Northern Lights Private Super Jeep Tour With Photos

Knowing that seeing the northern lights in late August would be a challenge, I booked this private tour with Happyworld, figuring it would give us the best chance. Þröstur used his knowledge and expertise to find the right location for the aurora on our tight schedule! It was truly a magical experience! He did a wonderful job keeping all of us, including our 7- and 10-year-old kids, engaged and excited throughout the night. We feel incredibly lucky to have seen the aurora, and we have Þröstur and the team to thank for making it happen. The hot chocolate was amazing and the photos are wonderful keepsakes! We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Our private tour was an amazing experience! Our guide, Þröstur Freyr​, was extremely knowledgeable and truly loves what he does. We learned so much, saw an amazing light show, and got so many amazing photos. Don’t let the late night time scare you off - definitely worth it! (also, we were served delicious hot chocolate that was homemade by our guide - a bonus!)

Prostur was amazing at finding the Northern Lights! This was our second trip to Iceland and third attempt to see the Northern Lights. The day looked gloomy and we thought the tour would be cancelled again. The tour company usually makes the go no go decision by 6:30pm, but they asked if we would be willing to wait a little bit longer so we agreed to wait until 8pm. At 7:45 pm we got a message that they would pick us up at 9:30pm and thought they might be able to find some lights. Might was an understatement! We were barely an hour away from the hotel when prostur pulled over and declared he found something. Prostur is a meteriologist and very knowledgeable about the stars and how the northern lights form. The night sky was full of stars and beautiful northern lights, every time we turned around looking at the sky all that we could say was Wow. He told us that only 20% of the tours had our experience. We were very grateful and in awe of the beauty. It was cold and windy but his hot chocolate and donut were a perfect snack to warm us up. We really had two terrific experiences, seeing amazing Northern Lights and getting an education about the start and the movement of the solar system to create the Lights. Great guide and a great tour

Sven was a wonderful guide. Great sense of humor and also explained the science behind the Northern Lights visual display. Best of all, he found a place where we could see the Northern Lights. Thanks, Sven

Prostur was a great guide. He was on time. He communicated well. He explained what he was doing and why. He worked hard to get us to a place where we might see the lights as it was a very cloudy and fast moving cloud evening. He had stories to tell. He pulled out a telescope to view the starts while we waited. Overall a great experience. He also offered to help us with advice if we wanted to try ourselves another night. When he has an opening on another bus tour he offered for us to take that space but we already had other plans for that day. What a super great guide.

Þröstur was the best guide. He was on time and easy to speak with. He did his best to give us a great view despite the cloud cover we had to navigate around. He had fun stories and made sure everyone was having a good time. While waiting for the northern lights he set up a telescope to view the night sky. He was full of information and stayed out longer to make sure we saw what a night show, The hot chocolate and Icelandic treat was sweet too!

My family loved this tour! The guide was very knowledgeable and enjoyable. The photos he took turned out amazing. I would highly recommend this company. We had to reschedule twice due to cloud cover and he was very accommodating

We booked a trip with HappyWorld Iceland on Thursday 10th October. I was reluctant to go with this group as for a family of 4 it was quite expensive. Let me tell you it was truly value for money. We were promptly picked up from the hotel and met another group at the Perlan Natural History museum, where we saw the faintest of lights. We then travelled in convoy to 'the middle of nowhere' and stood in a field in the pitch black near to a disused, derelict building. The guides informed us there was activity in the sky and we should wait. Within 20 minutes, the night came alive. What a wonderful experience. The guides were knowledgeable, took many fantastic photos of the group, and were patient. Trust in them. They know what they're doing. Dress warm, it was really cold, some of the group returned to the vehicles earlier but we stayed out and took the opportunity to have many family photos taken. We all agree it was the highlight of our 10-day holiday

Wonderful experience! They picked us up directly from our hotel and we drove about an hour or so to the spot they thought best for the conditions. There was some cloud cover at first, but we saw some beautiful lights! After a bit it cleared up but the lights were gone. We stuck around a bit and had some hot chocolate and the lights appears again, this time dancing across the sky!!!! They took as many photos as you wanted with their camera (sent via email the following day) and walked you through settings to capture them correctly on your phone! Be aware that you see mostly green and lights to the naked eye, but on the cameras, even your phone's camera with the right settings, they are full of colors! We spent well over an hour viewing the lights until they disappeared again and even got to see a few Icelandic horses! It was great to be able to warm up in the vehicle as needed too! Highly recommend!

