Best Timetable for Chasing The Northern Lights Worldwide: 10 Places to Watch The Marvelous Aurora

Although movies and social media posts about the northern lights make them seem like quite an everyday occurrence, unless you live pretty close to the Arctic Circle, there’s a good chance you won’t see it. Tours to Iceland and parts of Canada and Norway can often be a no-show due to the erratic weather and clouds. So while you may have returned disappointed on your tour date, the very next day could have clear skies and splendid displays. Auroras are also best seen around certain times of the year such as the equinoxes or during weeks of intense solar activity where they can be visible as far down south as Scotland! It’s also essential to know that the best place to view the northern lights is within a narrow band around the Arctic Circle called the ‘Auroral Oval’. Any place that lies within the oval gets the best display of the lights. On any clear night close to them or during peaks the auroras look like undulating curtains of light which sometimes seem to spiral, grow in size and diminish. With that being said, here are the best places to visit to see a dazzling display of the northern lights:

Located at a latitude close to 65 degrees, Fairbanks is considered one of the best places to view the aurora in the world as it lies well within the Auroral oval on the side of the northern hemisphere where the geomagnetic north pole of the earth is closest. The peak viewing season for northern lights is between August 21 to April 21 and on average, it’s possible to see the aurora on four out of five clear nights which is about an 80% chance. If visiting Alaska is on your bucket list, this is a great place to go.

Fairbanks has plenty of other things to do while you’re here aurora hunting like a visit to the Santa Claus House in the North Pole City, take a ride on the Riverboat Discovery or participate in a rare activity such as panning for gold. The Feb-march seasonal holiday experience includes fun rides such as dog sledding and attending the World Ice Art Championships. The Chena Hot Springs Resort is a popular place for tourists that offer exclusive aurora viewing activities and a fantastic stay.

The Cherry Springs State Park in the state of Pennsylvania, United States, is an 82-acre park in the middle of a larger forest which is designated as the “Dark Sky” park. Popular with amateur astronomers for it perfectly clear and dark sky with no light pollution, it is the go-to spot from the around the region to get the best of all celestial wonders. Although it is located at a latitude of 41.6 degrees above the equator which is well below the Auroral Oval, Cherry Springs State Park is the best place to view aurora displays every time there is an intense geomagnetic storm. Enthusiasts from the surrounding regions flock to the park during times of solar maximum every 11 years to catch a glimpse of the aurora on the northern horizon during its peak. The park is also a great place to see other celestial objects in the night sky such as star constellations, star clusters, nebulas, galaxies, and the Zodiacal light.

Canada being closest to the geomagnetic North Pole the greatest share of the Auroral Oval passing through it and Yellowknife which is at the latitude of 62.4 degrees above the equator has some of the best displays of the northern lights in the world. Also known as the Aurora Capital of North America, the place has a popular attraction called the Aurora Village with activities centered on the northern lights. There are plenty of activities to do throughout the year which include some of the best tour packages for viewing the light show. If you’re visiting at the end of March, check out the Long John Jamboree festival on the Yellowknife bay with festivities and plenty of fun activities such as dogsled races, ice carving, snowmobiling and more. The best time to view the northern lights is from January through March where you can also participate in the day time activities for a more complete experience of the destination. Yellowknife’s mix of great coniferous forests and vast expanses of lakes make viewing northern lights an experience out of this world that’s perfect for honeymooners, families or even solo travelers.

Located slightly higher than Yellowknife, Yukon has a latitude of 64.2 degrees above the equator and falls well within the Auroral Oval earning is a top spot among the best places in the world to chase auroras. The northern lights season begins from mid-August to mid-April in Yukon and it peaks around the first few weeks of winter when you get near-perfect viewing conditions such as clear skies between 10 pm and 3 am. Although it is visible throughout the place, there are a number of hotels with which you can book tickets for aurora experience or drive on your own to the lakesides for the best experience ever.

When you book packages, however, you can experience northern lights along with plenty of other fun-filled activities. Your tour packages can include lodges, cabins, teepees, and dog sledding excursions to viewing spots. You will also be given all the gear you will need and take on hassle-free viewing sessions. If you wish to kick your viewing experience up a notch, try viewing the northern lights from a flight tour where you get to go as high as 36,000 feet on a special airplane and fly closer to the lights than you can ever imagine.

Tromso located at latitude 69.6 degrees north of the equator is one of the best places in Norway to view the northern lights as it falls well within the Auroral oval. Referred to as “The Gateway to the Arctic”, the city has plenty of sightseeing to offer along with the aurora and a number of tourist experiences ranging from whale watching to snowmobile adventures. The best season to view the northern lights from Tromso is from September end to late March where you can go for observation sessions from early afternoon until late morning. You can either choose to view from resorts or take up tour packages which also include whale watching and Fjord adventures and even husky trekking tours in the wild forests of the Arctic.

Being a large city means there are plenty of other things to experience and some of the more popular tourist activities include a visit to the beautiful Arctic Cathedral, seasonal music festivals, and the local fare. If you’re going aurora watching alone the village of Ersfjordbotn located 20 km from the city offers spectacular viewing points.

Located well within Auroral Oval Greenland is about 72 degrees over the equator making it one of the best places in the world to view the northern lights. What adds to the experience is the minimal light pollution at the hot spots and fewer tourists able to travel to the country which makes it a greatly private experience. The best time to visit Greenland to view the northern lights is between September to April where even as few as three to four nights of stay can guarantee a sighting.

