The 18 Finest Locations to See the Northern Lights

The northern lights, often called the aurora borealis, are a spectacular pure gentle present seen at sure occasions of the yr within the Northern Hemisphere. This phenomenon happens when electrically charged particles from the solar enter the Earth’s environment and collide with gaseous particles, comparable to oxygen and nitrogen. The expertise is surreal, with vibrant hues of blue, inexperienced, pink and violet dancing throughout the evening sky. One of the best locations to see the aurora borealis supply little to no gentle air pollution, clear skies and no precipitation. Many high viewing spots have web sites with aurora trackers, and workers members at some resorts will get up guests when the lights seem (if requested).

Whereas lesser identified, polar lights known as aurora australis seem within the Southern Hemisphere and are seen in locations like Antarctica, Tasmania and New Zealand. This spectacle is extra elusive since there’s much less land mass on this a part of the world – and fewer viewing spots to see the present. However in the event you’re fortunate sufficient to journey to see the aurora australis, you will be rewarded with sensible shows of coloration in shades of inexperienced, blue, purple, pink, or orange and gold.

Learn on to find the highest locations the place you possibly can see the kaleidoscopic northern and southern lights.

(Observe: Among the following actions, sights and areas could also be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. New insurance policies could also be in place, together with capability restrictions, reservation necessities or masks mandates. Examine with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the U.S. Division of State and native tourism boards earlier than touring.)

Fairbanks is by far among the best locations on the planet to view the northern lights, because it’s positioned instantly underneath the auroral oval. This ring-shaped zone sits over the Earth’s geomagnetic North Pole, the place aurora exercise is concentrated. Guests can anticipate to see the lights on a mean of 4 out of 5 clear nights throughout aurora season, which lasts from August 21 to April 21. Different actions guests can take pleasure in in late summer season embrace a journey on the Riverboat Discovery or panning for gold. For a festive vacation expertise within the winter, go to the Santa Claus Home within the metropolis of North Pole (round 15 miles southeast of Fairbanks). Vacationers can even see ice sculptures in February and March on the spectacular World Ice Artwork Championships or take a dog-sledding or snowmobiling tour.

For glorious probabilities of aurora viewing, e book a personal igloo at Borealis Basecamp, a high glamping resort positioned on 100 distant acres of boreal forest about 25 miles from Fairbanks. You too can e book a Northern Lights Tour at Chena Sizzling Springs Resort. This tour contains round-trip transportation to the resort from city, a soak within the sizzling springs, dinner on the on-site restaurant, a go to to the Aurora Ice Museum and an aurora viewing tour in a snowcat.

Positioned 220 miles above the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is one among a number of high spots to view the northern lights in Norway. The northern a part of the nation is darkish within the early afternoon till late morning from the top of September to late March. With this excessive darkness, there are extra alternatives to see the aurora. Tromsø itself is a contemporary metropolis, so there’s lots to see and do whenever you’re not trying up on the sky, together with a go to to the gorgeous Arctic Cathedral. In late January to early February, the town hosts the Northern Lights Pageant, a 10-day music and performing arts occasion that includes a wide range of musical genres.

Aurora chasers can view the lights on their very own whereas on the town, go for a guided tour with Northern Lights Safari or go on an exhilarating husky trekking expedition within the Arctic wilderness. When you’re staying for a number of days, e book lodging with harbor views on the Scandic Ishavshotel.

Lapland is positioned inside the Arctic Circle within the northernmost a part of Finland. The northern lights are most seen right here between the top of August and April – and roughly 200 occasions a yr – so there are lots of alternatives for aurora recognizing. Finnish Lapland is also called the house of Santa Claus, the Sámi folks (the one Indigenous folks within the European Union space) and as many as 200,000 reindeer.

