Iceland review - 2013, Page 71

ICELAND REVIEW 69
NORThERN LIGhTs PROMOTION
Hunting the
Northern
Lights
Iceland Travel offers a broad selection of northern lights tours,
ranging from tours by bus, jeep and boat to self-drive tours. “The
most hardcore northern lights hunters join longer tours of six days,
taking them to different destinations around the country, explor-
ing the sights by day and scouting for the aurora by night,” says
Iceland Travel sales and reservation representative Sólveig Kolbrún
Pálsdóttir. In the evening, the bus takes travelers to areas in the
vicinity of their accommodation where the forecast looks the most
promising. “The group dynamic on these tours is fantastic.
“We also have many different kinds of self-drive tours. We pro-
vide the cars, itinerary and road book,” explains Sólveig. Travelers
then launch their private hunt for the aurora borealis. Witnessing
nature’s spectacle leaves people awestruck, she says. “There’s this
primal power, pure nature, nothing fake about it.” Iceland Travel
tries to meet their customers’ every need. “One woman explained
that her partner was a hobby photographer and asked whether
we could give him tips for taking pictures of the northern lights.”
Others plan to propose to their lovers under the northern lights.
“We try to get people on the right tours.” To up the odds of spot-
ting the elusive lights, Iceland Travel has set up a Twitter feed with
aurora forecasts: @itaurorahunt.
Iceland Travel now also offers Game of Thrones tours, taking visi-
tors to locations where scenes from the TV series were filmed. “I
was watching an episode with my husband and there was this sex
scene in magical surroundings. He said: ‘This must have been shot
in a studio.’ But I responded: ‘No, this is all nature.’” Sólveig de-
scribes the guided tours as lively, where scenes from the series are
put into context with the places visited.
The same goes for all of Iceland Travel’s tours, Sólveig concludes.
“We provide something you can’t find at home: northern lights,
waterfalls, lava, bustling culture… an amazing combo.”
icelandtravel.is
In Iceland Travel’s wide range of northern lights tours, the chase is part of the fun.