Northern Lights Iceland Season: Best Times to Witness the Aurora

The Northern Lights are an amazing natural phenomenon that takes patience and luck to witness.

To maximize your chances, the key is avoiding light pollution – such as that found in cities – by seeking out remote locations with dark skies.

Official Northern Lights season extends from late August to mid-April; for maximum chances of seeing them, visit between September and March.

Check out more on when and how best to see the Northern Lights here.

Best Time to See the Northern Lights

For optimal northern lights viewing, September to April are typically the dark winter months when solar activity tends to be highest nights are long, and solar activity tends to increase significantly.

Darkness helps reduce ambient light pollution, making it easier to spot aurora borealis displays.

Iceland’s northern parts fall within the so-called northern lights belt that provides optimal chances for seeing one.

Furthermore, fewer people populate this part of Europe than elsewhere so you stand an even greater chance of witnessing an auroral display!

On weeks when the sun never sets, when conditions are too bright to see the northern lights.

Still, occasional glimpses can be found in early and late summer; particularly at remote locations like Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.

When hunting the northern lights, be sure to choose an area away from capital areas where light pollution is minimal – for instance, the Seltjarnarnes peninsula and Oskjuhlid hill’s lava fields can both provide great opportunities.

Joining a tour with an experienced northern lights specialist also increases your odds; their guides have tools equipped to keep an eye on weather forecasts closely and know where best to take advantage of favorable conditions when they appear.

How to See the Northern Lights in Iceland

Experience the Northern Lights on your own, but a better chance will come with hiring a guide.

These experts know all of the best places and times to go searching for them in Iceland – as well as helping with equipment such as flashlights and cameras!

To see the Northern Lights in Iceland, it’s important to remember a few essential points.

First of all, it must be in an area free from light pollution – meaning far from cities and towns.

Be sure to bring warm clothing and a sleeping bag as you may spend hours waiting for the Northern Lights.

Make sure that you keep in mind the role the weather will play in whether or not you see the Northern Lights; Iceland’s climate can be quite fickle during winter, so plan for contingencies should the conditions not go according to plan and ensure that if necessary you have an exit strategy ready should the Northern Lights fail to appear during your visit to Iceland.

If possible, visit Iceland on one of the two equinoxes in September or March, when nights are the longest and your chances of seeing the Northern Lights increase substantially.

Where to See the Northern Lights in Iceland

Northern lights season typically runs from September to mid-April when nights are darkest, increasing your chances of seeing this mesmerizing phenomenon.

Planning an extended visit will further enhance your odds, so aim to arrive five days before the new moon for maximum effectiveness at aurora hunting.

While Aurora Borealis displays are visible throughout the country, some locations provide particularly striking displays.

Jokulsarlon’s glacial lagoon, for example, is an incredible setting where many northern light seekers come to watch it dance across its surface and refract off of building-sized icebergs that float in its waters to create an almost kaleidoscopic effect of colorful lights reflected off water and floating icebergs creating a spectacular kaleidoscopic effect that has long been appreciated by northern light enthusiasts.

Reynisfjara Beach, which lies only a short drive from Reykjavik and features dramatic basalt columns, offers another fantastic place to view the northern lights.

As darkness falls over Reynisfjara’s black sand beach and sea, visitors can watch as its dramatic basalt columns glow with red glow of basalt columns as the northern lights dance above its sea, providing stunning scenery of black mountains jutting out into the ocean in front.

However, city and town areas will make viewing the northern lights harder due to increased light pollution.

Tips for Seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland

An unforgettable northern lights display is at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists.

When visiting Iceland to search for aurora borealis displays, you must know when and where to look for optimal views of these spectacular displays.

Peak Northern Lights season in Iceland usually falls from September through March when nights are longer and darker; however, you could spot them any time depending on weather conditions.

These displays of celestial beauty result from the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field; when strong these can even produce pinkish-red hues.

Step one of experiencing the northern lights is darkness. This usually involves staying away from populated areas that produce too much light pollution, such as Reykjavik.

Your chances of witnessing them increase by staying put for an extended period and when clouds are less present.

Be mindful that the Northern Lights are most prominent during solar maximum, which occurs every 11 years.

At this time, solar activity increases exponentially, and its magnetic field aligns perfectly with Earth, leading to brighter and more frequent displays of the Northern Lights.