Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights?
It sounds like a simple question, but there isn’t one location that wins every time. The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, so even the most famous Aurora destinations need the right combination of activity in the sky, darkness and clear weather.
What you can do is choose somewhere that puts the odds more firmly in your favour.
The best Northern Lights locations tend to have several things in common: they sit beneath or close to the Auroral Oval, offer easy access to dark skies away from artificial light and give you enough time and flexibility to take advantage when conditions are right.
So rather than looking for one magical postcode, here’s what really matters – and some of the places we think do it particularly well.
What makes somewhere a great place to see the Northern Lights?
1 – Location beneath the Auroral Oval
The Auroral Oval is the ring around the Earth’s magnetic poles where Aurora activity is most frequently seen. Much of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway lies beneath this zone, making these regions particularly well positioned for Northern Lights holidays. Iceland also sits far enough north to offer excellent Aurora opportunities when conditions are favourable. Being further north isn’t automatically better, though. Once you are within good Aurora territory, other factors become just as important.
2 – Dark skies
The Northern Lights can appear surprisingly bright, but weaker displays are much easier to see away from artificial light. That is one reason remote Arctic locations can be so effective. Wilderness hotels, small villages and countryside accommodation can often give you access to genuinely dark skies without having to travel far at all. It doesn’t mean cities are useless. Places such as Tromsø and Reykjavík can make excellent bases, provided you can travel away from the brighter urban areas when it is time to go Aurora hunting.
3 – Clear weather
You can have fantastic Aurora activity directly above you and see absolutely nothing if there is a thick layer of cloud in the way. That makes local weather conditions – and the ability to respond to them – hugely important. Most Northern Lights hunts are mobile for precisely this reason. Experienced guides can use local forecasts and their knowledge of the area to look for clearer skies rather than simply waiting in one fixed location.
4 – More than one night
One of the biggest advantages you can give yourself is simply time. A single cloudy evening can ruin a one-night Aurora hunt. Spend several nights in good Northern Lights territory and you have several opportunities for the conditions to come together. That is why we generally prefer Northern Lights holidays where the Aurora forms part of the whole experience rather than being something squeezed into one evening.
