When's the best time to see the Northern Lights?

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis, are those magical dancing lights that you can see across the nights sky in Iceland. These colours vary from green to blue, purple and pink. The breathtaking lightshow is nothing short of amazing and is one of the many reasons so many visitors flock to Iceland every year. The only downside of the Northern Lights is that they are a natural phenomenon and thus elusive and unpredictable. So, what is the best way to guarantee you’ll see the Northern Lights?

When to see the Northern Lights

Simply put, darkness is required for the northern lights to arrive, and they are much more likely to make an appearance at higher altitudes. The best time of year to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is between late September to early April because during the other months there is very little darkness. During the winter months, it goes dark around 6pm so there is much more chance to see the phenomenon.

Since the Northern Lights are a naturally occurring phenomenon, the appearance of the Northern Lights is notoriously difficult to predict any further in advance than about two hours before it happens. With this in mind, we highly recommend taking a Northern Lights evening tour where an Aurora Borealis specialist will guide you through the evening and take you to the best spots for the greatest chance. If you’d like to book your own Northern Lights holiday to Iceland, get in touch with the Iceland Holidays team at info@icelandholidays.com and one of the team will gladly help you plan your next winter break.