The Joy of Exploring Under Iceland’s Midnight Sun

Exploring Iceland under the midnight sun was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Having enough daylight to hike and photograph without headlamps at all times of the day was trippy but invigorating, allowing us to see so much more of the country than you’d normally get to.

From a photography standpoint, having golden hour and blue hour for a long period of time can create some incredibly beautiful images, but in the end, the freedom to keep going was unmatched!

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My Favorite Moments During Our June Trip

Soaking in the Landmanalauger Hot Springs

There was only one time when we maximized the midnight sun to its fullest potential. On our final full day, we arrived in the Icelandic Highlands around 11 pm and headed out for a hike through lava fields and fumaroles. We ended up getting back to the Landmanalaguer hot springs at 3 am and went for a soak.

There wasn’t another soul around, and it made for the most memorable experience as we laughed and reminisced on a wonderful trip to Iceland.

Getting Skogafoss to myself

It was 1:15 am, and I walked 50 yards from our camper van to Skogafoss, Iceland’s most popular waterfall. 12 hours earlier, this place was teaming with tourists, with dozens of tour buses coming and going. But at this late (early?) hour, it was just me and the falls.

Seeing it in its most pristine form is one of those moments I’ll never forget.

Exploring East Iceland

You need a good chunk of time in Iceland to see the East Iceland Fjords, but if you can, they’re magical. They were far warmer, less crowded, and much less windy than the rest of the country. This area was carved by glaciers, and the dramatic landscapes were epic! Plus, we had awesome wildflowers on our hikes.

I remember our first night photographing sunset at 11:55 pm with some of the largest lupines I’ve ever witnessed.

First Night in Reykjavik

After going out for dinner and grabbing some ice cream in town, we got back to the hotel around midnight. The sun was just about to set, which blew my mind. Our hotel had a little balcony, two stories off the ground, giving us views of the city. I’d never experienced something like this, and honestly, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

It had me super excited for the trip and what we’d see over the following nine days.

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Thoughts on Adventuring Under Iceland’s Midnight Sun

5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Midnight Sun Trip to Iceland

1. Pack your day full

Maybe this is just the photographer/content creator in me, but I like to load up my days and try to fit as many things into it as humanly possible. My fiancee, though, is not that way. She likes to have an actual vacation, while this is quasi-work for me.

If you are given the opportunity to be out and about at 11 pm, do it! In few other places will you get to do that and why not now.

2. Don’t feel bad for taking it easy or spending longer at a place

Yes, this is a slight contradiction to the first one, but it’s needed. You have long days under Iceland’s Midnight sun. If you sleep in or end up spending longer enjoying one area, don’t feel bad. There’s so much day and travel time, you’ll be fine!

3. Go with the flow

The best part about traveling in a camper van and using campgrounds is you’re in control of your schedule. Sure, you want to have a general itinerary, but there’s no set place you have to be. This removes any stress of having to be somewhere at a certain time.

I know plenty of people will book hotels or dinner reservations, which is totally fine. I, personally, would try to limit any and all time constraints if you can. This will allow you to make decisions on the fly without worrying about missing something.

4. Download the entire country offline

Before you set out, download the entire country offline on your maps so you can get directions throughout the trip. This will save you plenty of headaches and worry about missing your destination.

5. Tours later in the day may be less crowded

I don’t have personal experience with this, but I’m hedging some bets here. If you’re willing to take one of the last tours of the day that may butt up against dinner, you might find them to be less crowded and provide you with a better experience.

This also applies to the first tour of the day. We went to the Katla Ice Cave at 9 am, and when we arrived, there were no other parties coming towards us. This allowed me to take some pretty great photos. If we had come later in the day, there would have been more crowds and fewer natural scenes.

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My Favorite Parts About Visiting In June

I loved not feeling rushed. With the incredibly long days, if we spent longer at camp in the morning relaxing or enjoyed a hike longer than we otherwise would have, there wasn’t any pressure.

Least Favorite Part of the Iceland Midnight Sun

This isn’t so much my least favorite, but if I need to pick something, it can be hard to judge what time it is. Personally, this doesn’t really matter because I traveled Iceland about as unstructured as you can be. For some who are Type-A, losing track of time may be unsettling.

We had plenty of times when it was 9:30–10 pm, and we hadn’t started dinner yet.

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What is the Midnight Sun?

The midnight sun is a phenomenon that occurs when there is sunlight in the sky for the entirety of the day. It happens for a short amount of time, bookending the summer solstice on June 21. To have the best midnight sun, you want to be inside the Arctic or Antarctic Circle or as close to it as possible.

While Iceland is not inside the Arctic Circle, it has a true midnight sun. In Reykaviki, it lasts 13 days, and in Akuryei, the largest city in the north, it lasts from June 5 to July 9.

How long is the daytime in Iceland on the summer solstice?

The summer solstice, or the longest day of the year, is June 21. In Reykavik, there are 21 hours and 8 minutes of daylight. The rest of the day is civil twilight. From May 20 to July 23, there is no nautical twilight in Reykjavik, Iceland.

For the rest of Iceland, you can use these times for a general idea of daylight, but up in Akuryei, you’ll have 23 and a half hours of daylight (or 22 more minutes than the capital city).

I remember getting dinner in Akuryei and seeing on my watch that the sun wouldn’t set until 12:50 am. That was pretty trippy, but such an exhilarating experience to witness Iceland’s midnight sun.

How expensive is summer in Iceland?

While I’ve never visited during the winter, I would venture out on a limb to say this is the most expensive time to visit. It’s also when everyone visits, so simple supply/demand economics will say this will be when prices are the highest.

Our Iceland Midnight Sun trip cost my fiancee and me around $5,500 for the ten days we were there. This consisted of eating out a couple of times, two tours – Katla Ice Cave and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Kayaking – and our camper van. While we could have done it more frugally, I believe we stuck a nice balance and kept the costs as low as we could while still doing the tours.

The first time I went in 2019, I spent around $2,000—not including the flight—and we stayed in a rooftop tent. I was more frugal then than in 2023.

Sleeping through the Iceland Midnight Sun

We chose to stay up late and then sleep in on our trip. This means bedtime around 12:30 am and waking up around 8–9 am, depending on our day’s events. But this also meant a lot of people were already moving and grooving around us.

To combat this, we made sure to have the following items to help us go to sleep and stay asleep.

• Eye Masks
• Use Shades/Blinds
• Ear Plugs
• White Noise

The biggest thing here is the eye masks and shades. Our campervan had decent blinds, but the eye masks helped keep things quite dark because it was getting bright by 3–4 am.

Swap your sleep schedule

If it had only been me or if I had been with other photographers, I would have swapped my sleep schedule to explore under Iceland’s midnight sun and sleep during the day. With this shift, I would have gotten better lighting for photos and seen places with far fewer crowds.

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The only downside is that it does not work with tours or eating out. But if you just want to hike, photograph, and see the sights, it’s not a bad idea. Additionally, if you’re from the western United States, the time difference is always swapped anyway, so this would allow you to stay on your same sleep schedule from home.

Final Thoughts on Iceland’s Midnight Sun

Exploring Iceland under the midnight sun is a bucket list moment for anyone. You don’t have to be a go-go-go personality like myself to find enjoyment on this stunning island. Whatever speed you want, you’ll find joy and wonder. Wishing you the best on any future trips you take!

Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.

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