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Akureyri Northern Lights Tour

The Aurora Borealis in the North of Iceland

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About tour

Awaken your inner explorer on an Aurora Borealis safari in North Iceland, one of the best places in the world to see the dancing lights. The tour departs from Akureyri, Iceland’s second largest city, and takes us on a Northern Lights hunt across the snow-carpeted countryside. Leave the distracting city lights behind, and observe the vibrant and colorful magic from just below the Arctic Circle!

Your guide will take free photos of you and the lights, so you’ll have a memory to take home!

Small Group Experience

• More attention from your guide

Expert Guides

• Deep local knowledge

Highlights

Northern Lights Hunting
Stargazing
Dark Icelandic Winter Night

Included

Pick-up & drop off from Akureyri
Northern Lights Photos
English Speaking Licensed Adventure Guide

What to bring

Warm layers
Headwear
Gloves
Scarf

Tour Snapshot

Availability Sept - Apr

Duration 2-3 hours

Departs From Akureyri

Level Easy Suitable for most people in fair condition.

Minimum age 3 years

Ratio 1:19 Guide to client ratio

Meet on Location No

Pickup Yes

From

140

Per

Adult

No Booking Fees
Fast & Secure Payment

From

140

Per Adult

Book Now

Itinerary

The celestial light show that emerges about 100 km (60 miles) above Earth in the Northern Hemisphere has been an enigma for a long time. The Vikings believed that it was light reflecting off the armor of the Valkyries as they charged into battle. These days, we know the Northern Lights are caused by the interaction between the Sun and Earth's magnetic field. As solar wind - a stream of charged particles from the sun - enter the earth’s atmosphere and start to collide with gaseous particles, the aurora appears. Even though today we know the scientific reason for the Northern Lights, this natural wonder continues to fascinate skywatchers around the world. To see the colorful draperies of light evolve at the north magnetic pole is a breathtaking experience, to say the least.

Departure from Akureyri & Seeing the Aurora

Our adventure begins in Akureyri, also known as Iceland’s “Capital of the North.” Once we collect you at 21:30 (9:30 p.m.) in one of our specially designed vehicles, we’ll head out into the vast Icelandic countryside in search of the elusive celestial light show. We quickly leave the lights of the city behind, ensuring that we have the best view of the aurora possible.

As today it’s still impossible to accurately predict the solar activity and hence the Aurora, we, unfortunately, can’t guarantee that you’ll see the Northern Lights during the tour. However, our expert guides study up-to-date reports from the Icelandic Meteorological Office to give us the best opportunity to see them. If our tour proceeds and we don’t manage to see the lights, then we offer you the chance to come on the next available tour for free.

If we’re lucky to see the Northern Lights, you’re in for a treat! The swirling light show will gradually paint the dark sky with the vibrant color palette. To fully grasp the magic of standing below the auroral zone, you simply need to experience it. Our friendly guides will fill you in on everything you need to know about this special phenomenon and use their expertise to help you immortalize the fleeting moment with our camera, free of charge. We guarantee you that this will be a night without compare!

Practical information

Pick-up Information: Pick up is at 21:30 pm from your hotel or a nearby meeting point in Akureyri. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes, your patience is much appreciated.

Return time: You will return to your hotel around midnight.

Please note

We will deliver all notifications about the tour via email, so please make sure that you check it close to your departure time.

The lights are a natural phenomenon and we cannot guarantee that we will see them on any particular night. They regularly appear in the Icelandic night sky between September and April and we will use all available information to give us the best chance of seeing them.

If we do not see the Northern Lights then we offer a complimentary second tour in Akureyri, ensuring that you have the best chance to see them.

The prevailing weather and road conditions may cause the tour to be longer than stated or cause the tour to be canceled. Our visitor’s safety is paramount, and we will never put you in danger.

The Icelandic winters are cold, and we strongly recommend bringing warm clothing, gloves and a hat.

FAQ

Will I definitely see Northern Lights on the tour?

The Northern Lights are natural phenomena and we unfortunately cannot promise you will see them on our tours. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions, which are factors entirely out of our control.

For more information on the Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights information.

What are the best camera settings for photographing the Northern Lights?

Unfortunately, there isn’t just one simple answer to this question.

Your camera doesn't have a single setting that will guarantee excellent pictures. But if you have manual controls, playing with different mixtures of ISO, aperture, and exposure settings is usually preferable. As a general rule, ISO settings of 800 to 3200, f/2.8 to f/5.6, and shutter speeds of 15 to 30 seconds have been found to be successful.

Keep in mind that ISO settings between 800 and 3200, f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speeds between 15 and 30 seconds have produced excellent results.

Results from various combinations can vary greatly. You can take faster exposures with a higher ISO setting, but the photographs can turn up grainier as a result.

If the shutter speed is above 15 seconds it will result in a slight star movement.

In low-light situations, wider-angle lenses are typically more adaptable, while longer lenses provide you with more compositional alternatives. Make sure to take off any lens filters because they could cause image distortion. Most likely, using a manual setting for infinite focal length will get the greatest results.

How do I know if the Northern Lights tour is on for the evening?

The Northern Lights are a pretty difficult thing to predict. You can check the Icelandic Meteorological Office website to see the forecast - if the level is high and the skies are clear then it’s very likely that the tour is going ahead. We do update our website’s tour departure sheet with the information at 17:00 at the latest. If the tour is canceled, you will receive an email from us notifying you.

If we think there is no chance at all of seeing the lights, we will cancel the tour. We don’t want to bring you out and disappoint you if there will definitely be no aurora activity.