Aurora Borealis end of Sept?

I can answer two of your questions....

Regarding the northern lights....whether or not you see them has to do with if they are active a certain day and the weather conditions. I made five trips to Iceland before I finally saw them. Tours won't go out unless they are sure of activity. They also know the best places depending on the weather.

Will there be difficulty communicating in English? Only if you have problems communicating in English. I've yet to meet anyone in Iceland who didn't speak English. In fact, there were many service workers from outside Iceland who spoke English but didn't speak Icelandic.

However, is it really worth it to fly all that distance for three nights in Iceland and then return home? Also keep in mind that Iceland is not cheap. Hotels and food are on the pricey side.

“We would LOVE to see the the Aurora Borealis. Would you recommend driving out to see them and best place to find them or is it better to go on a tour as they are more knowledgeable on sightings, etc?“

To see the Northern Lights, you need 3 things; 1) solar activity, 2) clear skies and 3) darkness. When there is enough solar activity, the Northern Lights are there, but whether or not you can see them depends on the other 2 factors. So that’s what these tours do; on nights with expected solar activity, they try to bring you to a place with no clouds above and no light pollution from nearby buildings. So they don’t chase the lights, because when they’re there, you can see them from everywhere that’s north enough. If anything they chase darkness and clear skies. This is also why doing this on your own isn’t easy. Especially on those nights with mixed weather, with clouds here and there. You’ll need access to detailed weather forecasts to know where to find the clear skies.

“Which is recommended? Snaefellsness area or the South island (if we were to rent a car). LOVE high waterfalls and read about the Glymur Waterfall but think that would be too much of a hike for us.“

Do you mean southern part of the island, rather than South Island? I visited both the southern part of Island as well as Snaefellsness and I loved both areas. Only you can decide what you really want to see in the short time you’re there.

You might see the lights, but don't count on it. Iceland is not a good place for aurora watching in general. If the lights are important and you're starting in Seattle it's probably easier and cheaper to go to Canada.

If you're going to Iceland, take a tour. Local knowledge will increase the chances of seeing the lights.

I presume that your departing airport is SEA. Why not fly to Fairbanks to attempt to see the Northern Lights? If you really want to go to Iceland, plan on spending more than three nights as it takes some time to get to the various sites and venues. or better try a three day tour that picks you up at the airport. FYI, we will be transiting through Iceland for 4 nights in mid-October to visit some specific venues that we did not visit before on our previous trip to Iceland.

Previous posters have already shared that there is no guarantee you WILL see the Northern Lights at any point in time, any week, any month. It really is a matter of chance.

Funny story: As our plane into Iceland began its descent, my husband was totally engrossed in some movie he was watching. I was looking out the window. I nudged him to "look, honey, look." Him: "Shh...I wanna see the end pf this movie." (in a "don't bug me tone.) Persistent repeat from me....ditto response from him.

What I was seeing: yellow/pink/a bit of orange large masses with a little bit of swirling. I had NEVER seen anything quite like it. Asked a flight attendant later: Yep, it was the Northern Lights. As we were deplaning, many passengers were talking about it, and locals (who were also deplaning) were confirming what people thought they might have seen.

So, I joke with my husband that my obituary will be able to say I saw the Northern Lights, but his will not. I do not think he even remembers WHAT movie he was watching.

Morale of the story...when your spouse is trying to show you something potentially wonderful, "take a moment."

It is all by chance. NEVER dreamed I would see them from the window of a commercial plane.

Wishing you your own personal magical moment of catching the Northern Lights.

Four days is an extremely short trip, but the price is good. I was toying with that yesterday, even though we leave for Iceland yet again tomorrow, lol.

1--Do not drive trying to look for the aurora. You do not want to be driving I the pitch dark on unfamiliar roads that are very narrow and have no shoulders and no street lights. Either just look up wherever you are, or take a tour. You can actually see them a fair amount fro right in the heart of Reykjavik believe it or not. One the best shows we have seen was from there. If you take a tour, I highly recommend Aurora Experts. We have used him a few times and cannot speak highly enough of him.

2--The commercial and rustic hot springs are both great. We like a mix of them on each trip. Blue Lagoon is the most famous of course, but Sky is really nice and is right in Reykjavik. GeoSea is up north and you won't have time for that with just 4 days. Hvammsvik is my favorite commercial one hands down, and you could do it and combining it with Snaefellsness makes the most sense. Don't forget the local pools in town.

3--Katla is the year round cave, and we have done it but in the winter. At the end of September it is just before the rest f them start, for safety, so I would either choose Katla or use the time for something else.

4--No, IME the sheep roundup is not worth chasing. The locations are all over, and to find the exact timing is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Don't worry, as you drive along you will see farmers rounding up their sheep along side the road, so just be careful as you drive and give them space.

5--The south coast is beautiful, but so is Snaefellsness. You won't have time for both. With flying in from SEA (same as us) that first day is best spent in Reykjavik itself to get over jetlag. Then venture out the next morning. You do want to be closer in to Reykjavik/Keflavik your last night in case bad weather closes roads, etc. I am comfortable staying as far as Selfoss, but would not stay any further away. Since you love the high waterfalls, I would suggest the south coast. Snaefellsness has a few high ones, but its draw is basically the diversity and it is alike a mini Iceland. The south coast would make the most sense for what you want with your limited time. As for hiking, if you have any doubt about Glymur, then yes it probably is not for you. There are plenty of other hikes around that are easier and take less time, again making the most of the time you have.

6--Don't worry at all about communicating. Everyone speaks English and as long as you are polite, you will receive that back.

Definitely do not stay in Reykjavik the entire time. Do that the first night and then you have almost 3 full days. I would suggest either of these. One, a night in Vik, a night in the Golden Circle and the last night on Snaefellsness. The other one would be to skip Snaefellsenss and add that night on to Vik so you could do a day trip up to Jokulsarlon.

One thing to note, you absolutely need to be at the airport a good 3 hours before departure. Security doesn't take very long normally, but passport control can be an absolute nightmare. We have had too many flights there that we barely made it. This is now what we do and it works well. When you arrive at KEF, you will see self check in kiosks against the outside wall. Check in there and self tag any checked luggage. Then go towards the desks that will be empty, and just on the left side of those is where you scan your tagged luggage and sent it away on the conveyor belt. Then you will go upstairs to security which will then dump you out into the duty free store and the area with shops/restaurants. There are toilets here as well. Do not sit and hang out in here except for maybe a quick meal. Do not wait for the gate announcement here. They do not announce those until about 45 minutes before, which means passport control becomes absolutely a zoo.

I ran out of room, so here is the rest:)

So head to passport control and get through there, and you will go downstairs from there to the D gates. The D gates are where all flights to the US depart from. You can find another restaurant/bar to sit down there for a while. Seating in the gates is minimal, so find wherever you can and just park it until the gate is announced. Usually their app has it before it is shown o the display boards. Go to the gate and get in line. They have the Saga line and the regular one. Most flights do not leave from the attached terminal, but rather you get bused out to the tarmac and then board there. Same for when you arrive, so keep a jacket with you! They do not board by rows or anything, just a free for all.

Note that if you have VAT items to have checked, if you are putting those in your checked luggage do that before you send the bags on their way. I usually allow about an extra 30 minutes there because often times there is only 1 person working and most people do not fill out their paperwork beforehand. Pack your patience;)

Thank you ever so much for all your amazing help in planning! :)