26 May 2025
Seeing the Northern Lights always requires a bit of luck, as auroras are unpredictable and difficult to forecast with precision. While staying in Reykjavík for several days, we rented a 4x4 SUV to search for the lights on our own, even venturing out to a remote lighthouse near Keflavík; unfortunately, with no success. Hoping for better luck, we joined this organized tour that promised access to more promising locations. After several attempts, we finally saw a faint aurora around 3 a.m. deep in the mountains. In our experience, the tour didn’t offer a significant advantage over self-driving to areas with good forecasts and waiting patiently. Perhaps our expectations were higher than average, as we’re from Seattle, Washington, and have witnessed strong auroras multiple times before.