Private Northern Lights Wonder Tour

by Absorb Iceland · Northern lights · private · event · Reykjavík

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Private Northern Lights Wonder Tour — Absorb Iceland

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Absorb Iceland'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 Private Northern Lights Wonder Tour

Northern lights in Iceland

6 photos from Absorb Iceland. Tap any one for the full-size original.

  • Duration

    4 hours

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN

  • Departs

    20:30, 21:00, 21:30, 22:00

  • Minimum age

    4

  • Cancellation

    Free until 2 days before

About this experience

Please note:

Available: September to April

Duration: Approx. 3-4 hours, depending on whether the Northern lights need to be hunted.

Pick-up: From your hotel/accommodation within the Reykjavik Capital Area.

Highlights

  • Northern lights
  • Experienced local private guide

Description

Traveling privately offers you the possibility of experiencing the Northern lights in a more exclusive setting away from the crowds, for a more heightened experience. After your private guide has picked you up, they will take you out of the city away from any light pollution, to find the perfect spot for you to experience the Northern lights at their best. Location is dependent on cloud coverage and activity each evening.

The aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern lights, is a burst of colored lights, forming a pattern in the night sky caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. They are natural phenomena happening all year, but only visible to the human eye during the winter months when it's dark. The Northern lights can only be visible in the right conditions, with partly clear skies and darkness, and being a natural phenomenon, they can be unpredictable and very elusive.

During winter we monitor the same-day forecast closely to predict visibility for each evening. Our experience is from years of reviewing detailed forecast predictions of cloud conditions, the weather, and solar activity. As forecasts are only a prediction and the Northern lights are a natural phenomenon, sightings can not be guaranteed despite our best effort. We always try to only go out for the Northern lights when favorable conditions are predicted, so as not to waste our guests' limited time during their visit to Iceland. If visibility is not predicted favorable for the evening, you will be notified and offered to reschedule for another evening. If you are however not able to reschedule, you will be refunded in full.

Our team of experienced guides is all about making our guests' experience unique, welcoming, and memorable for a lifetime.

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

Included

  • Parking fees
  • Pickup & drop-off within the Reykjavik Capital Area
  • Private transport in an air-conditioned vehicle
  • Knowledgeable & experienced English-speaking driver-guide

Not included

  • Retry if the Northern lights are not visible
  • Food & drinks
  • Tip or gratuity

Good to know

  • Please respect nature - do not throw out trash or walk on any moss.
  • For environmental responsibility purposes, you do not need to print out your e-ticket.
  • The total duration of this tour depends on whether the Northern lights need to be hunted.
  • Sightings of Northern lights can never be fully guaranteed, even with detailed predictions, since Northern lights and weather anomalies are natural phenomena.
  • We try to only go out if the forecast indicates favorable conditions for the Northern lights to be visible, and we always go by the same-day forecast when predicting possible visibility for each evening.
  • In some cases, we may need to delay or cancel your tour due to unfavorable weather or road conditions for your safety.
  • A refund can only be made if we need to cancel your tour due to weather conditions being unfavorable.
  • Dress according to the weather by wearing warm and wind-/waterproof clothing in layers and bring gloves and a hat.
  • Wear suitable footwear, preferably waterproof with a good grip, in case of slippery conditions due to ice, rain, or gravel paths.
  • Access to restroom facilities can vary.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 2 days 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. 1Absorb Iceland 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 2 days before departure, 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

  • Children under 4 cannot join this one.
  • Priced per vehicle, so it is poor value for one or two people and good value for four or more sharing.

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

Why we list it

Absorb Iceland 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 →

Read before you book

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.

  • One checkout, any number of operators

  • Rankings are not for sale

  • 153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

  • If it falls short, we fix it

Pairs well with

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

from

€1,361 per vehicle

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