Sail from Reykjavík's Old Harbour for an evening chasing the beautiful northern lights. Your expert guide will tell you all about the science behind the lights, share stories & legends and answer all of your questions about this fantastic natural phenomenon. Northern Lights are dependent on correct weather conditions, so whenever the forecast does not look good we have an alternative activity planned for you! Join us at the Whales of Iceland Exhibition where you will join a guided tour, watch a northern lights video, enjoy a welcome drink and have a Q&A session with your guide. This alternative option always begins at 21:00. Please note that it's never guaranteed the lights will appear on the tour. If you don't see them, you will receive a ticket to try again. Once you join the boat tour, your ticket has been fully utilized and cannot be used to enter the exhibition. Please note that this tour is non-refundable, as an adventure is guaranteed regardless of weather conditions.
In demand: 31 of the next 60 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 8.
Join our Northern Lights by Boat tour, sailing out into Faxaflói Bay to search for the beautiful aurora borealis. If conditions are not suitable to see the northern lights you are automatically signed up for an alternative activity
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Northern Lights by Boat with a Backup Plan from Reykjavik lasts about 2–3 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $80 per person for this Reykjavik experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
Children aged 7–14 pay nothing, adults from $80.
It can: 31 of the next 60 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 198 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
This was a ten out of ten! We had a great crew. Joe has a great sense of humor and kept us all lay while we were learning!
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a great time with our crew. It’s wonderful to know that Joe’s sense of humor made the experience even more enjoyable. He’ll be very happy to hear that! We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Such a wonderful experience getting to see the Northern Lights. Joe was absolutely incredible as our “guide” and the team is very knowledgeable on where to find the best spots to see the lights. Tour was 2 hours long.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful time on the tour and that you were able to see the Northern Lights. It’s great to know that Joe made such a positive impression. He will be very happy to hear your kind words. Our team always does its best to find the best possible viewing spots, so we’re glad this made your experience even more special. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another adventure in the future!
It was one amazing tour. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly.
Thank you for your review! We are very happy you found our tour amazing and our guides friendly and helpful! :) We hope to welcome you on board again in the future!
Well, we certainly understand not sailing in bad weather; which is why we purposely booked the Northern Lights Tour WITH ALTERNATE ACTIVITY. So, if the yacht tour was cancelled or postponed, we still had something to do that evening. Well, they also cancelled the indoor alternative activity (Whale museum) WHY? We don’t know. So it left us scrambling to find something else to do. Viator did say they would issue a full refund (haven’t seen it yet, but in fairness the yacht tour was supposed to be last night). We knew the odds of actually seeing the Northern Lights was slim (perfectly understandable- you can’t predict nature) but we figured at least we would have a boat ride, or at worst, an alternate activity. Very disappointed. Don’t offer an alternative accommodation if you can’t provide it. The assumption was that we definitely would have something to do yesterday. That was not the case.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are very sorry that your evening did not go as planned. Unfortunately, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the Northern Lights by Boat Tour had to be cancelled due to heavy cloud coverage. On these occasions, we normally offer our guests the option to visit the Whales of Iceland Museum as an alternative activity. Some bookings, such as yours, already include this option in advance. However, this activity requires a minimum number of participants in order to operate. When the minimum number is not reached, we are unfortunately unable to run the alternative program and must cancel it as well. In such cases, the booking that originally was nonrefundable becomes fully refundable if guests prefer not to reschedule. We completely understand that this situation can be disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. If you have not yet received confirmation regarding your refund, please feel free to contact us, and we will gladly help you.
The ship and the crew were marvelous. Despite all that they could do, Nature was not helping out any. Would recommend this trip to anyone AND before embarking on any other tour visit the Special Tours office as they have discounts for other must see items
Thank you for your review! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the time with our crew on board, even though nature did not cooperate with sightings on that day. Thank you as well for sharing the tip about visiting our main office. We truly appreciate it! Your complimentary voucher has no expiration date, so feel free to contact us whenever you would like to book your next attempt. We hope to welcome you on board again soon!
