Reykjavik Northern Lights Small-Group Hunt with Pro Aurora Photos

★★★★★ 4.9 (524 traveller ratings)

Unlimited free retriesMax 18 guestsPhotos of you and the lights

You are collected from one of several pickup spots in Reykjavík and driven out wherever the forecast points, in a group of 18 at most. The guide finds the clearest sky, hands round cocoa and snacks, and photographs the lights and your group. If the sky stays shut, you can come back free, as often as it takes.

Hours, prices and access verified by the Reykjavik Northern Lights Tours team — last checked 2026-09-23.

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Retries that never run out, and a guide who takes the picture

What $159 buys when the sky has no ticket booth

Nobody sells a ticket to the aurora. There is no gate, no desk and no opening time, so a fare out of Reykjavík pays for other things: a guide who reads the forecast, a vehicle to reach clear sky, and a plan for the night you see nothing. That last part is where fares differ most. Some give you one more try, some state none at all. This one gives you unlimited free retries.

Two limits come with it. The retry is yours alone, so it cannot be handed to a friend who arrives later in the week. And a retry is a new night on the calendar, so it only helps if you still have nights left. Book this hunt for your first evening in the city, not your last. Brenda_E did exactly that: the night was cancelled twice, moved to the next evening each time, and the lights came out on the last night of the trip.

A cancellation and a cloudy night are not the same thing. The operator can call the night off for bad weather, and Brian_Q heard early in the afternoon, with time to plan something else. A night that runs and finds nothing is a performed tour. That is when the free retry does its work. The visitor guide compares what every kind of fare carries, and what it does if you see nothing.

How the guide finds a gap in the cloud

The route is not fixed. The group leaves the city and hunts in different places depending on the forecast, using live data to pick the spot. Stefan_V watched a screen on board track the space weather in real time, so the guide knew when to stop and get everyone out. Carolyn_L noticed the guide in constant touch with a home base. Richard_K went out on a cloudy night and the guide found two spots where the lights came through; the second was the better one.

Expect to get in and out of the vehicle. On a night of snow showers Brian_Q counted four or five stops before a clear window of about 30 to 40 minutes opened, and the lights came with it. Brenda_E’s guide drove where the big coaches could not follow. The smaller vehicle is the point: a group of 18 can pull over, empty out and move on quickly. How to read the aurora forecast explains the cloud map and the 0 to 9 scale a guide works from.

The photos, and what a camera sees that your eye may not

Aurora and group photos by the guide are in the fare. You do not pay for them later. Michael_M’s guide set up several tripods and a night lens and let the group shoot as many frames as they liked. One honest note from the same night: the stop was a roadside spot with power lines in view, so ask the guide for a clean angle if the frame matters to you.

Sean_D gives the other honest note: a camera sees more than the eye. A faint band that looks grey to you can come out green on a long exposure. That is not a trick. It is how the aurora looks on a weak night. On a strong night, you will not need the screen to know.

If the price matters more than the retry, the big-coach hunt runs from $84 with one free retry and a coach of up to 65.

How your night with the small group usually runs

1. In the afternoon, check your messages. If weather cancels the night, you hear in advance and move to another evening.
2. Pickup, up to 30 minutes. The group is collected from several spots in Reykjavík, so the round can take half an hour.
3. The drive out. The guide picks a direction from the forecast, not a fixed stop.
4. The hunt, about four hours. Stops where the sky is clearest: out to watch, back in to warm up.
5. Cocoa, snacks and photos. Handed round while you wait; photos are taken once the lights appear.
6. The ride back. Most nights run 3 to 5 hours. Alina_S left at 22:00 and was back at 04:00.

Who this suits: first-timers who want every chance and the photo

What your fare covers

Nothing on the night asks for money. The sky is free, the snacks and cocoa are in the fare, and so are the photos. Tipping the guide is up to you. Alcohol is not provided, and the free retry cannot be passed on: it is for the person who booked it. When to go sets out how dark each month gets, and when the operators start and stop running.

Pickup from several spots in the city, and a half-hour window

You are collected from one of several pickup spots in Reykjavík and choose yours when you book. Collection can take up to 30 minutes from the start time, because the vehicle makes a round of the city before it heads out, so be at your spot on time and expect to wait a little. Coaches and buses are kept out of some downtown streets, which is why a central hotel is often served by a stop nearby rather than the door.

The hunt ends back in the city. There is public transport near the pickup area, but the night ends late, so plan the last stretch to your bed before you go. The pickup points lists the numbered bus stops and the harbour quays, street by street.

Know before you go

• Plan for a late night. Most nights run 3 to 5 hours; Amanda_O was out for more than five.
• Go before you leave. There are no toilets at the roadside stops, as Amanda_O found.
• Dress in layers. You stand still in the cold for long stretches; Sean_D found layers help.
• Keep the retry for yourself. Free retry tickets are only for the person who booked.
• Book children from 7. A child fare covers 7 to 17; adults are 18 and over.
• Plan for steps and uneven ground. The hunt is not wheelchair accessible.

What travellers say after a night with the small group

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Questions about the small-group hunt