Off the road
A super jeep northern lights tour from Reykjavik costs $196 and takes four hours. What you are paying for is a vehicle that can leave the road entirely — up tracks the coaches cannot use, to viewpoints without a car park — and a small group that lets the guide chase a gap in the cloud.
What a super jeep actually is
The access matters more than the vehicle.
A super jeep in Iceland is a heavily modified four-wheel drive: raised suspension, huge tyres run at low pressure, and the clearance to handle snow, gravel tracks and river crossings that stop an ordinary car.
For aurora hunting the relevant part is not the drama. It is access. A super jeep can take a track up onto a ridge, or across a lava field to a spot with no lighting and no coaches, and it can do that on a night when the main road viewpoints are all full.
It also carries a handful of people rather than eighty, which means the guide can genuinely change the plan when the cloud map changes.
Is it worth the extra?
Against the coach at $71, the jeep costs about two and a half times as much. Against the small-group minibus at $94 it is roughly double.
The minibus already buys you the thing that most improves your odds: a small group and a guide who can move. The jeep adds terrain, not odds. It gets you somewhere the coaches cannot follow, which matters if the idea of sharing a viewpoint with three coach parties would spoil it for you.
So: worth it if the experience matters as much as the sighting, or if you are here in deep winter when the side roads are what separate a good spot from a car park. Not worth it purely as a way of increasing your chances.
Book direct
Everything on this page in one place.
★ 4.2 · 157 reviews
★ 4.4 · 3126 reviews
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
Before you book
Almost every operator rebooks you free if the aurora does not appear. On the last night that promise is worth nothing.
“Small group” is not a regulated term. Look for an actual number.
It is a numbered bus stop, not your hotel door, and they do not wait long.
Thermal base layer, windproof outer, hat, gloves, proper boots. The wind chill does the damage.
Coming off a lit street the aurora looks like grey cloud.
An operator who runs on a hopeless night is selling you a coach ride in the dark. You are refunded.
Every trip, current fare
For comparison: everything that hunts the aurora out of Reykjavik.
| Tour | Time out | Price | Group size | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights Bus TourThe classic coach hunt, cheapest seat | 4 h | $71 | Coach, up to ~80 | $17.75 | 4.3 · 14,873 |
| Premium Small-Group TourSmall group, flexible route | 4 h | $94 | Small group | $23.50 | 4.4 · 3,126 |
| Northern Lights Minibus TourMinibus with hot cocoa and photos | 4 h | $157 | Small group | $39.25 | 4.6 · 722 |
| Tour with a Pro PhotographerA photographer travels with you | 4 h | $155 | Small group | $38.75 | 4.8 · 446 |
| Northern Lights Yacht TourOut of the harbour by sea | 2 h | $91 | Boat | $45.50 | 4.4 · 1,342 |
| Super Jeep Northern Lights TourOff the road, into the dark | 4 h | $196 | Super jeep, small | $49.00 | 4.2 · 157 |
| Lava Tunnel & Northern LightsLava tunnel first, aurora after | 4 h | $196 | Small group | $49.00 | 4.7 · 80 |
| Whale Watching & Lights ComboWhales by day, aurora by night | 6 h | $190 | Boat | $31.67 | 4.3 · 131 |
| Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon & LightsGolden Circle, Blue Lagoon and the aurora | 15 h | $319 | Coach | $21.27 | 4.7 · 261 |
Whatever you book, book it for the first night you are here.
When to come→Common questions
$196 per person for four hours in a small group, with a free repeat trip if the aurora does not appear.
A heavily modified four-wheel drive with raised suspension and oversized tyres, able to travel snow, gravel tracks and terrain that stops an ordinary vehicle.
For access and group size, yes. It reaches viewpoints coaches cannot and can change plan late. Whether it beats a small-group minibus depends on how much the terrain matters to you.
A small group and a flexible guide do. The off-road capability adds places to stand rather than a clearer sky.
It is a modified truck on rough ground. Comfortable enough, and noticeably more physical than a coach.
A handful — the vehicle sets the limit, which is exactly why it can move quickly.
Go deeper
Every tour that leaves the capital, and how they actually differ.
PricesNine tours priced per person and per hour, with what the listing leaves out.
VerdictNine tours ranked for one decision, with a straight answer at the end.
The scienceWhat causes it, what the numbers mean, and what you will actually see.
By coachThe cheapest way out of the city glare, and its one real limitation.
By boatTwo hours out of the old harbour, and why the sea has an advantage.