For a bucket record expertise, watch the spectacular gentle present from a glass igloo at Santa’s Resort Aurora in Luosto. This resort city is round 70 miles north of the city of Rovaniemi, set among the many picturesque and hilly panorama of Pyhä-Luosto Nationwide Park. Whereas there, you can even spend a magical night open air underneath star-filled skies throughout a sleigh journey by means of the snow-covered forests. Jaakkola Reindeer Farm provides this 2.5-hour Searching for the Northern Lights with Reindeer tour by sleigh journey; it features a cease to heat up at a bonfire camp with snacks, sizzling drinks and native fireplace tales.

This group of fascinating islands, positioned about 10 miles from Scotland’s distant northern coast, is without doubt one of the greatest locations to see the northern nights within the nation. Fall and winter are the very best seasons to witness the aurora, additionally identified in native dialect because the “Mirrie Dancers.” This time of yr brings chilly evenings with clear skies, which makes for excellent viewing situations. A number of locations to see the spectacular gentle present embrace alongside the coast at Birsay or on the seaside at Dingieshowe.

Along with the aurora, Orkney is house to breathtaking coastal landscapes and extra sheep than you possibly can depend. Vacationers can even go to the Coronary heart of Neolithic Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site with a number of monuments relationship again 5,000 years. Throughout your go to, plan to remain within the historic city of Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands. Locations to identify the aurora near city are Inganess Bay and Wideford Hill.

Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, is also called the “Aurora Capital of North America.” With its place in the midst of the auroral oval, the town places on one of many world’s most awe-inspiring gentle reveals from mid-November to the start of April. There’s additionally an opportunity to see the aurora from late summer season to early fall because the lights are seen as much as 240 days a yr. Positioned on the northern shore of Nice Slave Lake, Yellowknife boasts winter sports activities comparable to ice fishing and cross-country snowboarding. When you go to in March, plan to attend the monthlong Snowkings’ Winter Pageant, which options occasions and actions like a snow-carving competitors, an ice slide, a snow fort, stay music and extra.

For a once-in-a-lifetime expertise, make reservations to remain in a single day in distinctive tenting lodging at Aurora Village to view the lights. The property additionally provides aurora-themed excursions and packages that embrace three-night excursions and actions comparable to dog-sledding or non-public eating experiences.

The optimum time for seeing the illuminated skies within the northern a part of Sweden, in Swedish Lapland, is between early September and late March. The small Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi sits round 125 miles above the Arctic Circle on the Torne River and is a perfect locale for aurora viewing. With the village’s origins relationship again to the seventeenth century, you will nonetheless discover a number of the authentic homesteads, together with an previous timber cottage. Immediately the village boasts about 800 residents – and greater than 1,000 canine.

When you’re up for a cold in a single day journey, reserve lodging on the world’s first Icehotel 365 in one among its artist-designed chilly suites. Every suite is sculpted of ice with a singular theme and maintains temperatures as little as minus 8 levels Celsius. The rooms additionally function beds with reindeer hides and thermal sleeping baggage so you possibly can bundle up in the course of the evening. Whilst you’re on the property, benefit from the guided Northern Lights Safari by snowmobile or embark on a Moose Safari on Horseback atop an Icelandic horse.

October by means of March is the very best time to chase the aurora borealis in Iceland. There are a lot of small villages all through the nation the place you possibly can view the present in the course of the lengthy and darkish winter, however the capital metropolis of Reykjavik additionally provides many choices for lodging, eating places and different actions on your go to. For optimum aurora viewing away from the sunshine air pollution, head to Öskjuhlið. This densely wooded and hilly space in Reykjavik sits at 200 toes above sea stage and has walkways and paths the place you possibly can see the nighttime present. Atop this forest sits Perlan, which homes the one planetarium within the nation and a museum that includes displays about Iceland. Perlan can be house to the world’s first indoor ice cave and glacier exploratorium. Throughout your go to, do not miss the panoramic views of the town from the constructing’s fourth-floor remark deck. From this vantage level, you can see the Snæfellsjökull glacier; Keilir, a volcanic mountain; and Esja, the mountain of Reykjavik.