Like many people coming to Icleand in the winter we had a hope to see the Northern Lights- this tour was very well done communication was excellent and whilst we were indeed fortunate to have seen the lights it would honnestly have been a great experience without them as seeing the stars in such clarity was a revelation. Our guide (Ástþór ) made a huge effort to make sure we saw the lights and was extremely knowledgeable about them and the solar system. He also was very patient in taking photos of everyone which were later emailed to us - as others have said you do not usually see the colours of the lights in the same way with your naked eyes as you see with a camera but he gave us the best opportunities to see them for which we were very thankful.

I cannot say enough excellent things about this company and its staff. Communication was beyond expectations. I was not receiving emails from the third party I booked through so I contacted Happyworld directly. I always received a prompt and helpful reply that included all the information. I spoke to one man so much I asked his name so I could mention him in the review--Þröstur, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP. I didn't realize you owned the company, lol Our guide Sara was amazing. She was so personable and had so much knowledge and we learned so much. As it was a small group (ended up basically a private group with just three of us), Sara made sure we had the best chances to see the Northern Lights by taking us to different locations and checking with Þröstur who had all the meteorology maps. The photos she took were also just wonderful. I would not hesitate to book another tour with Happyworld and will be recommending them to friends who also have Icelandic vacations planned.

Private tour definitely worth the extra money and we would highly recommend Happyworld. All communications were clear and timely. Lots of information about what to wear, what to expect and why the Northern Lights are so elusive! We had an email on the day to confirm the tour was going ahead and why this decision had been made e.g. weather and likelihood of seeing the lights. Our tour guide, Haukr (sorry if that's spelt wrong!), was very knowledgeable and explained about why the Northern Lights are so difficult to predict and how to see these with the naked eye - for those who don't know, you need a camera to see the full extent of the lights. Haukr took us to a few different locations to try and see the lights, continually checking his phone for up to date cloud coverage and weather information. He used his own camera to check for the lights and was quick to take photos and direct us when the lights appeared. The hot chocolate was a yummy and a well needed treat after standing out in -8 degree weather! Thank you Happyworld for a great experience.

We booked with Gravel Travel through Visit Iceland based on the reviews and the look of the experience. We were booked for 21/11/23 and due to the weather the trip was postponed via email. We were rescheduled for the 22/11/23. We waited at the bus stop in the freezing cold and snow for 30-40 minutes along with another person waiting for the same trip. As we waited the Northern Lights briefly appeared overhead. It seemed unlikely that the jeep would arrive so I called them only to be told in the most belligerent manner that an email had been sent at 6pm to say the Northern Lights were not viable that evening. The lady waiting booked and paid for her trip at 7pm. No emails had been sent. I’m sure they are usually a good company but our experience was of an unprofessional and totally rude company. Poor communication and awful customer service

From start to finish, we had a fantastic time on our private tour. There were just the four of us that made the booking and therefore, the tour was very private and exclusive, which is just what we wanted. Our guide, Gabriel, was superb - very friendly and helpful as well as knowledgeable. We went to a quiet spot, free-from light pollution and spent a couple of hours gazing at the sky. The Northern Lights were amazing and our guide took some great photos of us, too. Amazing experience and highly recommended!

Happy World did a great job helping us see the Northern lights in an off road location with their Super Jeep.

So, I never actually got to attend this tour. The night of the tour, we received an email saying it was cancelled due to "less than good conditions" to see the Aurora lights. We rescheduled at no charge for two days later. We then received the same email about "less than good conditions" and the tour being cancelled. We had run out of days and received a full refund instead of a free reschedule. We were bummed that we didn't get to go, however were very impressed by the company. They could have taken us out to the middle or nowhere and had us sit in the freezing cold looking for lights that would never come, then take our money. They did none of that and were only going to perform the tour if the conditions were right for a good chance to see them. We know other companies took people out then didn't see anything. We really appreciated their open communication and honesty. If we find ourselves back in Iceland we will 100% book again.

