glass” there, more like a number of skylight windows in it. And the place is quite far north, near Akureyri. A very long drive from Reykjavik, especially in winter.
If you want to try aurora viewing without leaving your bed, here are some such places:
- Reykjavik Domes – luxury tents near Reykjavik;
- Klettar Tower – slightly cheaper ($225/night), but only a shared “common room” has got a glass ceiling;
- Panorama Glass Lodge – beautiful glass roof cottages with own saunas and hot Jacuzzis outside;
- Glass Cottages Iceland
- Hlid Fisherman’s Village – most rooms have skylights and glazed walls;
- Golden Circle Glamping – another luxury ‘semi-dome’; domes are 4-person, but still quite expensive;
Hotels with aurora alerts
Some hotels and guesthouses, especially those outside Reykjavik, offer special aurora wake-up service. You need to notify the front desk staff that you’re interested and then they’ll call you and wake you up when/if the aurora starts dancing in the sky.
This, of course, only works in places with 24/7 front desk, so generally slightly more expensive ones, but some of them are still very reasonably priced, so you don’t have to ruin your budget for this. Here’s a few of them:
- ION Adventure Hotel
- Hotel Rangá
- Hotel Vík í Mýrdal
- Hotel Grimsborgir
- Hotel Hamar – reasonably priced, great location and hot outdoor pool.
- Northern Light Inn
- Hótel Húsafell
- Siglo Hotel by Keahotels – beautifully located, moderately priced (about $225/night), quite far north;
- Lighthouse Inn, Keflavik – one of the cheapest places on this list (about $120/night, 2 people), located near Keflavik Airport – at the northern end of the peninsula on which the airport is located;
Economy accommodation in top locations
Winter is the season for low prices in Iceland and many people use it to stay in top quality establishments without spending a fortune. But just as well the backpackers’ hostels will also be less expensive in the wintertime and you can use those, to keep your trip costs to minimum.
Among such places, ones that are top value-for-money, we want to recommend two.
Aurora over Fossatun
You have to walk outside to get to the kitchen or toilets, but you can also use an outside jacuzzi and there’s an on-site restaurant serving breakfasts and dinners (pre-booking required!).
This is very well located not only for aurora hunting, but also for visiting Snaefellsnes peninsula and the Reykholt area, both very interesting day trip destinations.
The bar at The Barn
The showers and toilets are all top-quality and you don’t have to go outside to get to the kitchen or the bar. Bare in mind that the dormitory beds are all double. Regular hotel rooms are also available. And there’s no shortage of interesting places to visit nearby, around Vik. You can also use this place as your ‘basecamp’ for trips further east, all the way to Jokulsarlon, Diamond Beach and Vestrahorn / Stokksnes.
It’s a good idea to bring your own thin, summer sleeping bag for both of these places, but you can ‘rent’ the sleeping sheets and covers there too. Prices start at around $55 per night, for two people, which is extremely attractive in Icelandic standards.
Mobile apps and websites for aurora hunting
Once you’re in Iceland and ready to go aurora hunting you need to look for two things: nights when the aurora is the strongest and places (and hours) with as little cloud cover as possible. There is convenient phone apps and websites for both, but as a matter of fact they do a rather poor job of combining the two functions.
Weather app: Vedur.is
Let’s start with information about the level of cloud cover. The undisputed leader and major point of reference is the vedur.is website.
Aurora forecast on vedur. is
Unfortunately, the vedur mobile app is near useless, as is the “mobile” version of the website. Fortunately the basic version of this website works quite well on modern smartphones so it’s not too big of a problem. The cloud cover forecast sits on the aurora forecast subpage, together with a basic KP index and moon phase info: Vedur – Aurora. This is certainly the most detailed and reliable cloud cover forecast for Iceland.
Using the slider under the map you get the cloud cover and KP index forecast for maximum 2.5 days / 60 h ahead. Experience teaches that the forecast for the upcoming 12 hours is really very accurate, but after that it can deviate far from reality. Iceland weather is very unpredictable. Thus, multi-day forecasts are best treated as indicative only.
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huge advantage of Vedur home page is that it covers all aspects of the weather. So if there is a big storm coming or risk of avalanches, floods, earthquakes, volcano eruptions or just anything else that could be a risk to your trip, it will be very clearly noted there. So do check it up as often as you can, while you’re in Iceland.
an RV blown off Road 1 under yellow (!) weather alert, May 2023
You might want to “switch” to the safetravel app then and try to get out of the way of the inclement weather. Don’t hesitate to re-book your night stays and change your itinerary, when needed. Make sure you’re in a safe place before the storm hits and avoid driving in high winds. Winter storms in Iceland can be dangerous to your life!
