Northern Lights Small-Group Tour From Reykjavik with Hot Drink
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Reykjavik, Iceland
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
There are just a handful of places in the world where you can spot the northern lights, and if you’re lucky enough to witness the natural phenomenon, it’s sure to be a highlight of your trip to Iceland. On this small-group tour, you’ll maximize your chances of seeing the auroras as your guides use real-time weather data to predict the best times and viewing locations. And if the lights don’t make an appearance, you can join another tour for free.
- Visit prime viewing locations selected depending on the weather
- Hassle-free pickup and drop-off at your Reykjavik hotel
- Small-group tour for a more personalized experience
- If the lights don't show, attend a tour free of charge at a later date
What's Included
- WiFi on board
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- One free retry tour if you don´t see the lights on your first go. The retry will be on a big bus
- Pickup and drop from one of many approved central locations
- Hot Chocolate
- All Fees and Taxes
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Iceland
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 28 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 292 reviews
Karl_A, Apr 2026
We had an amazing time! Our guide, JP, was friendly and so attentive to make sure we don’t miss any opportunities to see the northern lights. He was informative keeping us informed of any developments and a very good spotter of the lights! We were very thankful of his efforts! We had a great time because of him. Thank you, JP!
Lakeisha_Y, Apr 2026
Overall this was a good adventure our guide was willing to go the extra mile to keep us comfortable during the cold temperature. He was very knowledgeable on all things Iceland and the Northern Lights. Picture came out very good even in the cloudy weather.
Cosimo_C, Mar 2026
The experience was truly fantastic. The service was punctual, and our guide, JP, was friendly, professional, and highly skilled. He put a great deal of effort into finding the perfect spot to ensure we could enjoy the best possible view of the Northern Lights.
We highly recommend this tour.
Makenna_H, Mar 2026
We had a great tour and got lucky to see the lights as it was a relatively cloudy night. Pickup was seamless and very quick and our guide JP was very knowledgeable. The only hiccup we had was we had to change buses twice due to mechanical issues. Fortunately this did not cause us to miss any of the action as JP found us a great spot where the lights gave us a great show! Can now check seeing the northern lights off my bucket list!
Elaine_T, Mar 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip and Michael our guide. Trip is dependent on weather and our first date was cancelled due to low cloud however easily rescheduled for the next evening. Tour operator’s customer service was excellent.
Nancy_O, Feb 2026
Our tour guide Gulli was so warm n fun felt like I was traveling w family we got amazing views and the music selection at the end super fun
Alisonedmondson, Feb 2026
This was a superb choice of tour. Our guide, Ody, was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. He shared interesting information about the northern lights and the night sky, balancing time sharing information with giving us time to appreciate what we saw. We enjoyed this small (minibus) tour much more than a large bus tour we took on a previous trip.
Carol_S, Feb 2026
We were lucky to catch the Aurora on a clear night when it was pretty active. Our guide, Kris, was great- he was knowledgeable about the science and very enthusiastic about finding them and monitoring their intensity.
Nicola_L, Feb 2026
The best tour. Our guide Oddy took us to two lovely quiet spots and the made a quick turnaround to see the most incredible northern lights. Thank you! Unforgettable experience.
Ruth_D, Jan 2026
Simply amazing! Our tour guide was so knowledgable. We were able to get some great pictures even though the activity of the lights were low. This experience was at the top of my bucket list. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who comes to Iceland.
Nicole_C, Jan 2026
Such an amazing experience! Our tour guide Kuba was great, he took us to a lovely secluded area and was happy to take photos. The lights were so bright and incredible to see. The group is nice and small. Exceeded our expectations!
Amber_H, Jan 2026
Michael, the tour guide was great! Very knowledgeable and fun to chat to.
We made three stops. The first one you could see the lights nicely and we got some great photos. He showed us through his camera too NOT photoshopped in anyway, just stunning.
We got lots of great pics on our phone too.
Second stop just WOW!!! The way the lights danced in the sky. Me and my partner were the first ones to jump off the bus. Michael was so excited he summoned everyone else and said guys you HAVE to come see this. And he wasn't wrong!
