Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik, With Photographs, Local Pastrys and Hot Chocolate

by Gravel Travel · Northern lights · photo · Airport transfers · Reykjavík

4.40(116) · operator on Google
Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik, With Photographs, Local Pastrys and Hot Chocolate — Gravel Travel

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Gravel 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 Tour from Reykjavik, With Photographs, Local Pastrys and Hot Chocolate

Proposal under the northern lights in IcelandExpert in northern lightsAbandoned house with northern lights overFantastic lights on the camera that nightNorthern Lights Tour from Reykjavik, With Photographs, Local Pastrys and Hot Chocolate, photo 10Strong Northern lights activities in Iceland

11 photos from Gravel Travel. Tap any one for the full-size original.

  • Duration

    4 hours

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN, DE, NO, FI, RU, SV, KO, IT, PT, FR, ES, ZH, ZH, EN, DA

  • Departs

    21:30

  • Minimum age

    8

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

The Northern Lights, a breath-taking natural wonder, hold a coveted spot on the travel bucket lists of adventurers worldwide.

Included in every Northern Lights journey with a visit to the Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights centre*. Here you will discover the magic of Northern Lights through the history and science behind them. You will witness the Aurora in 4K across Iceland in their movie theatre. You will then get a chance to set up your camera perfectly before you head outside into the nature.


Embark on an exhilarating expedition with us, departing from Reykjavik, to witness this mesmerizing celestial display. We leave behind the city's artificial illumination and journey into the profound darkness of the Icelandic countryside.

Our expert guide closely monitors the weather conditions, ensuring that we locate the perfect vantage point for admiring the enchanting Aurora Borealis. This ephemeral encounter promises a night of pure magic.

To commemorate this extraordinary experience, our guide will capture stunning photographs of you and the Aurora, preserving the moment in your travel album for eternity, all at no additional cost.

* You can then use you ticket to visit the Aurora museum at your leisure during their regular opening times before or after your tour: aurorareykjavik.is

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

Where you go

  1. Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik, Iceland, Featuring Professional Photography!
  2. Aurora Reykjavik Northern Lights

Included

  • Pick-up & drop off from Reykjavík
  • You are accompanied by a knowledgeable local guide, maximizing your chances of witnessing the lights.
  • You receive complimentary high-quality photos of yourself with the Northern Lights.
  • You receive a taste of Icelandic pastry.
  • Use of blankets in case you get cold 
  • You receive hot cocoa to cosy up in the chilly weather.
  • Small Group Experience (Max. 19 Passengers)
  • Free WiFi on the bus
  • Entrance to the Aurora Reykjavik- Northern Lights Centre (You can then use you ticket to visit the Aurora museum at your leisure during their regular opening times before or after your tour: aurorareykjavik.is)

Good to know

  • Dress according to weather (Warm thermal layers a key to keeping warm.) 
  • Water and windproof outerwear
  • Hiking boots
  • Headwear
  • Gloves
  • Camera
  • Micro spikes to assist you walking on any Ice
  • Tripod (Tri pods can be rented) 
  • This tour depends on weather and activity, so sightings are not guaranteed.
  • Indicated return times can vary due to road & weather conditions.
  • If you don't see any lights on the tour, you can re-book again for free.
  • The tour is scheduled daily. However, we cancel the tour if the weather forecast and the aurora are not promising enough. When a tour is cancelled, we inform you the day before. Those booked can change their booking to another date or get a full refund, given that they have not been on the tour before.
  • If we cancel the tour we will inform you via the email you booked with. We aim to inform you before 18:30 as the latest weather forecast is released at 18:00.
  • If required you must provide your own car seat. Per Icelandic LAW: Children under 135 cm must use a child car seat when travelling in a car. Taller children are free to use car seats as long as the car seat is intended for children of that height and weight. Children under 150 cm must not sit in front of an active airbag. For more information please see: https://island.is/en/children-in-cars
  • You can then use you ticket to visit the Aurora museum at your leisure during their regular opening times before or after your tour: aurorareykjavik.is

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. 1Gravel 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 — €91 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Gravel Travel · €147Blue 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 €91 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 8 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

Gravel 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 Gravel Travel

Read all 116 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.4/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Chai Chuan Wei

    ★★★★★ · 5 months ago

    We went for Katla Ice Cave tour this morning on 29 Mar. Gunnarr is our guide. He can drive superjeep very well and is a very interesting guide. Would recommmend to join their ice cave tour which is of very good experience we had

  • Roya Shahi

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    The Landmannlauger super jeep tour departing from Hella (I chose pick up there, but pick up from Reykjavik is also possible) was wonderful and so much fun! Our tour guide was great, had a sense of humor and explained the scenery and history of all the places we visited very well. The super jeep is huge and comfortable, so can cross the rivers easily and makes for a fun ride. The tour included lots of incredible, beautiful spots like the famous Landmannlauger area and scenery of course, which also included time to go on a brief hike and relax at the hot spring, lots of volcanic scenery between points of interest on the tour, much of it looking like a different planet, a big crater with lake, a few gorgeous waterfalls including the tallest in Iceland, beautiful and unique scenery all around. The tour is packed with so many amazing sites and is the perfect way to explore the highlands. I highly recommend booking with Gravel Travel, as the itinerary was perfect, customer service was friendly and prompt, and the experience was one of the highlights of my Iceland trips.

  • Nora Tuominen

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    The Katla ice cave tour from Vík was great! The ice caves are changing constantly, but at least in late May the cave was about 30 meters deep and the walls were beautiful mix of blue, clear, white and black stripes. There were no other groups at the cave, and the guide allowed us to stay in as long as we liked. The journey to the cave and back was fun as well, with the guide sharing stories and facts about the areas we drove past.

  • Jared Kaufman

    ★★★ · 7 months ago

    I have to say I was disappointed by the Super Jeep Northern Lights tour. The lights were incredible, however, I’m not sure what we gained with the Super Jeep. For the added cost from a traditional tour, there did not appear to be any evident difference. Don’t waste your money on this upgraded experience if you’re expecting something special by being in a “super jeep”. Guide was a little rough around the edges, though, brought us to a great spot. Pick up was late, drop off was over an hour early. A 4 hour experience was actually less than 2.5 hours.

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

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.

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  • 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

€147 per person

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