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Iceland Northern Lights Holidays

4.8/5

Average Customer Score
Based On 1316 Reviews

4.8/5

Average Customer Score
Based On 1316 Reviews

Overview

Located within the auroral oval, Iceland is a superb destination to see the northern lights. The dark winter nights from September to April, tingle with the electrifying prospect of seeing the aurora borealis, while the warming influence of the Gulf Stream means Iceland enjoys milder weather during the winter than many other places at this latitude.

With 40 years experience in creating Iceland holidays, we understand how to maximise your chances of seeing the northern lights. Location is everything and you boost your chances dramatically by staying somewhere away from the light pollution of built-up areas. Over the years we’ve developed close partnerships with Iceland’s very best rural hotels and lodges. Located deep in the countryside, surrounded by vast open skies where aurora watching is at its most spectacular, they go the extra mile to help you witness the northern lights. Many of them offer an aurora wake-up service, so you can go to bed knowing that you’ll be woken should the northern lights appear.

There's nothing like personal experience from someone who's been there to elevate your holiday out of the ordinary. Our specialists have it in bucket loads ready to tailor make your adventure.
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  • hotel-ranga-northern-lights-overhead

    Highlights

    Stay in prime aurora viewing locations in the Icelandic countryside with an optional wake up call

  • Highlights

    Spend your days exploring a geological wonderland of snow-capped volcanoes, lava fields, black-sand beaches, geysers, glaciers and waterfalls

  • See the northern lights above Kirkjufell in Snaefellsnes on an Iceland holiday

    Highlights

    Choose to join a small group tour with an expert guide or opt for the independence of a perfectly crafted self drive

Northern lights holidays in Iceland

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Best time to see the northern lights in Iceland

You can catch glimpses of green for nearly nine months a year from late August to mid-April, so there’s plenty of scope for planning your holiday to Iceland to see the northern lights. Autumn and spring – especially during the equinoxes – tend to see an increase in activity. Couple this with milder temperatures and more daylight and this can be a great time for self-drive touring. Alternatively, visit in the depths of winter when snow-dusted mountains and frozen waterfalls form a stunning backdrop to a northern lights holiday in Iceland. You can also combine aurora hunting with orca watching during February and March, or plan a special break celebrating Christmas or New Year.

Expert analysts are able to predict aurora patterns a month in advance based on solar activity, but these are not set in stone and don’t account for weather patterns. Therefore, when it comes to choosing from our Iceland northern lights holidays, we recommend focusing on the elements you can control: where to stay – away from light pollution so you can react quickly to the whims of nature; what to see and what to do.

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Recommended hotels for Iceland northern lights holidays

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