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Northern Lights Tours in Iceland

42 tours from 3 departure regions, checked by hand and compared on the things that actually decide whether you see anything: group size, whether the guide chases clear sky, and what happens if the aurora does not show. We are the people behind the free Aurora Iceland forecast — the same live conditions that score 100+ viewing spots are shown below.

How we make money: some booking links on this page are affiliate links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay, and it does not decide which tours we list: every tour here is checked by hand and ranked on group size, retry policy and what is actually included. We do not sell tours or process payments; booking and cancellation are handled by the operator.

All northern lights tours

42 tours

Tour operators

The companies behind the tours above. Select one to see only their departures.

Know before you book

The free Aurora Iceland app scores 100+ viewing spots every 5 minutes and sends an alert when conditions turn good — so you can pick the right night for your tour.

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How to choose a northern lights tour in Iceland

Every operator sells the same sky. What differs is how hard they work to put you under a clear patch of it, and what you get if they fail. Four things separate a good aurora tour from a bad one.

Group size. A 60-seat coach cannot leave the main road, and it cannot change plan quickly. A minibus of 16 or a super-jeep with 6 can drive another 40 minutes to a gap in the cloud. Small groups also mean less light pollution from other people's phone screens, which matters more than most visitors expect.

Retry policy. Aurora is a gamble on any single night. The best operators know that and will take you out again free of charge — some unlimited times during your stay, others on a voucher valid up to two years. Treat a tour with no retry as a one-shot bet.

Whether the guide actually chases. Some tours drive to a fixed viewpoint and wait. Others check the cloud forecast at departure and pick the destination from it. Our tour pages say which is which, in the description and the "why choose this tour" points.

What is included. Warm overalls, hot drinks and photographs of you under the lights are common inclusions; a photo package alone can be worth more than the price gap between two tours. Iceland in winter is genuinely cold while standing still for an hour — overalls are not a gimmick.

Where tours depart from

Reykjavík has the widest choice, from budget coaches to private super-jeeps, and almost all of them include pickup from central bus stops. From the capital, guides typically head to Þingvellir, the Reykjanes peninsula or up towards Borgarfjörður depending on the cloud.

Akureyri in the north sits under the auroral oval at a slightly higher latitude and often has clear skies when the south is overcast — worth planning around if your trip includes the north. Departures are smaller and sell out faster.

South Iceland departures pair the aurora with the south-coast sights, which is efficient if you have limited nights and want the daytime covered too.

Booking a tour with the forecast in hand

The practical sequence: book early in your trip so a weather cancellation still leaves nights in reserve, check the live aurora forecast on the afternoon of your tour, and if it is marginal, prefer a tour whose retry policy costs you nothing. Operators cancel on hopeless nights themselves and refund or rebook — that cancellation is a good sign, not a bad one.

If you would rather drive yourself, our 104 scored viewing spots include parking and safety notes for each location, and the app will alert you when the odds at a spot near you turn good.

Northern lights tour FAQ

When is the best time to take a northern lights tour in Iceland?

Tours run from September through April, when nights are dark enough. Peak season is October to March. Within a night, activity is usually strongest between 10 PM and 2 AM, which is why most tours depart between 8 and 9 PM.

Do I need a tour, or can I chase the aurora myself?

You can self-drive, and our 100+ scored viewing spots are free to use. A tour buys you three things a rental car does not: a guide who re-routes in real time towards clear sky, local knowledge of dark-sky locations, and a free retry if the aurora does not show. If you are only in Iceland for two or three nights, that retry is worth a lot.

What happens if the northern lights do not appear on my tour?

Most operators offer a free retry. Some let you rejoin any night during your stay at no cost; others issue a rebooking voucher valid for up to two years. 12 of the 42 tours we list have one of those two policies — the retry policy is shown on every tour card and detail page.

How much does a northern lights tour in Iceland cost?

Prices in our list start at 4,100 ISK per person for a large-coach bus tour. Small-group minibus tours typically run 12,000–20,000 ISK, super-jeep and boat tours cost more, and private tours are priced per vehicle rather than per seat. All prices are "from" prices set by the operator and may change seasonally.

Is hotel pickup included on northern lights tours?

On most Reykjavík departures, yes — pickup usually starts 30 minutes before departure from designated bus stops rather than directly outside every hotel. Tours with pickup are marked on each card, and the pickup details are on the tour page.

Should I book a tour in advance or wait for a clear night?

Waiting gives you better odds on any single night, but the best small-group tours sell out in peak season, and operators cancel and refund automatically when conditions are hopeless. A practical compromise: book early in your trip so a cancellation still leaves you nights to retry, and check our live forecast before departure.