Iceland northern lights tour packages 

There are many Iceland northern lights tour packages to choose from, here below are the packages we recommend. We will also discuss how to choose the correct one for you, when to visit and what to keep in mind when you have found your Northern lights tour package to Iceland.

 Northern lights in short 

The Northern Lights are an inspiring natural phenomenon visible in the sky above Iceland between end of August to mid April. The Northern lights are caused by charged particles from the sun, sometimes referred to as the solar wind hitting the atmosphere.

During spring and summer, the long daylight hours make the sighting of the Northern lights impossible or at least unlikely. The best time to see the northern lights in Iceland is when the days are shorter, from mid September till end of March.

To see the northern lights three, things need to come together:

1. There needs to be darkness.
2. The sky needs to be clear of clouds
3. Solar activity to generate the northern lights.

Types of Iceland northern lights tour packages. 

Because one of the factors if seeing the Northern light is darkness getting out of the city lights of Reykjavik can benefit you.  The three tour types that will have you stay some of the nights out of Reykjavik are:
Self Drive Tours
Longer Bus Tours 
Private Tours
Some city breaks include  northern lights evening excursions from Reykjavik but if the main focus of your tour is to see the northern lights staying the night out of Reykjavik is a slightly better bet. 

The most popular Self Drive northern lights tour packages are:

Iceland Circle, Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Northern Lights 10 days  - Tour ID:BP40

The Highlights of the South and Northern Lights 6 days  - Tour ID: BP41

West and South Iceland 7 days  - Tour ID:BP08

The South Coast and a Northern Lights search Self Drive 7 days  - TourID: BP36

The most popular Longer Bus Tour to see the northern lights are: 

Northern Lights Exploration Tour - Tour ID: GG06

The Land of The Northern Lights Tour - Tour ID: GG07

 

What northern lights tour package should I book?

To answer that you need to ask yourself a few questions, the obvious ones are how much time do I have ? when can I get vacation time and what is my budget?

The Self Drive Tours can start on any day of the week but for the Longer Bus Tours there are set departure dates. Just remember if you are looking at a tour that is available "all year" to choose dates that fit the northern lights season.  We can add extra nights to our northern lights tour packages but checking the tour departure dates and getting the tour confirmed with us before booking the flights is always recommended.

In many of our tours we offer different price categories for example depending on what kind of accommodation you like, group sizes in the Longer Bus tours  and in Self drive tour what type of car you like etc. but you can always find the exact price by checking into the tour under the Price & Booking tab and hopefully find something within your budget.

Other questions are: Do I want the flexibility and freedom of driving myself in a Self drive tour?  Or do I want to be driven in a bus in one of the Longer Bus Tours, meet new people and have a guide telling me what I'm seeing along the way?

If the answer to those questions is "both"  then a Private Tour would be something for you.

Some of the benefits of choosing a Self drive tour for your Northern lights Tour package are: 

- Freedom and flexibility of deciding how much time you spend at each location, at what time you start and end your day etc.
- you have the accommodation and rental car booked for you in advance so you don't have to worry about arranging that.
- We give you an itinerary, wifi device and a map with the route marked in and location of you accommodation and extra activities.
- We are available through our emergency phone number if needed.

Some of the benefits of choosing a Longer Bus Tour for your Northern lights Tour package are: 

- Worry and stress free tour where you will be taken to all the highlights along the way and don't need to drive or navigate yourselves.
- Expert guidance along the way with a local person with insights into everyday life, nature and culture.
-Meet like minded people from all over the world and perhaps meet new friends

If you are leaning towards a self drive northern lights package but are still deciding which one there are few things to consider.
From October - April you should expect winter conditions on the roads, all rental cars have spiked tires but having a 4x4 vehicle is advised and for most tours needed. You might have noticed that many of our northern lights packages are focused on the South and West Iceland, the reason for that is that roads in these areas are at lower elevation than the circle road and therefor often collect less snow and are easier to drive. The reason is also that days are shorter in the wintertime so having less area to cover each day is beneficial.
  

What to keep in mind once you have found and booked your Northern Lights Tour Package ? 

Clothing

You should be prepared for every weather situation and it can get cold when you are waiting outside for the Northern Lights to appear in the night sky so we recommend wind and waterproof jacket and pants, woolen sweater, thermal underwear,  sturdy waterproof walking shoes, woolen socks, gloves and a hat.

Photography

We have all seen the great photos of the northern lights, if you are trying to catch good photos you need a camera that allows you to take long exposure photos and a tripod is a must. We recommend that you look up online how to set your specific camera for northern lights and nighttime photography before coming to Iceland and road our guide How to take northern lights photos (Camera settings, tip and more)

Aurora and weather forecast 

When you are in Iceland and on a Self drive tour you should check the weather and aurora forecast each day. There are several websites on this matter but when you have booked your northern lights tour package with us we will send you the ones we think work the best.

Be safe

The northern lights hunt takes place in darkness and usually out of the city so if you have a car, the first thing to do is  check the aurora forecast. If it looks good then check out how the weather is going to be and road conditions in the area you plan to go as you don't want to head out to bad weather or poor road conditions during the night. We will provide you with the appropriate websites to check. When you have found a safe spot to wait for the northern lights make sure you are not parked on the road or stand on the road as passing vehicles might not notice you in the dark and you might not notice the passing cars while watching up in the sky at the northern lights display. The safest option is to find an exit or rest area and park the car there. If you are staying in the countryside, you might not need to travel far from the accommodation. Often you  can see the aurora from the doorsteps of your hotel.

 If you have any questions about the Northern lights tour packages we offer please feel free to Contact Us