Hunting for the Northern lights is amazing. Here are my 10 top tips for going on a northern lights tour in Iceland to help you prepare.

10 top tips for going on a Northern Lights tour in Iceland

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Planning a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights? First of all, take me with you because I would do anything to do it all again! It’s one of those moments where you just can’t believe it’s happening- it’s simply magical! For me, it was a bucket list, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I tell EVERYONE they should do. If you’re dreaming of heading out to Iceland, then here are my top tips for going on a Northern Lights tour in Iceland to help you prepare and hopefully find them!

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  1. Make sure you visit at the best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland

    The general advice for seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland is to visit between September and March. This is when Iceland has the least amount of daylight and also the coldest nights which are the ideal conditions for the lights to show. However, as this is Mother Nature we’re talking about, the Northern Lights have been seen in Iceland at various times of the year, including August but this is pretty rare!

  2. Book your Northern Lights tour for the beginning of your trip

    I mentioned this before in my post about my Northern Lights Tour, but I really think it can give you the best chance of seeing the lights. Superjeep (who were brilliant) offer a free second chance to go out on a tour with them if you don’t see the Northern Lights the first time. I believe that many other tours do this also, so by booking your first try early on, you will hopefully have time and the chance to rebook for the second one if you need it (but hopefully you won’t!).

  3. Check the Aurora forecast

    The Aurora Forecast is exactly that – it gives you a decent idea of your chances of seeing the Northern Lights over the next few days. It shows the prediction for the cloud coverage (which is what you don’t want to see) and the Aurora Forecast number, indicating the predicted activity level. Don’t worry if this number is low, a level 2 storm can still be amazing! I believe when I went to Iceland the activity level was at 3 and it was still stunning.

    Hunting for the Northern lights is amazing. Here are my 10 top tips for going on a northern lights tour in Iceland to help you prepare.

  4. Cross your fingers

    Do not forget that the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon! Nothing and no one can guarantee that you will see the Lights- I was told that even if the Aurora level is at a brilliantly high number, you STILL may not see them. So keep everything you have crossed that today will be your lucky day!

  5. Practise your photography skills before you go

    Who doesn’t want to come away from this experience with some amazing photos? Well, taking photos in the dark is definitely a bit of a skill. If you have a decent camera and want to have a go, I would definitely recommend practising beforehand to maximising your chances of photographing the northern lights in Iceland. Make sure you get a tripod as well as the camera really can’t move at all for this type of photography.

    Hunting for the Northern lights is amazing. Here are my 10 top tips for going on a northern lights tour in Iceland to help you prepare.

  6. Wrap up very warm

    As the ideal conditions for the Northern Lights to show are when the temperatures are low. Night time in Iceland between September and March varies between about 3 and -3 degrees Celsius! You’re likely to spend a lot of your time standing in snow so good gloves, boots and coats are a must!

  7. Be patient

    No one knows where and when the Light might show. On my Superjeep tour, we stopped at about 3 different spots over the course of a number of hours before we eventually and luckily saw the Lights on the way back home. Each time you stop off it’s easy to get excited and just think ‘this is it! Any second now!’ but trust me, it’s probably not going to be that quick.

    Hunting for the Northern lights is amazing. Here are my 10 top tips for going on a northern lights tour in Iceland to help you prepare.

  8. Pick your guides brains

    I can only speak from my personal experience, but I think it would be fair to assume that the guides who do the tours are locals and pretty experienced. Use your waiting time to ask them stuff! The chances are they are full of tips, knowledge and incredible stories.

  9. Be prepared to go when it does happen

    You never know how long the Northern Lights will show for, so make sure you’re ready to take all the photos you want!

  10. And finally…

    Don’t forget to stop and enjoy it! 

     

    Hunting for the Northern lights is amazing. Here are my 10 top tips for going on a northern lights tour in Iceland to help you prepare.

 

I would love to hear about your Northern Lights Trip! Leave me a comment and share your experience!

 

Hunting for the Northern lights is amazing. Make sure you know these 10 tips before you go.

6 Comments

  • Alex

    We just went last night and saw a fantastic show but we were rookies and didn’t have a good camera. We were scrambling for pictures on our phone only to find out right at the end of the great show that there is an app you can download that will help take pictures on your phone so I quickly downloaded it and just got a little proof we saw them but they weren’t great. We left with a lot of regrets, not knowing we could have done that! Oh well, lesson learned.

    • lsell1991

      So glad you got to see them! It might seem a shame about the photos now but at the end of the day there’s nothing quite like stopping and just watching it with your own eyes rather than through a screen!

  • Monica

    This is super useful, as I’m going to Iceland next month and hoping to see the northern lights. I’m not doing any kind of tour, I’m just kind of hoping that it’s gonna be dark and clear somewhere O_O That’s really cool that the tour offers a second chance if you don’t see it the first time though! Great tips, followed you on bloglovin ^_^

    • lsell1991

      That’s so exciting! I know people who have just rented a car and gone out and managed to see them, so go for it! I’d love to hear how you get on! And that you for the follow ?

  • Melanie Trethowan

    Thanks for the great tips. The Northern Lights are definitely on my Bucket List too but a little way down the list at the moment.

    May I ask what camera you use? Love the photography.
    Mel

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