Private Northern Lights Hunting Tour

Private Northern Lights Hunting Tour

It is no wonder the Northern Lights are at the top of many people’s bucket lists; they are quite the sight. Icelanders themselves never tire of seeing them.

How does our tour work?

As the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, we sadly cannot guarantee their sighting. Apart from solar storms, we need clear skies or at least semi-clear.

If the Aurora forecast is ok based on our judgment, our expert guides will take you on an exciting hunt for the Northern Lights if the conditions are right. You will be picked up from your hotel in a luxury car, and then we will take you to the best possible location to see them, away from the city’s light pollution and preferably in beautiful surroundings for your photos.

But what are the Northern Lights?

The lights are gasses from the Sun during solar storms hitting the Earth’s atmosphere. They can (usually) only be seen around the Arctic and Antarctic because of the Earth’s magnetic fields.

The color of the lights depends on what kinds of gasses there are and where they are hitting the atmosphere:

Green is the most common color of the lights and the easiest to see from the ground. It is produced when charged particles collide with oxygen molecules at altitudes of 100-300km.

Sometimes, the lower edge of the lights will have a pink or dark red fringe. Nitrogen molecules produce those colors at altitudes of about 100km.

Higher in the atmosphere, at about 300-400km, you will sometimes see a red color. Collisions produce that color with oxygen atoms.

Blue- and purple-colored Northern Lights are produced by hydrogen and helium molecules. These two colors are the hardest for us to see against the night sky.

When can you see the Northern Lights?

Technically, you should be able to see them all year round in Iceland if the weather conditions are right. But since we have 24-hour daylight in the summer, it is simply too bright to see them.