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Prime Time for Witnessing the Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020

Northern Lights are one of the most beautiful and unique natural phenomena in the world. There should be meet three main conditions to spot Northern Lights:

  • Intense solar activity
  • Clear sky
  • Completely dark outside

Iceland is a year-round destination, but Aurora Borealis could not be seen anytime on Iceland sky.

Some of you travel to Iceland to see the beauty of the country and enjoy each moment of their holiday, while others are interested in seeing Aurora Borealis.

Because it is such a rare and unique phenomenon you need to know when to go.

Best time to visit northern lights in Iceland in 2020 travel tips

Best time to visit northern lights in Iceland in 2020 travel tips

So, when is the best time of year to see Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020?

First of all, I want you to know that for 2019/2020 season, the expectation to see Aurora Borealis is typical as for a minimum solar activity.

This means, that the chances to see Northern Lights are not very high, but if you are lucky and all the 3 conditions mentioned below are full field, then you can spot this unique phenomenon.

In my opinion the best time to see Northern Lights in Iceland is from September to December.

The good news is that starting with 2020, the solar activity will increase very slowly and by 2024/ 2025 there will be recorded a peak in this activity, so the chances to spot Aurora Borealis increased.

best time of year to see Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020

best time of year to see Iceland Northern lights in 2020

A golden rule when chasing Northern Lights is to search for remote accommodations, somewhere outside the city where you can have total darkness and all you can do is to hope that you are in the right place at the right time.

Remember! This is applicable especially during the best time of year to see Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020.

We did so when we travelled to Iceland.

Each night we booked accommodation outside the city, at farms in the middle of the field.

Stay safe while abroad

  • medical safety abroad
  • medical assistance including COVID-19
  • emergency medical evacuation
  • trip interruption -up to $5.000
  • travel delay - up to $100/day

In one night out of 9, we were lucky to spot the lights right from our room!

It was incredible! We were in the right place at the right time!

We rented a car for our trip to Iceland and we had the flexibility and freedom needed to chase Northern Lights.

Car rental is the best option when hunting Northern Lights. It allows you to move freely and to get the best position to observe Aurora Borealis.

Have a unique experience by exploring the area in your own rented car

Whether you prefer day trips from your hotel or a tour around the country, car rental is the best way for creating your own experience and live your dream vacation

Another interesting fact which should be known when chasing Northern Lights is that the solar explosions happen also during summertime.

But, because there is no complete dark outside, it is impossible to see the Green Lady dancing in the sky.

best time of year for Iceland Northern Lights in 2020

best time of year for Iceland Northern Lights in 2020

The increased number of hours with light during summertime makes from summer the worst time of year to spot Northern Lights.

Then you probably think that the winter period is one of the best time of year to see Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020.

Well, it is not that simple! In wintertime, most of the days are cloudy!

So, even if it is dark outside and the solar activity is increased, you cannot see anything because is cloudy! Isn’t it complicated?!

Spring and summer seemed to be more appropriate for spotting Aurora Borealis.

Why? Because of the number of hours with light slightly decrease comparing with summer, there are many days with a clear sky. The only thing left is solar activity.

The experts and Northern lights hunters agreed that the best time to see Northern Lights in Iceland is from late autumn to early spring.

To be more precise, they said that from late September to early April is the best period of the year to see Aurora Borealis.

Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020

Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020

And it is pretty easy to understand why.

There are enough hours of dark, so you can spot the lights.

The only issues are related to solar activity and a clear sky.

But these things could be predicted with a pretty high level of accuracy.

There are specialized sites which give you the solar activity forecast and regarding the weather, I strongly advise you to keep an eye on the local weather forecast website.

Using these sites you can estimate when is the best time of year to see Northern Lights in Iceland in 2020.

We saw Aurora Borealis at the beginning of October, which is one of the best months, possibly the best time to see northern lights in Iceland.

We were very lucky to see an incredible show in the sky which lasts for about 2 hours.

And this is pretty unique.

There might be cases when you spot the lights for a few minutes or a few seconds.

But we were lucky and in one night all the three conditions were a full field (darkness, clear sky and high solar activity) and we had a memorable show!

I hope you will be lucky too and spot the Green Lady dancing in the sky!