Pickup was on time and with the best prospect to see the lights all week (our trip on Wednesday was cancelled) so we were super excited as our guide (Ástpór) reckoned that we would see “something”. Not only did we see something, we saw the most amazing display with all the colours showing up from green, yellow, red and amazing purple. Ástpór set up the equipment and we didn’t have long to wait for a fabulous experience. To see these heavenly dancers was definitely a chance of a life-time. We were very cold but the display and the hot chocolate and the chat more than made up for the freezing toes. Definitely worth going with this company in a small group with an expert guide who knew exactly what he was doing.

We booked a private tour with Happyworld because of their great reviews and communication beforehand with Þröstur. Þröstur was very knowledgeable and answered our questions promptly. Due to the incremental weather our original reservation was cancelled, however, Robert and Þröstur worked with us to make sure we can get on another tour. Gabriel was our tour guide and he was a great guide! He told us of Icelandic folklore and regaled the children with stories of constellations and stars. Best of all, we were able to capture some nice memories! Even with the challenge of a full moon we still saw an amazing aurora display in the sky.

This was one of the best tours I did while in Iceland. Not only were they professional, but my tour guide Ástþór was awesome, he greeted everyone by their name, provided us hot chocolate, and shared lots of stories about Icelands history, astronomy, and the northern lights. He was very friendly. Pick up and drop off were very easy. I would definitely book this tour again

Simply awesome!! We only got on the trip via an upgrade, but how glad we were. Our guides (Astaphor and Gabriel) were both excellent. Astaphor drove us and was informative and clinical in deciding to move when he was concerned about the conditions at our first stop. The jeep was was great and ......before I forget the Lights were pretty impressive. In hindsight remember that when the lights are your main reason you are in Iceland make sure you pay the extra.

We took the tour in a super jeep that hunts the aurora borealis and the team, with Ástþór conducting our vehicle, was extremely competent in locating the phenomenon despite the not-very-good conditions and everything went 100% as agreed. Thanks, HappyWorld team.

Our guide was really motivated himself to see the northern lights. I could feel his passion for the "lights." We drove out of Reyjkavik towards the airport und parked nearly in the middle of nowhere. Even if the weather doesn's look like clearing up, our Guide said that he's very sure that we're going to see the green dancers. In the wild we could hear a polarfuchs barking. Our Guide gave us some interesting explanations about the Northern lights. After a snow storm and drinking hot chocolate, the Northern lights really showed up. What a finish of my travel to Island! Many thanks to happy world.

Great company, would definitely recommend! Great service and such nice people! We were unlucky and did not get to see the northern lights because they were just not there on the nights we went out but our tour guide Freyr, was so nice, you could see he does this with passion and he is very knowledgeable when it comes to chase the lights. He had great stories, told us lots of interesting facts and show us some really cool places. The hot chocolate and treats at the end were simply lovely. We were offered free re-runs to see the lights and had such caring and personalized treatment! Would not try chase northern lights with any other company!

