Iceland · NORTHERN LIGHTS TOURS IN NORTH ICELAND

The 12 Northern Lights Tours in North Iceland That Survive a Bad Forecast

12 tours  ·  from $113

Short days, long drives and a forecast that turns twice before lunch: these 12 northern lights tours in North Iceland survive all three, priced and timed.

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Northern Lights Tour from Akureyri

1.Northern Lights Tour from Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 112 reviews · 3 hours · from $116Our pick

Leave Akureyri by climate-controlled van and search the winter countryside for the aurora with an English-speaking local guide. Guides such as Arman, Norbert, and Yule are praised for their stories, persistence, and phone-camera tips. If clouds hide the lights, you can return the following night at no extra cost when a tour runs.

“Our guide is really Great. He got us well entertained. Very helpful with taking our photos and setting our camera and phone to get a Great pictures. He knows where to go and we are able to spend a lot of time taking pictures and videos of the northern lights”

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Northern Lights Classic MiniBus Tour from Akureyri - Passing Akureyri’s landmark before the search begins
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Northern Lights Classic MiniBus Tour from Akureyri

2.Northern Lights Classic MiniBus Tour from Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 76 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $150

Leave Akureyri at 9:30 p.m. with a guide such as Armann, Jon, Norbert, or Daniel to search for clear skies and aurora away from town. The 2 to 3 hour minibus trip includes pickup, drop-off, hot chocolate, cookies, and a free retry the next night if the lights do not appear. Groups are limited to 16 people.

“Fantastic trip with great leader who explained everything and showed us how to capture the best photos. It’s easier seeing the phenomena through the iPhone than the naked eye as it captures more light. The hot chocolate was very welcome. And we were picked up and dropped off right by our ship. Excellent service and good value. Thoroughly recommend.”

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From Akureyri: Northern Lights Tour - The 2.5-hour search, stop by stop
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From Akureyri: Northern Lights Tour

3.Northern Lights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 42 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $132

From Akureyri, join an English-speaking guide such as Lilja, Ingi, or Graham for a 2.5-hour Aurora hunt beyond the city lights. You will travel between dark locations, hear Icelandic stories, get help with night photography, and warm up with hot chocolate. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the guides work hard to give you a fair chance.

“We went out on a cloudy night unfortunately, but our guide did her absolute best to find the northern lights. We stopped at different locations, and ended up seeing faint northern lights. We loved that our guide told us stories about Akureyri and the culture, too. The provided hot chocolate warmed us up! The day after we got a very unexpected and very kind offer to go out and try again free of charge (but we weren’t free) - what a lovely gesture! We would definitely recommend them (we wouldn’t have seen the lights ourselves, not knowing where and what to look for!)”

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Akureyri: Northern Lights Photography Tour - Waiting under Iceland’s winter sky
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Akureyri: Northern Lights Photography Tour

4.Northern Lights Photography Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 37 reviews · 3 hours · from $194

Leave Akureyri’s city glow behind for a three-hour Northern Lights hunt with an English-speaking guide and up to 15 people. You may head into the countryside or toward the mountains, depending on weather and cloud cover. The tour includes transport, Wi-Fi, a hot drink, an Icelandic treat, and Northern Lights photos if the sky cooperates.

“The tour was overpriced in my opnion. You can only see northern lights under clear skies. Our group was driven to a remote spot around 20 mins from Akureyri. It was rather cloudly but the lights did show up, albeit not very strong. Our guide took photos of the lights, but we never received any of those photos. No photos were taken by the guide of members of the tour group. There was no value-added, all we got was a drive to an opening where the sky was relatively clear.”

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Northern Lights 4x4 Jeep/van Tour from Akureyri - Why getting outside Akureyri matters
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Northern Lights 4×4 Jeep/van Tour from Akureyri

5.Northern Lights 4×4 Jeep/van Tour from Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 27 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $259

Leave Akureyri at 9:30 p.m. with a driver-guide such as Reynir or Thor, heading beyond city lights in a 4x4 Jeep or van. The small group, capped at seven, waits for clear skies and aurora activity while enjoying hot cocoa and an Icelandic twisted doughnut. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

“The experience was amazing. Reynir picked us up at the hotel and drove us outside the town to escape light pollution. Though the sky was mostly clouded, he found a couple of cloudless spots. Shortly after parking, the aurora showed up and were able to see it for about half hour, until the clouds covered them. All this while having hot chocolate and Icelandic doughnuts.”

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Akureyri Northern Light Tour - What happens on the 9:30 pm departure
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Akureyri Northern Light Tour

6.Akureyri Northern Light Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $142

Leave Akureyri’s street lights behind and search Eyjafjörður for the Aurora Borealis with The Traveling Viking. Your guide may include Lilja or Graham, both praised for photo help, local insight, and finding quiet viewpoints. The 2.5-hour evening outing includes coach or minibus transport, hot chocolate, and a return to Hof Cultural and Conference Centre.

