In shortThe northern lights can appear over the lagoon on dark, clear nights from September to April; from May to August the nights are too light. Check the Icelandic Met Office's aurora forecast on vedur.is: it shows activity on a 0–9 scale and a cloud map for the coming days. No forecast guarantees a display.
Sep–Aprdark enough
0–9vedur.is activity scale
6 daysforecast ahead
0city lights nearby
Three conditions at once
You need darkness, a clear or partly clear sky, and auroral activity. The lagoon takes care of the first: there is no town nearby. The other two you check on the day.
- Darkness: September to April; from May to August the sky never gets dark enough.
- Clear sky: on the vedur.is cloud map, white areas are clear and green areas cloudy.
- Activity: the forecast box gives a number from 0 to 9 for midnight; higher means a stronger display.
How to plan the night
- Look at the forecast in the afternoon, and again before you go out.
- Stay near the lagoon or Diamond Beach overnight if you can; driving back late on winter roads is the real risk.
- Give your eyes time to adjust away from car headlights, and bring warm layers: you will be standing still.
- A calm night lets the aurora reflect in the water between the icebergs.
Tours with an aurora stop
The small-group day tour from Reykjavík includes a northern lights stop on the way back between 1 September and 1 April, when the sky and the activity allow. Because it is weather-dependent, treat it as a bonus on top of the day.
Small-group day tour with an aurora stop
Minibus from Reykjavík, an hour at the lagoon and a northern lights stop on the way back (1 Sep – 1 Apr).
14–16 hours · from $242 · ★ 4.6 (161 reviews)
Combine it with the ice caves
The aurora season overlaps with the ice cave season from October to March, so a winter night near the lagoon can cover both: the cave in the daytime, the sky after dark.
Jökulsárlón in winter →
Forecast details from the Icelandic Met Office (en.vedur.is aurora forecast). Tour stop from the operator's Viator listing (7205P3). 4 October 2026.
Winter planning
