Nobody publishes an official northern lights season for Reykjavík. What decides it is darkness, which the University of Iceland almanac times to the minute, and the calendars the tours set themselves. At the edges, in late August, September and April, the nights are short and the hunts run late. The northern lights tour Reykjavik small group calendars show who runs earliest and latest.
In the almanac, full darkness means the sun is 18 degrees or more below the horizon. The last night of it in spring falls in mid-April: the row for 9 April still has about an hour, the row for 16 April none. From then until late August the sky over Reykjavík never goes fully dark. It returns in early September: the row for 27 August has none, and the row for 3 September has full dark from 00:41 to 01:53.
The tours start a little before that and stop a little after. That is the season in practice: late August to mid-April, with the edges thin and late. The when to visit page gives the dark hours for every month.
| Date | Full dark in the almanac | Pickups stated | Stated calendars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August | None; twilight ends 21:58 | 21:30 on one minibus | Open on one minibus since 15 August |
| 3 September | 00:41 to 01:53, about 1 hour | 21:00 to 21:30 | Most open, from 1 September |
| 17 September | 22:48 to 03:52, about 5 hours | 21:00 to 21:30 | All open |
| 1 October | 21:42 to 04:50, about 7 hours | From 20:30 on one minibus | All open |
| 17 December | 18:56 to 07:51, about 13 hours | 20:30 to 21:30 | All open |
| 12 March | 22:04 to 05:14, about 7 hours | 20:30 to 21:30 | All open |
| 26 March | 23:04 to 04:07, about 5 hours | 20:30 to 21:30 | All open |
| 9 April | 01:12 to 02:11, about 1 hour | 21:00 to 21:30 | The private car closed on 4 April |
In late August there is no full dark at all. On 27 August the almanac ends evening twilight at 21:58, and the sky stays in deep twilight until morning. One minibus starts its pickups on 15 August at 21:30 all the same.
That is a thin night. You are hunting in a sky that is dark but never black, for a few hours around midnight. Book it if late August is when you can travel, and keep a spare evening. The other stated calendars open in September.
September is when the stated calendars open. The stargazing jeep collects from 1 September, between 21:00 and 21:30. The snowsuit night runs from 1 September, and the private car from 5 September. Full dark grows fast: about an hour on 3 September, about five by the 17th and about seven by 1 October.
October brings the earlier pickups. The minibus with woollen blankets moves from 21:30 to 20:30 on 1 October. It also brings rain: October is Reykjavík's wettest month in the 1961-1990 normals, at 85.6 mm. More rain means more cloud to beat, so allow more nights.
Around 17 December the almanac gives about 13 hours of full dark, from 18:56 to 07:51. A hunt can start at 20:30 and still have hours of black sky ahead. January is the coldest month in the normals, at -0.5 °C on average.
That is the contrast to keep in mind. At the edges the dark window is shorter, so each night gives the sky fewer hours to clear, and you need more nights for the same odds.
March is the spring mirror of early October. Around 12 March full dark runs from 22:04 to 05:14, about seven hours. By 26 March it has shrunk to about five, starting at 23:04. The minibus with woollen blankets keeps its 20:30 pickups to the end of the month.
March is wet too, at 81.8 mm in the normals, and cold, at 0.5 °C. Dress as for winter, and book early in your stay.
April is the steep end. On 2 April full dark lasts about three and a half hours, from 23:46. On 9 April it lasts about an hour, from 01:12 to 02:11, and after that the table shows none. The minibus with woollen blankets goes back to 21:30 pickups on 1 April and runs to 18 April.
The calendars close in step. The private car stops on 4 April, the stargazing jeep's pickups end on 15 April, and the snowsuit night is scheduled to 30 April. After mid-April you are hunting twilight, and the free retry matters more than ever.
Then the almanac gives you no full dark at all, only twilight around midnight. The snowsuit night is the one stated calendar that runs to 30 April, so it is the tour to look at if you want to try. Keep your expectations modest and your retry alive.
For a sure sight of the aurora, go indoors. Perlan, on Öskjuhlíð, shows Áróra, an 8K northern lights planetarium film, and opens 9:00 to 21:00. You can see it on any evening of your trip, whatever the sky does.
Later, because the dark comes later. The clearest example is the minibus with woollen blankets: from 21:30 between 15 August and 30 September and again from 1 to 18 April, and from 20:30 from October to March. The stargazing jeep collects between 21:00 and 21:30 all season. The Super Jeep runs 8pm and 9pm departures.
A late pickup means a late return. On a four-hour hunt starting at 21:30, you are back around 01:30. The late night northern lights tours are listed together, and the pickup points page shows where each one collects.
| Month | Mean temperature | Precipitation | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | 10.3 °C | 61.8 mm | Mild; no full dark yet |
| September | 7.4 °C | 66.5 mm | Cool; dark hours growing fast |
| October | 4.4 °C | 85.6 mm | The wettest month; allow spare nights |
| March | 0.5 °C | 81.8 mm | Winter cold, long dark still |
| April | 2.9 °C | 58.3 mm | Drier; the dark window closes |
These are the Met Office's 1961-1990 normals for Reykjavík. The shoulder months are milder than mid-winter, which makes standing out for hours easier. They are not drier: October and March are among the wettest. The weather by month page has all twelve.
By their own calendars, the minibus with woollen blankets runs longest: pickups from 15 August to 18 April. The snowsuit night is scheduled from 1 September to 30 April. The stargazing jeep collects from 1 September to 15 April, and the private car runs from 5 September to 4 April. The Super Jeep says only that sightings can occur from fall to spring.
The others do not print a season. If you are travelling in late August or late April, book one of the tours that states a calendar for your dates.
If your dates are fixed and fall in late August, you can still go. Treat it as a trip that might include the lights, and build your days around other plans. The best tour for your trip guide helps you choose the format.
It can be, if you plan for short nights. You get milder weather, and your hunt runs later, around NOAA's best hours of 10 PM to 2 AM. You lose hours of darkness, so each of your nights gives the sky less time to clear. If you can choose your dates freely, mid-September to early October and March give you most of the dark with less of the cold.
NASA and NOAA announced on 15 October 2024 that the Sun had reached solar maximum. That says nothing certain about any one night. Clear sky and darkness still decide it. Plan three evenings, book the first, and read the cloud forecast each afternoon.
Four hours in a minibus of 19 at most, with hot chocolate, Icelandic pastries and woollen blankets; photos if conditions allow, and a free second try subject to availability.
From $166 per person
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Three to five hours in a modified super jeep of 14 at most, with a stargazing telescope, homemade hot chocolate, photos of you, and unlimited retries within two years.
From $221 per person
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Four to six hours with warm winter jumpsuits, outdoor chairs, tripods, cocoa and cinnamon rolls, unlimited photos, and a free retry depending on availability; from age 5.
From $212 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Plan your evenings in the nights planner, or read what each fare buys. Every fare sits side by side on Reykjavik Northern Lights Tours.