Stefan first saw the Northern Lights outside Hvolsvöllur almost 20 years ago. These days, he is one of the owners of Midgard, manages Midgard Base Camp and has called South Iceland home for around a decade. So, does he still bother going outside when the sky turns green? Let´s go back a bit…

 

Do you remember the first time you saw the Northern Lights?

Very clearly. It was actually back in 2007, when I was doing an internship at Hotel Rangá as part of my hotel management school.

The day before, I had managed to get my car stuck in a whiteout. I had to abandon it near the road and walk home from work. So you could say Iceland was already giving me the full experience.

Then, on my way home the following evening, in a place that was completely pitch dark, the Northern Lights appeared.

In my memory, they were dancing incredibly fast above me. I also remember them making a distinct noise, although I now know that was probably either my imagination or simply the wind. But that first experience definitely stayed with me.

 

Was seeing the Northern Lights a bucket- list thing for you back then?

Not at all. This was 2007. Before Instagram, before Iceland was really on the map for travellers and probably even before we all started talking about “bucket lists”.

I am honestly not even sure I properly knew the Northern Lights existed, and I definitely did not know much about them. I was also pretty young and not much of a nature lover yet. That all came later.

 

Fast-forward almost 20 years. Do you still get excited when the Northern Lights come out?

The first winters after moving here in 2016? One hundred percent.

I was always outside. I took bad pictures, froze in the cold and even set alarms in the middle of the night to get up and check the sky. ..That has definitely changed.

I still get excited when the show is really good. And I especially love experiencing it with visitors who have never seen the Northern Lights before. Seeing their reaction brings back some of that feeling from the first time.

There is also another reason I still drag myself outside: for the last few years I have mostly been in charge of the social media content for Midgard Adventure and Midgard Base Camp.

And Northern Lights content usually works pretty well… 🙂

 

So a tiny green stripe does not get the heart pumping anymore?

Let’s just say my standards have changed. But the last few years have also given us some INCREDIBLE nights.

One night I got a phone call from Addi at around 2am. That is not exactly the usual time to receive a phone call from him. He was basically screaming down the phone that I needed to go outside and look at the sky. And he was right.

The whole sky, THE WHOLE SKY, was burning in pink colours. It was absolutely insane. I completely understood the screaming. So yes, if there is a tiny green stripe these days, I notice it and might check how it develops. But my heart probably does not start pumping quite yet. When the whole sky turns pink at 2am? …different story!

 

Where have you had your best Northern Lights experiences?

We are in the very lucky position of calling Hvolsvöllur home.

There is very little light pollution around here compared with Reykjavík, and because I live here, naturally most of my best Northern Lights experiences have happened somewhere around South Iceland. 

If I had to name the place where I personally see them most often, though?

That is probably the spot to be. The sauna in my garden. So yeah.

 

What do you think people misunderstand about the Northern Lights?

That they always look the same. They really, really do not. Sometimes there is a tiny stripe. Sometimes it is the whole sky. Sometimes the colour is barely visible and sometimes you get incredibly vivid colours.

Sometimes they hardly move at all, and sometimes they dance across the sky almost like music notes.

That is why I struggle a little when someone sees one weak display and immediately decides that the Northern Lights are overrated, or that “you can only see them properly in photos”.

You have seen one Northern Lights display. They are part of nature. They are always changing and always different. That is the freaking beauty of it.

 

What about the forecasts? Can you actually predict when they will appear?

This is something we get asked a lot. “What time will the Northern Lights come out tonight?”

Unfortunately, that is just not how it works. Forecasts are useful, of course, but nature does not follow a schedule. There is also a lot of talk about the KP index, which is not necessarily the best way to predict what we will see here in Iceland.

I am definitely not the scientific expert on this. Personally, I mostly trust Stjörnu-Sævar and his website, Icelandatnight.is, which I find one of the most useful forecasts for Iceland.

But even with the best forecast, there is always an element of waiting, watching and luck.

And I completely understand why people get obsessed with it. If you have travelled all the way to Iceland and dreamed about seeing the Northern Lights, of course you want them to appear.

My advice is just not to let them decide whether your trip was a success or not.

Iceland itself is already pretty amazing. The Northern Lights are the bonus that can make the whole thing completely blow your mind.

 

What happens at Base Camp when someone spots them?

This is probably one of my favourite parts. Especially when the restaurant is still full.

Someone spots the Northern Lights, we announce that they are outside, and suddenly people are jumping up from dinner and running for the door. The excitement is very real.

Then you have everyone outside taking pictures, posing underneath the sky and making those classic first-time Northern Lights photography mistakes. Yes, using the flash is one of them. 🙂

And for us, that is actually pretty special to watch. We built this place, and now it has become somewhere people make memories they might genuinely remember for the rest of their lives. Maybe it is their first Northern Lights. Maybe it is an absolutely incredible display.

Or maybe they get ridiculously lucky and the sky starts dancing while they are sitting in our rooftop hot tub. We love, love, love creating moments like that. And that part certainly never gets boring.

 

Is that where the idea for Midgard’s Northern Lights package came from?

The idea was never to make a trip that is only about chasing the Northern Lights.

Our Northern Lights Adventure is four days and three nights, and basically gives you Iceland in a nutshell.

We take you to some of the must-see places in winter, but also to some of our own favourite spots that are a little more hidden from the regular traveller. The groups are small, and accommodation, food, transport and the adventures are all organised by us. It takes away a lot of the hassle of a winter trip. And because everything is under the Midgard roof, we can do something that is very important in Iceland:

Be flexible. Weather looks better in the south today than towards the Highlands? Let’s switch the days around. Northern Lights forecast suddenly looks fantastic tonight? Let’s have dinner earlier and adjust the plan. Iceland does not always care about the itinerary we wrote months ago. So sometimes the best thing we can do is change it.

 

And being based in Hvolsvöllur helps?

Definitely.

You are already away from Reykjavík and its light pollution. On the right night, you do not necessarily have to “chase” anything. You might walk out of Base Camp after dinner and there they are. Or, even better, you might be sitting in the hot tub when they appear above you. We cannot promise that, obviously. But we can promise that we will be looking up.

If a friend told you they were coming to Iceland specifically to see the Northern Lights, what would you tell them?

Be patient. And do not make your entire trip a hit or miss based on whether you see them.

Compared with destinations where the Northern Lights might be the main reason for travelling in winter, Iceland has so much to experience during the day as well.

Go out. Explore. Get cold. See waterfalls, black beaches, glaciers and the Highlands in winter. Have a great dinner. Sit in a hot tub. I am pretty confident you will have an amazing time in Iceland regardless.

And if the Northern Lights then decide to put on a show on top of all that? Well… You’re welcome. 🙂

 

After all these years, why are the Northern Lights still special to you?

Every time I see them, I am reminded what a privilege it is to have all of this in my backyard.

Not only the Northern Lights, but Iceland in general. The safety. The beauty. The opportunities. The nature. And then, on top of everything else, sometimes the whole sky starts dancing.

How lucky are we…?!