Best Places to see the Northern Lights in the South, Iceland 2019/2020

South Iceland is one of the popular destinations for travellers both for short trips or long trips as it has multiple travel attractions and it is also part of the Ring Road. The Southern regions have multiple towns along road number 1 (the main road of Iceland) and the largest town is Selfoss which has a population of 7,616 people. 

This part of the country has various attractions and activities for travellers to explore whether it's the geothermal area, the glacier, the National Park Þingvellir or multiple waterfalls on the road for you to fill up the memory in your camera. But this region is also well known for Northern Lights spotting as it’s remote from the city lights which make it perfect to capture the Aurora with the beautiful attraction on it. 

Let’s find out our top spotted Northern Lights location in the South of Iceland! 

1. Selfoss

As mentioned, Selfoss is the largest town in the southern regions. Being the largest town does not mean the town is crowned, it has only 6% of the population of the capital city. The town is located around 50 km away from Reykjavík and it’s situated between Hveragerði and Hella. It's perfect for travelers who want to stay in the lovely town before continuing their trip toward the south coast as it has various restaurants, café and shops. 

2. Höfn

Höfn is the blooming town location in Hornafjörður. The town is situated at the end of the south coast before the East. Höfn is located close to Vatnajökull, the largest glacier of Europe and the famous Mt. Vestrahorn is just around 16 minutes from the town. Find out how to get to Vestrahorn.

As tourism has increased enormously the town has developed a lot and it has become the main economic sector of the community which offers various services such as hotel, camping area, restaurant, stores, swimming pools and many more. 

3. Hella 

Hella is a small town in the South of Iceland which is the home of the active volcanoes Mt. Hekla. Hekla has already erupted 18 times since 1104 and the latest eruption was in 2000. The volcano stands 1,491 above sea level and people can still find the warmness on the ground of it. This town is the largest municipality in Iceland in terms of geographical size as it has over 1,600 residents. The town is located far from other towns which make it perfect for Northern Lights hunting when the forecast is favourable.

4. Vík

Vík is the seaside village located in the southmost of Iceland. The town is full of various tourist services. The village has around 500 inhabitants and is the largest settlement in the region. Nearby the town are many tourist attractions, one of the most popular is the black sand beach Reynisfjara and the Arch with a hole, Dýrhólaey. 

5. Road number 1 around Jökulsárlón

Jökulsárlón is a large glacier lagoon located near road number one between Höfn and Skaftafell. This is considered to be one of the photographer's dreams when it comes to capturing the Northern Lights. The Lagoon is filled with water melted from Breiðamerkurjökull which is the outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, the biggest ice cap in Iceland. Jökulsárlón is filled with icebergs breaking from the glacier some are sapphire blue some are covered by ashes from the volcano. 

Now you already have the locations needed for your South Iceland trip, from here you can continue the road toward east and north.

Do not forget to share your location with other when spotted the Northern Lights! take care and have a good trip 🚗 😀