Northern Lights Cruise & FlyOver Iceland

by Elding Adventure at Sea · Northern lights · Boat tours · Helicopter & flightseeing · Reykjavík

4.50(2,403) · operator on Google
Northern Lights Cruise & FlyOver Iceland — Elding Adventure at Sea

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Elding Adventure at Sea'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

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN, DE, SV, IS, FR, PL, ES

  • Departs

    18:00

  • Minimum age

    7

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

Northern Lights Cruise & FlyOver Iceland COMBO tour

Start your evening at 18:00 by exploring Iceland from above. Head on down to Grandi Harbour district to check in for your flight at 17:45. This all season attraction takes you on a breathtaking journey across Iceland. Soar over land, sea and ice. Move with the arctic winds. The ride utilises state-of-the-art technology to give the guest the feeling of flight. Guests will hang suspended, feet dangling, before a 20-metre spherical screen while our film whisks you away on an exhilarating journey across Iceland. Special effects, including wind, mist and scents, combine with the ride’s motion to create an unforgettable experience. Before your flight begins, you’ll be immersed in the magic of Iceland in pre-ride events. Our flight guides, a storyteller and resident troll Sú Vitra will lead you through two unique adventures that’ll ignite your imagination with stories of Iceland, its people and the natural forces at work. The total experience will take approximately 35 minutes, including the 8.5 minutes you’ll spend on the Ultimate Flying Ride.

After the FlyOver Iceland experience, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy a nice meal in town before making your own way to the Old Harbour where the Northern Lights Cruise departs from. 

Once you have checked in at our ticket office, our team will direct you onwards to the boat. Enjoy around 2 hours at sea with our expert crew and specially trained naturalists on this Northern Lights & City Cruise. As we sail from Reykjavík’s Old Harbour, take in stunning views of the city’s illuminated skyline and landmarks such as Harpa Concert Hall and Hallgrímskirkja. When the Imagine Peace Tower is lit, we sail by to admire its radiant beam before heading further into the bay in search of the aurora borealis.

Hunting the lights on a boat offers extra comfort, with heated indoor areas, an onboard café, and a 360° viewing platform for panoramic views. As the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, we cannot guarantee a sighting, but our team are professional aurora hunters with years of experience searching for the lights around Reykjavík.

For the best chance of seeing them, we need three things: solar activity, clear skies, and darkness. While many tour operators cancel when the forecast isn’t ideal — we don’t. We understand that you may have only a few days to search for the lights and that Icelandic weather can change in minutes, from full cloud to clear skies. We always aim to maximise your chances and we will always give it a go.

Our experienced aurora guides will help you make the most of the experience by sharing fascinating insights and answering any questions you may have. They even take photos during the tour, which you can request by email once you’re back home.

Description from the operator, Elding Adventure at Sea. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Where you go

  1. FlyOver Iceland
  2. Northern Lights Cruise

Included

  • 2 hr. Northern Lights Cruise
  • Admission to FlyOver Iceland

Not included

  • Pick up is not available
  • Drop off (available for additional cost onsite)
  • Refreshments (available for purchase onboard)

Good to know

  • Warm clothing
  • Sturdy shoes

FlyOver Iceland cannot accommodate anyone on the flight ride under the height of 102 cm. (40 inches).

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. 1Elding Adventure at Sea 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 — €89 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Elding Adventure at Sea · €145Blue Iceland · €56
Changing your mindFree until 24 h beforeFree until departure

The €89 buys you 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 7 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

Elding Adventure at Sea 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 Elding Adventure at Sea

Read all 2,403 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.5/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Iola Wilson

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    We had an incredible sunset whale watching trip. From the beginning, every member of staff was attentive and helpful. Our guide shared lots of info on the wildlife we spotted - birds and whales. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the boat wasn't busy so we had room to move around and spot wildlife. Lots of tips on how to spot whales were shared. We saw a minke whale and then in the distance the sprays from several humpbacks.We made our way towards these and then stayed with one for ages - it was magical! The captain was very generous with time - because our encounter was quite far out, our trip was over 3.5 hours, we were not rushed back because time was running out! We saw lots of different bird species too. The sunset was stunning and we were able to enjoy this on the way back and also get some beautiful pictures of Reykjavik as we approached. We were also impressed with the way Elding respect the wildlife. Our 9 year old learned so much about whale spotting and ga been putting it to use on our cruise - spotting minkes and humpbacks from the ship! Thank you so much, Elding, for a truly memorable and magical evening!

  • Emily A

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    Our whale watching tour was so special. I will start with the whales: we definitely saw them! We found a couple of humpbacks busy feeding and out guide did a great job of pointing them out and describing the behaviors we were seeing. It was truly amazing. The crew has the skills and experience to find what’s in the area. Additionally, they provided us with pictures of the whales and a journal entry about our voyage. We heard from someone else on the boat that if you go out and do not see any wildlife, they will provide you with a voucher to come out again another time (this family was on their re-do but your mileage may vary as I didn’t hear or read about this.) But of course, one cannot control the outcome, and still I would recommend this trip. It was such a fun way to see the city of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains. We had a beautiful day with a bit of wind and they provided motion-sickness tablets for free, but remaining outside I did not experience much malaise. I also want to say that the company was very accommodating. We had booked a morning tour that we couldn’t get to due to travel disruptions and they were very willing to honor our reservation at a later time slot.

  • Casey Phifer

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Booking excursions through Elding was seamless, and I really appreciated their ecological focus. I first took their free ferry to Viðey with my Reykjavík City Pass, then enjoyed the experience so much that I booked both their classic whale watching and puffin tours. Everything felt easy and well organized, from the cold weather gear to the books, wildlife guides, and knowledgeable experts who narrated the tours and answered questions along the way. These excursions gave me some of my favorite memories of Iceland while getting to learn. about the wildlife and explore Faxaflói Bay. Highly recommend!

  • Olivia Yip

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    Classic puffin tour was 1 of 2 pricier tourist attractions we did (other being Hvammsvík) and this one was SO WORTH THE MONEY. Cute puffins, fun boat tour, knowledgeable staff, binoculars provided, loved every second of it, you get even more pics from them after, and it was guaranteed you see puffins since they take you to an island with a whole colony!! Definitely recommend as a todo activity in Iceland! And it’s cheaper than driving down to the westman islands and taking the ferry and using up 9 hours of your day to see the puffin colony there!

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

€145 per person

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