Reykjavik: Northern Lights Small Group Tour & Aurora Hunt

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Free cancellationExcellent qualityLikely to sell out

1/6

Duration3h

GroupUp to 19

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Northern lights chase from reykjavik with local guide in winter

You’ll bundle up with a small group outside Reykjavik, following your local guide to wherever the Northern Lights might appear that night. Expect nervous laughter, real-time chasing based on weather updates, and those rare moments when everyone falls silent under shifting green light. It’s not guaranteed — but if you catch even a hint of aurora, you’ll remember how it felt.

Step-by-step itinerary

Northern Lights tour from Reykjavik

Depart from BSI Bus Terminal
Travel to best Northern Lights location
Observe Northern Lights if visible
Return to Reykjavik (time may vary)

The Experience

“Is that it?” someone whispered behind me — I honestly couldn’t tell at first. We’d just pulled off somewhere outside Reykjavik (I lost track after the second roundabout), and the bus door let out this little hiss as we stepped into the kind of cold that bites your ears. Our guide, Sigrún, kept checking her phone for aurora forecasts but also just sort of sniffed the air like she could sense something coming. There was this weird silence, except for boots crunching on icy gravel and a couple of us giggling nervously because, you know, what if we saw nothing?

I kept staring at the sky until my neck hurt. The clouds kept moving — sometimes you’d think you saw green, but maybe it was just headlights or your own wishful thinking. Then Sigrún pointed up and said something in Icelandic I didn’t catch (she grinned when I tried to repeat it). Suddenly there was this faint ribbon of light, almost shy at first, curling above us. Not bright or dramatic — more like someone had smudged pastel green across a dark canvas. I could smell diesel from the bus mixed with something sharp and cold in the air, which sounds odd but somehow made it feel realer.

The whole group went quiet for a bit — not awkward, just everyone trying to take it in without blinking too much. Someone tried to take photos but their fingers were too cold and they started laughing. I still think about that hush; it felt like being let in on a secret only Iceland gets to keep most nights. The tour wasn’t fancy — just a small group, warm bus, good WiFi (someone live-streamed for their grandma), and Sigrún’s stories about chasing auroras as a kid growing up near Akureyri. We didn’t get a wild show or pink streaks or anything like that — but honestly? That little shimmer was enough.

What’s included

Your evening includes comfortable bus fare with WiFi onboard, guidance from a professional local expert who tracks aurora forecasts nightly, and carbon neutral travel thanks to cooperation with Vaxa Technologies before returning to Reykjavik after your hunt for the lights.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Reykjavik Excursions