Reykjavik: Northern Lights Tour w/Pro Photos – Small Group

The best part of this Reykjavik Northern Lights tour is that the hunt does not stop at finding a dark patch of sky. Your guide may drive well beyond the city, wait for a break in the clouds, then photograph you beneath the aurora in Viking clothing. Emil, Tomas, Kobe, and BG are among the guides who have earned especially warm praise for their patience and persistence.

I like two things right away: the small minibus group, capped at 18, and the professional night photography included in the price. The Viking costumes and museum-style weapon replicas give you something fun to do while you wait. The main drawback is simple: the van can feel cramped once everyone returns from the cold, and no guide can promise that the aurora will appear.

Key points to know before booking

• A real aurora hunt: Guides may drive far from Reykjavik to find clearer skies and darker conditions.
• Professional photographs included: You can receive high-quality portraits with the Northern Lights behind you.
• Small group transport: The minibus carries up to 18 people and can reach places larger coaches cannot.
• Free retries: If the lights fail to appear, you can join again without paying another tour fee.
• Viking-themed waiting time: Try on costumes and handle replica weapons while the sky does its slow work.
• Warm treats matter: Hot chocolate, cookies, gingerbread, and blankets help during long waits outdoors.

Why this four-hour aurora hunt feels different

A Northern Lights outing is part astronomy, part road trip, and part waiting game. You can have a strong forecast and still see nothing. Clouds may arrive at the wrong hour, solar activity may fade, or the aurora may show itself only after your tour has ended.

Aurora Viking builds the evening around that uncertainty. Instead of simply driving to one viewing field and hoping for the best, the guide watches conditions and may move to another location. Several successful outings involved long drives south or more than two hours from Reykjavik before the sky opened.

That effort matters most if seeing the aurora is a major reason for your Iceland trip. A short trip to a nearby viewpoint can work on a clear night, but the ability to keep hunting gives you a better chance when conditions are poor in the capital area.

The tour lasts about four hours, though some guides have continued waiting when the lights seemed close. You should not assume every evening will run late, but the company’s approach is clear: the guide’s job is to give you the best possible chance, not to make a quick stop and turn around.

Pickup around Reykjavik and the small minibus

Pickup is offered from 16 listed points around Reykjavik. These include several hotels, the Reykjavik Bus Terminal, Hallgrimskirkja, City Hall, the Culture House, and central bus stops such as Lækjargata, Skúlagata, Snorrabraut, and Tjörnin.

You need to be at the correct pickup point on time. The driver will call out your name, which is useful at busy stops, but you should still confirm the exact location when booking. Reykjavik uses designated bus stops for many hotel pickups, so the vehicle may not pull directly to your hotel door.

The minibus holds a maximum of 18 people. That is not a private tour, but it is much more personal than a large coach. A smaller vehicle can use narrower roads and reach places where a full-size bus cannot. It also makes it easier for the guide to speak with the group, organize photographs, and adjust the plan quickly.

There is a tradeoff. The vehicle has been described as cramped, especially when people return wearing several layers and carrying coats. Iceland’s cold makes bulky clothing necessary, but there is limited room to store everything inside the minibus. If you are tall or dislike close quarters, this is worth considering.

The upside is that the heated van gives you a place to warm up between viewing attempts. Some outings included blankets, and guides kept the vehicle warm while people waited for the next chance to go outside.

Chasing clear skies beyond the city lights

Once the group leaves Reykjavik, the guide begins balancing three things: cloud cover, darkness, and aurora activity. City light can wash out a weak display, so the best stop may be far from the capital.

The itinerary describes the main outing as a secret photo and sightseeing stop rather than a fixed attraction. That flexibility is useful. You are not being taken to one guaranteed viewing platform. The guide chooses a place based on that night’s conditions.

On some evenings, the aurora appears soon after the minibus leaves town. On others, the group may wait at one place, move to another, or drive well into the countryside. Guides have taken groups toward areas near lakes, mountains, and Seljalandsfoss when that offered a better chance of a clear sky.