I researched this a fair bit, with some email to and fro with various providers before we chose Happy. As we are 4 adults, the difference in price between a small tour and a private tour was (relatively) small, so we elected for a private tour. The first night the tour was cancelled due to the weather and the Aurora forecast, but Happy immediately re-booked us for the following night. We went out on the 2nd night, which was deemed possible for a sighting. We were picked up on time from our hotel by Sara, in a good sized modern jeep. She was the most enthusiastic person possible, great with the 2 cynical teenagers, full of stories, myths, and solid facts. We drove for about 1 hour to a secluded spot. Amongst the solid facts, we learned the success of Happy is due to the fact that the 2 founders are both ex-pilots, who know how to read the cloud patterns better than most. We also passed minibuses and coaches who had 'given up' and drove home. The advantage of a private tour meant we stayed out longer; in better comfort; and could park in a smaller spot. The spot was MAGICAL. We were along a fjord, in the dark, with hot chocolate in the boot, and a warm jeep to hop into if anytime was cold. There is no way as Londoners we would have driven to this spot by ourselves in our hire car. Sara continually checked various indices and conditions to make sure we were in the right place and looking the right way. She pointed out planets and stars as we waited and watched. We were lucky in that although it was -10 degrees there was no wind, we were all wrapped up, and time passed quickly and easily. The teens made snow angels while the parents spotted the planets. We also moved spot and drove somewhere else, as Sara noticed conditions had moved. She also taught us how to 'do it yourself' if we did not spot anything, and wanted to go out byy ourselves another evening. In the end....we came SO close - but no cigar. But the whole 'hunt' was a magical experience in itself. With Happy, I felt in safe hands, pre-booking, booking, and the tour itself. Their customer care was awesome. They only sent us out when there was a really good chance. They did their utmost to find the Northern Lights for us - we were (with our consent) out way later than other tours. I would highly recommend them for their customer care; knowledge; safety; guide ability. If you're a Brit or English speaker, and she is available: ask for Sara. She grew up in the UK then Iceland, so can compare and contrast the 2 countries well, and is a mine of information. Many facts and folklore. We will now put a sneaker out on a windowsill on the correct days; and watch out for the hidden people :-)

a good aurora tour with two local guides and by jeep! the tour is made to be a small number of people and a maximum of two jeeps togheter The guides were very nice and tried to entertain us as much as possible so that we did not have to think about the cold weather that night I particularly liked that during the tour they gave us hot chocolate and cookies they made to warm us up. Throughout the night the solar activity was very weak and very little was seen, but as we were on our way back, the green lady showed up in all her glory and I very much appreciated that the guides stopped everything and allowed us to get out and take excellent photos even though it was now very late I took two stars off the maximum because although I had paid extra in order to book the tripod, I had to be the one to remember that I had reserved it only to find out that they had forgotten it! Fortunately, however, they told me they had a spare one and gave it to me but gave me no help or guidance on how to mount and set it up. Fortunately, this was not my first experience with the aurora and I was able to manage on my own. Same thing when the aurora came on in full force and neither of them got the tripod out for me so, as a result, I could not take any photos nor use the tripod despite having paid to reserve it. So, in conclusion, the tour is very good but remember to send an email on the day to remind them to bring the tripod you paid for! ...and have some experience in setting up the tripod in total darkness, since I was also challenged to use a small flashlight just to see if my camera was properly secured

I would 1000% recommend using HappyWorld to anyone visititing Reykjavik. One of the most incredible, unforgettable experiences of my life. I booked a private tour to surprise my partner for a proposal and they did not disappoint. Our guide/driver/photographer, Ástþór was amazing, he had great knowledge of the aurora borealis and knew exactly where to stop for the best sightings of the northern lights, he also provided us with drinks to keeps us warm on a freezing night. I couldn't have asked for a better guide to take us. This experience will stay in our memories for the rest of our lives. It was worth every penny. Thank you Happy World for this experience. P.S she said yes

The northern lights were a no show but our tour operator tried his best. And he had sown great stories!

Our guide Droster or Proster (the letter doesn't translate) was super energetic and interesting. We saw not only northern lights but also planets, galaxies, star clusters and astronomical phenomena. We were regaled with fairy tales, myths and legends along with scientific facts. Though chilly (below 0 F) we were well amused and the four or so hours passed delightfully. It was all capped with some special treats, excellent photographs and warm memories. 100% recommend this tour.

I highly recommend this activity. We were fortunate to see the lights within the hour we stopped! Lucky us! The private tour was a little more but worth every penny! We were taken to a secluded spot where we were protected by the 40 mile an hour wind! Not only did we get solo pictures, but Þröstur Freyr took pictures of my sister and I, and the group. After he surprised us with a “treat” (not going to tell you what—it’s a surprise!). And he also brought out his telescope and we viewed Jupiter, the Milky Way, and other constellation! Of all the activities we’ve signed up for I rate this #1!!! See northern lights ✅

