About Norway
The coolest of cool northern cities, Tromsø, has become synonymous with the Northern Lights and there’s little doubt that it is a tremendous starting point for a spot of Norwegian Aurora hunting. However, all that Northern Lights publicity surrounding Tromsø can, in our opinion, be slightly misleading because, in our experience, artificial light pollution and the Northern Lights make for unhappy bedfellows. The fact of the matter is that you are very unlikely to see the Aurora in its full glory from the centre of a city.
Hence, on an Aurora Zone holiday in Norway, you will find yourself heading out of the towns and cities into the islands or the mountains and fjords. That is where you’ll find the dark skies that are absolutely crucial if you want to maximise your Aurora viewing potential.
Of course, we want you to be able to enjoy what Tromsø has to offer, but we’ll make sure the city is used as a base for starting Aurora hunting activities or that you also visit dark sky destinations such as Sommarøy or Senja during your holidays with us.
Norway and the Northern Lights
Norway was at the very front of the queue when Mother Nature was dishing out spectacular landscapes. The country is renowned for its dramatic fjords but there is far more to it than these magnificent waterways formed thousands of years ago by glacial retreat.
Islands such as Senja and Sommarøy are sparsely populated and where they are peopled, the colourful towns and fishing villages are achingly pretty. They are also ideal as a base for your Aurora hunting excursions because there is so little light pollution here.
There are few Northern Lights hotspots more dramatically striking than Lyngenfjord and we’d encourage anybody with a love of the Great Outdoors to have a long hard look at it as a holiday destination.
From September through to March, the lights make regular appearances all across the north from the islands to the border with Russia near Kirkenes.
Norway’s northern coastline is warmer than it is inland which means that autumns are positively mild in comparison to most areas north of the Arctic Circle. Visiting the likes of Tromsø or Sommarøy during this time offers excellent value and Aurora viewing opportunities.
Winter brings snow of course, but that means that there are even more activities such as dog sledding available but it can still remain milder here than inland.
Our Experience
We’ve been travelling to Norway to research holidays for over 15 years. Not surprisingly, we have a few tales to tell and here are a few of our favourites:
“I loved the king crab safari out of Kirkenes. We went out to the Barents Sea on snowmobiles and our guide plucked this huge, huge crab from the icy salt water. Our guide then cooked up a feast for us.” – Alex Charlton
“During a recent trip to Norway, our first port of call was the “The City of the Northern Lights”, Alta. Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel enjoys the most enviable of positions in a beautiful snow-covered valley. After a lovely meal and the obligatory drink in the Ice Bar, I was more than ready for bed and my snug sleeping bag kept me toasty warm all night as I slept in a snow room for the second night in a row.” – Dawn Kitson
“Seeing the Northern Lights dancing above a black silhouette of jagged mountains on the island of Senja is very possibly my favourite ever travel memory.” – Graham Hughes
Photography by Spitsbergen Travel, Francisco Damm, Gaute Bruvik, Senjafoto.No, Bard Loken and Visit Norway
