Season of Northern Lights : How to catch them?
Hello all,
The lights are pure magic. Viewing those lights dancing in the sky is like meditation. It is pure bliss. It’s been more than nine months, and our pictures from Finland still give us goosebumps. We can still imagine this green, purple, and shades of pink and red in the sky and get lost in dreamland. Social media is not helping either. Every day, we see some magnificent Aurora pictures from the Arctic Circle region on Instagram. We were spellbound then, and we are speechless now!
We were lucky to witness such a magical natural phenomenon. But one thing is sure. It is different that you want to see these magical lights; you make an effort to see the lights, and you actually see the lights.
There are four factors which affect your viewing of these lights:
- Clear sky without any cloud
- Dark sky, away from light pollution
- Forecast of Aurora
- Your luck
As you can see, you can’t predict or change any of them.
But there are a few things which can increase your chances.
Stay for more nights.
You can not stay for one or two nights and complain about not being able to see the lights. Generally, people say that if you stay for at least three nights, then your chances of viewing lights are high. But we would suggest waiting for at least four to five nights in the northern part (Arctic Circle or above). We had three consecutive nights during which we were not able to see lights in our nine nights of Finish Lapland.
Choose the proper season.
People believe that winter is suitable for viewing lights as nights are longer. But there are also more chances of clouds. The ideal and best times are the spring and autumn equinoxes. We visited during the spring equinox.
The best months are: February – March and September – October
The other good part is that the cold is not that harsh.
Advantage of Spring:
The winter snow is still everywhere, and you will be on winter wonderland only.
You can do all snow activities like skiing, tobogganing, snowshoe walks, and snowmobile safari.
Advantage of autumn:
The weather is more pleasant
What I miss about not visiting in autumn is the reflection of the lights in the water! But snow in March was the highlight of our trip for the kids, so I have no regrets at all!
Go north because…. the North remembers!
You can’t be in Helsinki and see the lights. You have to go to or beyond the Arctic Circle. That is the reason we stayed in Inari for two nights and three nights in Ivalo. After that, we went to Rovaniemi, which is also near the Arctic Circle and is the gateway to Finnish Lapland.
You can also visit Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, or Alaska. Abisko, Sweden, claims to be the most definite location for viewing lights. Flight connections are excellent in Finland if you are traveling from India.
Go in the wilderness.
You have to be extremely lucky if you want to see the lights while staying in the city. Because light pollution is the biggest enemy of light, some people even suggest planning trips according to the lunar cycle. Avoid days around the full moon if possible. But it was not a problem for us. This is our picture from a day before the full moon when we saw spectacular lights just beside the moon.
When we were staying in Rovaniemi City, we opted for a Northern light safari through Auroravanlapland on the first night. On the second night, we opted for the Arctic Snow Hotel tour with Aurora viewing. As the hotel is in the pure wilderness, we were lucky to have the lights on both nights.
But let me tell you, if you book your stay a little away from the main town, in some isolated place, your chances of viewing lights near your stay increase significantly. In such a case, you can also avoid tours. We had booked Holliday Village Inari, which was right at Inari Lake, one of the popular sites for northern light viewing. Another one is the Arctic River resort, just at the Shore of the Ivalo River. Though there were a few homes nearby, we got a spectacular show of lights from our cottage, even with street lights! See, we had amazing Northern Lights viewing from our hotels for only two days, so if we had skipped the Northern Light safari, then it would have been entirely okay.
This is just outside our igloo in Holiday Village Inari
This is our cottage in Arctic River Resort, Ivalo
Be prepared!
You will feel that I am exaggerating, but start your sleep schedule according to the Arctic time zone at least a week before your visit. Sleeping during the day won’t be possible in our busy schedule, but at least try to stay up late at night. You don’t want to miss the lights, as you are very sleepy.
Take adequate layers with you. If you are planning to go on safari or even for light viewing outside your cottage, you will need lots and lots of layers, along with perfect gloves, which should be screen-sensitive, preferably. In that -21-degree temperature, we didn’t take pictures of a few fantastic lights just because our hands were frozen.
Ditch those comfy rooms!
