Private Northern Lights Tour

by Imagine Iceland Travel · Northern lights · private · North Iceland

4.70(58) · operator on Google
Private Northern Lights Tour — Imagine Iceland Travel

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Imagine Iceland 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.

  • Duration

    3 hours

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Akureyri

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN

  • Departs

    21:00, 22:00

About this experience

This wonderful private tour takes you hunting for the Northern lights through the winter night with an expert top rated Northern Lights guide. Our hunt takes you out of town to the countryside, away from the bright lights of the city so that the Northern Lights can be seen in all their beauty and colours. The local guide will share Icelandic tales during the journey on this magical tour. The tour includes hot chocolate and biscuits and there is a chance to buy professional photographs of your night. If the lights are not sighted you will also get a free retry on a small group tour the following night if we are running a tour. 

Please note the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and are also dependant on weather conditions therefore we cannot guarantee they will be sighted however if the guide confirms no lights were seen, we do offer a free retry the next day on a small group tour if we are running a tour the next day. 

Description from the operator, Imagine Iceland Travel. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Guided Private Tour, Transport, Pick up and Drop off

Hot chocolate and biscuits

Good to know

Very warm clothing

Cancellation for this tour

Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 28 days of departure, rising to 50% within 27 days. 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. 1Imagine Iceland 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 the cutoff shown above, the operator's policy after that.

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

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

  • Priced per vehicle, so it is poor value for one or two people and good value for four or more sharing.
  • 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

Imagine Iceland 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 Imagine Iceland Travel

Read all 58 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.7/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Audra Mcfarlane

    ★★★★★ · 7 months ago

    Amazing experience with Imagine Travel – unforgettable Iceland trip! We had an incredible experience with Imagine Travel during our trip to Iceland. We joined the Northern Lights tour as well as a day trip to Goðafoss, the lava fields, and Hverir – every place was absolutely breathtaking. Our guide, Ármann, was truly outstanding. He is extremely passionate about his work and has deep knowledge of Icelandic history, culture, and local stories. His storytelling made the journey even more special, and his sense of humour – especially the Viking jokes – made us laugh throughout the trip! He looked after everyone so well, always putting health and safety first, and making sure we felt comfortable and informed at all times. You can really feel how much he loves his country and enjoys sharing it with others. Icelandic culture is truly fascinating, and this experience made me fall in love with the country even more. I’m already looking forward to coming back in the summer to explore even more of this beautiful land. Highly recommend Imagine Travel and especially guide Ármann! ❄️🇮🇸

  • Meghan Thompson

    ★★★★★ · 8 months ago

    Had one of the best days of my life! We did a modified version of the Diamond Circle (as it was the shortest day of the year) and Armonn was incredible! He made sure we saw everything cool and just the right time... and it was so good, we booked to do their Northern Lights tour that night... And the sky danced for us! Thank you, Armonn!

  • Jedda Cath

    ★★★★★ · 2 years ago

    We had a great time on the Lake and waterfall tour thanks to our guide Daniel. He was absolutely awesome. Showed us the great sites and kept us entertained without being boring. Ask for Daniel the guide.

  • Vanda Clinton

    ★★★★★ · 8 months ago

    We had an unforgettable experience on the Northern Lights tour with Imagine Iceland Travel. Our guide (Norbert) was exceptional—knowledgeable, and genuinely eager to give everyone the best possible chance of seeing the aurora. He shared fascinating insights about the science behind the lights. History of Akureyri all while keeping the atmosphere fun and relaxed One thing I really appreciated was the company’s kind of “second chance” policy: if we didn’t see the Northern Lights on our tour, we were welcome to join again the next night for free. It took all the pressure off and made the whole experience feel even more guest-focused and fair. Norbert went above and beyond—constantly checking weather updates, adjusting our route, and finding the perfect viewing spot. His photography tips were incredibly helpful too, beyond all of this - in my undestanding - he is the only one who offers to take photo of you for free, no other company does this and thanks to him I came home with fantastic photos. Seeing the Northern Lights is magical, but having such a dedicated, friendly, and experienced guide made the night truly special. I’d recommend this tour—and Norbert—to anyone dreaming of a breathtaking Arctic adventure!

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

€924 per vehicle

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