katrinasl

We are planning a trip to Iceland in March hoping to see the Northern Lights. I have found two types of packages - one to Hofn in the southeast and one to Lake Myvran (sp?) in the north. Has anyone went in search of the Northern Lights in Iceland? Any luck? Any advice? Are the odds better one month over another? I read somewhere that March is the likliest month. Is this type of trip do-able as independent travelers or should we go the package route? Any recommendations for packages? Any help or advice at all would be wonderful.

Travelnut

topping for you..

jennipur

Hi Katrinasl - I have just started planning a trip to Iceland in March for my honeymoon. My fiancé and I really want to see the Northern Lights. Do you have a trip report, or any advice on itineraries and packages? We have 5-7 days in mid march for the trip.
Thanks in advance - Jenn

eri

Seeing the Northen light is tricky. In all my trips to northern countries (Iceland many times even in the dark winter, Northen Norway, Finland, Greenland, Alaska etc.) I didn't have any luck. Most of the time the reason was that the skies were not clear. My advise is to plan a trip that is not focused on seeing the northen light, and if you happen to see it, consider yourself lucky. This way you will not be disappointed.

pat

the only time I have seen them was in sitka Alaska, and they were awesome.

nfldbeothuk

I have seen them -- but I lived for three years in Labrador (Canada) & never saw them more than 2/3 times in a winter. That wasn't as high a latitude as Iceland, but I'm pretty sure that eri is right-- it's basically sheer chance if you get to see them on your trip. I'm told iceland has lots of awesome sights, but don't lay your hopes on anything this unpredictable.

hopscotch

I didn't know that this was a scheduled event, in Iceland or anywhere. I've seen the aurora borealis twice. Once in Michigan I stayed up for an eclipse of the moon and got a much better show from the lights. Another time I walked out of a restaurant in Anchorage and was overwhelmed by the display.

Good luck.

ValCanada

I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - not as far north as Iceland but pretty close. I really hope you get to see the northern lights because they're stunning but you absolutely can't count on it. We only see them a half a dozen times during the winter, if that, and even then, they don't last all night - they come and go as to appear "dancing" - you'd have to be looking skyward all the time to make sure you catch them. I don't know about March being the likeliest month, either - they tend to be a winter phenomenon.

elina

They are not a light show, and eri is right in saying that you should not focus your trip around them. If you see them, it is an extra bonus. I have seen them many times, but I LIVE in Finland, and I am a night person who is awake often until four in the morning. Usually when they dance over the sky everybody else is asleep and I am the only spectator.

katrinasl

I just happened to see this post and want to tell you that we did plan our trip around the gamble of seeing the Northern Lights and we SAW THEM!!!! We ended up going up to Lake Myvran in March in 2006 and stayed at a small hotel there. Our first night after flying the night before and all of the next day until afternoon, my companion and I sat in bed like sentries at the window of our room trying to stay awake the first night to spot them. The front desk had offered to telephone us if they appeared, but we didn't want to take any chances. Around 11:00 at night we saw green lights shoot through the sky. We ran outside and watched them for probably 45 minutes. It was in a small village on the lake so rather dark and during this time there was a power failure and pitch black for part of the time. It was an experience that I will never forget. Given that, the advice in this column is good. You should plan your vacation around what you want to see and do and not just on the chance of seeing the lights. Where we were is a resort area 60 miles south of the artic circle. It was a wonderful place that I would go back to in a minute. Lots of volcanic activity in the past; good hiking; we saw pony races on the lake, there is a hot spring fed lagoon - nothing like soaking outside in the dead of winter, and wonderful people. The other tourists were all from Iceland. When I did my research on the Northern Lights I found the most frequent sitings were in Finland. We had only 4-5 days so chose Iceland since it would involve less travel time. If seeing the Northern Lights is as big a dream for you as it was for me at least try to place yourself in the right place just in case... If you would like me to dig out info on our trip let me know... Good luck...