Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much does a trip to see the Northern Lights cost?
It doesn’t cost anything to see the northern lights. However, knowing the best spots to see the aurora borealis when they are visible takes knowledge of Iceland, which our expert guides have acquired over time. Additionally, tours like our Northern Lights Mystery tour, allows you to focus on capturing the best photo of the northern lights. At the same time, we do all of the driving and share the science behind the mysterious lights that appear in the sky.

2. Where is the best place and time to see Northern Lights this winter?
Northern lights season in Iceland is from late August until late April. The darker and brighter the skies, the better for seeing the aurora borealis. With that in mind, February, March, October, and November are your best bet to see northern lights in Iceland this winter. We always try to take you to the best spots and places around Reykjavik.

3. Do the Northern Lights happen every night?
No, this is not guaranteed, because if you want to see the northern lights you need a clear dark sky, and it doesn't happen every night.

4. Where are the Northern Lights located?
You can see the northern lights in Iceland, Alaska, Canada, Norway, and other places in the world. It is important to keep in mind that the polar latitudes have the best view of the northern lights. Anywhere above or north of the magnetic 55º with low light pollution is a good place to catch the lights. The 55th parallel north runs through northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.

5. How long do the Northern Lights last?
The time when aurora borealis is most visible and chances are highest are from late August to late April. This works for Iceland. It really depends on how long the northern lights appear in the sky. Sometimes it might be only a few minutes, sometimes hours. Even the northern lights can be really strong and visible, it is best to be in a dark place, where lights are not shining. 

6. Where is the best chance to see Northern Lights?
You can see the aurora borealis also in the city with all the city lights, but for the best moment of watching, we recommend to be outside of the city where dark sky surrounding you.

7. Do Northern Lights look white?
Yes, sometimes the aurora borealis can appear in white-gray color, but the most possible color to see is green.

8. How do I plan a trip to see the Northern Lights?
You can easily book a Northern Lights tour with us, where we take you to the best spot out of Reykjavík to watch the aurora borealis, and our experienced guides will tell you all the secrets and interesting facts about this phenomenon.

9. What is the best month to see Northern Lights in Iceland?
The best months to see the northern light in Iceland are February, March, September, October, and November, but the northern lights season lasts from August until April.

10. How do I take pictures of the Northern Lights with my smartphone or iPhone?
There are two things you should not forget if you want to have photos of northern lights forever also in your mobile device. First is the camera on your phone and a tripod. Neither your camera nor your tripod need be top of the line. But you need to know how to use them with everything that they both offer. If you’re using your smartphone, these tips will help you get a great shot of the lights. If you’re using a regular camera you’ll need to keep these things in mind:
- Make sure your camera has a manual setting. Set both your camera and lens to manual mode so that you can manually change the aperture and focus.
- A wide-angle lens is preferable but not necessary. Having a wide-angle lens is a plus as it will allow you to capture the full scope and grandeur of the lights.
- Turn OFF your flash.
- Turn off image stabilization.
- Use a remote, self-timer, or an app to release the shutter remotely. Because you will be using a long exposure, even the slight movement caused by pressing the shutter can blur your image.

And then use these simple settings to get started photographing the northern lights:
Set the lens’ focus to infinity. Because the lights are so far away, you’ll want the camera to be focused on the furthest possible point. This can be a challenge in the dark, so it’s best to do this before it gets dark out.
Using the manual mode on your lens, focus to infinity. If need be, use tape or a marker (brightly colored to show up in the dark) to mark the setting. If you end up having to do this at night, pick the furthest light source around (you can use a flashlight for this too) and focus on it.
Be careful not to change the focus setting while waiting for the lights. As for metering, different cameras work best using different modes. For Nikon, you’ll want to set it to a matrix or center-weighted average metering, and for Canons use evaluative metering.
Using manual mode, set the lens aperture or f-stop as wide as possible, that is the lowest f-number that your lens can go.
Set your exposure according to the movement of the lights. For particularly active lights, 5-10 seconds will do, but for more subtle and/or slow-moving lights, you can try 20-25 seconds.
Your ISO setting will depend on the intensity of the lights. If the lights are quite bright, start with ISO 800 and go up from there should the lights be dimmer or begin at ISO 1600 if they are dim and go down from there.
In order to capture the colors of the lights as accurately as possible, custom set your white balance to Kelvin 3,000 or so and adjust accordingly.

11. Why do the Northern Lights happen?
The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are caused by solar activity, including solar wind, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CME). These are all forms of electrically charged particles ejected by the sun. It takes a solar flare about 8 minutes to travel from the sun to the Earth and collide with gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Due to variations in the Earth’s magnetic field and the dark winters at the north and south poles, the lights are more visible near the poles than anywhere else in the world.

Please note that this tour is non-refundable. If you don't see the Northern Lights on the tour, please visit our site at book.grayline.is and choose REBOOK/CHANGE to book another Northern Lights tour free of charge (valid 2 years from the departure date of your tour).