Whereas in Reykjavik, splurge on an in a single day tour with Buubble.com. This expertise contains a number of sightseeing spots and an evening spent underneath the magical northern skies in a bubble on the 5 Million Star Resort.

Greenland might not be essentially the most accessible place to journey for viewing the northern lights, however those that make it there might be thrilled they did. The tundra of Kalaallit Nunaat (the Greenlandic title for the nation) is without doubt one of the greatest locations on the globe to see the aurora, particularly from October to April. For the extra adventurous aurora seekers, head to the highest of the Greenland Ice Cap for spectacular views of the lights: This spectacular glacier covers 80 p.c of the nation – and is accessible by way of the tiny city of Kangerlussuaq. Positioned on a fjord proper alongside the Arctic Circle, the city, also called the “gateway to Greenland,” was a former U.S. Air Pressure base and is now house to Greenland’s largest airport.

Greenland Journey provides five-day winter excursions to Kangerlussuaq that embrace visiting Greenland’s ice sheet, dog-sledding and viewing the northern lights. If you wish to discover this distant Arctic area additional – and have the unbelievable alternative to see Greenland’s endangered polar bears – Quark Expeditions provides a 20-day tour that begins in Toronto and sails spherical journey from Kangerlussaq in mid-September.

Embrace the winter and set sail for the Arctic Circle to expertise the aurora in northern Norway. This 13-day cruise itinerary departs from London for the North Sea with stops in ports of name which are high aurora-viewing locales, together with Bodø, Tromsø, Alta and Narvik. The cruise ends in Bergen. Whereas on land, take within the pure fantastic thing about the snow-blanketed landscapes and e book bucket record excursions like an evening spent in an igloo or a reindeer sledding journey. You too can chase the lights into the wilderness by snowmobile, take a dogsled journey underneath the celebs or view them from a Sámi tent atop the mountain Pæska in Alta. This Viking Ocean Cruises itinerary is obtainable from mid-January to mid-March.

Considered one of many high spots within the U.S. to see the aurora, Headlands Worldwide Darkish Sky Park sits on the high of Michigan’s decrease peninsula, lower than 5 miles from Mackinaw Metropolis. Whereas the northern lights are onerous to foretell, the very best time to catch a glimpse of this phenomenon is often in the course of the spring and fall – and consultants on the park advocate guests face north after midnight for the very best probability to see the present. The park even maintains a web based Clear Sky Chart so you possibly can confer with the climate forecast earlier than you go. There are additionally different stargazing alternatives all year long at Headlands. In the course of the summer season months the Milky Means is seen throughout the sky – and late summer season evenings entertain guests with meteor showers. When you’re visiting between late April and the top of October, splurge on a keep on the Mission Level Resort on Mackinac Island. This iconic property located alongside the shoreline of Lake Huron is glad to inform friends of potential northern lights sightings, regardless of once they happen all through the evening.

A number of locations in Estonia are well-liked with native aurora chasers, however Saadjärv is without doubt one of the high picks for constant sightings. The city is positioned about 15 miles north of Tartu in central Estonia’s Tartu County. It is located in a forested space on Lake Saadjärv, which is without doubt one of the 10 deepest and largest lakes within the nation. Saadjärv can be near the Vooremaa nature reserve, so there’s lots to do within the area whenever you’re not watching the lights dance within the sky. Lake Saadjärv is a serious leisure space with seashores, in addition to close by cultural websites and museums such because the Ice Age Centre. You too can go to Alatskivi Citadel, go snowshoeing within the Männikjärve lavatory or discover Elistvere Animal Park. For an prolonged go to, plan to remain on the Antonius Resort, a luxurious boutique property within the coronary heart of the historic metropolis of Tartu.

