Under the Arctic Sky: Guide to seeing the Northern Lights in Norway

Thousands of people travel to Tromsø, Norway every year, in hopes of viewing the Aurora Borealis. While they are elusive at times and like to hide behind cloud cover, the city of Tromsø is your best location to see this natural phenomenon, as it is located at approximately 69 degrees north and 19 degrees east, in the Arctic Circle.  There are other great locations such as Reykjavik, Iceland, Fairbanks, Alaska, or Lapland, Finland; to name a few.

The best way to view the Aurora is to get a guided tour, where guides can lead you to locations with the best probability of seeing them.  There are a lot of tours which launch out of Tromsø, and the tour type is completely up to you and how adventurous you are feeling.  There are bus tours, multi-day tours, sailing tours and even overnight stays.

You can certainly try renting your own car and driving to remote locations, but I wouldn’t recommend this, as the roads in Tromsø were pretty ice-packed.

I chose a Northern Lights tour through a guide group called Northern Horizon, which I would highly recommend. The tour typically has 6 to 15 participants, and can last anywhere from 6 to 9 hours, depending on the weather conditions and success in viewing the Aurora.  Be sure to bring your passport because some of the tours will head over to Finland, in order to chase the Aurora Borealis. If you are interested in 10% off, use the code ‘northernhorizon10’ at checkout! 

Below are a few tips and additional info which may be helpful in your pursuit of the Northern Lights!

Best Chances to View the Northern Lights

• September through April – Statistically speaking, springtime months such as March/April and autumn months such as September/October have the highest level of Aurora activity.
• Some people recommend staying at least 4 days in Tromsø, to give you sufficient time to see the Northern Lights. In my experience, 4 days in Tromsø, is on the edge of being too much time, as there is not much to do. But, you want to ensure that you give yourself enough time to see the Lights, so it’s a fine line of waiting, and totally up to you and your travel priorities.
• BOOK YOUR TOUR IN ADVANCE! I am seeing tours that are already sold out for early January time slots.

Highlights of the Tour

• Guides are very knowledgeable about photographing the Aurora and tour groups typically provide Tripods.  Most tour groups also provide photos from the tour, which are free of charge and usually sent the next day.
• Thermal suits and boots are provided to ensure that you are warm and cozy during your tour.
  • You must bring a hat, gloves and dress in warm clothes, but these are a major game changer. I was amazed at how warm these suits were, and it allowed me to be fully present, instead of worrying about staying warm.
• Campfire, food and drinks! We drank hot chocolate and tea under the lights, while indulging on a reindeer sausage. There are vegetarian options as well.

Let me know if you have any specific questions!