How to See the Northern Lights: Tips & Advice

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How to See the Northern Lights: Tips & Advice

Seeing the stunning natural phenomenon that is the Northern Lights, Polar Lights, or Aurora Borealis is on many travelers’ agenda. Now, while there are many Northern Lights tours you can easily look up, if you wish to plan it for yourself, there are some things you should know about, and we are here to help you with that! So, check out our tips and advice on how to see the famous Aurora Borealis!

Where?

One of the two most important questions before starting your plans is where. What are the best locations and most promising destinations in the world? Let’s narrow it down.

  • Tromso, Norway. Based on its position in the Norwegian Arctic, the city is considered to be one of the top places to see Auroras. Also, if you go from Europe, it is very easily reachable!
  • Swedish Lapland. This should not come as a surprise, probably. The city of Kiruna in Lapland is a lot less populated, meaning cleaner air and less pollution, which ultimately makes it better to see the Lights. Also, Swedish Lapland is the northernmost part of Sweden, so it provides a higher chance of the lights appearing. The closer to the Arctic, the better!
  • Reykjavik, Iceland. If you know Reyjkavik as a relatively calm and quiet city, you should know that there are even more peaceful and remote places to head to if you wish to see the Auroras. Actually, there are plenty of them; you just have to pick! Reykjavik is one of the top chosen places for this event, though. So be prepared to meet some like-minded people.
  • Yukon, Canada. While there are several places in Canada to see the Northern Lights, like Northern Manitoba, Yukon takes the first place. The city is remote, wild, and absolutely fitting for this incredible experience.
  • Ilulissat, Greenland. The city is a perfect example showing just how calm Greenland really is. Even being the third-largest city, Ilulissat remains highly undisturbed and unspoiled, making it the ideal location for Northern Lights.

Obviously, there are more cities and towns to see the Northern Lights, and while their appearance can never be a 100% thing, these are the top locations you should consider while planning your holiday!

How to See the Northern Lights: Tips & Advice

The pattern is quite clear, so you can at least plan out a winter holiday, just to be sure. Scientists constantly check and trace the changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and try to foresee when it will cause the lights to happen, but it is not always accurate, which brings us to our next point!

How to See the Northern Lights: Tips & Advice

Do Not Build Your Whole Trip Around It

In no way do we mean to discourage! But you should know that as progressive with science as we are in the 21st century, there are some things we cannot make completely precise predictions for. Auroras is kind of like the weather prognosis. The meteorologist can be 100% the day will be sunny, and bam – Mother Earth decides to give it a rainstorm.

Northern Lights are a bit like that. Scientists spend months trying to predict their appearance, and most of the time, they are not wrong, but there is a good chance you will be disappointed, as well. All we are saying is not to build your whole holiday on seeing the Lights. Instead, make sure you organize it just like any other trip, with a full itinerary and plenty of stuff to see; do not make Auroras your focal point! That is why you will still have experiences and fun if they do not show up!

How to See the Northern Lights: Tips & Advice

Hopefully, we have helped you with the planning, and everything is clearer now! So, plan your trip carefully, constantly check the forecasts for it, and hopefully, you will get what you want. Happy Northern Lights hunting!

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