To see the lights clearly you need a dark night sky, which means the. The lights will usually be visible over mainland northern norway during the night and over svalbard during the daytime. Northern lights in norway best places to see the aurora. Scientifically speaking, the aurora is dancing above yearround, but we can only see it during the aurora season when. In norway, most people go up to tromso to view the northern lights. The green and purple waves dance across the inky night skies over northern norway, increasing in frequency the. So if youre headed on a trip to the celebrated fjords, mountains and snowscapes of norway to see the legendary aurora borealis, weve listed the best time of year.
Between late september and late march, northern norway is dark from early afternoon until late morning, and the northern lights frequently soar across the sky. Svalbard in norway is the best place in the world to see them the lowest level is expected to be 2020, with 2017 the last good year to. The northern lights are visible in a belt around the magnetic north pole. The aurora amazed us more than 5 nights on an 11 day voyage. Later in the season, the light is longer, allowing for more fun outside in the. Northern lights cycles norway visit tromso visit tromso. Visitors flock from all over the world to northern latitude countries, such as norway, to see them. Winter is the ideal season to see the northern lights in norway similar to other northern lights destinations. Some of the largest towns in northern norway from south to north are mo i rana. Find out where to go and the best time to see the aurora borealis. This year, off the map travel a luxury travel company that crafts tailormade trip and specializes in northern lights itineraries is kicking off the 2019 to 2020 winter season with a slew of new itineraries in norway, sweden, finland and iceland.
Arctic norway is ideally located in the middle of the northern lights zone. The trip can be taken from bergen with return to bergen or as a round trip via oslo before returning back to bergen. To be able to see the lights clearly, you need a dark night sky, which means the summer months are largely ruled out, as, during this season, the sun may not set at all in northern areas of norway. I also just finished a tutorial for how to photograph the. The best northern lights hotels in norway svalbard radisson blu polar hotel, spitsbergen.
Northern lights in norway best places to see the aurora borealis. Northern lights tour from bergen norway fjord tours. The 14 best places to see the northern lights in norway. The daylight lasts longer later in the season, allowing for more outdoor fun in the snow. Northern lights tours with over 50 unique tours to norway, finland, sweden and iceland, our scandinavian travel specialists provide 24 hour service and local support. Learn about this fascinating natural light show and how to see it. The aurora zone is the original northern lights holiday company. The first modern studies of the northern lights phenomenon played out here in the late 19th century in an.
Davvinorga is a geographical region of norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties nordland and troms og finnmark, in total about 35% of the norwegian mainland. The northern part of the country is dark in the early afternoon until. The worlds first northern light observatory was built here at the end of the. Norways peak season for the northern lights is between september and march, though thats to do more with the long, dark nights at this time. From december through march, the nights are long in northern norway in some places, it seems endless as the sun doesnt even rise above the horizon between november and january with dark sky conditions like this, its unsurprising that norway is one of the worlds. The weather in november, december and january can be brutal, so a lot of people say that the best months to see the northern lights in norway. A compilation of some nice time lapse sequences i shot north of tromso in arctic norway last week. The northern lights season begins in late september and continues till about late march, however, the best time to see the magic spectacle in norway is the dark season between december and january. You may find it difficult to sleep in norway with all the beautiful northern lights. Seasons, weather and climate in northern norway daily. Northern norway is among the most comfortable and interesting places to see the northern lights and to experience the unbelievable colours move across the arctic sky. The 8 best places to see the northern lights in sweden. If you are searching for places where the northern lights often appear, head towards the northern lights oval in the period from september to april. Best time and place to see the northern lights in norway.
Chasing the northern lights in tromso, norway 2020. Tromso is perfect to go to for chasing northern lights, as it is a big city biggest in northern norway at least with 70 000 inhabitants, with plenty of things to do besides seeing northern lights. Lesser outbreaks of the northern lights often appear as a belt to the northwest that can. As for the best time to see the northern lights in norway, in summer, it is more difficult in the north, as there are more hours of light and darkness is an essential requirement to see this phenomenon. Northern lights cruises depart mostly from ports in the u. Best months for the northern lights 50 degrees north. Peak viewing season for the northern lights is always september through march when the nights are long in iceland during the winter solstice, darkness can extend for approximately 19 hours. Beautiful countryside, delicious fika and coffee breaks, and the chance to see the worlds best aurora from an ice hotel canada, norway, and iceland may get all the limelight, but sweden is a great destination for seeing the northern lights. The best northern lights voyage ever with hurtigruten in.
You can, for instance, go dog sledding, kayaking, visit museums, mountain hikes, skiing, reindeer sledding, fishing, sailing, and whale safari. Northern lights norway aurora borealis fjord travel norway. Historically, the chances of seeing the northern lights are best viewed in northern norway between october and march, because the polar night makes them easier to see. Northern lights magic in the night sky northern norway what is the best time of the year to see the northern lights in iceland. If youre looking for a winter destination and want to see the northern lights at the same time. The arctic circle marks the starting point for the midnight sun and totally dark winters lit up by the magical northern lights. The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a natural phenomenon that can be seen in the night sky in wintertime in the grand north. Seeing the northern lights ripple across the sky is a magical experience and a memory that will live alongside you for the rest of your life. But you can up your chances of a successful viewing if you head further north still, to the town of alta in the county of finnmark, which is right under the auroral oval. Were so confident that the northern lights will make an appearance during your cruise along the coast of norway in the winter season that if they dont, well give you a cruise the following season, free of charge. The northern light appears in a belt, or an oval, which is situated above the earth in a regular position in relation to the sun.
The northern lights are visible between septemberoctober and march. We have built up an extensive range of trusted and knowledgeable aurora guides, photographers and experts throughout northern scandinavia and combined with our 6point aurora hunting plan, we are quite simply your best chance for seeing the northern lights. During the winter of 20192020, the northern lights viewing was typical for a solar minimum year. Northern norway shares the same latitude as alaska, greenland and siberia, but compared to these areas northern norway has a milder climate. This remote archipelago is one of the most incredible spots for viewing the northern lights.
In winter, the months from october to march are the best. When is the best time to visit norway to see the northern. Facts about the northern lights in norway science and myths. This voyage 25092016 05102016 on ms nordnorge from hurtigruten was filled with extremely active northern lights displays. The best places to see the northern lights travel.
The mysterious northern lights are still capable of striking wonder into the heart of even the most jaded visitor. Norways peak season for the northern lights is between september and march, though thats to do more with the long, dark nights at this time of year rather than an increase in solar activity. Best time to see northern or polar lights in norway 2020. Home of polar bears, it doesnt get more icy or ethereal than svalbard. Fairbanks aurora season is from august 21 to april 21 and the aurora will be visible in fairbanks an average of four out of five nights when the sky is clear and dark enough. Although it would be great to easily pinpoint a how to see them, there are a lot of variables to consider for seeing them. When solar activity increases, the northern lights can also be seen further south in norway. The amount of darkness directly determines the northern lights season in norway. With the title of the northernmost allinclusive hotel in the world, radisson blu polar hotel offers not only a great opportunity to see the aurora during the northern lights season, but also other winter activities like glacier excursions. That said, like others have mentioned, you need to be lucky to get clear skies along with a good forecast for solar activity. A world of adventure awaits you here, all framed by the brilliant blue light and. The best time to see the northern lights in iceland. The 10 best northern lights hotels in norway in 2020.
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