Northern Lights

The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Iceland during the winter months, when they have the highest chance of seeing this spectacular light show in the sky.

The Northern Lights are the visible result of solar particles entering the earth’s magnetic field and ionizing high in the atmosphere. Their intensity depends on the activity of the sun and the acceleration speed of these particles. They appear as dancing lights high in the sky and vary in color. The lights usually appear green, but occasionally also purple, red, pink, orange, and blue. Their colors depend on the elements being ionized. Solar activity is not regular, however. Even if it is a dark, clear night, there could still be absolutely no chance of seeing the auroras due to a lack of solar activity.

Iceland, because of its location (latitude 64° north) makes the country an ideal location for this activity.

Needless to say, before science could find an explanation for this phenomenon, the ancestors of the Scandinavian thought that they are a sign from higher beings or from the spirits of dead.

The following conditions are needed in order to see the northern lights:

• Visiting between September and April
• The night must be as dark as possible
• There should be as little unnatural light as possible
• There should be as little cloud cover as possible
• There must be enough solar activity

Luckily, nowadays the forecasts are quite reliable and the experienced guides can take you to areas that have a higher chance for a sighting.

There are several ways and methods to see the lights. Normally, you could a better rate if you are visiting North-Iceland or the Westfjords or taking a boat away from the Reykjavik area in order to leave the artificial city lights behind.

However, nothing is guaranteed, even though science can predict this activity quite well, it still does not mean that you will be lucky during your first try. This is the reason why a lot of people call it the “northern lights hunt” and trust us, once you catch your “prey”, it will be a special moment.