Akureyri Northern Light Tour

by The Traveling Viking · Northern lights · cruise-excursion · North Iceland

5.0(18) · operator on Google

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at The Traveling Viking'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 Akureyri Northern Light Tour

Northern LightsTTV - Coaches

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  • Duration

    2 hours and 30 minutes

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Akureyri

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN, DE

  • Departs

    20:00, 21:30, 22:30

  • Cancellation

    Free until departure

About this experience

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure as we whisk you away from your hotel under the cover of night, setting out on a thrilling quest to chase the legendary Northern Lights. Our journey begins in the comfort of a coach or mini bus, but the real excitement starts as we leave behind the glowing city of Akureyri and plunge into the wild, untouched landscapes of rural Iceland. Here, far from the city’s electric glare, the sky becomes our stage. Named after the Roman goddess Aurora, the Northern Lights ignite the heavens in a mesmerizing spectacle - swirling, twisting, and painting the night with vibrant colors and mysterious shapes. 

As we track down this elusive phenomenon, you’ll have plenty of time to capture the magic with your camera. Along the way, you’ll hear tales of ancient Greeks who called these lights the “Dance of the Spirits,” and stories from medieval Europe where they were seen as divine messages. Icelandic folklore whispers of angels twirling across the sky, their flowing dresses weaving these dazzling ribbons of light. Join us on this epic journey, and witness the Northern Lights as explorers and dreamers have for centuries - with wonder, awe, and a sense of adventure.

Description from the operator, The Traveling Viking. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

We provide warm drinks (hot chocolate) and biscuits.
Blankets are available.
WiFi on board

Good to know

Warm clothing and sensible shoes. Water bottles.

  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Infants must not sit on laps

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. 1The Traveling Viking 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 →

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

The Traveling Viking 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 The Traveling Viking

Read all 18 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.

  • Tracy Russell

    ★★★★★ · 5 months ago

    What a fabulous experience. We booked for a trip to Goddafoss falls and lake myvatn. It did not disappoint. Our guide, Ingimunder, was was attentive and knowledgeable. Originally we wanted to visit these places by hiring a car, but so glad we booked the trip. We benefitted from the interesting things pointed out by our guide throughout the day.

  • Charlie

    ★★★★★ · 7 months ago

    We booked a Northern Lights tour and were called the evening before to ask if we would like to change days to when they would be more visible, which we were really grateful for. We had the most amazing experience with Joanna who drove us through the tunnel and across the fjord to Godafoss waterfall to get the best view possible. She was really helpful in trying to get the best photos possible and as a group we all helped each other out. We were very fortunate to have clear skies with hundreds of stars and got a really good view of the Northern Lights. When we were travelling back to Akureyri you could even see the purple hues by eye. Joanne kindly took some pictures of us which are very special memories. We would highly recommend to anyone.

  • diggory orr-ewing

    ★★★★★ · 10 months ago

    We had a great couple of nights using The Travelling Viking as a tour guide. We did the Northern lights tour & The Godfloss, Christmas house and forest lagoon tour. Our guide Ingi was a wealth of knowledge on Icelands history and flora and fauna. He was fantastic with our kids and kind in nature, dropping us off to our door every trip. We had a great time

  • Jason Z

    ★★★★★ · a year ago

    Paid $256USD (after discount code) for a unique 5-hour Arctic Coastline tour for two people. They responded promptly to messages and texts when we had questions. The driver (and tour guide!) showed up right in front of our ship at the port, approximately 5 minutes before tour meet time. We were incredibly lucky to have a nice big mini-bus for our small group of 5 people, you would never get this kind of small group tour on a ship excursion! Our guide (a very friendly local woman) was incredibly friendly, had answers for all of our questions, and was related to our had family involved in many elements of Iceland history - this all made our time so much more meaningful. We had already done the whole "Diamond Circle" thing to Myvatn and Godafoss and such and wanted something a little more local and this tour was PERFECT. Great drive through cute little villages and waterfronts to secluded churches, beaches, and views. Ending with some time at the Herring Museum facilities, which was much much more interesting and exciting than we expected - it spans 3 buildings and is wonderful and worth a longer visit. Overall we were thrilled with our guide, the bus was excellent, and we would highly recommend this tour to all who are looking for a break from the waterfalls :)

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

€79 per person

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