Picture 11pm on a still night. The wind has dropped, the lagoon is calm enough to hold the stars,
and icebergs the size of houses drift past in the dark. Then the sky starts to move. Jökulsárlón is
one of the few places on Earth where the northern lights play over floating ice, and with almost no
light pollution it is one of the best spots in Iceland to photograph them.
It is also five hours from Reykjavík and cloudier than the brochures admit, so the aurora is
something you stay for, not something you drive past. The tour below is the simplest way to do that
without a car: two days from Reykjavík with a night in a country hotel near the lagoon and a blue
ice cave in the morning.
The calendar is for Nicetravel's 2-day
South Coast tour with a blue ice cave (4.7/5 from over 260 reviews on GetYourGuide).
No tour can promise the aurora, and none of the Jökulsárlón tours we found offers a free retry if the
sky stays shut.
Quick Facts
- Where: Route 1, southeast Iceland, inside Vatnajökull National Park
- Aurora season: September to early April, best October to March
- Best hours: roughly 10pm to 2am on clear nights
- From Reykjavík: 379 km, about 5 hours non-stop and 6–7 hours in winter with stops
- Parking: 1,110 ISK per car, valid until midnight (details)
- Ice caves: October to April, guided only · Boats: amphibian May to mid-November, Zodiac May to October
- Hotels with aurora wake-up calls: Hótel Jökulsárlón, Hali Country Hotel, Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
Last checked: 25 October 2026.
Why Jökulsárlón Works for the Aurora
Real Darkness
The nearest town is Höfn, about 80 km east, and the few hotels in the area are small and
spread out. Step outside and the sky is dark almost straight away.
A Foreground Nobody Else Has
Icebergs in the lagoon, reflections on calm nights and the ice of Diamond Beach across
Route 1, all under the outlet glacier Breiðamerkurjökull.
Right Under the Oval
Iceland sits beneath the auroral oval, so even modest activity can show overhead. The
Icelandic Met Office says a low grade-2 display "can be beautiful" and a moderate grade 3
"can be dazzling".
The Weak Spot: Cloud
The southeast is wet in winter and Atlantic storms come through often. Expect to lose some
nights. How many nights you stay matters more than which week you pick.
No operator publishes sighting rates for the lagoon, but the pattern in
tour reviews is clear. Guests on two- and three-night trips often see the lights at least once,
while one-night guests are often clouded out. One reviewer on a 3-day tour this year wrote that
"clouds completely blotted out the stars both nights." Plan for two or three dark nights in the
region and treat the aurora as the bonus on top of the ice cave, the glacier and the beach.
More Winter Tours Around Jökulsárlón
Winter here means blue ice caves under Vatnajökull, glacier hikes in
Skaftafell and multi-day South Coast tours from Reykjavík that sleep near
the lagoon for the northern lights. Browse what is running around Jökulsárlón this season.
When to See the Northern Lights (2026–27)
October – March
The season runs from about September to mid-April, and these six months have the darkest
skies. Activity tends to run a little higher around the September and March equinoxes.
10 PM – 2 AM
The most productive hours on a clear night, although a strong display can start soon after
dark. The Met Office activity forecast is given for midnight.
Late October – Mid-November
The one window when the amphibian boats are still running and the ice caves have opened, so
you can fit the boat, a cave and the aurora into one trip.
December – March
The longest nights, the most ice on Diamond Beach and the heart of ice cave season. No boats
on the lagoon.
Is 2026–27 Still a Good Season?
Yes. NASA, NOAA and the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announced in October 2024 that the Sun had
reached solar maximum, and Belgium's SILSO data centre puts the peak of Solar Cycle 25 that same
month. The cycle is now on its way down, but the declining years still bring strong storms and
fast solar wind that returns roughly every 27 days. The next solar minimum is expected around
2030–31, so this is one of the last strong seasons for a few years. Exactly how fast activity
tails off is uncertain, and cloud will decide more of your nights than the Sun will.
