The aurora is one of the most spectacular phenomenons that you can see on earth. This guide tells you of the best secret places to chase the Northern Lights of Iceland
The Northern Lights are the holy grail for any traveller travelling to Iceland.
Many of the tour groups in Reykjavik offer to take you on a Northern Light’s tour. If The Northern Lights do not appear one night then you get another chance to see them the night after. As with a lot of things in Iceland, the tours were quite expensive, therefore we decided to go in search of the aurora in our hire car. In this blog, we will tell you the best places to see the Northern Lights. These tips come from locals who we met along the way.
The hire car was the best thing that we could have done in Iceland. We hired a trusty Toyota Aygo and it allowed us to explore Iceland with a lot more freedom.
Table of Contents
Aurora Forecast Website
When chasing The Northern Lights then this website is a must. Aurora Forecast tells you the strength of The Northern Lights along with the amounts of clouds that will be in the area at a particular time. Check this website religiously when chasing The Northern Lights.
Grotta Lighthouse
Grotta Lighthouse is only a 12 minute drive from Reykjavik City Centre. Although it’s only a short drive from the Icelandic capital it is pitch black here, meaning if Aurora is strong and it is a clear night then you have a great chance of seeing The Northern Lights.
RVK Horizon
This is the only place that Google Maps picks up around this area. You can get from Reykjavik to this location in just 20 minutes. However, for such a short drive it really does feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. There is no natural light around, therefore perfect conditions to see the aurora.
Enter RVK into Google Maps and pull up into the many parking spots close.
The Lava Tunnel – Raufarholsellir
The Lava Tunnel’s by day is a tourist site but by night it is a haven for hunters searching for the elusive Northern Lights. It is only a short 35 minute drive from Reykjavik but it really is in the middle of the countryside. We could tell this place was popular with the official tours as every vehicle we passed was a tour bus heading towards the tunnels.
As there is no natural light around here and it is the furthest from the most populous city then it’s your best chance of seeing the aurora.
Unfortunately on our trip we didn’t get to see The Northern Lights due to heavy cloud over Iceland. However, if you time it right and the clouds aren’t heavy then the sites above are your best chance of seeing the lights.
Check out our other guides for Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Our tips for the Blue Lagoon and finally how to see the Golden Circle by yourself.