Iceland is the land of darkness and of light. It’s positioning just beneath the Arctic Circle ensures the summer days are long, with almost 24hours of sunlight. Contrast this with the winter months, the winter in Iceland is dark with barely any sunlight at all.
On a clear and dark night out of the city and actually in Reykjavik if the display is strong, it is possible to see the amazing aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, dance in the sky overhead. Be quick though as they can disappear just as quickly as they arrive! If you’re wondering what time the Northern lights turn on, there is no specific time for them to start and there is no specific end time.
Iceland is renowned for its ever changing weather – if you don’t like the weather then you just need to wait five minutes – that is what the locals will tell you! Weather conditions in Iceland can change really quickly and so it’s really important to dress appropriately and be prepared for everything the weather can throw at you. We always recommend taking good hiking boots for comfort, make sure you’ve also got a waterproof layer along with lots of base and mid layers to make sure you’re warm and comfortable if out and about in Iceland.
The great thing about Iceland is that it is a fantastic melting pot of old traditions in new settings. Did you know that Iceland is the youngest landmass in Europe?! It’s also one of the most forward thinking and is home to the continents oldest Parliament (903 AD). If you head out on our Golden Circle tour, we’ll stop off at Thingvellir (oldest Parliament) in the area which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the fantastic sites to experience whilst you’re here is the Silfra area – where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet – they are drifting apart a few centimetres every year.
We are able to offer a variety of different types of school travel tours to Iceland and can really tailor to school requirements. For example, if your priority is service based learning, we can offer packages from 3 to 7 days where you can chose to do one day of service based activities or 7days. The only real limits to our packages are your imagination and the budget of your students. If you have an idea in mind for activities or experiences that you don’t see on our website, let us know and we can compile a tour to your requirements.
FAQ:
What time do the Northern Lights start?
There is no specific time for a display of the aurora, it is very much dependant on the weather conditions, cloud cover and the conditions in the upper atmosphere.
Did you know…?
There is a lava field in North Iceland which was the perfect training ground for NASA astronauts, many have trained there – including Neil Armstrong before his first expedition to the moon. This is owing to the areas similarity to uninhabited planets like the Moon and Mars!