The Reykjavík Grapevine


Aurora Basecamp Now Open To Guests

Photo by Art Bicnick

Aurora Basecamp, a new aurora-viewing centre in Reykjanes, is now accepting guests, opened yesterday, MBL reports.

The Aurora Basecamp bills itself as a “Northern Lights observatory”, which is an accurate description—comprised of two geodesic domes, the basecamp is located in the middle of a vast, undeveloped lava field near the intersection of Krísu­vík­ur­veg­ur and Bláfjalla­veg­ur in Reykjanes, far from urban light pollution.

“To begin with, we’re going to have the centre open from six in the evening until midnight,” Kor­mák­ur Her­mann­son, one of the developers of the project, told reporters. The Aurora Basecamp also provides a lot of information about the Northern Lights and where to find them.

The Northern Lights (and Iceland’s notorious cloud cover) can be unpredictable, but in the event there is no aurora on any particular night, the Aurora Basecamp will provide a Northern Lights show, projected onto the dome itself, much like a planetarium.

For more information and booking, check out the official site for Aurora Basecamp.