“We were not able to see the lights as it was raining. Maybe they should cancel the tour even with a partial refund if they know the weather forecast points to a rainy night. We wasted 3.5 hrs and went to bed really late a bit disappointed.”

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Akureyri: Hunt for the Northern Lights Photography Tour - How the guide chooses the night’s direction
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Akureyri: Hunt for the Northern Lights Photography Tour

7.Hunt for the Northern Lights Photography Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.2 · 9 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $113Best value

Leave Akureyri at 9:30 p.m. with an English-speaking guide such as Jong or Thor, heading toward clearer skies around Lake Mývatn and the surrounding countryside. You will learn how to spot faint aurora, photograph the lights, and stargaze away from city glare. The northern lights are never guaranteed, but a free rebooking is offered when the tour runs without a sighting.

“Great experience. Our guide Jong was driwing to find a clear sky full of stars, he explained us everything about the lights and he was helping us with the pictures. Thanks a lot Jong it was a perfect night.”

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Photography tour - Northern light Hunting from Akureyri - The guide can make or break the night
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Photography tour – Northern light Hunting from Akureyri

8.Photography tour – Northern light Hunting from Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $126

Set out from Akureyri around 9:30 pm with Star Travel Iceland and drive into Eyjafjardarsveit, away from city lights. Your guide handles the search, explains the aurora, and returns you to the pickup point after about two to three hours. Siggi has earned special praise for staying determined when conditions are tough.

“Sigi was an amazing guide and a very good person. He went out of his way to make sure all of us had the best experience possible. When others would have given up he went above and beyond to find a way to make it a special experience. I would recommend Star Tours to everyone for their fantastic guides.”

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Akureyri: Lake Mývatn & Northern Lights - Winter Special - The final fjord view toward Akureyri
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Akureyri: Lake Mývatn & Northern Lights – Winter Special

9.Lake Mývatn & Northern Lights – Winter Special

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 2 days · from $350Top rated

Spend two days exploring North Iceland with an English-speaking guide, including Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Grjótagjá, Hverarönd, Dimmuborgir and the Nature Baths. An evening Northern Lights hunt follows, with airport transfers for EasyJet passengers. Guide Sigi, also called Ziggie, may lead both trips.

“Excellent in all aspects. Pick up easy and straightforward. Northern lights evening and Myvatn trips lead by Sigi who kept us informed and entertained. Great lights show and the lake trip was excellent with lots of interesting stops never feeling rushed and plenty of time to explore. The baths were closed for refurbishment so drive 45 mins for an alternative we opted to not do this as been in the forest lagoon the evening prior, but sigi dropped us in a local town to explore whilst others visited the baths.”

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Forest Lagoon and Northern Lights Guided Night Tour - Two hours at Forest Lagoon above Eyjafjörður
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Forest Lagoon and Northern Lights Guided Night Tour

10.Forest Lagoon and Northern Lights Guided Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $176

Start at 7:30 p.m. with two quiet hours at Forest Lagoon, surrounded by birch and pine trees above Eyjafjörður. Then follow a licensed guide, often Sigi, into Eyjafjardarsveit away from Akureyri’s lights. The guide may try several viewing spots and take photos, but the aurora can never be guaranteed.

“Loved, loved, loved this tour!! Our guide was AMAZING!! The Forest Lagoon was lovely but chasing the Northern Lights was the highlight. Our guide was so determined and we saw them!!! Incredible night to remember!”

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Northern Lights Photography from Akureyri - A northern lights hunt, not a guaranteed performance
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Northern Lights Photography from Akureyri

11.Northern Lights Photography from Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $185

Meet in Akureyri at 9 pm for a three-hour Northern Lights hunt through rural Eyjafjörður. Your guide drives away from city glow toward darker countryside or mountain roads, giving you time to watch and photograph the aurora. Pickup is offered, and the group can include up to 50 people.

“Great knowledgeable guide and would recommend company for their proactive approach to make sure we saw the northern lights. We were contacted the day before our tour was booked for asking if we could do that evening instead as Read more”

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Northern Lights Tour from Husavik - A 9:00 pm start in a small group
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Northern Lights Tour from Husavik

12.Northern Lights Tour from Husavik

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 3 reviews · from $173

Set out from Husavík at 9:00 pm with an experienced northern-lights guide and a group of no more than eight. Depending on clouds and conditions, your route may reach Þeistareykir, the Laxá river mouth, Tjörnes, or Öxarfjörður. The outing lasts about two hours and returns to the meeting point.

“Very unprofessional. We went to the meet up spot and waited for 30 minutes to be picked up. I messaged them several times throughout this time and did not receive a reply. The next morning we got an email from them saying sorry we meaRead more”

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