You may see a faint green arc, a strong dancing display, or nothing at all. The color visible to your eyes can be subtler than the colors captured by a camera. Some outings produced green, red, orange, and purple tones, while others offered only a modest show through gaps in the cloud.

That is not a flaw in the tour. It is the nature of the aurora. A responsible guide should explain the limits of the forecast rather than promise a performance on demand. Here, the company makes that uncertainty clear and offers a free retry instead of promising a refund for a missed sighting.

Viking costumes, replica weapons, and the waiting game

The Viking theme could have felt like a gimmick, but it serves a practical purpose. You may spend a long time waiting in the dark, so the tour provides costumes and replica weapons for informal portraits while the guide watches the sky.

You can try on Viking outfits and pose with museum-sourced replicas. Some photographs turn out dramatic, while others are deliberately silly. That mix is part of the fun. You are not expected to take the costume session too seriously, and the humorous photos can become some of the most memorable images from the evening.

The guides also explain local ideas about the Northern Lights and the connection Vikings had with the aurora. This gives the waiting time some cultural context, instead of reducing the night to repeated checks of a weather app.

The activity suits adults, families with older children, and anyone who wants more than a quiet photography stop. Children under seven cannot join, and families with children should remember that the outing may involve cold, darkness, and an uncertain schedule.

If you prefer a calm, purely scientific aurora lecture, the Viking dress-up portion may not be your style. If you like a little theater and do not mind looking ridiculous for a photograph, it makes a long wait easier.

The professional photo session under the aurora

The included photography is one of the strongest reasons to consider this tour. Night portraits are difficult to take. A phone often records a green smear or a dark face, while a proper camera needs a long exposure, a stable setup, and careful positioning.

The guide and photographer use high-spec cameras to photograph each person or group with the lights in the background. You do not need to bring a tripod or know manual camera settings. The guides help arrange the shot and make sure each person gets a turn.

Good organization matters here. With up to 18 people, a casual approach could leave half the group without a proper photograph. The better outings have included careful repositioning, a fair turn for everyone, and extra attention to people who had not yet been photographed.

The results depend on the night. A powerful aurora over clear mountains can produce spectacular images. A weak display, cloud, or wind will limit what the camera can capture. Still, having a trained photographer is a major advantage over trying to hold up a phone in the cold.

You should also treat the photos as a valuable record, not a guarantee of a perfect postcard. The guide may need to balance the aurora, the foreground, the Viking clothing, and the number of people waiting. If photography is your top priority, tell the guide early and be ready to follow instructions quickly.

Hot chocolate, gingerbread, and useful comfort

The simple refreshments are well chosen for this kind of evening. You receive hot chocolate and cookies, with gingerbread mentioned as part of the welcome. Some outings also included more than one cup of hot chocolate, and the homemade drink has been singled out as a welcome touch.

These are not a meal, so eat beforehand. They are there to take the edge off the cold while you wait. A warm drink can make the difference between enjoying another viewing attempt and retreating to the minibus after five minutes.

Bring your own warm clothing. Wear proper layers, gloves, a hat, and sturdy shoes. The supplied information specifically tells you to dress warmly, and the need is real. You may spend part of the evening standing outside in exposed conditions, even if the van is heated.

The best plan is to dress for standing still, not for walking. Waiting beside a road or open field feels colder than moving through town. You can remove layers inside the minibus, but limited storage space means you should keep your clothing compact.

Is $148 good value for this Reykjavik tour?

At $148 per person, this is not the cheapest way to search for the aurora. The price includes transport, a guide, a photographer, Viking costumes, replica weapons, hot chocolate, cookies, and hotel-area pickup and drop-off.

The professional photographs help explain the higher cost. A basic aurora bus may take you to a dark spot, but you would need to arrange your own camera equipment and portraits. Here, the photography is part of the service, and the guide handles the technical work.