Absolutely breathtaking. We were extremely lucky on this trip to Iceland, as we had already seen the lights dancing in the sky above the Cathedral. But to see them how we did with Michael just put the cherry in the cake. His words "this is the cream of the crop, you won't get better than this"
Third stop was by a lake, we didn't see the lights at all but we did have some lovely hot chocolate and some sweets.
My partner and I stood talking to Michael about work, the lights, our families and life in general out by the lake (while everyone else sat on the coach in the warm) he was really lovely. Thank you Michael, you made our experience ❤️🌌🇮🇸
julian_k, Jan 2026
This was an excellent trip run by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide JP. We had the most amazing experience with the Northern Lights putting on display one can only dream of catching . JP was as excited as we all were with what we saw. JP took us to the darkest of spaces providing a well needed hot chocolate drink to combat the freezing temperatures.
Laura_P, Dec 2025
We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to see them and on the first try. They were beautiful but without multi colors. I’ll take it since there was a chance to not see them at all. Bundle up this time of year, it was freezing.
Samuel_C, Dec 2025
Really good tour even though we didn't see much of the lights due to the weather. The small bus was prompt, modern and comfortable. The tour guide Amelia was really knowledgeable and friendly and did her absolute best to get us to see we much we we good.
Kerry_M, Dec 2025
We were not expecting to see the aurora as it was overcast for our trip.
Our guide was very good at trying to make the experience a good one. He was informative.
We did get a small glimpse of the aurora.
It would be helpful to be able to turn the internal lights off on the mini bus, especially when being asked to look for clear skies.
The cocoa at the beach was welcome.
Sam_B, Nov 2025
We were so lucky to have a clear night and saw the Northern Lights several times on our trip (even at the bus stop before it started!).
Ody was a fantastic guide, who ensured we had a great spot to see the Aurora and we loved his insights into the science and how they are formed. Pickup was easy and the professional photos were great!
The hot chocolate was definitely needed at -8 degrees outside the bus, but it was so worth it for the views!
Suzanne_L, Nov 2025
I have been aurora hunting in other countries but this was just sad. The weather was known to be poor and most unlikely but they picked us up anyway claiming someone said they saw a star. Clearly this star did not exist and led nowhere. For a country with so many natural wonders and stunning scenery just outside the city, we drove along the highway for hours stopping at the side of the road to stretch legs, drink a cup of hot chocolate and eat a mini chocolate... nothing to see, no local stories... nothing... You could see everyone's shock and disappointment.
Every other country at least takes you to a nice spot or setup where you can take intetesting night photos with or without aurora and tells you some intetesting local stories that way you at least feel you get something for all that money. Just sad.
They drop you back saying write the company to book another fruitless trip. You only have a highlight if you see aurora at the side of the highway.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Dear Suzanne_L,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We are sorry to hear that the evening did not unfold as you had hoped, especially since the Northern Lights are such a unique and anticipated experience for many of our guests.
Our Northern Lights tours operate only when we believe there is a reasonable chance of seeing the aurora. Even with many years of experience, Icelandic weather can shift quickly and unpredictably, posing challenges even on nights that appear promising. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in nights where visibility does not materialize, despite the best efforts and judgment of our team.
In terms of locations, our guides and drivers make decisions in real time, stopping wherever they determine conditions look most favorable for aurora activity. Because the search is dynamic and based on movement of cloud cover and solar activity, we cannot promise a fixed viewing site or a specially arranged photographic setup.
Instead, the focus remains on maximizing the chances of finding clear skies and potential aurora sightings throughout the night.
Regarding the rescheduling offered towards the end of the tour, we always offer a free reattempt, and we hope you may consider giving the experience another try with us.
We truly appreciate your feedback and are sorry that this particular evening did not meet your expectations.
Should you wish to discuss this further or need assistance with anything else, you are very welcome to contact us at info@bustravel.is.
Kind regards,
Andreea
Mridula_C, Nov 2025
We had a wonderful time! Our tour operator was really lovely & he went above and beyond to find the best locations to view the lights. It was also great to listen to his informative commentary. It was so much fun & we took many awesome photos. And the hot chocolate provided by our tour operator was a real treat. Thanks so much!
