There are certain moments in life in which you are just overwhelmed by the pure beauty of nature. The birth of your children, the stars in a dark sky and seeing majestic animals like lions, for example. If you want to add something magical to this list, the northern lights in Iceland are definitely worth a look.
When and where to see the Northern Lights in Iceland
The name „Northern Lights“ already suggests that you have to travel far to the north if you want to catch a glance at this spectacle, at least in the northern hemisphere. Iceland is the perfect place to visit. To see the Aurora Borealis, as this phenomenon is called by scientists, many parameters have to meet. First of all, a good portion of luck is necessary. This includes a sky without clouds, so rain or bad weather prevent a successful trip. Furthermore, the sky should not be polluted by light. This is especially important for photographers as a bright sky tends to destroy your otherwise great captures. Iceland with its sparsely populated regions is the optimal space to meet these conditions.
When is the best time to travel to Iceland to see the Auroras?
Not it is clear why you should visit Iceland to see the northern lights. But when is the best time to travel? Of course, the Aurora Borealis is only visible at night. As it is dark outside, the bright and shiny waves of light can be seen by the naked eye. Even if it seems like no northern lights are on the sky today, sometimes cameras can catch the glow and turn it into a beautiful photograph. But of course it is necessary for a good trip that you can see it without the help of your camera.
This is why we recommend you to take the trip to Iceland to see Aurora Borealis in the winter time. In summer, the sun only sets for a few hours in Iceland, which causes the sky to never really darken. When the day is the longest in year and the days or weeks around this date, it is always some kind of twilight, creating a non-optimal situation for seeing northern lights. Better are the months of winter. This can be around Christmas or New Year, when the night is longest and the sky is the darkest. But also the months after or before that are great opportunities for you to see northern lights. It has been proven that even more extra bright waves of Aurora Borealis are flickering through the night sky in this time.
Where should I go to see Aurora Borealis?
When all the conditions are perfect and you are ready to go, the last question is where to go. Basically, every location outside of Reykjavik or the villages and towns is perfect. Find the darkest spot possible to take the best photos. Of course, you should start in daytime, even better would be to go with a guide whose experience you can benefit from. The most promising pictures can often be taken in the locations you would go by day. The northern lights can brighten photographs up extremely, so you can actually see a lot of the scenery on the ground! Reflections in lakes or waterfalls are extra beautiful.
See the Northern Lights with a local expert guide
We are experts in tracking down and finding the best spots to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. We are local expert guides and offer great variety of private tours, where we tailor each tour to fit your needs. We would love to help you to find the best location, so leave us a message!
