Travel

Best Places to Travel to See the Northern Lights This Year

Camping under Northern LightsPiriya Photography / Getty Images

So you want to see the Northern Lights. This also probably means remote villages, backcountry trails, unpolluted skies, and an explorer’s spirit are your thing. We commend you.

Sure, you could book a flight to Iceland and hope for the best, but like most things in life, a little smart planning will serve you well.

For the best prospects of seeing the staggering display of lights—which are actually caused by gas particles collisions—read on for the best places to go, tours to book, and times to visit.

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Yllästunturi, Finland in Finnish Lapland

Running through mid-February (and starting in November), Yllästunturi turns off their street lighting at 10:00pm to amplify the beauty of the Northern Lights. Tour Lapland, Finland’s northernmost region, with Intrepid Travel’s 8-day Finnish Lapland in Winter which includes dog-sledding, hiking through snowy woodlands, and recapping the day’s adventures over a glass of Salmari, the area’s famed salty liquorice liqueur.

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Voyageurs National Park in International Falls, Minnesota

The Land of 10,000 lakes gets the Northern Lights year-round, but because the nights are longer in late fall and winter, your best bet for spotting them is then. With stunning night skies, this gem of a national park is perched on the Canadian border. 26 interior lakes make up nearly half the park, so skis, snowshoes, hiking boots, or a boat is the way to go. Inside Voyageurs post up at Kettle Falls Hotel, a flyspeck in the park’s sprawling grounds.

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Reykjavík, Iceland

In September through March, head to this Northern Lights mecca for a chance of viewing an aurora. Book a tour with Noken, which creates a customized itinerary for you based on thousands of hours of research on their destinations, keeping your budget and interests, in mind. During your visit, take a glacier hike, visit the geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon, and catch your shuteye at apartment-style hotel, The Swan House.

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Various spots around Norway

Hurtigruten offers customers a free six- or seven-day cruise if you don’t see Northern Lights on your 12-day round trip cruise in Norway between October and March with their Northern Lights Promise. Yes, they’re that sure. With the Circumnavigate Norway cruise, kayak, dogsled, or snowmobile into the polar night. When you need to dry off your activewear, Hammerfest, the Northernmost town in the world proves a welcome distraction.

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Alberta, Canada

Optimal viewing for dark skies and Northern Lights in the sprawling Canadian oasis of Northern Alberta is September through mid-May. Home to two of the world’s largest Dark Sky Preserves,—Wood Buffalo and Jasper National Park—the Canadian rockies prove themselves among the best places to stargaze in the world. In October, the Jasper Dark Sky Festival provides a welcome excuse to plan a trip with a symphony under the stars, spacetalks from experts in science, astronomy, conservation, and more. Or, plan your own trip camping in Jasper’s amble backcountry campsites and book a guided tour with Jasper Sky Tram Star Sessions where there’s a chance you could even catch a meteor of the Northern Lights.

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Swedish Lapland in Northern Sweden

Bliss out on unforgettable light shows in Abisko, tucked inside the Aurora oval, through the end of March (viewing season starts in November) in this natural wonderland. Start out your day learning about the Sami culture and meeting reindeer herders before heading to Abisko National Park. There, you can visit the Aurora Sky Station, built for the purpose of viewing the Northern Lights spectacle. Sit down for a four course dinner of Nordic hits before retreating to the ICEHOTEL or Treehotel, depending on which natural element entices you more.

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Various spots around Iceland

Bring plenty of warm socks for Aurora Borealis scoping. And let Boundless Journeys, which puts on the six-day Northern Lights Adventure, do the grunt work as you eat your way through Reykjavik, take in its age-old glaciers and jaw-dropping vistas, and then head off to the country to visit fishing villages, and experience Skálakot Boutique Farm Hotel in Ásólfsskáli, among other highlights.

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Fairbanks, Alaska

Bundle up and brace yourself for some of the most spectacular viewing opportunities of the Northern Lights in the world thanks to Fairbanks’ location directly under the Arctic Circle and high chances of unpolluted, clear skies. Make logistics a breeze by booking a tour with Gondwana Ecotours on their six-night Northern Lights Alaskan Adventure. Throughout your travels, you’ll enjoy dog-sledding, a visit to Chena Hot Springs, accomodations at wonderful lodges like A Taste of Alaska Lodge (views of Denali from the dining room!), and even a personal wake-up service when the Aurora comes out to play. For the best odds of witnessing the phenomenon, plan your vacation from mid-September to March.

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Lyngenfjord region in Northern Norway

September and October are the best months to visit though September-March also provides visits with a good shot at seeing the Northern lights. In winter, reindeer sledding, snowshoeing, and ice climbing are ideal diversions. In autumn, visit the Gorsa Bridge, hike in the Lyngen Alps, or check out Tales of Ovi Raishiin, a unique storytelling-and-dining experience in Reisa National Park.

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Mosfellsbaer, Iceland

Save the hiking gear for another trip. Instead, laze in a glass-encased cabin right outside of Reykjavik. The Glamping Hub property offers a glass ceiling for travelers to take in the breathtaking views and an outdoor hot tub begging for a nighttime tryst. For your best chance to see the Northern Lights come between December and February and carve out a night to peel yourself away from the cozy digs and visit Reykjavík’s Oskjuhlid Hill, where you can sit and watch the sky do its thing over the city.

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