The best aurora hunting app: hello aurora
There are several websites and apps created specifically for aurora seekers. In our opinion, the most useful one of them is definitely the Hello Aurora. Clearly designed, it offers detailed forecasts of many weather elements as well as predicted cloud cover and KP index values plotted on a map.
Selected hello aurora app screens
And it also works well in a broader sense. When a lot of users report and upload recent (sic!) aurora sightings, you know it’s a good idea to stay out. Or get out it if you’re still/already in your bed.
But when there’s very few fresh photos uploaded or just none, chances are you can wrap up this night’s hunt and go to bed. Or stay in it, if you’re already there.
If
you want to maximise your chances of seeing aurora, then regardless of all the other preparations do make a habit of waking up and stepping outside at least an hour before the sunrise, perhaps around 6 AM. Or have someone go outside then and check the skies. It’s because IF the aurora is there, it will be too late to see it when the notifications start arriving at 8 or 9 AM…
Other important apps
We recommend three more apps and services: Safe Travel, road.is and Photo Pills.
Safe Travel
Safe Travel is an Icelandic app in which the Civil Service announces weather warnings in real time. If a storm or snowstorm is approaching, if a stronger earthquake, lava flooding or glacial flooding has occurred somewhere, safetravel is the first to announce it. The information there is specific and accurate, so it’s a good idea to have this app on your phone with notifications turned on and look into it regularly.
road.is
You can see the condition of the roads – if they are covered in snow or ice and passable at all – at the Island Road and Coastal Administration (isl. Vegagerðin, English: IRCA). It is there that you will find very accurate and frequently updated information about the conditions on each individual road. In winter, this is really very important!
Photo Pills
Photo Pills is a popular photography app. Its main value from the perspective of aurora-hunting is its brilliantly designed function of showing the phases of the moon and the times of its rising and setting for any point on Earth and on any day in the future. There is also a wealth of other useful data like sunrise and sunset hour and azimuth etc.
Guided tours for aurora hunting
Looking up the at the sky as often as you can gives you the best chances of seeing the aurora.
But obviously winter driving in Iceland can be challenging, especially at night, when you go out to look for auroras. And naturally you might want to be fully relaxed and taken care of, when you enjoy the spectacle.
So it’s only natural that there’s a plethora of professional, guided aurora hunting tours, and a lot of people on them.
Most of the Northern Lights tours take off from Reykjavik, but you can find some going from Husavik, Akureyri and other places as well. At the core they are all based on a car/van/bus/coach tour that picks you up from your hotel and goes out of the city. The idea is to drive away from the city far enough so that its glare doesn’t dull the aurora anymore and high enough so as to see as much of the sky as possible. Some will serve cookies and hot tea, some will include a guide explaining the phenomena and/or talking about Iceland history and culture.
There is also northern lights tours by boat, starting from Reykjavik harbour. Being out in the sea on a winter night can be chilling to the bone, but if that’s your thing – don’t let anyone stop you! 🙂
You will find a hand-picked selection of the most interesting tours further down below, but here’s a list of all of them (more than 50) if you are looking for something in particular: Aurora hunting – all tours.
The tours cost about $150 per person, last 2-3 hours and usually also include a simple stop for coffee and tea somewhere nice in the mountains. If the tour is done in a so-called super jeep, it can actually go quite deep into heavily snow-covered areas, which are often an attraction in themselves.
Selected guided aurora hunting tours:
- Aurora Basecamp Night pass, entry only (you have to drive there yourself), approx. 1+ h, $30/person;
- Northern lights and stargazing (guided in 10 languages), from Reykjavik (hotel pick-up available), on a coach, 3h, $62 pp;
- Northern Lights Semi Private Tour in a Super Jeep, a small group (6 pax max.) in a huge vehicle that can get you to some top viewpoints; approx. 4h and $245/person;
- Northern Lights 4×4 Private Tour w. Photographer Included fully customizable experience with a professioanl guide and a photographer, 4h, $1010 for a party of 4;
Bibliography
- Vedur – Aurora
- SWPC – NOAA
- University of Alaska – Geophysical Institute
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
