Northern Lights Guided Bus Tour from Reykjavik
Description
The Northern Lights tour from Reykjavík takes you to see a spectacular natural phenomenon which happens during the winter months. The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are caused by the interaction of particles from the sun with the upper atmosphere near the North Pole. Northern Lights in Iceland are visible during the winter months, from August to April. It’s important to stay warm when you’re out in the dark gazing up at the sky, which is why freshly-baked waffles and hot beverages are available for sale on site. Add some heartwarming comfort to an already amazing experience. Take advantage of our Northern Lights offer: if you don't see the auroras on your first night, you can book an additional night at no extra cost. Enjoy another chance to witness this natural wonder.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meeting point for the tour.
Locations on this tour vary from day to day depending on weather conditions.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
• Please be at your designated pickup point at least 30 minutes prior to departure. Our pickup vehicles are well marked with the Reykjavik Excursions. • Each driver has a few stops, so it can take up to 30 minutes to finish picking everyone up, so there is no need to worry if the bus is not there right away.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour depends on weather and sightings are not guaranteed. The tour may be cancelled on the day if the weather is poor
- Remember to dress warmly
- Indicated return times can vary.
- Minimum age is 6 years old.
Reviews(1,241)
While re.is generally runs well-organized tours, their Northern Lights tour is a significant letdown that feels more like a box-ticking exercise than a genuine hunt for the Aurora. Based on my recent experience, I strongly advise travelers to look elsewhere for the following reasons: • Profit Over Probability: The company proceeded with the tour despite a low Kp index and nearly zero probability of a sighting. Professional outfits should prioritize transparency; if the chance is below 50%, they should offer refunds rather than forcing a "ghost hunt." • Poor Site Selection: For a professional company, the choice of viewing locations was pathetic. We were subjected to heavy light pollution and constant headlights from passing vehicles as well as flights passing from KEF • Lack of Basic Protocol: Even the tour bus lights were left on during the viewing session, further destroying any chance of night vision or clear photography. • Apathetic Execution: Both the guide and driver seemed fully aware that the lights wouldn't appear, resulting in a casual, "blame nature" attitude that felt dismissive of the guests' time and investment. • The Rebooking Gimmick: To mask the lack of quality, they offer a free rebooking for two years. This is a hollow gesture for the 99% of international tourists who will not be returning to Iceland within that window. If an individual can find a dark-sky spot in a place like Canada without professional help, there is no excuse for a specialized Icelandic company to fail so miserably at finding a location without light pollution. Verdict: Don't waste your night. If you want a real Aurora experience, find a provider that values sightings over seat-filling.
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We sincerely apologise that your Northern Lights tour did not meet your expectations and that the experience felt disappointing. Aurora tours are planned on a daily basis using the most up-to-date weather forecasts, cloud coverage maps, solar activity data, and road conditions. Each evening, our team selects what are considered the most favourable locations at that time, actively aiming for areas with as little artificial light as possible while also ensuring safety and accessibility. However, Icelandic weather can change within minutes, which is unfortunately beyond our control. The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, and even with careful planning and experience, sightings and surrounding conditions can never be guaranteed. We appreciate you raising your concerns, and your comments will be shared with the relevant team for review. Our complimentary rebooking policy is offered to provide guests with another opportunity in the event of no sighting. We apologise that the evening did not deliver the experience you had hoped for and thank you again for sharing your perspective. Best regards, Rute
The tour experience was great, especially Lauren and Leo made it amazing!
Thank you for your great review! We’re so happy to hear that you had such a good experience on the Northern Lights tour. Lauren and Leo will be very pleased to know they made your trip special — they truly love what they do. We really appreciate you traveling with us and hope to welcome you again in Iceland. Best regards, Inga
We had a nice night for some activity and we did get a little lucky. I fulfilled my wish of being able to see the northern lights with the naked eye, so that was wonderful. Unfortunately the lights didn’t stay dancing too long. But I call it a win! I wish the sky would have been just a bit darker though. It was almost 11:00 and there was still some light. I wish the bus went a little further out and was not parking in a lot right next to the road because headlights kept coming and messing up your night vision. For the price of the tour, they could have thrown in a complimentary hot chocolate. That would have been a nice touch.
Thank you for your feedback. We will take your comments into consideration and work on improving the experience. We appreciate your suggestions and will do our best to make future tours even better. Best regards, Magdalena
It was great experience with a great guide, very informative and helpfull.
Hello, Thank you for your kind feedback! We’re glad to hear you had a great experience and that your guide was informative and helpful throughout the tour. We appreciate you traveling with us and hope to see you again! Best regards, Zuzanna
A great company to tour with - we saw the lights only very briefly the first night so were told to rebook again. Luckily, the second attempt gave us a show to remember. Thorrun(excuse the spelling us), was an amazing guide - a cracking Icelandic sense of humour and a whiz with iPhone photography!
Hello, Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re delighted to hear that your second attempt rewarded you with a memorable display of the northern lights and that Þórunn made the evening even more enjoyable with her knowledge, humor, and photography tips. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you again! Best regards, Zuzanna
We have seen it. Wonderful 🤩 !!!
Hello, Thank you for your feedback! We’re happy to hear you had a wonderful experience. Hope to see you again! Best regards, Zuzanna
It was a fantastic experience! Tour guide Lauren and bus driver Leo were outstanding and guided us and entertained us a lot... ending the experience with the magnificent Northern Lights
Hello, Thank you for your kind feedback. We’re very happy to hear that you had such a memorable experience and that the team contributed to making the tour enjoyable and special from start to finish. It’s great to know the overall journey left such a positive impression. Best regards, Zuzanna
Thoren and David brought us to the aurora in absolute perfect timing. Clear skyes, max lights and a moon popping up behind the scenes. Thoren gave us some pieces of science behind the lights. Buses reached a park slot in the National Park outside Reykjavik. Only downside the number of people across 4 buses. Otherwise a gorgeous evening nonetheless.
Hello, Thank you for your feedback! We’re so glad you had such a beautiful evening and that Þorúnn and Davids helped make it a special experience. We appreciate your note about the group size and will keep it in mind. Hope to see you again! Best regards, Zuzanna
Lauren was an outstanding guide on our Northern Lights tour. She was upbeat, knowledgeable, funny, and very approachable, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of the lights early on, and when they faded, Lauren and our bus driver Leo went out of their way to take us to another location to try again. That extra effort meant so much and really showed their dedication to giving us the best experience possible.
Hello, Thank you so much for your lovely words! We’re really happy to hear Lauren and Leo went the extra mile to make your experience special. It truly means a lot. We hope to see you again on another adventure! Best regards, Zuzanna
Lauren and Leo were the best. A great experience and would highly recommend it with these two as our bus driver and tour guide. Lauren was exceptional and she made the experience fun and memorable. Did a wonderful job explaining detail details about what we had experience.
Hello, Thank you for your kind feedback! We’re so happy to hear Lauren and Leo made your experience fun and memorable. We really appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you again! Best regards, Zuzanna
