The Northern Lights in Iceland (i.e., Aurora Borealis) is one of the most sought after spectacles in the world. However, there are a lot of things those photo-shopped pictures don’t tell you.
The Northern Lights in Iceland could be seen anywhere from Alaska to Norway. I decided to go see them in Iceland since I was stopping by to see the famous waterfalls. However, there are certain weather conditions to increase your chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis.
The Weather Conditions
- Pitch dark
- Clear skies
- Extremely cold
Iceland is the perfect place for those weather conditions. I was in Iceland during the end of November and I was fortunate enough to experience all three conditions during my two night stay. I booked my waterfall tour and Northern Lights in Iceland tour for the same day.
Photographing the Aurora Borealis
Here’s another thing those Aurora Borealis photographs don’t tell you… It’s all photo-shopped. Every single one of them. There is no way to capture the Aurora Borealis with your camera phone. NO way. A DSLR camera is required and there are certain settings needed to capture the spectacle. I was able to see it with my bare eyes, but there was no pictures to capture the memory. It was disappointing yet I felt kind of a relief. I felt kind of relieved to be able to really enjoy the moment and not worry about getting a good picture.
Northern Lights Tours
After my day tour of the waterfalls, I went back to my hotel to do some relaxation then grabbed a quick meal before my Northern Lights in Iceland tour. Unfortunately, I missed the pick-up van. I had to call the company; luckily, they sent someone to pick me up in time for the last tour bus. It was very kind of them.
When I got to the office, they informed me that I can keep taking the tour until I see the Aurora Borealis. If I don’t get to see it, I can get a full refund. I thought that was totally awesome that they gave me those options. I hopped on the tour bus. The bus had no more than 10 people in it; it was plush seats in a large transportation bus. Actually, I found every bus in Reykjavík to be pretty new and modern.
Lastly, the Reykjavík tour buses all go to the same viewing area. It doesn’t matter what company you book your tour with because they will go to the same place to see the lights. The area is lined up with tour buses after tour buses and tourist after tourist. I’ve searched the web for tours and it was fairly cheap to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. This is the one I booked through an online website. It included hotel pick and drop off with a 3-5 hour time period to enjoy the lights. Click on the picture to take you right to the page.
Let us know if you end up being able to capture some pictures. Cheers!
Check out our other Reykjavík articles here.