Wow. What a fun way to see the lights. Small group, excellent guide (we were with Astpor and Marius ) and professional pictures included. Well worth the price. I have been on bus tours to see the lights -- they take you to one place (shared by many many buses), while Happy World will move to different secluded spots if need be. If you're a novice with Aurora hunting and don't have he right camera equipment with you, don't worry. The guides, who have a lot of photography experience with the lights, take the photos for you and "with" you in it. It's an absolutely great souvenir to take home from Iceland. Hot chocolate and local stories filled the night. Note: Do read their recommendations for what to wear especially if your're going in the winter. There is a lot to say about layering and you will be happy you did. Take along hand and feet warmers as a backup. After all, you are there to enjoy the lights and company and if the lights don't come out do, do try again. Schedule your viewing when you first arrive to Iceland so you have some time to try again if the lights are cooperating the first night.

I recomend the tour! we had a wonderful group and an excellent tour guide Pröstur, He was very experienced, talktative, with great knowledge and even had hot chocolate and local pastry for us. He made the expereience very special.

Our tour guide Ástþór was excellent. To start the trip he managed our expectations so we would not expect to see the brilliance of the Northern Lights you see in photos with the naked eye. He was very passionate and knowledgeable about the lights and provided interesting commentary throughout our trip. When we did see the lights, they were amazing. My daughter and I came to Iceland to see this natural phenomenon and were not disappointed, Thank you to Ástþór and Happy World for a one in a lifetime experience and the photos to go with it.

We did a tour with Arnar. He was a fantastic guide with tons of knowledge. We did some moving around trying to find a hole in the sky since it was a cloudy night. Once we found the hole, we waited. After about 45 minutes, the sky lit up and began to dance. It was absolutely phenomenal! I highly recommend this tour. Get Arnar if you can.

It was our last night in Iceland and we were almost resigned to fate that we were not going to get lucky this trip after a couple of failed attempts. Finally decided to go with happyworld as I’ve read only good reviews about them. And we were not disappointed! Klemmie was entertaining and knowledgeable. He drove us out in a super jeep and found us a neat place to wait at. We got lucky and saw the most beautiful sight ever. Thanks Robert for being so helpful with the online booking issue and Klemmie for making our dreams come true!

We did our tour last night 11th Jan and it was amazing, Prostur and Mariusz were great, told us loads and it was only our jeep and another that went to a spot and we saw the Northern Lights and did star gazing with the telescope. They took loads of photographs and encouraged everyone to keep getting theirs taken which was brilliant and very refreshing. Pick up and drop off were faultless. When we got back to the hotel someone asked if we had managed to see the Northern lights as they had noticed we were on a small tour, we explained we had and he said another couple not 5 minutes before us had got back from a larger tour and they had not seen any! I would recommend this tour to everyone, it was a fantastic experience! Thank you Happy World

We decided last minute and lucked out with Klemi. he was enthusiastic and wanted to ensure we maximised our chances. We barely pulled in and the show started. He made sure my camera was all set up and was helpful. He talked to us about the science behind this phenomena. And not the way back, detoured to show us more lights. We were extremely happy. Best way to end the holiday

Had a great time on the 4th November! Small group awesome guides! learned alot and had an amazing time! Also some pretty darn good hot chocolate! recommend!

Þröstur of Happyworld is a fantastic tour guide. Not only did he find the Northern Lights and take fabulous photos, he was really informative about the night sky and the ancient Greek stories attached to the constellations (great for this Antipodean visitor). Going out in a small group with a tour guide so passionate about providing a great experience is going to make you happy too.

Like many people, seeing the northern lights was a huge focus for us during our visit. We actually had a different tour (large buses, 1 guide per 80 people) that we had scheduled before we went. We found Happy World through the Aurora Reykjavik Center. We could not have been happier with the experience. We had a very knowledgeable guide and a total of 6 people. He had his cameral looking for aurora activity. He was very informative and fun to spend time with. In addition to the aurora viewing, he showed us stars and the moon through a powerful telescope. We were treated to wonderful hot chocolate and an Icelandic donut. The highlight was the entire experience PLUS the photos that we will treasure for a lifetime. You just cannot beat that! We will be back to Iceland and we will go to Happy World for our northern lights tour! My husband and I HIGHLY recommend it!