Chasing the northern lights is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that tops many traveler’s bucket list— mine included! So when cheap flights to Iceland from Baltimore popped up for a friend’s birthday weekend, we jumped at the chance. A trip with friends (and significant others) turned into a magical getaway filled with anticipation, excitement and —spoiler alert— a northern lights sighting that did not disappoint.

If you are planning your own trip to Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis, keep reading for recount of our 3-night chase, what worked, what didn’t, and tips to increase your chances of seeing the northern lights.

When is the best time to see the northern lights in Iceland?

The northern lights are the most visible in Iceland between the months of September and April, when the nights are long and dark. In the summer months, Iceland experiences 20-24 hours of daylight daily making spotting the aurora nearly impossible

The lights are typically best visible between the hours of 10pm and 3am. There is no guarantee they will be visible each day as there are many environmental factors that go into whether or not the lights will be visible such as cloud coverage, solar activity, and light pollution. It’s important to manage expectations, because even in peak season, sightings are never guaranteed.

Tip: Download the ‘Hello Aurora’ app. It was the most useful tool we used. It shows aurora forecasts, cloud cover, and even real-time photos shared by other users across Iceland.

Night 1: Hveragerdi

Our first night we spent just 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik in Hveragerdi Iceland at Frost and Fire Boutique Hotel. This riverside hotel has outdoor geothermal hot tubs, which seemed like the perfect place to stargaze and (hopefully) catch the aurora.

Read my full review of Frost and Fire Boutique Hotel!

We went out to the hot tubs around 10:30pm. While the sky was fully dark, cloud coverage made the visibility tough.. A little while after being out there, we began to see a reddish hue in the sky, which we think may have been the aurora hidden behind the clouds. Unfortunately, it never fully revealed itself.

While we were disappointed to not see them the first night, we knew we still had 2 more nights to see them so we’re hopeful.

Night 2: Vik

After dinner in Vik, we hung out playing card games and checking aurora updates. Around 10:00pm we started seeing reports from people with visible auroras elsewhere in Iceland so we decided to head out and try our luck.

We drove out to the highest point of Vik, the church, to look for the lights but we didn’t see anything— even with the help of our phone cameras (which sometimes catch the lights better than the human eye).

We thought maybe there was too much light from the town so we decided to head out of the town a bit to see if we could find them. Driving about 10 minutes out of the city, we started to see faint hints of green in the sky and on our phones. We pulled off to a darker road where others had gathered.

We started seeing some green hues in the sky, more visible on our phones than in person. This wasn’t the vibrant show we were hoping for. After about an hour, we were tired and cold, so we called it a night.

With one more night left, we were feeling a bit more anxious as we only had one night left to see the lights.

Night 3: Reykjavik

After dinner, we headed up to the rooftop bar at The Reykjavik Edition.  We kept taking quick peeks to see if we could catch a glimpse of the aurora. The app was not giving us the most hopeful sighting prediction. As the night went on there was not a single aurora spotting reported. We were disappointed and started joking about having to plan a trip to Norway to try again. With not a recorded sighting and a low prediction of visibility we decided to head to bed around 11.

As we were getting ready for bed, we got a notification of an aurora posted—an aurora had been spotted two hours north. Suddenly, the ‘Hello Aurora’ app lit up with reports from all around Iceland. We quickly jumped in the car and drove to the Grotta Lighthouse, just 10 minutes outside of the city center—a popular viewing spot.

The place was packed! We quick parked the car and immediately we began to see a green hue in the sky. It was a very faint hue but it was much more visible on the phones. We took a bunch of pictures and as the night progressed the lights got even brighter. They were vibrant and we were able to see them clearly with our bare eyes. The Northern Lights, we were seeing the Northern Lights!!

It was truly an amazing experience. We watched in awe as green hues danced across the sky. It was a surreal experience. We had some good laughs as it was freezing outside but the wonder of the moment made it all worth it. Jokes were made “now we don’t have to go to Norway” (don’t worry it’s still on my list). This was truly the best way to end our trip!

What I learned chasing the Northern Lights

Chasing the lights is not always an easy experience. They unfortunately are not visible every night and there is not much you can do to change the probability of seeing them.

1. Use your phone: The aurora is often seen better with our phones than with the naked eye. To get the best shot, night mode is recommended. Most phones automatically switch to this when it is dark but if yours doesn’t I recommend turning it on.
2. Bring a tripod: Since it is dark the phone needs more time to capture the image. This means you need to hold it very steady. While I did not bring a tripod, I highly recommend doing so as this will help to ensure you don’t have blurry pictures. Even the slightest movement can cause the picture so have a slight blur
3. Download the Hello Aurora app: This app provided us with so much information. We never would have headed out that last night, if we did not receive the reported spotting notification.
4. Be patient: Chasing the lights takes patience. It can involve a lot of waiting and watching. Bring snacks or even a deck of cards to pass the time!
5. Don’t give up: Our clearest sighting came on our last night. If we had gone to bed, we would have missed it entirely.

Should you chase the Northern Lights?

Absolutely! Seeing the northern lights should be on everyone’s bucket list. It was a surreal, unforgettable experience —and totally worth the chase. While it takes a bit of luck and a lot of patience, when you finally see those shimmering green lights, it’s nothing short of breathtaking.

Planning your own northern lights trip?

I’d love to help you plan the perfect Iceland adventure! As a travel advisor, I can help you choose the best times, find hotels and add on special perks to your reservations! Let’s get your dream trip on the books—Schedule a call.

Is seeing the northern lights on your bucket list? Let me know in the comments below!