Northern Lights Boat Cruise: A Mesmerizing Aurora Borealis Experience from Reykjavik's Old Harbour

45 Ratings

Reykjavík

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Embark on a mesmerizing boat cruise from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour to witness the enchanting Northern Lights. Learn about the science behind this natural phenomenon and enjoy an alternative activity if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Book now!

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Special Tours - Join our Northern Lights by Boat tour, sailing out into FaxaflÃ³i 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

What's Included

Short Northern Lights photography workshop at Whales of Iceland.
Entry, Northern Lights drink, short film, and guided tour of Whales of Iceland.
Free downloadable pictures from every boat tour.
Guaranteed alternative activity for unsuitable weather conditions.
Access to warm overalls, free wi-fi, restrooms, and snack bar on the boat.
-…

What's Not Included

Snacks
Hotel transfers are not included but can be added for an additional cost directly with supplier.

Additional Information

Embark on an evening journey to witness the stunning aurora borealis from Reykjavík’s Historic Port. Your knowledgeable guide will explain the science behind this celestial display, narrate tales and myths, and satisfy any curiosities you may have about this wonderful phenomenon.
The visibility of the Northern Lights is reliant on suitable weather…

Location

Geirsgata 11

Geirsgata

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.2

(45 Ratings)

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Filippocamerlengo

Mar 10, 2025

Best memory of Iceland, thank you Lucas! - We tried to see the lights every evening for a week until we took this cruise on our last night. And it happened!!! Lucas was a wonderful informative and caring guide, he spoke in different languages and we felt it was a great asset to our trip. Thank you Lucas, takk ferry

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Tripleta

Feb 25, 2025

Minimal lights, still good fun - Chances of seeing the a good display of the northern lights on any one night are always going to be poor. I love boats, I love the sea, I love seeing cities at night from the water, so I booked the boat tour on the grounds I'd have a lot of fun whether I saw the lights or not, unlike a coach trip. Technically the lights were there, although nobody could actually see them. Some people were able to pick them up on their cameras. But it was a lovely evening to be out, looking at the stars and Reykjavik all aglow. The overalls provided by Special Tours were warm enough to stand the cold wind out on deck, and the pick up service from my hotel was on time and flawless.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Jonq5553hz

Jan 26, 2025

Great way to see the Northern Lights. Get cold, you can hope down below in the boat and warm up. - The weather can really impact your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. It was cold and windy the night we went out but we were warm down below when nothing was happening. The light show isn't always continuous, so the guide up on the top deck gave a running commentary on when the viewing was the best. If you want the maximum experience you may need to go further away from downtown Reykjavik but if you want a comforable taste of the experience this is a good tour.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Aimee_s

Nov 23, 2024

Great experience - Really brilliant experience. The lights started as we were boarding the boat so the team advised us to go up top immediately. Team were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. An absolutely incredible show.

Review provided by Viator

Lian_m

Nov 23, 2024

Mesmerizing Experience! - Amazing experience! Our tour guide provided great guidance in locating the lights and tips to view and capture them through photography. Tour started and ended promptly, and check-in process was a breeze. We were fortunate enough to have great conditions - clear skies and calm waters. The lights got brighter and more active near the end of the tour, and it was mesmerizing to see them in person.

Review provided by Viator

Jjmarkp

Nov 7, 2024

Excellent experience - This was excellent. The guide was great, informative and fun. He was helpful in telling us the settings to use on our phones/cameras to get the best pix. The boat was comfortable with plenty of room to warm up indoors when I got cold. Fortunately, the NL were visible the night I went. So, I was a happy camper.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Inspire34165511315

Mar 8, 2024

Made our Trip - Our first night the tour was cancelled due to weather. The company offered a free backup plan for a small group tour to the whale museum with private tour guide. Learned a lot about whales and the northern lights. Really neat! Patrick was very funny and very passionate/knowledgeable about whales and the whole industry. Free northern lights drink at the end which was a nice touch. The beautiful thing is if your tour is cancelled you can book another boat tour that works with your trips schedule. We went the next night and saw beautiful northern lights that were all different colours. Really made our trip to Iceland complete. They even offer heavy duty overalls to help mitigate the cold winds if needed. Guide on the boat was fantastic and very knowledgeable as well. Thank you Special Tours! Would definitely recommend booking with them!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sam_b

Jan 23, 2025

Good trip - No transfer from our hotel. First night the tour was cancelled. Second night went and saw the lights. Had a great time. Staff friendly.

Review provided by Viator

Timlj3089ad

Jan 16, 2025

Need to be lucky - We got to the boat quite early, which meant we got a good seat out on the top deck. But this also meant we were out in the cold for a while! The tour took us out in the water by Reykjavik and took about 2 hours, but unfortunately it was just so cloudy we couldn't see anything, so we ended up going back without having seen the lights. This is of no fault of the company, as they can't control the weather, but they did offer us a free rebooking for the next night. Unfortunately, that was called off early in the day due to more bad weather, and we had no more nights left in Iceland. Our ticket, however, is valid indefinitely, so next time we visit Iceland, we will hopefully be able to do the tour then and see the lights! I do want to give a special mention to our tour guide (I didn't catch his name, but this was for the tour on 13th January). He was very informative, and very funny. He did a great job of keeping everyone entertained, despite the bad weather and lack of lights.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Thi_jo1

Jan 27, 2025

Cancelled without notification - We arrived at 21:00 in Reykjavik for the tour and were promptly informed the tour had been cancelled due to the weather. This would've been fine with us had we been informed in advance, however we had received no email, text or notification via TripAdvisor which was very annoying, as we'd driven out and into Reykjavik (which was quite the detour from our original trip) for this specific tour.

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Check Availability

From $79

up to 12 guests

1 - Adult