Sam Daniels

Sam is a London born writer/poet, ruled by an insane wanderlust and a passion for walking barefoot in the grass.

3 minute read30 Mar 2017

A local guide to the Northern Lights

Solar winds are massive bursts of highly charged electrons and protons that are unleashed from the sun's surface. Their particles make the long journey (around 3 days) to earth and are a major contributing factor in the creation of the dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis.

Sometimes these charged particles are unleashed at far higher levels and this is referred to as a solar storm, they take place at the end of a solar cycle and they can send the northern lights into overdrive.

Why is this relevant to you, you may ask? Well this information is important because we are currently experiencing a high amount of solar wind activity over Iceland which also happens to coincide with forecasts for some incredibly clear nights ahead.

The Icelandic Met Office is a great source of information for all things Aurora and weather related. On their website you can see the the KPP values (the indicating scale that shows the strength of the Northern Lights activity) along with the forecasted cloud coverage:

Seasoned veterans of the Northern Lights and Amateurs alike should keep their eyes glued to the skies!

Best locations to see the Aurora in and around Reykjavik:

So now you know what there is to see, the next question is what is the best way to see them?

The best way to see the northern lights.

You should head out around 2 hours after the sunset. It is most common to see good aurora activity between 11 PM and 1 AM but of course, they can occur sooner and later in the night.

There are some amazing spots both inside the city and outside of it where you can observe some absolutely stunning vistas but here are a few of our personal favourite tips from the locals:

Grótta light house: This gorgeous little spot can be found out in Seltjarnarnes after a lovely walk by the stunning coastline from downtown Reykjavik. Keep in mind that this is a popular spot and it can get crowded!

Hafravatn/Kleifarvatn: Comes highly recommended by our resident photography buff, these areas both feature gorgeous lakes which are not only a sight to behold in their own right but can provide some amazing reflections of the dancing night sky on a still night.

Úlfarsfell, Úlfarsáldalur: This area is one of the districts just outside of Reykjavik, it’s a great location to escape some of the stronger lights found in the big city. You can get there easily on the number 18 bus and you can also get some fantastic views of the Kollafjörður and of course Esja

Kálfatjarnarkirkja: Last but not least we have the area whose name translates to Church Calf Pond and we can confirm that there is at least a church and a pond there! This one is a little harder to get to as it is located about 40 minutes drive out of the city but the views are to die for (Just don’t fall into the pond).

Beautiful aurora over Reykjavik

We also offer a wide range of experiences and guided tours where local experts take you out hunting for the northern lights in anything from a bus or super jeep to a romantic night time cruise that gives you a great view of the Reykjavik skyline. Check out our wide selection and let’s choose the best experience for you!

www.getlocal.is/tours/northern-lights-tours-in-iceland

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