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Northern lights in Iceland: when and where to look

Source updated September 2026 · Checked by Sóley on 12 October 2026

Aurora season in Iceland runs roughly from the end of August to the middle of April; from May to July the sky never gets dark enough. A good night needs darkness, clear skies and solar activity, and cloud is the thing to check first. Because the country sits beneath the auroral oval, even a modest Kp of 2 to 3 can show lights when the sky is dark and clear, and from Kp 5 they are visible in central Reykjavík. Most displays fall between about 9 pm and 1 am. Three nights give a fair chance and five a better one; no one can promise a sighting. Check the cloud map in the early evening and drive to clear sky, which is often an hour away. In the capital, Grótta, Öskjuhlíð and Elliðaárdalur are dark enough on a strong night; further out, Þingvellir, the South Coast, Snæfellsnes and the north work well. Dress for an hour of standing in wind, not for a walk, and if you drive, park fully off the road with your lights on rather than stopping on it.

Places in this guide

  1. 1.Grótta64.1643, -22.0216
  2. 2.Öskjuhlíð64.1290, -21.9190
  3. 3.Elliðaárdalur64.1180, -21.8380
  4. 4.Þingvellir64.2559, -21.1295
  5. 5.Jökulsárlón64.0485, -16.1795
  6. 6.Kirkjufell64.9417, -23.3065
  7. 7.Mývatn65.6040, -16.9960

Live conditions at each stop

Weather and road conditions from the national services.

  • Grótta

    Weather

    Station: Seltjarnarnes Suðurnes

    • 2026-10-13 00:008°C8 m/s SSECloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:008°C6 m/s SERain
    • 2026-10-13 02:008°C6 m/s SRain

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Öskjuhlíð

    Weather

    Station: Reykjavík Háahlíð

    • 2026-10-13 00:008°C5 m/s SSECloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:008°C4 m/s SSEOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 02:008°C5 m/s SEShowers

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Elliðaárdalur

    Weather

    Station: Kópavogur Fossvogsdalur

    • 2026-10-13 00:007°C5 m/s SSEOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 01:007°C5 m/s SEOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 02:007°C5 m/s SELight rain

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Þingvellir

    Weather

    Station: Þingvellir

    • 2026-10-13 00:006°C5 m/s SELight rain
    • 2026-10-13 01:006°C5 m/s ESEShowers
    • 2026-10-13 02:005°C4 m/s ESEPartly cloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    • Þingvellir-Uxahryggir, Kaldadalsvegur: Þingvallavegur - Uxahryggjavegur: Not known
    • Lyngdalsheiði-Þingvellir, Þingvallavegur: Lyngdalsheiðarvegur - Þingvellir: Easily passable
    • Þingvellir, Þingvallavegur: Grafningsvegur efri - Þingvellir: Easily passable

  • Jökulsárlón

    Weather

    Station: Kvísker Vegagerðarstöð

    • 2026-10-13 00:006°C1 m/s NNWOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 01:006°C0 m/s CalmOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 02:007°C2 m/s NNWOvercast

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Kirkjufell

    Weather

    Station: Grundarfjörður

    • 2026-10-13 00:009°C15 m/s SRain
    • 2026-10-13 01:008°C12 m/s SRain
    • 2026-10-13 02:009°C9 m/s SRain

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Mývatn

    Weather

    Station: Mývatn

    • 2026-10-13 00:002°C2 m/s ESEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:002°C2 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:002°C2 m/s ENECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    • Mývatnsöræfi, Hringvegur: Mývatnsöræfi: Easily passable
    • Mývatnssveit, Hringvegur: Mývatnssveit: Easily passable
    • Mývatnsheiði, Mývatnsheiði: Aðaldalsvegur - Mývatnsvegur: Easily passable

Northern lights outlook

Kp index 4 · moderate

Live data for all of Iceland

Licensed companies near each stop

Companies are listed by what they offer through Sóley (bookable, verified contact, public record), then by distance. Visibility on Sóley is never sold.

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Source

Based on the original article by Stuck in Iceland.

Stuck in Iceland is an online travel magazine. Its editor works at Lava Show, and the magazine has commercial partners. It did not choose or rank the companies on this page.