BackCountry northern lights adventure

by Iceland Backcountry travel · Northern lights · Westfjords

5.0(7) · operator on Google
BackCountry northern lights adventure — Iceland Backcountry travel

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Iceland Backcountry travel's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.

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  • Duration

    4 hours

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Ísafjörður

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN

  • Start time

    Time agreed after booking

  • Cancellation

    Free until departure

About this experience

Experience an evening in a SuperJeep exploring the area near Isafjordur searching for the northern lights. We will drive away from the town lights to areas where it might be possible to see the elusive and spectacular northern lights. Moreover, the westfjords are prime Arctic fox territory, so it would not be surprising to catch a glimpse of one in the beam of our headlights, or hear them howling in the night.
Please note that there is no guarantee of a northern lights sighting but we will try our very best for the tour to be a success.

Description from the operator, Iceland Backcountry travel. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until departure. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a solid cloud forecast — most operators call it by late afternoon and let you rebook on a clearer night free of charge. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Iceland Backcountry travel decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 0 hours before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Northern Lights at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon from Blue Iceland is €56 — €266 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Iceland Backcountry travel · €322Blue Iceland · €56
How long it runs4 hours3 hours
How hard it isVery easyEasy

The €266 buys you 1 more hour out. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Sold out on your date?

Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.

Who this is not for

  • Not available in summer; the operator runs it roughly September to April.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Iceland Backcountry travel is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Iceland Backcountry travel

Read all 7 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 5.0/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Steven Truman

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    This was the best excursion of our entire cruise (and they all were great)! The vistas were breathtaking, the waterfall was magnificent, and the countryside made us seriously consider moving to Iceland. Gummi was a great host and driver. He kept us entertained and laughing while we felt safe in the massive vehicle he drives. That thing let us go places the buses couldn't reach, which added to the whole experience. he was waiting for us right off the ship and dropped us back in the city so we could spend time looking around. Highly highly recommend you go with him if you're ever in Iceland.

  • Heath Cardie

    ★★★★★ · 4 years ago

    We had a great time with Gumby in Isafjordur and the surrounding area. First off, who goes to the West Fjords for their first time over Christmas? My husband, I tell you. But I'm glad we did! He tried 5 different tour companies to find someone to give us a tour on Christmas Day before he found this one (who can blame someone for wanting to be with their family on the biggest holiday of the year?). Gumby was very gracious and even bought us a Christmas present--a book about the Yule lads. So thoughtful! He picked us up at 10 am, a little over an hour before sunrise so he could have us in position to watch the sunrise from the place he deemed most beautiful. And he wasn't wrong! It was a beautiful day and shared history and interesting information with us from his headset microphone all along the way. He dropped us off at a breathtaking waterfall and let us explore around on our own. He was super knowledgeable and it was great to hear stories from a local. We felt so educated by the end of the day! He is an excellent driver and my boys loved his Super Jeep! We were blessed with amazing weather so we have fabulous pictures of our few hours of sunlight sightseeing on Christmas day. We will be coming back, for sure!

  • Jess Linkinhoker

    ★★★★★ · 3 years ago

    Our excursion with Iceland Backcountry Travel was by far the best part of our 2 week trip through Norway and Iceland. Gudmundur was the most amazing guide we could’ve asked for. He worked with our cruise time but not only that, he took us to the most beautiful parts of the West Fjords. He told us about everything throughout the whole trip and stopped wherever we were interested. We will be coming back to Iceland and will be using Iceland Backcountry travel again!! An unforgettable experience we will always remember.

  • David Linkinhoker

    ★★★★★ · 3 years ago

    Amazing personal tour!! Words can't describe how beautiful the scenery was and our tour guide was awesome!! 1000% recommend. Definitely planning to go back

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Northern lights — questions people ask

When is the best time to see the northern lights in Iceland?

September to April, when the nights are dark enough. Within that, late September to March gives the longest dark hours, and the equinox months, September and March, often have active skies. There are no lights in June or July; the sky never gets dark. Anyone selling you a June lights tour is selling you a bus ride. Give yourself at least three nights, because clouds, not the aurora, are the usual reason people miss them.

Are the northern lights guaranteed on a tour?

No. Nobody can promise them, and we will not. Two things have to line up: a clear sky and solar activity. Guides check the cloud forecast at vedur.is and drive to gaps, which is the real value of a tour over standing outside your hotel. What most operators do promise is a free second attempt if the lights do not show. Check the exact retry policy on the tour page, because the number of retries and the validity period vary.

Is a northern lights bus tour or a boat tour better?

Bus, if you want the best odds. A minibus can drive an hour inland to find a clear patch; a boat stays in Faxaflói and sees whatever sky is over Reykjavík. Boats are shorter, about two hours, and pleasant with hot chocolate, and Reykjavik Sailors' cruise (/experience/6637/) includes a free retry. For a serious hunt, a small-group minibus like BusTravel's (/experience/150646/) or a 4x4 tour (/experience/1088067/) is the better bet.

Can I see the northern lights from Reykjavík itself?

Yes, on strong nights. The city is small and the sky over the sea to the north is fairly dark. Grótta lighthouse at the western tip and the Ægisíða shoreline are the usual spots, twenty minutes' walk from the centre. On average nights the street lights drown out a faint aurora, which is why tours drive out. If the forecast shows high activity and clear sky, walk to Grótta first and save the tour money.

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Pairs well with

Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.

from

€322 per person

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