New Moon Dates
A bright moon washes out faint aurora, though it lights the icebergs nicely for photos. For the
best contrast, aim to be in the area the week either side of a new moon. Times are UTC, which is
also Iceland's local time.
| Month | New moon |
|---|
| November 2026 | Mon 9 Nov, 07:02 |
| December 2026 | Wed 9 Dec, 00:51 |
| January 2027 | Thu 7 Jan, 20:24 |
| February 2027 | Sat 6 Feb, 15:56 |
| March 2027 | Mon 8 Mar, 09:29 |
Daylight by Month
Approximate hours of daylight in Iceland: October 8–11, November 5–7, December 4–5, January 4–6,
February 7–10, March 10–13. At the lagoon the sun rises around 10:20 and sets around 15:29 on 30
November, and on 21 December it is up from about 10:57 to 15:08. Short days mean long nights, but
they also leave little time to drive, so plan winter legs to finish before dark. For the whole year
month by month, see our best time to visit Jökulsárlón guide.
How to Read the Aurora Forecast
- Icelandic Met Office (en.vedur.is, Weather, Aurora forecast). It maps cloud
cover up to about six days ahead and gives an aurora activity grade from 0 to 9 for midnight.
On the map, green is cloud and white is clear sky, the opposite of what most
visitors expect. Use the "low and mid-level clouds" layer. The sunset, darkness and moonrise
times on the page are for Reykjavík, not the lagoon.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (swpc.noaa.gov) for the Kp index, solar
wind and alerts about coronal mass ejections, which usually reach Earth one to three days after
they erupt. A Kp of 3 or more is a good night at this latitude, but a clear sky at Kp 2 beats a
cloudy one at Kp 5.
- Apps such as My Aurora Forecast, Aurora Alerts and Hello Aurora are handy for
alerts. Check the vedur.is cloud map before you head out on one.
- Hotel wake-up calls. Hótel Jökulsárlón, Hali and Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon will
knock or ring when the lights appear. For a self-driver it is the easiest aurora tour there is.
- Roads. Check umferdin.is for road conditions and closures and safetravel.is for
alerts before every drive, including the short hop from your hotel to the lagoon. Our
weather and road conditions page has the links.
Best Viewing Spots Around the Lagoon
One of Jökulsárlón's great advantages is that you barely need to move: every good vantage point sits
within a few minutes of the main car park. Where you stand mainly changes your foreground.
Main Lagoon Shoreline
The classic composition: the aurora doubled in still water between floating icebergs. Walk
a few minutes east or west of the car park to escape headlight glare.
The Bridge and Outflow Channel
Grounded icebergs in the channel by the Route 1 bridge make one of the best aurora
foregrounds, with wide views across the lagoon and out to sea.
Diamond Beach
Across Route 1, stranded ice glows on black sand under the lights. See our
Diamond Beach guide, and stay well back from the
waterline at night, where sneaker waves are invisible in the dark.
Fjallsárlón and Beyond
About 10 km west, Fjallsárlón is smaller and
quieter, with icebergs under the glacier face. An hour east, Stokksnes and Vestrahorn add
dunes and mountain reflections (the land is private and charges an access fee).
Photography Settings for Aurora over Ice
| Setting | Starting point |
|---|
| Mode | Manual, shoot RAW |
| Lens | Your widest (14–24 mm) at its widest aperture (f/1.8–f/2.8) |
| ISO | 1,600–3,200; lower it when the aurora is bright |
| Shutter | 5–15 s; 2–5 s when the aurora moves fast, to keep its shape |
| Focus | Manual, set on a distant light or bright star, then tape the ring |
| White balance | About 3,500–4,000 K |
| Kit | Tripod, spare batteries (the cold drains them fast), headlamp with a red mode |
| Phones | Night mode on a tripod or braced on a rock, 3–10 s |
A moonlit night lets you expose the ice properly while still catching
the aurora, so a half moon is no reason to stay in. Whatever the shot, never stand on ice, on the
beach or in the lagoon: floating ice can roll without warning. For daytime angles, see our full
photography guide.
