Northern Lights Small-Group Tour From Reykjavik with Hot Choco
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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 309 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Daniel our tour guide was amazing in chasing the lights he drove us far wide to see the light. Awesome experience
Do NOT book this tour – or if you must – wait until the day of! And check the weather. Even if there is ZERO chance of seeing the Lights, they will not cancel the tour.
The only reason I am giving this any stars at all is because the driver was nice and did his best — but that ended up being torture because he wouldn't give up, even though it was clearly impossible.
The day before when we reached the cancellation window, it appeared the weather would be good.
But by the time our tour departed, Iceland was completely socked in by clouds and it was raining. The responsible thing would have been for the company to cancel the tour. Instead, it insisted on driving us and 20 other fellow travelers around in the dark on bumpy roads for FIVE AND A HALF HOURS in search of a non-existent patch of open sky. The tour was only an hour longer than our flight to get to Iceland. And it was miserable.
Unfortunately, we didn't check the weather before we boarded and trusted the company. However, there was wifi on the bus – so as it became clear something wasn't right, we looked at the weather and cloud cover apps. There was no open sky over anywhere closest enough to drive. The driver surely also knew that, because he was constantly checking his phone. I can. only surmise that the company makes the driver keep driving around to make a show of doing their best.
In the end, our driver apologetically admitted defeat and took us for hot cocoa by a waterfall. It would have been better if he had done so hours earlier.
It is without question the worst tour I have ever been on. A total waste of $500 that left us all exhausted. We ended up losing our money on the next day's tour as well, because no one wanted to get back on another bus.
I understand that there is no guarantee that you will see the lights, but when the company knows for certain that you won't, it is dishonest and greedy.
By the way, at the end of the tour, there was no offer for a repeat tour as promised by their promotional materials. Of course, they would have had to pay me to go on it.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We’re sorry the evening was disappointing, but we would like to clarify several points.
When forecasts indicate there is no reasonable chance of seeing the Northern Lights, we cancel the tour. On this evening, the available forecast gave us a reasonable opportunity to operate, but Icelandic weather and cloud cover can change very quickly. Unfortunately, the expected clear areas did not develop.
Your guide continued searching precisely because conditions can change during the evening and there was still a possibility of a sighting. This was not an attempt to “make a show” of operating the tour.
We would also like to clarify that a complimentary retry was offered by the guide. We did not subsequently receive a request from you to arrange another date.
We completely understand the disappointment of spending a long evening searching without seeing the aurora, but we do not knowingly operate tours when there is certainty that a sighting is impossible, and Northern Lights visibility can never be guaranteed.
Svetlanna, our guide, was excellent. She really went all out for us, hunting the clear skies on a very rainy day (they will cancel if its going to be completely overcast). I strongly recommend this trip, it was rhe highlight of my week.
Michael was determined to find us the best spot for viewing the Northern Lights. Because we were in a van (vs a large bus), he could take us on smaller roads with less traffic and light pollution. We were lucky and saw the full display of lights. There were winds of 50 mph so dress warmly and bring a tripod because you need to keep your camera still to take the best pictures.
Be prepared for any kind of weather. We were lucky because we say the Northern lights right away and at all stops. Our tour guide JP was amazing with facts and helped everyone with taking the best pictures of the experience.
Well worth it! The knowledge and experience that our guide Daniel had paid off. We got to enjoy a sighting of lights and chocolate.
I booked this tour because of the positive reviews saying how the guides ensure you get the best possible view and if you don’t see lights you can rebook. I wasn’t happy with the little to no light we saw that night. My guide claimed it as valid and that I couldn’t rebook again.We also stayed that night waiting for less than a hour and in one spot. My guide made no effort to move to “chase the northern light”.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry the Northern Lights were weaker than you had hoped.
We would like to clarify that our Northern Lights policy includes one complimentary retry when eligible; it is not an unlimited number of free attempts. Once that retry has been used, an additional complimentary rebooking is not available.
Regarding the search, “chasing” the Northern Lights does not always mean driving continuously between different locations. Our guides assess the forecast, cloud cover, and conditions and may remain in one place when they believe it offers the best chance of a sighting.
Unfortunately, the strength and visibility of the aurora are entirely natural and can vary greatly from one evening to another. We understand the disappointment when the display is faint.
We are so glad to see the northern light in one of the clear sky of the week in late August. It was pretty faint but at least we get to catch the moment in person. Downside is driver didn’t even offer us a cup of hot chocolate when people were freezing returned to the van….
Jonas was a super host - he is passionate about his work and couldn’t have done more to make this enjoyable. The Northern Lights weren’t quite as obliging, but we did get a few glimpses-
Even though we didn’t see the Northern Lights (bummer, but nature does its thing), this was still a great experience. Our guide, JP, was fantastic—super knowledgeable about the Northern Lights and shared lots of interesting facts throughout the tour.
He was a great driver, easy to talk to, and the hot chocolate and treats were such a nice touch. He really made the whole experience enjoyable and worth it, even without the lights.
I’d definitely recommend this tour!
our driver Kuba was excellent , patience , courteous, helpful and was knowledgeable about his job. it was exciting for me bec it was my dream to come to iceland to see the northern lights i was blessed to see it and we have the perfect driver and guide his customer service is excellent and i would definitely recommend this company a to my relatives and friends when i go back to the US i had a wonderful experienced. If you see him please tell him thank you very much and he is a wonderful person. God bless .
Axel did a great job bringing us to several locations where we had great views of the aurora. He timed the changes of location well
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 ❤️🌌🇮🇸
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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per personWas $118.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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