Positioned on the worldwide border of Minnesota and Ontario, Voyageurs Nationwide Park is an roughly 218,000-acre labyrinth of boreal forests, lakes and streams. Voyageurs is Minnesota’s solely nationwide park; it is also distinctive in that, for a lot of the yr, the water-based park’s inside is accessible solely by water. As an authorized Worldwide Darkish Sky Park, Voyageurs supplies alternatives to view the Milky Means on clear evenings, particularly in the summertime. Yr-round aurora viewing can be potential on evenings with clear darkish skies, however the very best time to see the present is in the course of the winter.

For a customized guided tour to view the nighttime lights show, together with the Milky Means and the constellations, you possibly can rent Voyageurs Outfitters. When you’re by yourself within the park, campsite docks supply a number of the greatest spots for northern lights viewing and stargazing. You too can take a look at Voyageurs Forest Overlook, Beaver Pond Overlook and the Kettle Falls Dam space for top-notch views. Those that choose to sleep in a heat, cozy mattress – and never camp within the park underneath the celebs – could make reservations on the Cantilever Distillery + Resort, a boutique Trademark Assortment by Wyndham property within the close by city of Ranier, Minnesota.

Sweden is without doubt one of the greatest spots for aurora viewing within the Northern Hemisphere, with the northern a part of the nation – often called Swedish Lapland – on the high of the record. Whereas the aurora happens year-round, the winter months (from November to March) supply the very best alternatives to witness it, as there may be extra darkness than gentle in the course of the days. When you’re up for the Arctic journey, December is the best month to go to Abisko Nationwide Park, which is thought to be among the best locations on Earth to see the lights dance throughout the sky. The park’s mountainous terrain and clear darkish skies supply dramatic front-row seats for viewing the lights. The Aurora Sky Station is without doubt one of the greatest vantage factors to see the aurora within the park, with consultants available to reply questions in regards to the science behind this fascinating phenomenon.

When you’d choose to chase the lights with a curated tour, Go to Abisko leads 4.5-hour excursions with skilled photographers and aurora-chasing guides in October and November. This time of yr provides provides a singular alternative to view the lights each within the sky and mirrored within the lakes and rivers, which you will not see in the event you go to within the winter months.

Positioned lower than 10 miles from the Russian border in Finnish Lapland, this distant Arctic vacation spot is a top-rated locale to view the northern lights because of the lack of sunshine air pollution. One of the best time to go to is between December and March. For additional exploration of the area, the Nellim Wilderness Resort provides the right base with year-round actions, together with aurora-chasing excursions. Visitors can decide to go out by automobile to see the aurora, view it by snowmobile or go snowshoeing in pursuit of the lights. You’ll be able to even take a sleigh journey by means of the snow to a campsite on Lake Inari, the place no gentle air pollution in any respect makes this one of many world’s greatest locations to catch the aurora.

In relation to lodging, the property options conventional rooms, suites, villas and cabins. The Nellim Wilderness Resort additionally provides aurora-focused “kotas” (impressed by conventional Sámi huts), in addition to cabins and bubble-shaped lodging for 2 the place friends can watch the dancing lights from their heat, cozy beds. The Aurora Bubbles are even outfitted with a laser-heated glass roof that opens up overhead and into the evening sky. Whenever you’re not chasing the lights, take pleasure in different Arctic actions like a husky safari, ice fishing, snowmobiling or a day within the snow assembly the native reindeer.

Round 150 miles above the Arctic Circle, positioned alongside the street to the Arctic Sea, Saariselkä is the northernmost ski resort in Finland. This space in Finnish Lapland is thought for its beautiful surroundings, Sámi tradition, cross-country and downhill snowboarding, and Urho Kekkonen Nationwide Park – one among Finland’s largest parks. The resort village can be one of many prime spots on the planet to view the northern lights because it sits inside the “aurora zone” – and there are as many as 200 alternatives per yr to see the present. September to November and February to March are the very best months to view the aurora, because the skies are clearer than in December and January when they are often cloudy as a consequence of snow. But it surely’s potential to see the northern lights at any time in the course of the season from mid-August to early or mid-April.