Alex_L, Oct 2025
Following record snowfall and temperatures in minus degrees-10 we went in search of the Northern Lights.
The Driver Roman is very enthusiastic.
On the Second stop after 15-20 minutes the lights appeared which we were so grateful to see live.
You need to be patient and in our case be dressed accordingly as it was freezing and everyone was so cold but my overall feeling is that it was worth it.
Joyce_M, Oct 2025
This tour was incredible. Jonas our guide made it even more memorable with his enthusiasm, humour and being such a thoughtful human.
Seeing the Northern lights up in the snow fields was exhilarating. Jonas was keen to ensure we got the best experience chasing any sightings.
The hot chocolate and accompanying chocolate 'dance' was most welcome, as it was very chilly due to the wintry conditions.
Always happy and chatty even when faced with a challenging situation at the end of the evening.
Very kindly took some lovely photos of anyone who wanted on his SLR camera. He later forwarded these to us
Making a truly wonderful experience, complete.
Patricia_P, Oct 2025
Excellent, experienced driver/guide who knew about where to find and how to recognize signs of the northern lights. Small group is the best way to go.
Greg_R, Oct 2025
It was like the movie twister.the driver/guide used technology and his experince to locate the sites for prime viewing of the northern lights his knowledge of the area allowed for rapid relocation for favorable conditions.the guide was very knowledgable about the northern lights.bonus the guide knew alot about photography and apple/ android cameras.
Sandra_T, Oct 2025
This was such an amazing experience, even though it was canceled the first time we booked it, we were able to reschedule it and they had sent an email and they were very very communicative of when it was canceled and also when it was on. The tour guide was so amazing like he made sure we had the best experience and he made sure that we he knew everything in regards of the northern lights and where is the best time. He knew where the best place to see it and he bought us the three spots. The second spot was the Highlands and we had such an amazing time there, we got photographs in which he sent the photograph the same night and we were able to see the northern lights in the sky with the stars and the moon. It was an amazing tour.
Heidi_K, Oct 2025
AMAZING!! Our guide Ody knew his stuff! He took us to a great location without a bunch of other people where we saw beautiful Northern Lights & even stopped the bus as we were leaving because he noticed the activity ‘kicking up’ and encouraged us to get off. He was right! We got an awe inspiring light show that was mind blowing. This tour is totally worth it. We considered chasing them ourselves, but having a guide with Ody’s knowledge & enthusiasm really made a difference. Small group makes it easy to get on & off quickly & maneuver from place to place easy.
Amol_K, Oct 2025
The tour guide genuinely went the distance literally and chased down an aurora sighting as there was cloud cover with intermittent clear skies. We stopped at 3 spots with underwhelming sights but on our way back hit the jackpot on the final detour he tried to see a great show.
richard_b, Oct 2025
Prompt pick up from our hotel by an energised guide Michael. He had a great sense of humour was knowledgeable and engaging. We ‘chased’ the lights following a tip off and headed to an area near the airport. We stood in the darkness for not too long to see some amazing lights. We moved again after this to find another place which also had great views. We were lucky to see some great aurora. Lovely hot chocolate and candy as a little distraction whilst watching/waiting. Would throughly recommend. We choose this as it was a group of 16 people or less.
xenia_m, Aug 2025
Our guide Roman has a very strong working ethic. He made sure that we make the most of our experience. He definitely chased Aurora for us the night we went out Aug 27 so we get the best sighting. We are so in awe with the beauty of nature and the experience. Kuddos
Tashi_C, Apr 2025
Great tour experience. Tour guide provided history and shared experience to make the tour more enjoyable.
Jennifer_D, Apr 2025
Zack was great! On the way there he told us about the history, facts and myths about the northern lights. He said we were lucky because it was predicted to be an active night. We saw to many! He took us on Blue mountain where it was freezing and most of us would retreat back in the bus. Zack would wait out and come and get us if the activity was strong. Even on the way back he did a random pull over because he saw them forming and it was amazing! I will be booking this tour whenever I visit Iceland again
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