Magical Auroras
Northern lights in a minibus
An exciting hunt for the northern lights. Following the aurora and cloud forecasts to optimal locations you get the best chance of seeing the radiant colors of the northern lights.
The aurora borealis are one of the great phenomenons of nature. Watching the northern lights swirling as they paint the star-studded black velvet sky with their kaleidoscope of colors is something you never forget. In the darkness of the countryside we give you the best opportunity.
-
Availability
September - April
-
Duration
4 hours
-
Level
Easy
-
Pickup
Yes
-
Meet on location
No
-
Min. Age
8 years
-
Ratio
-
Price from
9.990 ISK
- Tour highlights
- Northern Lights
- Guided tour in minibus
- Small group experience
- Included
- Reykjavik pick up
- Minibus transport
- Expert guide
21:00 We pick you up from your hotel or a meeting point very close to your accommodation in Reykjavík. Our pick up process can take up to 30 minutes to complete but you do need to be ready!
On this minibus tour, we cannot tell you exactly where our quest for the northern lights will take us. Following the aurora and cloud forecast to optimize your chance of witnessing the northern lights dancing their glorious magic across the night sky we will take you far away from the city lights. Our quest could take us to Hvalfjörður, Þingvellir, Reykjanes, or to some other South Iceland location. With our minibus, we can go to some places that the large buses cannot reach.
The northern lights are an unforgettable experience bringing some extraordinary photo opportunities. There is the excitement of hunting for them, and all the sudden then the moment of wonder when they begin to show up. Sometimes they appear, at first, in quite a subtle way before their colors open out and strengthen, swirling and dancing their patterns across the sky. Whether they are at their most dramatic or not they are always awe inspiring. Green and yellow auroras are very common both in Iceland and elsewhere. Blues, because they contain colors within the red spectrum are less common everywhere. Colors within the red spectrum are much more common in Iceland than they are elsewhere when they show as blue, violet or rose shades. These colors are, though, still far less common than green and yellow hues.
The northern light is created by reactions when particles hit the earth´s atmosphere. Streams of particles from the sun are carried by the solar wind towards the north and south poles. Oxygen produces green/yellow and nitrogen will create blue, rose or violet lights.
Please remember to bring:
Please bring hiking boots or very sturdy footwear, warm outdoor clothing including headwear, gloves, and scarves. You cannot wear too many layers on a northern lights tour!
A tripod for your camera is very useful.
Please note
If you do not see any northern lights we offer you a free second tour but please note that you must contact us to re-book this.
Because northern lights tours are reliant upon suitable weather and aurora forecasts we sometimes have to cancel the tours. Your tour may be cancelled up to 18:15 on the day of departure. When this happens your payment is refunded.
How do I know if the Northern Lights tour is on for the evening?
Like you might have heard, the northern lights are a pretty difficult thing to predict. You can check en.vedur.is to see the forecast and if the level is high and the skies are clear then it’s very likely that the tour is going. We do update our website’s tour departure sheet with the information at 17:00 the latest. If the canceled you will receive an email telling you so.
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 if there is no chance to see the light
What are my options if my Northern Lights tour gets cancelled?
If we cancel the tour it’s because in our opinion there is no chance of seeing the lights and we don’t want to bring you out for nothing.
Then your options are:
1. Reschedule for another day.
2. Find another tour to do and use the deposit for it.
3. Get fully refunded.
In all cases you will need to contact our sales desk via email (info@adventures.is) or phone +354-562-7000.
What are the best camera settings for photographing the Northern Lights?
Unfortunately there isn’t just one simple answer to this question.
There is not just one single setting for your camera that ensures great captures. but if you have manual options, you are probably best served with experimenting with various combinations of ISO, aperture, and exposure settings. As a rule of thumb, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed at between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have proven effective.
Nonetheless if you have manual options, you are probably best off with experimenting with various combinations of ISO, exposure and aperture settings. , ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed at between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have proven effective.
A good thing to keep in mind, ISO setting between 800 and 3200, aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6, and shutter speed between 15 seconds and 30 seconds have given great results.
Different combinations may give very different results. Higher ISO setting will allow you to capture faster exposures, but the downside to this might be for example grainier images.
If the shutter speed is above 15 seconds it will result in slight star movement.
Wider angle lenses are usually more versatile in low light settings, but longer lenses give you different options for compositions. Make sure that you remove all lens filters, as they may distort images. You will probably get the best results with manual setting for infinite focal length
Be sure to remove all lens filters, as they may distort images. You will probably get the best results with manual setting for infinite focal length
Disclaimer
All our tours are undertaken on the responsibility of its participants. Arctic Adventures does not assume any responsibility for accidents that are caused by its customers or can be traced to their own actions. Participants have to sign a waiver before undertaking all trips stating that they realize that all outdoor activities carry an inherent risk.
