Iceland

Lights of our lives

  • The Northern Lights. Photo: Promote Iceland
    The Northern Lights. Photo: Promote Iceland
  • The Northern Lights above Hotel Rangá. Photo: Hotel Rangá
    The Northern Lights above Hotel Rangá. Photo: Hotel Rangá
  • The Northern Lights. Photo: Promote Iceland
    The Northern Lights. Photo: Promote Iceland
  • The Northern Lights. Photo: Promote Iceland
    The Northern Lights. Photo: Promote Iceland

The Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights and Iceland’s best known tourist lure – is accompanied by spectacular scenery, hot springs, wildlife, lagoons, and sport.

In the dark

The Northern Lights are easier to explain than to guarantee seeing. The Aurora Borealis is caused by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Colours include white, green, pink and purple. They have been seen from as far south as New Orleans, although that’s rare. Spotting them from Iceland is an annual certainty between September and mid-April. Hotels turn off outside lights to guarantee darkness, and the lights are active in cycles of two to three days of visibility and three to four days without

  • Mount Kirkjufell. Photo: Promote Iceland
    Mount Kirkjufell. Photo: Promote Iceland
  • Puffin but not huffin’. Photo: Promote Iceland
    Puffin but not huffin’. Photo: Promote Iceland
  • Skolaferdalag Energy Pool. Photo: Promote Iceland
    Skolaferdalag Energy Pool. Photo: Promote Iceland

Energy pool, falls and puffins

In the land of beautiful waterfalls, the one above is near Mount Kirkjufell, at Grundarfjordur, on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, best viewed by the light of the midsummer midnight sun. With between eight and 10 million puffins in Iceland, these delightful birds are not difficult to find. The Skolaferdalag Energy Pool is rarely short of visitors seeking all it has to offer

  • Jardbodin baths are constantly warm. Photo: Promote Iceland
    Jardbodin baths are constantly warm. Photo: Promote Iceland
  • Foretaste for golf. Photo: Promote Iceland
    Foretaste for golf. Photo: Promote Iceland
  • Freshwater fishing. Photo: Hotel Rangá
    Freshwater fishing. Photo: Hotel Rangá

Non-energetic pool. fishing and golf

Gently lounging in the 40°C Jardbodin Nature Baths heated by Iceland’s first geothermal power station is best done after removing silver jewellery. For the more energetic, there is fishing and golf to while away the hours

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This article was published 30 November 2015
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