Seeing the Northern Lights, (known as the Aurora Borealis), is one of the most common bucket list travel wishes. Anyone who has seen photographs of them will realise why. The Aurora is one of the most stunning natural wonders in existence, and the fact that it is only visible in the most northern areas of the globe means that few people have been fortunate enough to see it in person.
How To See The Lights
Seeing the lights in person requires quite a lot of planning and a little bit of luck. As they are a natural phenomenon, obviously they don’t follow a set schedule, and it’s impossible to guarantee that you’ll view them on any particular trip. Thankfully, there are many places you can visit where you’ll be in with a pretty good chance of seeing them.
Norway
The first of these is the north of Norway. Small towns in the north of the country receive dozens of tourists every year for this exact reason. As a rule, travelling further north gives you a better chance of seeing the lights.
Iceland
Iceland is another popular option, particularly now that cheap flights make the country easily accessible from many airports across the UK. To have the best opportunity of seeing them, it’s worth pre-booking a tour which will drive you away from the glare of the major cities to a more rural area with less light pollution.
“Of course, you will have the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights if you travel to one of the countries as mentioned above in the winter.”
November to February is the best time to visit (although you should wrap up warm as these places become bitterly cold). Try to go for as many nights as possible; the longer you stay, the higher your chances of seeing the Aurora.
