Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters

by Magic Iceland Travel · Northern lights · cruise-excursion · Reykjavík

4.80(177) · operator on Google
Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters — Magic Iceland Travel

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

More photos of Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters

Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters, photo 6Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters, photo 7Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters, photo 8Northern Lights Small Group with Local Hunters, photo 9

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  • Duration

    4 hours

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN, DE, ZH, KO, PT, EN, JA, IT, FR, PL, ES, ZH

  • Departs

    21:00, 22:00

  • Minimum age

    6

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

Experience the magic of Iceland’s Northern Lights on an intimate small-group tour from Reykjavík, with pickup included and a maximum of only 16 guests. Combining comfort, personal attention, and flexible aurora hunting, this cozy minibus experience is designed for travellers seeking a relaxed and memorable winter adventure beneath the Arctic sky.

Leave Reykjavík’s city lights behind and journey into Iceland’s peaceful winter countryside. With fewer guests, more space, and a flexible pace, the evening feels personal and unhurried from the very beginning.

What truly sets this tour apart is our team of passionate local Northern Lights hunters, praised by guests for their knowledge, enthusiasm, and remarkable ability to read Iceland’s constantly changing skies.

Rather than following the same route every night, your guide monitors live weather conditions, cloud cover, and aurora forecasts to select the most promising viewing locations. When conditions change, the route can be adjusted throughout the evening in search of darker skies, clearer areas, and stronger aurora activity.

Along the way, your guide will share Icelandic stories and legends while explaining the science behind the Aurora Borealis - how solar particles interact with Earth’s atmosphere to create colours that shimmer, dance, and ripple across the night sky.

When the Aurora appears, step into the crisp winter air and watch as it glows softly, swirls like smoke, or bursts into vivid waves of green, purple, and gold. Your guide will also share practical photography tips and recommended settings for your phone or camera, helping you capture unforgettable photos beneath the Northern Lights.

This tour is ideal for couples seeking a romantic experience, friends creating lasting memories, families sharing an adventure, and solo travellers fulfilling a lifelong dream. With a maximum of 16 guests, the atmosphere remains calm, friendly, and personal throughout the evening.

As the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, sightings cannot be guaranteed. If no Aurora is seen, you may join one additional scheduled departure free of charge, subject to availability.

With a small group, flexible aurora hunting, personal attention, and passionate local hunters consistently praised by guests, this is one of the most intimate ways to experience the Northern Lights in Iceland.

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

Where you go

  1. Northern Lights hunt

Included

  • Northern Lights hunt with an experienced local guide
  • Enjoy a personal small-group experience with a maximum of 16 guests
  • Travel comfortably through Iceland’s winter countryside by minibus
  • Learn Aurora science and get practical phone and camera photo tips

Not included

  • Meals
  • Personal expenses
  • Extra activities not mentioned

Good to know

  • Warm winter clothing
  • Hat, gloves, and scarf
  • Waterproof jacket and layers
  • Sturdy outdoor shoes
  • Fully charged phone or camera
  • The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings cannot be guaranteed.
  • If no lights are seen, you may join one additional scheduled departure free of charge, subject to availability.
  • The tour may be rescheduled or cancelled due to weather, safety, or road conditions.
  • Dress warmly in winter clothing, including gloves, a hat, and sturdy shoes, as nighttime temperatures can be very cold.
  • The viewing location is selected using real-time weather, cloud cover, and aurora forecasts and may vary each night.
  • There may be waiting periods while your guide searches for the best aurora conditions.
  • Pickup starts at 10:00 PM from August 20 to September 30.
  • Pickup starts at 9:00 PM from October 1 to March 31.
  • Pickup starts at 10:00 PM from April 1 to April 15.
  • Please be ready at the pickup or meeting point listed on your ticket at the scheduled starting time.
  • Pickup may take up to 30 minutes, depending on your location and traffic conditions.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. 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. 1Magic 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 1 day 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 — €87 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Magic Iceland Travel · €143Blue Iceland · €56
How long it runs4 hours3 hours
Getting therePicks you upYou make your own way
Changing your mindFree until 24 h beforeFree until departure

The €87 buys you 1 more hour out and hotel pickup and free cancellation up to 24 h before. 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

  • Children under 6 cannot join this one.
  • 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

Magic 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 Magic Iceland Travel

Read all 177 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.8/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Julian Thompson

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    What a great tour at such a reasonable price! Went on the Golden Circle 9 hour tour today with Daniel (the guide) and Pavel (the driver). We survived so Pavel's obviously a good driver 😉 but the amount of information Daniel knew (despite not being a native Icelander) was astounding and presented in a very accessible manner. We had the cruise ship terminal pickup tour but they also pickup all around Reykjavík. Highly recommended to anyone looking for excellent value for money and a really interesting tour. We'll definitely use them again when we return to Iceland.

  • Elaine Low

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    I did the Golden Circle with Surprise Tour in Reykjavik with tour guide Viktoria and driver Pawel on June 10, 2026. The tour totally exceeded my expectations. Viktoria was engaging and energetic and gave us information throughout the tour that was interesting and filled with humor. An added bonus is that she is a very good singer. Our driver Pawel was very courteous and helpful. They went out of their way to route the tour to try to minimized crowds and this was greatly appreciated by all. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone.

  • L. Olsen

    ★★★★★ · 5 months ago

    ​⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Unforgettable Icelandic Adventure👌 ​If you’re in Reykjavik, stop scrolling and book this Golden Circle tour. Seriously 😉 ​Our guide, Thales, was an absolute legend. The man is a walking encyclopedia of Icelandic lore, but with way better jokes. He turned a scenic drive into a full-on masterclass about the land of fire and ice. ​The amazing stuff: ​Þingvellir: Walked between continents ​Geysir: Got some epic "eruption" videos ​Gullfoss: Absolutely mystical and magical ​Kerið Crater: amazing view from the top ​​The "Surprise" (The Legend of the Shark): 🦈 The itinerary mentioned a "small local surprise." Thales whipped out some fermented shark. Let’s just say it’s a... unique culinary experience that stays with you (mostly in your nose). 🤣It was the highlight of the trip and had the whole bus laughing. ​An unforgettable day with a world-class guide. 10/10 highly recommend! 🤌👌🫶

  • Miks Rieksts-Hofmanis

    ★★★★★ · 4 months ago

    We today had a fabulous Golden Circle tour! Our lovely guide Daniel made sure everyone felt comfortable. He is like a walking encyclopedia and conversations with him are fascinating. The beauty on this tour is beyond comprehension. I highly recommend it! Greetings from Latvia, Miks

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

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Reviews from our travellers

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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

€143 per person

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