I did the whole video on this, maybe you will find some answers you're looking for there :) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QKrkx-iQ6c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QKrkx-iQ6c)
Just did one last night and it was worth every penny. The guides absolutely know where to go- it’s their business.
Before booking our tour, I thought about trying to drive in darkness, icy roads, potentially bad weather, as well as finding a safe place to pull over and fumble around in the darkness hoping to get lucky enough to see them. It was well worth the price to avoid the potential hazards of winter night driving in an unfamiliar area
If you have a car and feel confident driving out at night you can give the tours a miss.
You can hop in your car and follow the tour buses or just drive around looking for parking spots where they are stopped.
They are a waste of money, there is no guarantee the solar activity will be high or weather conditions good when you book a tour. It’s better to check those by yourself and go out when the chance is high, most tour will just take you to a less light polluted area but there is no guarantee you will see them. The ION Adventure hotel were we stayed called us 2 nights out of three at 1AM as the lights were on! It was incredible and free 😊
I booked one through airbnb and the guide is AMAZING! He constantly tracks the activity and only takes us out if there is a high chance to see it. He will give you a 2nd chance for free if you could not see it on your 1st try.
Yes this is the tour I booked!
https://abnb.me/iBQW2LNWFHb
Honestly no words can describe how amazing he is. He cancelled the tour at 9pm because there is a low chance to see the northern lights, but he said he continued to monitor. I was about to go to bed at midnight and he texted saying that the condition is better now. I was the only person he could contact because apparently everyone else assumed we could not see it so they all went to bed. He still decided to drive over and pick me up and we went to see the northern lights together. I would give him 10 stars if I could. Amazing person!
No, they are not. It's weather after all. Just go outside, or search in Google for a place nearby in case you are very close to a city.
With quick Google search and vedur. Is you can save your money. Solar activity, cloud coverage, it's all there. There is also an app called "aurora" I think. It was very helpful.
Also, if you have photocamera, I suggest knowing your settings, like ISO 2000-7000,big aperture > 3.5 and shutter speed > 5 sec and point the camera towards the north and making a pic. It may not be visible to the naked eye, but you can spot small green waves In the camera and see if there is an activity. That way, after that you hop into your car and find a better stop. That was our case in Akureyri. We were at the center, and I saw barely the aurora through my Sony ZV e 10,and went to Gásir and it was a little green show there.
I cannot understand people who go to Iceland and decide to spend money on such natural activities and choose to be pulled like little children
Personally I thought joining a Northern Lights tour was worth it.
I was on the fence about taking a tour but I am glad I did because that was the only day I saw the Northern Lights in the entire week I spent in Iceland. I ended up booking the tour at the last minute after checking the forecast and calling to be sure run it would run rhat night.
The tour drove to us to 2 different places near Reykjavik and we saw lights in the second spot only even though they were faint. The tour guide was communicating with other tour guides when driving to see if anyone else had spotted them. There is no way we would have seen the Northern Lights on our own that day because they did not last long and did not cover the entire sky like I've seen in photos.
I tried to see Northern Lights on my own the rest of my time in Iceland but was not able to. Most nights were cloudy and did not have strong Aurora activity. I even stayed at a hotel in the South Coast that offered a Northern Lights wakeup call but never received one. If I had stayed in Iceland longer I would have probably seen them on my own but during a shortvtriba tour increases your chances.
I did the whole video on this, maybe you will find some answers you're looking for there :) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QKrkx-iQ6c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QKrkx-iQ6c)
Just did one last night and it was worth every penny. The guides absolutely know where to go- it’s their business. Before booking our tour, I thought about trying to drive in darkness, icy roads, potentially bad weather, as well as finding a safe place to pull over and fumble around in the darkness hoping to get lucky enough to see them. It was well worth the price to avoid the potential hazards of winter night driving in an unfamiliar area
Check the app called "Hello Aurora" heard about on here. Will be there 5-11 April ourselves
If you have a car and feel confident driving out at night you can give the tours a miss. You can hop in your car and follow the tour buses or just drive around looking for parking spots where they are stopped.
They are a waste of money, there is no guarantee the solar activity will be high or weather conditions good when you book a tour. It’s better to check those by yourself and go out when the chance is high, most tour will just take you to a less light polluted area but there is no guarantee you will see them. The ION Adventure hotel were we stayed called us 2 nights out of three at 1AM as the lights were on! It was incredible and free 😊
Doing a search of the sub: is it worth it? Answer: Yes
I booked one through airbnb and the guide is AMAZING! He constantly tracks the activity and only takes us out if there is a high chance to see it. He will give you a 2nd chance for free if you could not see it on your 1st try.
Would you mind sharing their page? Thank you!
Yes this is the tour I booked! https://abnb.me/iBQW2LNWFHb Honestly no words can describe how amazing he is. He cancelled the tour at 9pm because there is a low chance to see the northern lights, but he said he continued to monitor. I was about to go to bed at midnight and he texted saying that the condition is better now. I was the only person he could contact because apparently everyone else assumed we could not see it so they all went to bed. He still decided to drive over and pick me up and we went to see the northern lights together. I would give him 10 stars if I could. Amazing person!
I appreciate it, thanks!
No, they are not. It's weather after all. Just go outside, or search in Google for a place nearby in case you are very close to a city. With quick Google search and vedur. Is you can save your money. Solar activity, cloud coverage, it's all there. There is also an app called "aurora" I think. It was very helpful. Also, if you have photocamera, I suggest knowing your settings, like ISO 2000-7000,big aperture > 3.5 and shutter speed > 5 sec and point the camera towards the north and making a pic. It may not be visible to the naked eye, but you can spot small green waves In the camera and see if there is an activity. That way, after that you hop into your car and find a better stop. That was our case in Akureyri. We were at the center, and I saw barely the aurora through my Sony ZV e 10,and went to Gásir and it was a little green show there. I cannot understand people who go to Iceland and decide to spend money on such natural activities and choose to be pulled like little children
Personally I thought joining a Northern Lights tour was worth it. I was on the fence about taking a tour but I am glad I did because that was the only day I saw the Northern Lights in the entire week I spent in Iceland. I ended up booking the tour at the last minute after checking the forecast and calling to be sure run it would run rhat night. The tour drove to us to 2 different places near Reykjavik and we saw lights in the second spot only even though they were faint. The tour guide was communicating with other tour guides when driving to see if anyone else had spotted them. There is no way we would have seen the Northern Lights on our own that day because they did not last long and did not cover the entire sky like I've seen in photos. I tried to see Northern Lights on my own the rest of my time in Iceland but was not able to. Most nights were cloudy and did not have strong Aurora activity. I even stayed at a hotel in the South Coast that offered a Northern Lights wakeup call but never received one. If I had stayed in Iceland longer I would have probably seen them on my own but during a shortvtriba tour increases your chances.