the highland center
the World Of Hospitality
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The Highland Center
The Highland Center is a privately owned hotel
and restaurants with a team of experienced and
enthusiastic staff who are dedicated to ensuring guests’
comfort and pleasurable stay whilst in the Highlands
of Iceland.
The Highland Center aims at offering you a “complete”
Highland experience from the moment you arrive in
Iceland’s interior. Our staff are knowledgeable, helpful
and multilingual and are always ready to assist guests
during their stay.
We aim to provide the best accommodation, excellent
food and exciting activities at The Highland Center
Hrauneyjar.
Northern Lights
The northern lights, also known as the Aurora
Borealis, have become the most popular attraction for
our guests. The Highland Center is superbly located
for viewing the northern lights and is therefore a key
destination for travellers exploring Iceland.
As The Highland Center is located in an unspoilt
rural area, light pollution is not an issue during the
winter months. Here you can immerse yourself in
the countryside and enjoy perfect conditions for
viewing the sky at night. Although there is never any
guarantee of seeing the Aurora Borealis, if you stay at
The Highland Center for a few nights, you have a fairly
good chance to experience this magical phenomenon.
Northern Lights Spotting Guide
There are no accurate long-term forecasts for the
Aurora Borealis (to our knowledge), and no research
has been published on how the northern lights behave,
or when they are likely to appear. However, slightly
after the autumn equinox and slightly before the
spring equinox, there are statistically somewhat better
viewing conditions and more consistent northern
lights.
Mainly, three variables affect the chances of seeing the
northern lights in Iceland: solar winds, local weather
and the moon. The moon inhibits viewing of weaker
Auroras. We have, however, seen some stunning
northern lights under a full moon—especially during
a very active solar wind. The main factor affecting the
appearance of the Aurora is sun/sunspots/coronal
mass ejections (CME) activity and local weather
(i.e., clouds), which entirely determines visibility of
northern lights.
As a focal point for all kinds of activities and
excursions, The Highland Center Hrauneyjar is
close to many of the most beautiful locations in the
Highlands, including Landmannalaugar, Þjórsárdalur,
Mount Hekla, Sprengisandur, Veidivötn and Fjallabak.
Popular excursions from the Highland Center include
Superjeep safaris, Snowmobiling, Fat Biking, Hiking
and Climbing.
Our experienced outdoor specialists can organise
numerous activities, excursions and adventures and
book them directly through The Highland Center
which makes the perfect base for groups visiting
Iceland’s interior. Throughout the year, activities can be
arranged to suit groups and individuals, including:
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