The Northern Lights, a.k.a. Aurora Borealis, are magical and elusive. If caught on the best of nights, I do believe the experience can be life-changing. No joke.
However, not to make you sad, or ruin your dreams about Iceland, it is best to expect that you will not see them on your visit. That way, your dreams aren’t crushed and you have to return to this beautiful island.
The Northern Lights are merely icing on the cake of Iceland.
I visited Iceland three times in the fall and winter in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights. On the fourth visit, I saw the lights but it was merely a subtle green streak, stagnant in the sky. Exciting, but not as impressive as the magical time-lapse videos of the Northern Lights that many of us see on YouTube videos or Instagram posts/stories.
Then it happened. On our trip in late August 2015, we saw THE BEST NORTHERN LIGHTS imaginable. I cried. I couldn’t breathe. The forecast for the lights was low, and by chance we caught them! There was a videographer just a few minutes drive to our west who also caught them. Here is a link to his video. This video is not time-lapsed like so many you see. The green, purple, pink and white colors moved quickly and filled the entire sky. It was pure magic.
Tips for the best chance at spotting the Northern Lights:
- Visit during spring, fall or winter! The more darkness the better! Iceland is very far north and likely has different sunrise/sunset times than what you are used to. Check that it will be dark for a few hours a night here.
- Get away from light pollution! Reykjavik is a small city, but there is more light pollution there than anywhere else in Iceland.
- Check the cloud cover forecast! The forecast is always changing of course, so check as close to your date as possible.
- Check the Northern Lights forecast! There are MANY websites to check, but I like this one.
- A good, active time for Northern Lights spotting tends to be late August, mid-October and early to mid-May. I have seen more posts about vibrant light shows around those times of year. That’s also when I’ve spotted the best lights.
- Look outside. Frequently. Closely. Let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Don’t always trust the forecast!
- Check Twitter! Sometimes people see the Northern Lights and tweet real time where they see them. Check hashtags #northernlights, #auroraborealis, #iceland, #reykjavik.
- You will only see the Northern Lights if it’s dark. This is maybe kind of obvious, but worth mentioning.
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