Reykjavik Northern Lights by Boat or by Land: Which Hunt?

Side by side

The case for the boat

The boat takes the hardest parts out of the night. There is no pickup to wait for and no drive: you walk to the quay, check in and sail. The night lasts two hours, so you are back before most land hunts reach their second stop. Loretta_R puts it plainly: a two-hour night against the five-hour bus hunts. On board you move between an open deck and a heated lounge, and there are toilets on the boat, which no roadside stop can offer.

The boat from the Old Harbour costs $105 and hands out warm floatable overalls; if you see nothing, you are offered tickets for another night. Ken_C calls it the best way to see the lights if you are not staying out in the country at night. Celia_B saw the lights from the harbour before the boat had even left.

Access is the other quiet advantage. The boat from the Old Harbour is marked wheelchair accessible: a light-weight chair is welcome on the larger boats, and the crew asks for notice so they can help with boarding. Steep stairs and high thresholds still limit parts of the inside and the toilets. On land, most hunts are marked not wheelchair accessible; the private car and local guide is the exception, with your own help on board.

The boat also suits families, travellers with limited energy, and anyone on a short stay who cannot give up a late night. The family guide explains the ages.

What a night on the water looks like

The boat from the Old Harbour starts on land, with the guide explaining the science of the aurora before you board. Then it sails out into Faxaflói bay, away from the city light, with the lit skyline, Harpa and Hallgrímskirkja behind you. From October to December, when the Imagine Peace Tower is lit, the boat passes the beam. The guide watches the sky and calls people out of the lounge when the lights appear.

The boats are close in price and differ in detail:

Seasickness is the other thing to weigh. Sean_B found the top deck a bit rocky, and the crew handed out tablets on that sailing. If you know you suffer, take something before you board, or book the road.

The case for a land hunt

The case for land is one word: cloud. A boat stays in the bay. A hunt can drive to the gap in the cloud that the forecast shows, and keep driving if it closes. James_W saw five faint minutes from the boat, then took a coach hunt the next night that chose its spot from the forecast, and saw far more. Kay_M sailed under a full moon and some cloud: nothing in the first hour, a good show in the second.

Land hunts also carry the stronger retries. The small-group hunt with guide photos costs $159 and offers unlimited free retries. The Super Jeep hunt leaves the paved road and offers one free rebook. And the photos tend to be better on land, where a tripod stands on firm ground rather than a moving deck.

The costs are real. You wait outside for a pickup, the night runs past midnight, and the stops rarely have toilets. The pickup points and where to stay show how pickup works from each part of the city.

What a night on land looks like

A land hunt starts outside your hotel or at a numbered bus stop, from about 20:30. The guide drives out of the city while explaining the plan, then stops several times wherever the cloud map shows clear sky. At each stop you get out, let your eyes adjust and watch the northern sky; between stops you warm up inside. Hot chocolate comes out when the waiting gets long, and on many fares the guide photographs you once the lights appear.

The night is long. Most hunts run three to five hours, and the guide may wait longer if the forecast says a chance is coming. Francesca_C was out in the Super Jeep until after one in the morning. The night, hour by hour walks through every stage.

Doing both

Many visitors do both, and the order matters. Book a land hunt with a generous retry on your first clear-looking night. It has the best chance of a display, and if it fails, the retry still has nights to work with. Keep the boat for a clear night later in your stay, when the forecast looks good and you want an easy evening. That way you pay twice and get two different nights, not the same night twice.

• First clear night: a land hunt with retries.
• A night with a clear forecast later on: the boat, for the view from the water.
• Short on time: the boat only, and watch the forecast for the clearest night.
• Seasick: land only. Sean_B found the top deck a bit rocky.

Verdict by traveller

If you are travelling with young children, choose the boat: two hours, infants book, and a warm lounge. If photographs are the point, choose land, with a guide who shoots on a tripod. If the forecast is cloudy, choose land, since only a vehicle can chase a gap. If you are staying downtown for two nights or fewer, the boat is the easier bet. If you want the lowest fare, the cheapest boat and the cheapest coach sit within a few dollars of each other, so choose by the forecast. If you are here for a week, do both, land first. If you use a wheelchair, the boat is the easier start; tell the crew you are coming.

The visitor guide compares every kind of fare, and when to go shows how dark each month gets.

Boat and land nights to compare

Northern Lights Boat Cruise from Reykjavik

Two hours on the bay from the Old Harbour, with observation decks, a restroom and Wi-Fi on board; drinks and snacks are sold. Arrive 30 minutes early.

From $86 per person

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Golden Circle & Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik

The Golden Circle by day with the crater fee paid, a break in the city, and then about four hours hunting on a coach with a restroom. No retry stated.

From $151 per person

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Northern Lights & Hot Choco: Private 4x4 Tour from Reykjavik

Four hours in a private 4x4 for your party, with hot chocolate, Icelandic pastries, hand warmers and Wi-Fi, guided in English or Spanish; no retry stated.

From $649 per person

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