Northern Lights Tours That Include Jökulsárlón
Almost every aurora tour that reaches the lagoon is a multi-day trip from Reykjavík, and we found no
shared evening aurora tour that starts at Jökulsárlón itself. That shapes the choice: if you are not
driving, book a tour that sleeps nearby; if you are, book an ice cave for the daytime and let your
hotel handle the aurora.
Our pick
2-Day South Coast Tour with Blue Ice Cave
Nicetravel · from $718 · ★ 4.7 (260+ reviews)
One night in a country hotel near the lagoon, guides who help you spot the lights and a blue
ice cave in season. Reviewers mention watching the aurora right behind the hotel. It is the
shortest trip that puts you near the lagoon after dark.
Check dates
Most aurora-focused
3-Day Northern Lights Hunt & Glacier Lagoon
Snæland Travel · from about $1,079 · ★ 4.8 (6 reviews)
The Golden Circle, the South Coast, Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach, with dedicated aurora
hunts. Two nights mean two chances at a clear sky, and guides drive the group towards
clearer areas. Few reviews on GetYourGuide so far, but consistent ones elsewhere.
Check dates
Upgrade
4-Day Blue Ice Cave and Northern Lights Tour
Troll.is · from about $1,411 · ★ 4.8 (8 reviews)
A small group with pickup that adds West Iceland to the Golden Circle, the South Coast,
Jökulsárlón and an ice cave. More nights, more chances, for travellers with flexible dates.
Check dates
For self-drivers
The Original Ice Cave Tour on Vatnajökull
From about $176 · ★ 4.5 (1,200+ reviews)
If you have a car and a hotel nearby, you don't need an aurora tour at all. Spend the daylight
in a blue ice cave from the lagoon car park and the night on the shoreline. For a longer day,
the 6-hour blue ice cave tour with a glacier walk scores 4.7/5 from 89 reviews.
Check dates
Snæland also runs a 5-day
version (from about $1,585, 5.0 from 11 reviews), but its nights are in the Vík area, not at
the lagoon. Locally, a couple of small operators in Höfn run evening aurora trips with very little
review history, and Fun Iceland sells a northern lights chase from Glacier Lagoon hotels directly.
Day trips from Reykjavík reach the lagoon but head home during the best aurora hours, so only count
on the lights if you get lucky on the drive back. The "unlimited free retries" you see on aurora
tours are a Reykjavík feature, not something the Jökulsárlón trips offer. For spots, settings and the moon calendar, see our northern lights and Diamond Beach photography guide.
Prices and ratings were checked on GetYourGuide in October 2026 and change with dates and demand.
Compare all the options in our Reykjavík to
Jökulsárlón in winter guide.
Where to Stay for the Northern Lights
Jökulsárlón is around 800 km from Reykjavík and back, and in December you get only four or five
hours of daylight to drive it. The single biggest thing you can do for your odds is to sleep near
the lagoon, so you can step outside the moment the sky clears instead of watching it from a car
heading west. Stay at least one night, and two or three if you can.
Hótel Jökulsárlón
A four-star hotel at Reynivellir, about 11 km east of the lagoon, with outdoor hot tubs, a
sauna and free aurora wake-up calls. Rooms from roughly $283–360 a night.
Hali Country Hotel
About 12 minutes' drive east, with a well-regarded restaurant and aurora wake-up calls.
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
A 104-room hotel with a sauna about 27 km west of the lagoon, with wake-up calls in winter.
Ask for a north-facing room.
Höfn
An hour east and cheaper, with restaurants known for langoustine and Stokksnes about 15
minutes away.
We couldn't find any glass igloo or aurora bubble accommodation near
Jökulsárlón, so check carefully if a listing claims one.
Getting There and Winter Essentials
| From | Distance | Drive (good conditions) |
|---|
| Reykjavík | 379 km | About 5 h non-stop; 6–7 h in winter with stops |
| Vík | About 190 km | About 2.5 h |
| Skaftafell | About 55 km | About 45 min |
| Höfn | About 80 km | About 1 h |
Winter Driving
Route 1 is paved but exposed, and wind, black ice and closures are common. You don't strictly
need a 4x4 to reach the lagoon, but you do need winter tyres. Since 1 January 2026 every car
also pays a kilometre fee of 6.95 ISK per km, which adds about 5,400 ISK to a round trip
from Reykjavík. See how to get here.