You can’t expect to see lights by staying indoors unless you are staying in a glass igloo. You have to go out and find dark areas. In Inari, our glass igloo was at the lakeside, so it was not a problem. But in Ivalo, we had to walk a few kilometers away from our cottage initially. Later, Mother Nature got mercy on us, and we were able to see a spellbound show just from our house.
Patience, patience, and a little more patience!
Wait for the lights. Stay awake. Drink delicious Finnish Kahvi. Play Uno or Scrabble with friends or family. But be patient on those nights. If you are making an effort, you will definitely be rewarded.
Book a tour.
Though some tours can be costly, they can increase your chances of viewing lights. Don’t book a 3-4-hour tour with dinner or a tour with soup. (Except for the Snow Hotel, which is worth visiting at night due to all the lights and effects). Book a tour that is ready to take you 200-400 km. Because there is no time limit, your tour can be more fruitful. The guides know the best location to spot the lights. They have a network by which your chance to see the lights will definitely increase. There are many such authentic tour operators who are passionate about Lights and will surely try their best for Light hunting.
Ask the hotel if they provide a wake-up call. Some hotels offer that facility, so even if you doze off, you don’t have to worry.
Check the forecast.
This is the most important. Apart from Aurora activity or kp index, just check the clouds. I mean, if all parameters fascinate you, then you definitely must! But one thing is for sure: If there are clouds, then whatever might be the activity, your chances of seeing lights are almost zero. During our third and last night in Ivalo, I was desperate. We are ready to pay a hefty amount for the Aurora tour. But our tour operator from Arctic River resort made us understand that there is no meaning at all because there were clouds all over the Lapland. We were ready to take our chance, but he was not willing to come because he knew the result. Finnish people are this honest!!
You can also look for a hotel with a webcam for the lights. Holiday Village Inari has a webcam, so there is no need to go outside every few minutes or wait for the lights to appear. You can check your webcam in the comfort of your cottage and come out the moment you see the lights!
Make lights part of your holiday, not the purpose..
Lastly, don’t make holidays just about lights. There are many, many more activities in Lapland. Don’t miss those. Our kids have seen lights only for one night, but still, Finland is their best vacation—just because of other activities!
COUNTRIES TO SEE AURORA
- Norway
- Iceland
- Sweden (Lapland)
- Finland (Lapland)
- Alaska, USA
- Canada
- Greenland
- Scotland
BEST PLACES TO SEE AURORA IN NORWAY
- Lofoten islands
- Tromso
- Kirkenes
- Narvik
- Svalbard
- Bodo
- North Cape
BEST PLACES TO SEE AURORA IN SWEDEN
- Abisko
- Kiruna,
- Jokkmokk,
- Jukkasjärvi
- Luleå
- Porjus
- Tärendö
BEST PLACES TO SEE AURORA IN FINLAND
- Kemi
- Rovaniemi
- Utsjoski
- Levi
- Sariselka
- Ivalo
- Kakslauttanen
- Ylläs
- Inari
I have just included Scandinavian countries because before visiting Finland, I did research only about those.
We could have gone anywhere from these locations. But here are the reasons why we went to Finland.
And in Finland, why did we select Ivalo and Inari?
Inari is a small town located 320 km north of Rovaniemi. It is far away from major cities. So the chances of light pollution are very low. You don’t have to go too far from your accommodations. And as I say, it is not just about the northern lights; this is the place to explore local Sami culture. It is the hometown of the Sami people. There is a fantastic Sami museum right in the heart of the city.
What can I say about Ivalo? The plus point is it has an airport, and we can fly from Delhi to Ivalo via Helsinki. This town is a paradise for light lovers. The best part is its location. It is in the middle of the Aurora oval, near the magnetic North Pole, where there are more chances of Aurora. The area is such that the wilderness around the town is hardly tinted. You can see lights even in the early hours of the night. We saw lights as early as 7:30 pm during our stay.
Lastly, As they are saying, solar maximum is finally here. The high activity of northern lights in 2024 and 2025 is due to the sun’s activity. The solar maximum of the current solar cycle is at the peak, which means the solar storms are going to be more intense and more frequent. The next Maximus will be after 11 years. Until last season, all were saying that it was a marketing gimmick. But seeing the intensity of lights in the previous two months, if you want to see this magnificent natural phenomenon, plan soon!