A whole lotta aurora
to Vengsoy island, where sea eagles easily outnumber inhabitants. Stay at Vengsoy Rorbuer, a huddle of three neatly equipped fishermen’s cabins gazing out to a network of icy fjords.
For impressive scenery, it’s hard to beat the island of Senja – under a three-hour drive from Tromso. Camp Tranøybotn’s self-catering lighthouse has a 360-degree view of frozen fjords and big skies. Follow photographer Steffen Fossbakk on Instagram (@seffis) for inspiration on other places to explore.
Away from the coast, skies tend to be clearer, meaning more opportunity for the aurora to shine. Given three quarters of the country is covered in trees, Finnish Lapland has a good selection of secluded woodland hideaways. Visit in autumn to watch the lights reflect on Lake Inari. Nellim Wilderness Hotel is an affordable option.
If you prefer refined to rustic, head over the border to Sweden. Logger’s Lodge in Harads is separated by five kilometres of dense forest from the nearest neighbour.
Of course, geo-magnetic waves ripple around the globe, so aside from Scandinavia and the Nordics, it’s also possible to hunt aurora in Canada, Alaska and Greenland.
If you’re prepared to make the trek, Yellowknife in Canada has extremely reliable sightings. Bone-chilling temperatures bring clear skies and a 98% chance of seeing the lights.
For a complete escape, try Blachford Lake Lodge.
Unreachable by road, the only access is by ski plane.
There are a couple of apps worth downloading. Spaceweatherlive shows the current Kp index – the measure used for activity – and has lots of charts detailing solar winds and magnetic fields. Auroranow gives a simple percentage probability of seeing the northern lights in your location.
Contrary to what some people think, the aurora borealis can occur at any time of day. However, our eyes need darkness to be able to perceive them. This means that the days around a full moon are not the best for hunting the lights. It’s also best to get far away from the lights of towns and cities to maximise your chances of a sighting.