Parking at Night
There is no entry fee, but parking is 1,110 ISK per car, paid through the Parka app or the
machines, and valid until midnight. One payment covers the lagoon and both Diamond Beach car
parks. Overnight parking is not allowed. More on our parking page.
Facilities
The café and toilets at the lagoon keep daytime hours and are seasonal, so nothing is open
late. Bring food and a thermos, and use your hotel's facilities.
What to Wear
Thermal base layer, a wool or fleece mid-layer, a windproof waterproof shell with a hood,
insulated trousers, hat, mittens over liner gloves, insulated boots and microspikes for icy
car parks. The wind chill is what gets you. Full list in our
what to wear guide.
At night, wear a headlamp, stay on the paths and watch out for icy
ground. Ice caves are guided only and only in season: since a cave collapsed on Breiðamerkurjökull
in August 2024, Vatnajökull National Park allows ice cave tours from October to April, run by
contracted operators who check the caves daily. More in our ice cave
tours guide.
Fill the Daylight: Ice Caves by Day, Aurora by Night
Aurora season is also ice cave season. Guided tours leave from the
Jökulsárlón car park itself for the natural blue ice caves under Vatnajökull, so the classic winter
day here is a cave in the morning, Diamond Beach at golden hour and the shoreline again after dark.
You never move your car more than a few minutes.
Departs from the lagoon car park
From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
From $195 · ★ 4.6 (972 reviews) · Free cancellation
A super-jeep ride from the lagoon onto Breiðamerkurjökull and a guided walk into a natural blue
ice cave, the daytime half of an aurora-hunting day.
Check dates
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the northern lights at Jökulsárlón?
Yes. Jökulsárlón has almost no light pollution and sits under the auroral oval, so the northern
lights are visible on clear, dark nights from about September to mid-April, best from October
to March. Cloud is the main obstacle, so plan two or three nights in the area rather than one.
What time do the northern lights appear at Jökulsárlón?
Under clear skies the best window is roughly 10pm to 2am, although strong displays can start
soon after dark. The aurora comes in waves, so give a quiet sky at least 30 to 60 minutes before
giving up.
Is Jökulsárlón open at night?
The lagoon shore and Diamond Beach are open ground with no gate, so you can visit after dark.
The parking fee of 1,110 ISK per car is valid until midnight, overnight parking is not allowed,
and the café and toilets are not open late, so stay at a nearby hotel and drive over when the
sky clears.
Do I need a tour to see the northern lights at the lagoon?
No. If you are staying nearby you can drive or walk to the shoreline yourself, and several local
hotels offer aurora wake-up calls. There is almost no evening aurora tour that starts at
Jökulsárlón, so if you are not driving, the practical option is a 2- to 4-day tour from
Reykjavík that spends a night near the lagoon. See the tours above.
Can I see the northern lights on a day trip from Reykjavík?
Only by luck. The round trip is about 800 km, day tours run from about 7:30am to 11pm, and you
are on the road home during the best aurora hours. A night or two near the lagoon gives you far
better odds.
Do boat tours run in winter?
No. Amphibian boats run from May to mid-November and Zodiacs from May to October. Late October
to mid-November is the only window when you can combine a boat tour, an ice cave and the
northern lights on one trip. See our boat tours guide.
Can you photograph the aurora from Diamond Beach?
Yes, and the stranded ice on black sand makes a spectacular foreground. Sneaker waves are
dangerous in the dark, so stay well back from the waterline, never turn your back on the ocean
and never stand on the ice. The Diamond Beach guide has the
details.
Stay Warm
Planning a Winter Trip?
Combine your aurora nights with a daytime ice cave tour for the ultimate Jökulsárlón winter
adventure.
Explore Winter
Tours