The Hotel Arctic Igloos set on the edge of the Ice Fjord is one the best experiences you can have of an overnight hotel stay with splendid views of the cliffs and Disko Bay along with having auroras over you all night. For an even better experience visit the Kangerlussuaq, a former U.S. military base the area of which boasts about 300 nights of northern lights sightings every year!

Iceland which is set high above the equator at 65 degrees latitude is one of the most popular destinations for tourism. The northern lights are among the top attractions in the country as it is practically visible everywhere on the island. The capital city of Reykjavik and its surrounding villages and forests are popular sports for viewing the aurora. The best time to visit is between September to April and some ideal places to view the northern lights include Öskjuhlið, the Ásbyrgi Canyon located to the northeast of the island, Grótta and þingvellir National Park.

If you stay in Reykjavik, you will get to experience the city’s great nightlife along with visiting its famous museums and souvenir shops. There are a number of tour operators who give excellent guided tours to popular attractions such as Keilir Volcano, Snæfellsjökull glacier and the Esja Mountain where you can engage in other fun activities along with aurora viewing. The 5 Million Star Hotel offers one of the best experiences where you get to visit several sightseeing spots and spend a night in a bubble room under the northern lights.

The small village of Jukkasjärvi lies 68 degrees above the equator and 200km within the Arctic Circle putting it well within the best viewing zone for the northern lights. What makes it ones of the best places in Sweden however is that the small village has only 548 inhabitants, so it is big enough for comfortable tourism and small enough such that there isn’t excess light pollution that gets in the way of your view. The ideal time to visit Sweden to view the aurora is between December and March when you’ll find the darkest skies.

Jukkasjärvi is perfect for a private getaway and it has the world’s first ice hotel which offers you fantastic guided tours to view the northern lights. Tours include a visit to the Esrange Space Center that is about 30 minutes from Kiruna where you have a great chance to view the aurora and dine under it in a wilderness camp. Even better are the northern lights flights arranged by the hotel that takes you up in an airplane for a whole other perspective of the lights. Several other tour operators also offer night snowmobile trips and camps in the neighboring villages of Nikkaluokta and Vittangi.

The vast northern expanse of Finland which constitutes Lapland falls well within the Auroral Oval at a latitude of 68 degrees above the equator. Clear skies and good weather often give as many as 200 nights a year of aurora spotting making it one of the best places to view the northern lights in the region. The peak season lasts between mid-August to early April and the best times to watch the auroras are close to the beginning and end of the seasons as they near the equinoxes. Statistically, it’s possible to see the lights every three out of four nights if the weather permits.

If staying out in the open to watch the night sky isn’t your thing, you can also enjoy the northern lights from the comfort of your resort suite as many of them offer glass villas, glass igloos, bubble domes, and treehouses to stay warm and comfy and sleep under the view of the northern lights. Other exciting activities include Husky, Reindeer and Snowmobile Safaris that acquaint you with the local landscape and culture, the Ice Music Festival where you listen to local bands perform inside an ice-igloo concert hall and visit to the Lainio Snow Village.

Being an archipelago off the northeast coast of Scotland, Orkney is not only the best place in Scotland to view the aurora but also to vacation. At the latitude of 59 degrees above the equator, Orkney doesn’t exactly lay within the Auroral Oval, however during peak solar activity and strong geomagnetic storms, you will still get to see a dazzling display of the northern lights high overhead. Orkney is your best chance to view the aurora if you’re already vacationing in Scotland and have no plans to travel to higher latitudes. The best way to catch one is to monitor aurora activity on space weather websites and being a part of the local watch groups on social media where you get alerts on potential sightings. Fall and Winter when nights are darker and clearer are your best chance to catch the northern lights in Orkney.

Some of the best places to view the northern lights from Orkney include Wideford Hill on the Birsay coast, Inganess Bay, Broch of Gurness and more. The group of islands is also an excellent tourist spot with incredible shorelines and natural scenery. Another popular attraction is the group of UNESCO world heritage sites called Heart of Neolithic Orkney which has several monuments that date back to 5000 years.

While planning your visit to view the northern lights, there are a few essential things you need to keep in mind to maximize your chances of the best sighting. Here are a few essential tips:

Latitude: The higher you go in latitude, the better, ideally being close to 70-degrees latitude above the equator or even higher greatly improves your chances of seeing the northern lights overhead. The closer you are to the ‘auroral oval’, the best chances you can possibly have. The oval is a narrow elliptical band that covers the western half of northern Russia, northernmost areas of Finland and Sweden, the northern part of Norway, the southern half of Iceland and Greenland, northern parts of Canada and most of Alaska.

Duration of stay: Although you optimize your visit to align with the perfect conditions, sometimes it’s a matter of luck to get a good glimpse of the aurora. Therefore to maximize your chances, increase your stay at the place you are visiting from 4 to 7 days so there’s enough time for you to catch a break-even in bad weather.

Light pollution: Head to a place away from the city lights so your eyes are better adjusted to the dark and see the aurora brightly.

Forecasts: One way to maximize your chances is to see the aurora forecasts for the region on apps or weather sites. The forecast factor you need to look for is what’s called the Kp index. It is a system that measures the auroral strength and goes from 0 which is calm to 9 which is a major geomagnetic storm that can produce the most intense auroras. Anything above Kp5 is a geomagnetic storm and should give you an excellent light show in the sky!

Catching the northern lights requires a careful mix of planning, timing, preparation, being in the right place and a little bit of luck. Therefore whether you’re heading off to one of the destinations solely for the aurora experience or to bet the best of the destination, it helps to book your flights months in early with is to get cheap deals. To plan the perfect trip, choose your aurora viewing destination and book your flight tickets along with accommodation to get the best prices on your travel and stay and make the most of your holiday.