Head for the bright lights
SARAH MARSHALL looks at ways to boost your chance of seeing the aurora
FICKLE, mysterious, but undoubtedly magical, the aurora borealis is one of nature’s greatest wonders. A cascade of electronic streamers dancing across the northern hemisphere’s night skies, the lights can occur at the right latitudes whenever there’s enough activity and the sky is dark.
A whole tourism industry of hotels, tours and even cruises has sprung up, all aiming to give people a better chance of witnessing the event with their own eyes.
Where is the most convenient place to see the lights?
When it comes to successful aurora hunting, Norwegian city Tromso has a lot to offer. Located on the coast, it’s set against a backdrop of dramatic, spiky mountains, with plenty of decent accommodation at various price points, and direct flights from Norwegian in non-Covid times.
Best of all, it sits right underneath the aurora oval – meaning it’s one of the best places for a neon-streaked sky show.
How can you beat the crowds? Avoid mass market coach tours and go solo with a hire car. Most buses with big groups race to the Finnish border, where skies are often clearer and sightings more reliable. But you don’t need to travel so far.
Favoured by local guides, Kvaloya (Whale Island) is 40-minutes from the city centre, and ideal for fjord-side solitude. If you’re travelling in a bubble, Pukka Travel’s Northern Lights Tesla Experience is an excellent choice. Accompanied by an aurora guide/driver, the electric cars carry a maximum of five guests, and the emphasis is on exploring wilderness areas. Glide silently through snowy, peoplefree landscapes and stop to make a campfire and watch the stars (pukkatravels.com).
What about more remote options? Leave city light pollution behind to maximise your chances of seeing the aurora. For cosy isolation within easy reach of Tromso, take a ferry from Belvik 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 (vengsoyrorbuer.com).
For impressive scenery, it’s hard to beat the island of Senja – under a three-hour drive from Tromso. Camp Tran0ybotn’s selfcatering lighthouse has a 360o view of frozen fjords and big skies (norwegianwild.no).
Is it worth exploring further inland?
Away from the coast, skies tend to be clearer. Given three quarters of the country is covered in trees, Finnish Lapland has a selection of secluded woodland hideaways. Come in autumn to watch the lights reflect on Lake Inari; Nellim Wilderness Hotel is an affordable option (nellim.fi).
What about further afield? Geo-magnetic waves ripple around the globe, so aside from Scandinavia and the Nordics, it’s also possible to hunt the aurora in Canada, Alaska and Greenland.
Yellowknife in Canada extremely reliable sightings.
To completely cut off from the real world, try Blachford Lake Lodge. Unreachable by road, the only access is by ski plane (blachfordlakelodge.com). has