There is no way to guarantee a Northern Lights display. The Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon and, ultimately, Mother Nature decides when the show begins.
What you can do is put yourself in the right place, at the right time, with the right people — and give yourself as many opportunities as possible.
That thinking sits behind our Northern Lights Hunting Formula. Every Aurora Zone holiday is designed around the factors we know can make a real difference when you’re hoping to see the Northern Lights
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We’ve been building Northern Lights holidays around these principles for more than two decades.
Our Travel Experts work with experienced partners and guides across the Arctic to create trips that don’t simply take you somewhere the Northern Lights might appear — they give you multiple ways to go looking for them.
Explore our Northern Lights holidays and find the trip that’s right for you.
1
Location matters.
The Northern Lights occur within an oval around the Earth’s magnetic poles, so travelling to the right latitudes puts you in an area where Aurora displays occur regularly.
That’s why our holidays focus on carefully chosen destinations across Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, rather than simply heading north and hoping for the best.
If you’re deciding where to go, take a look at our guide to the best places to see the Northern Lights.
2
You don’t necessarily need complete darkness for the Aurora to appear, but getting away from artificial light makes a huge difference to what you can see.
A faint display which can be difficult to distinguish beneath the lights of a town may become far more obvious beneath a dark Arctic sky.
For this reason, many of our holidays are based in smaller settlements, wilderness locations and accommodation away from significant light pollution.
It is also why Northern Lights activities often take you even further into the surrounding countryside after dark.
3
An Aurora forecast can tell you a lot. It can’t tell you everything.
Weather can vary dramatically over relatively short distances in the Arctic, and cloud cover can make the difference between seeing a display and seeing nothing at all.
Local guides understand their landscape, weather patterns and viewing locations. They know where the darker skies are, where clearer conditions may be developing and where to head when circumstances change.
That knowledge can be invaluable when you’re standing beneath a cloudy sky wondering whether to stay put or start moving.
4
Sometimes the Northern Lights aren’t the problem.
The clouds are.
There may be an Aurora display happening above you, but if there’s a thick layer of cloud between you and the sky, you’re simply not going to see it.
That’s why many of our itineraries include mobile Aurora hunts by minibus, snowmobile or other forms of transport. When conditions allow, your guides can move in search of clearer skies rather than simply waiting in one location.
You can also follow current Aurora activity using tools such as the Aurora Ovation map.
5
We would never recommend treating the Northern Lights like an appointment in the diary.
The longer you spend in the Aurora Zone – and the more evenings you have available – the more opportunities you give yourself for the right combination of Aurora activity, darkness and clear skies to come together.
That doesn’t mean you need to spend every night standing outside staring upwards.
Many of our holidays combine dedicated Aurora hunts with accommodation and activities that give you additional opportunities to watch the sky, whether you’re snowshoeing after dark, travelling by snowmobile or simply stepping outside your wilderness hotel. Here is some more information on our Glass Igloo Holidays & Aurora Cabins.
Our guide to the best time to see the Northern Lights explains how darkness, season and conditions affect your trip.
6
Aurora forecasts are useful — but one number doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Kp index measures global geomagnetic activity and can help indicate how far the auroral oval may extend. A high Kp can produce displays much further south, but when you’re already travelling within the Aurora Zone, you don’t necessarily need a dramatic Kp reading to see the Northern Lights.
Cloud conditions and your location matter too.
If you’d like to understand it properly rather than frantically refreshing an app every five minutes, read our guide to the Kp index.
7
This may be the least scientific part of our formula, but it’s important.
Seeing the Northern Lights involves an element of luck.
You can choose an excellent location, travel during the Aurora season, escape light pollution, follow the forecasts and work with experienced local guides — and still have to wait.
Then the sky can suddenly change.
For us, that’s part of what makes seeing the Aurora so extraordinary. It isn’t a performance scheduled for your arrival. It’s a natural event, and when everything comes together, you’re witnessing it on Mother Nature’s terms.
No. No responsible Northern Lights operator can guarantee a display because the Aurora is a natural phenomenon and visibility depends on several conditions coming together. It is also important to keep in mind that every display is different, so always read the small print on any ‘Northern Lights guarantee’ to see who makes the decision on if the activity was successful or not in seeing them.
What we can do is design holidays that give you multiple opportunities and put you in locations chosen with Aurora viewing in mind.
You need Aurora activity, sufficient darkness and enough clear sky to see the display. Artificial light can also make weaker Auroras harder to see, which is why dark viewing locations are valuable.
This one might be quite controversial, but we would say no….. The Kp index is useful for understanding geomagnetic activity, but travellers already within the main auroral zone can see the Northern Lights at comparatively low Kp levels. A factor, yes but essential? No.
It depends on the conditions. On clear nights you may be able to watch from your accommodation, while mobile Aurora hunts can be particularly useful when local cloud cover means travelling elsewhere may offer clearer skies.
There is no magic number that guarantees a sighting. Generally, having several nights available gives you more opportunities for suitable weather and Aurora activity to coincide than relying on a single evening. We recommend at least 4 nights to give yourself the best possible chance!