The free retry policy also changes the value. If the aurora does not appear, you may join again at no extra charge until you see it. There is no refund for a night without a sighting, and you do not receive a refund after joining, so you should only book if you accept the risk of weather and solar conditions.

For a short Iceland visit, the retry policy is most useful if you have several evenings available. If your schedule allows only one night, the policy cannot help much. If you have flexibility, it gives the company a reason to keep communicating about better conditions and to reschedule when a forecast looks poor.

I would consider the price fair for someone who wants a smaller vehicle, persistent aurora chasing, and finished photographs. It is harder to justify if you only want a quick budget outing and already have excellent night photography equipment.

Guides who make the difference

The company’s owners, Kolbeinn and Emil, serve as primary guides, and other outings have been led by Tomas, Kobe, BG, Johan, Felix, Jonas, and Trond. The strongest guide reports share the same pattern: clear explanations, careful driving, patience, and a refusal to give up too soon.

BG has been especially praised for finding a good spot quickly and making sure everyone received photographs. Tomas has been noted for explaining the aurora, working patiently with the camera, and keeping the group comfortable. Kobe has driven to areas with clearer skies and has been particularly effective at keeping the evening lively.

Emil is associated with long waits, careful photo sessions, hot chocolate, and continued searching after the scheduled time. Trond has used stories about the old gods to give the hunt a playful Icelandic feel.

Your exact guide will depend on the departure date, so you should not book expecting one particular person. What you can reasonably expect is a guide who combines driving, weather watching, photography, and group management in one evening.

That combination is important. A guide who finds the right sky but rushes the photographs has only solved half the problem. A guide who takes lovely portraits but stops searching too soon has also missed the point. The best version of this tour does both.

Who should book this Northern Lights experience?

I would choose this tour if you want the aurora to be the main event but also want a social, playful evening. It is a good fit for couples, families with children seven or older, solo visitors who prefer a small group, and photography-minded people without their own camera setup.

It is also useful for anyone who has tried another aurora outing and had a disappointing result. The retry policy, flexible route, and willingness to drive farther may give you a better second chance.

You may want another option if you dislike group activities, need guaranteed return times, or do not enjoy sitting in a compact vehicle. The tour also asks you to accept nature’s terms. A free retry is generous, but it cannot manufacture clear skies or solar activity.

Book early enough in your Iceland stay to leave room for a retry. That is the most practical advice I can give. If you schedule the tour on your final night, you may have no chance to use the extra outing.

The cancellation terms allow a full refund when you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, and you can reserve now and pay later. The activity runs in English, and pickup and drop-off are included at the listed Reykjavik locations.

Should you book Aurora Viking?

Book it if you want a determined aurora hunt with professional portraits, a small minibus, and entertaining ways to pass the waiting time. The $148 price buys more than transportation, especially if you value photographs you can print and the option to return for free after a failed attempt.

Skip it if your budget is tight, your schedule allows only one evening, or you prefer a quiet, private search. For everyone else, this is a thoughtful choice for turning an unpredictable night into a fuller Iceland experience, even when the sky makes you wait.

FAQ

How long does the Northern Lights tour last?

The tour lasts approximately four hours.

How many people can join the minibus?

The minibus carries a maximum of 18 people.

What happens if the Northern Lights do not appear?

You can join the tour again free of charge until you see the lights. There is no refund when the aurora is not visible.

Are professional photographs included?

Yes. A guide and photographer use high-spec cameras to take photographs of the Northern Lights and portraits of you during the tour.

Are Viking costumes provided?

Yes. The tour includes the use of Viking costumes and replica Viking weapons sourced from a local museum.

What refreshments are included?

Hot chocolate and cookies are included. Gingerbread is also provided during some outings.

Can children join the tour?

Children under seven cannot join this activity.

Where does pickup take place?

Pickup is available from 16 listed locations around Reykjavik, including selected hotels, the Reykjavik Bus Terminal, Hallgrimskirkja, City Hall, and several designated city bus stops.