This trip was priced at an extortionate £100. It was a thoroughly dismal and disappointing experience. We sailed out towards a nearby island on very basic, public ferry “no frills”type of boat. Fortunately, we saw the Northern lights. however, If nature hadn’t put on a free show, I fail to understand what on earth this trip had to offer. During the sail a guide gave a commentary on some history and folklore but you had to stay outside on the top deck for the entire trip to hear any of it. There was a crackly speaker available down stairs on the enclosed cafe deck but it was so noisy and busy it was impossible to hear a single word coming from the speaker. The Northern lights were spectacular but I couldn’t wait for the miserable boat ride to be over. I contacted the company afterwards to ask for a 50% refund as a gesture of good will which was refused. There was zero customer service, care, concern or consideration. I would advise anyone to give SPECIAL TOURS a very wide berth
Dear Yvette, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations. We aim to clearly describe our tours on our website, including the type of vessel, with photos available, and the overall experience offered. This tour focuses on sailing out to observe the Northern Lights, which, as a natural phenomenon, cannot be guaranteed. Although you were fortunate to see them on your first attempt. Our policy allows guests to join the tour as many times as needed until they see the lights, making your successful sighting on the first trip especially lucky. The full service was delivered, including the boat tour, crew assistance, and time at sea. Regarding your refund request, it was declined in accordance with our policy. Providing good customer service also means being fair and consistent with all guests, and we were responsive and clear in our communication with you. That said, we do take your comments seriously, particularly regarding onboard comfort and audio clarity, and will share them with our team for review.
Great cruise to see the lights..and we did! Used the warm oversuit (definitely put one on!) and Patrick was fun and informative. Well worth going on!
Thank you for sharing your experience on our tour! We are glad to know that you had sightings. Patrick is indeed very fun and knowledgeable! We will make sure this message reaches him!
Absolutely fantastic! The Northern lights sighting was excellent and beyond expectation. The boat trip lasted 2 hours. The staff was very knowledgeable, witty, professional and courteous.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that the Northern Lights exceeded your expectations and that you enjoyed the full boat experience. It’s especially great to know our team’s knowledge, professionalism, and humor stood out. We hope to welcome you on board again soon!
The boat trip was a different way of seeing the lights, both the Northern Lights as well as the lights of Reykjavik. It's nice to be able to go in the warm at times to defrost!
Thank you for your review, Simon! We’re glad you enjoyed seeing both the Northern Lights and the beautiful city lights of Reykjavík from the water. Having the option to step inside and warm up definitely makes the experience more comfortable. We’re happy you had a great time and hope to welcome you on board again!
Excellent view of the Northern Lights with helpful tips and good commentary throughout. Comfortable boat for this two hour trip.
Thank you for your review! We are happy that you felt comfortable on our tour and found it interesting and helpful! :) We hope to welcome you again on board soon!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights by Boat with a Backup Plan from Reykjavik | 2–3 hours | 4.3 (60) | $80 | |
 Northern Lights Boat Cruise from Reykjavik | 2 hours | 4.3 (72) | $86 | View |
 Perlan Admission - Volcano & Ice Cave, Northern Lights Experience | 2–3 hours | 4.7 (2,463) | $60 | View |
 Northern Lights Small-Group Tour with Hot Chocolate & Photos | 4 hours | 4.7 (2,208) | $163 | View |
 Northern Lights Bus Tour from Reykjavik with Hot Chocolate | 4 hours | 4.2 (2,050) | $84 | View |
 Northern Lights Midnight Adventure Small-Group from Reykjavík | 3–5 hours | 4.8 (997) | $133 | View |
 Reykjavik Northern Lights Tour with Pro Aurora Photos Small Group | 3–5 hours | 4.9 (540) | $159 | View |