Saariselkä can be identified for its glass igloos, that are excellent for snuggling up and staying heat whereas viewing the aurora. You’ll be able to e book two- or four-person igloos on the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. This property additionally provides Kelo-Glass Igloos that mix the comforts of a log chalet with the visibility of the glass roof. The property has a powerful choice of year-round excursions and actions, together with northern lights excursions on horseback or by horse drawn carriage – or you possibly can head out on a quad bike to see the present.

The southernmost locations on the planet supply the possibility to see the aurora australis – or southern lights. Whilst you would possibly see have the ability to see them year-round (simply as you possibly can the northern lights), sure months are higher for aurora viewing within the Southern Hemisphere. Stewart Island is thought to be one of many high spots to see the sensible show in New Zealand, with 85% of the island encompassed by Rakiura Nationwide Park, so there are few folks and just about no gentle air pollution. It is the southernmost island that is populated within the nation. You’ll be able to attain Stewart Island by flying into Oban or taking a ferry from Invercargill or Bluff.

New Zealand’s winter months – June to August – are the very best time to see the southern lights, however you possibly can nonetheless view them within the spring (September to November) and within the fall (March to Might). The summer season months, between December and February, make it harder to identify the aurora, however there’s nonetheless an opportunity you will catch a glimpse of the lights between midnight and 4 a.m. For lodging throughout your aurora-chasing journey, reserve a room with a view over Halfmoon Bay and the Foveaux Strait at Stewart Island Lodge, an intimate bed-and-breakfast. This stunning property is simply minutes by foot from Oban village – and the property will decide you up on the airport or ferry terminal on your keep.

Tasmania sits roughly 150 miles south of Australia between the Indian Ocean and the Tasman Sea. The mountainous island is the one place on the planet the place it is totally potential to see the aurora one year a yr as a consequence of its latitude and its average seasonal and light-weight adjustments. Skilled aurora chasers advocate staying within the capital metropolis of Hobart as a base. From right here you can attain a number of nice viewing areas with unobstructed and open views alongside the southern and southeast coastlines. Better of all, you possibly can plan to go to any time of yr looking for the dazzling aurora australis.

On your keep, reserve lodging at The Tasman, a Luxurious Assortment Resort, Hobart. The historic luxurious property is located alongside the energetic waterfront space, near the ferry terminal. Whenever you’re not staring on the evening sky, splurge on a personalized once-in-a-lifetime helicopter flight with Tasmanian Air Excursions. Relying in your whims, your non-public pilot can whisk you away to soar over the ocean cliffs; cease at a neighborhood vineyard to pattern native vintages; or head south to the UNESCO World Heritage Web site of Port Arthur, Tasmania’s historic and most infamous jail.

When you’re one of many fortunate few folks on the planet to journey to the southernmost continent on Earth – Antarctica – you will have an journey of a lifetime, particularly when the aurora illuminates the sky. The southern lights are most seen within the winter months (between March and October), however because of the excessive climate situations, solely researchers courageous the weather in Antarctica within the winter – and so they principally keep indoors. Nevertheless, all hope will not be misplaced in the event you search to view the aurora australis in Antarctica. Late-season expedition cruises to the final continent supplied in March additionally convey the chance to view the southern lights – and luxuriate in Antarctica’s fleeting summer season. It is also a quieter time to go to as lots of the expedition strains have moved their ships to hotter areas around the globe.

As the times shorten in size, you might encounter dustings of snow throughout the otherworldly panorama and ice beginning to type on the water’s floor. In relation to wildlife viewing, humpback whale sightings are plentiful, and you will nonetheless see penguin colonies – together with king and gentoo penguins. You too can look ahead to elephant seals, leopard seals, wandering albatross and different species of birds. When evening falls on clear evenings, search for the sunshine present within the southern sky. Cruise strains that supply March voyages embrace Scenic, Silversea Cruises, Aurora Expeditions, Viking and Ponant.