Reykjavik Northern Lights Tour & Pro Aurora Photos

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.94 (519 reviews) 96% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/20

Duration3h–5h

GroupUp to 18

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Chase the Aurora Across Iceland's Dark Sky With a Professional Photographer

You depart Reykjavik in a heated minibus and hunt the aurora across dark-sky locations chosen by real-time forecast data. A professional photographer captures high-resolution images while your guide explains the science and mythology. You get hot chocolate, Viking photo props, and a warm car to retreat to. If no lights appear, you return free on another night.

3h–5h

Step-by-step itinerary

Northern Lights hunt from Reykjavik

Depart from Reykjavik
Hunt Aurora at various locations
Use tech and science to find lights

The Experience

The minibus pulls out of Reykjavik around 9 or 10pm, depending on the forecast, and your guide starts scanning the sky while driving toward the darkest spots outside the city. You're not sitting in a stationary viewing area waiting for luck — you're actively hunting, moving to wherever the latest aurora data suggests the lights are strongest that night. The driver knows the terrain and the weather patterns; the guide knows the science behind what you're looking for and the Icelandic stories people have told about it for centuries. If the forecast looks poor, you'll hear that upfront, but the chase itself is the thing that keeps you engaged while you wait.

When the aurora does appear — and the guide will spot it before you do — a professional photographer with high-end equipment is already positioned to capture it in detail. Your phone camera will not do what theirs does; the difference is immediate and obvious when you see the files later. The group stays small enough that you're not jostling for position or waiting your turn, and if you want to dress up in Viking props for a few shots, that happens too, no awkwardness. Between sightings, there's hot chocolate and gingerbread to warm you from the inside, and the minibus has extra heaters so you can retreat inside whenever you need to. The whole night is built around the idea that waiting for the Northern Lights tour in Reykjavik should not feel like standing around in the cold.

If you don't see the aurora on your first night, you get unlimited free retries — you just book another date and go out again. That policy exists because the aurora is not guaranteed, and the company knows that. It also means you're not gambling on a single evening; you have real chances to see it. The tour departs nightly from Reykjavik, so flexibility matters less than it would if departures were once a week.

What’s included

Your night includes pickup and departure from Reykjavik, transportation in a heated minibus to multiple aurora-hunting locations chosen by forecast, an experienced local guide and driver, hot chocolate and gingerbread snacks, professional aurora and group photography taken by the guide with high-end equipment, access to Viking props for photos, and unlimited free retries if you don't see the lights on your first attempt.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Aurora Viking

Is this one for you?Book this if you want professional aurora photos without bringing your own camera gear, and you'd rather spend the waiting time entertained and warm than standing alone in the cold — the small group size and the active hunt across multiple locations are what make that possible.