Northern lights tours from Akureyri

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Akureyri lies at about 65.7 degrees north, close to the Arctic Circle. Visit North Iceland gives the season as late August to April and calls September to March the months with the most reliable dark skies. Outside that window the problem is light. From about early May to early August the sky over Akureyri never gets properly dark, and on 1 August the evening twilight only ends at 00:48.

Two things have to come together on the night: aurora activity and a clear enough sky. The Icelandic Met Office publishes an aurora forecast with an activity scale from 0 to 9 and a cloud map, on which green means cloud and white means clear. The guides use it to decide where to drive, and sometimes whether to go out at all. No tour can promise you a display.

How dark, and from when

Akureyri has no polar night. Even on 21 December the sun is up from 11:38 to 14:42. What matters for the aurora is when the evening twilight ends. On 1 September that is at 21:32, on 1 October at 19:31, and on 1 November at 17:43. On 1 December it is dark from 16:30. By 1 February the twilight ends at 17:49, and by 1 April not until 21:00.

In practice this means early-season and late-season tours start late in the evening, while from November to February you have darkness from late afternoon. The autumn months bring more rain: October to December are the wettest in Akureyri, with around 70 millimetres a month on average.

The short winter days still leave room for a daytime trip before an evening tour. The classic whale watching boat from Akureyri sails at 11:00 in December and January and returns about three hours later, well before the sky is dark. A winter tour to Goðafoss with hotel pickup takes three hours. Our pages on whale watching and Goðafoss tours have the details.

Minibus tours from Akureyri

The standard tour collects you in town after dark and drives out into the countryside, away from street lights. Imagine Iceland Travel picks guests up from selected hotels or a central meeting point, starting 30 minutes before the tour time, and spends about three hours out. Its tour includes a second try on another night if you see no lights. Reviewers often used that second night, and they praise guides who kept searching for a gap in the clouds. Other reviewers mention a long wait outside for the pickup, and nights when the lights were so faint that they showed up only on a phone camera.

Saga Travel runs a three-hour tour in a comfortable vehicle with Wi-Fi, for guests from 6 years. Its tour page says plainly that sightings cannot be guaranteed and that departures depend on the weather. The Traveling Viking drives a coach or minibus with up to 34 guests for two and a half hours, collects you about 15 minutes before departure and brings tea, coffee and blankets. Small children can come along in a pram.

Operators call tours off when the forecast is poor. One reviewer had the first two nights cancelled by message before going out on the third. If you have only one or two evenings in Akureyri, book the first one, so that a second try or a new booking is still possible.

A lagoon first, then the lights

The Forest Lagoon is a geothermal spa in the woods about five minutes by car from the town centre. Some evening tours begin there and head out to look for the aurora afterwards. Saga Travel's five-hour tour includes the lagoon entry, a towel and a drink before the hunt in the Eyjafjörður area, and drops you at your hotel at the end of the night. It is for guests from 13 years and not suitable for pregnant women or people with back or heart problems.

Star Travel runs a similar four-and-a-half-hour tour for up to 18 people, with the lagoon ticket and a towel included. The order matters on a cold night: you will be outside with damp hair after the bath, so pack a warm hat. More on the baths themselves is on our geothermal baths page.

From Lake Mývatn

Lake Mývatn is 84 kilometres east of Akureyri, and Geo Travel runs two aurora tours from there. These start at the lake, so they suit you best if you stay in the Mývatn area. The bus tour lasts two and a half hours and includes tips on framing your photos. The snowmobile tour also lasts two and a half hours: your guide shows you how to handle the machine, then you drive it yourself through the Mývatn nature reserve at night, with helmet and overalls provided. Every driver needs a valid driving licence and has to sign a waiver, and the minimum age is 10 years. Our page on Lake Mývatn describes the area.

Cold, wind and driving yourself

The average temperature in Akureyri from December to February is just below zero, which sounds mild. On a tour you stand still for long periods, often in wind, and autumn and winter storms can bring warnings across the whole country. Wear thermal layers, a warm hat, gloves and winter boots. Our page on what to wear has a full list.

If you go looking with a rental car, check the road conditions on umferdin.is or by phone on 1777 before you leave, and the weather warnings on Safetravel. The Ring Road is open all year, subject to the weather, but conditions can change within an evening. A tour leaves the driving to someone who knows the roads, and the guide watches the cloud map for you.