chasing the northern lights

Traveling with an express goal is super dangerous. All the expectation riding on a weather phenomenon is a disaster waiting to happen. But the entire trip was planned to see the Northern Lights in Norway. We had 3 nights to make it happen. If you want to get on the chase here is some advice.

Go on a tour every night, guides differ, routes differ, some guides even have chats where they tell each other where the best sightings are. It is a literal chase never certain where the lights will be brightest of if it will be seen at all.

To Stay

Tromsø is teeny tiny. We didn’t rent a car and I am glad we didn’t. All the tours come with transportation and you can cab from the airport. We got an apartment right outside of town off the main road. It was a 20 minute walk to the main area and absolutely easy to do at any time. The sidewalks are cleared of snow and the roads are well lit. There is a city bus you can take around town too.

To Eat & Drink

Risø mat og kaffebar – for the best breakfast pastries of your life
Tapas Tromsø AS – for the reindeer
McDonalds – the most northern McDonalds

To Explore

Norges arktiske universitetsmuseum / Arctic University Museum of Norway – come here to learn about the indigenous people, the Sami, who live and work in this arctic region.
Sommarøy – an island out west of the city and summer in Norwegian

Itinerary

Day 1

We flew from Oslo midday arriving at 3pm for sunset. We used the afternoon to sort out some tours last minute due to weather cancelations, and then explored the town. We tried to book a northern lights boat cruise, which was canceled due to weather. We later learned the the water isn’t the best place to see them, heading inland increases your chances.

Day 2

During winter the sun doesn’t rise until around 11am and sets around 3 or 4pm. This does not leave time for much exploring. We walked around the town after finding the best breakfast spot you can imagine. We then took the bus over to the Museum. Super easy! This was an educational journey about the science behind the Arctic. Absolutely worth a little trip out of town.

We also booked a Sami reindeer experience, which was canceled due to weather. Truly you need 4 days minimum and the will to rebook and research other options because the Arctic does not care about your travel plans. This night we had a Northern lights tour. Visit Tromso has endless tour operator options on this website. It is really impossible to figure out who is a good vendor or not as it is really the guide that makes the difference.

With a 7pm departure, an hour car ride to the inner country, you start chasing around 8pm. For the next 3 or 4 hours the driver will literally chase the lights. You drive through complete darkness swerving around corners, starring out into the dark night above the trees looking for these auroras dancing. Buses will pull over anywhere that seems moderately safe. Wind can move them away or to you. It is a game of luck. This first night we saw them but not super brightly. We returned around midnight tired and freezing but smiling.

Day 3

To take advantage of our sunlight, we booked a tour with Fram tours to see the many islands in this area. For those of you who read about Oslo will remember that Fram was a famous exploration up to the arctic. This operator took us on a tour west to Sommarøy, named for summer as the island has gorgeous beaches. The tour we booked was a tour of the fjords. Our guide was Italian and spent winters working up in Norway and summers motorcycle riding in Italy. Tromsø was packed of Europeans working seasonal jobs.

Considering the confused ferry ride we took in Oslo was our first fjord experience this tour was needed. We learned the 3 elements that make a body of water a fjord.

It is a mix of fresh and salt water
It came from a glacier
I dont remember

The wind whipped and each time we got out of the van was a frightening experience. I am not sure when these beaches are swimmable but I will take the Mediterranean over this, sorry Norway. On the way back we saw reindeer roaming! Most of them are farmed for meat but are all free range and tagged by the farmer.

This was our last chance to see the northern lights. Since our boat cruise was canceled we were back on the hunt for a tour. So many are sold out so searching the day of is a bit of a process. We finally found this tour with Enter Adventures and it ended up being the best.

After struggling wildly to find the tour group in the bus depot, we found our new guides. One Spanish, and another Italian, they had the perfect energy. We put on our high vis vests and boarded the bus. The fleet went out with everyone on the same chase. These guides had the text chain with other guides comparing locations. We drove and drove and eventually drove all the way to Finland. The boarder of Sweden right there too. There was absolutely nothing there in the dark frozen area except us tourists and the Aurora Borealis. The chase becomes so intense that when you finally pull over, cover up, and walk outside it is overwhelming. The wind is blowing below freezing temperatures in your face, its 11pm, and you are in a field somewhere between Norway and Finland. But above you is the most incredible thing.

The lights dance, change color, change direction, become more and less intense, all within moments. Your neck hurts from looking up at in. My feet froze, my hands numb, but my eyes could not stop starring. They served hot chocolate and cookies and made a little fire. They took photos of us beet red in the face from the cold but smiling ear to ear. We started back around 11pm and our bus stalled around 1145pm. With an early morning flight the next day, we seriously worried. Would we be spending the night on this bus? We were over an hour away, literally in the middle of nowhere. It would take time for another bus to come to help. But the bus driver found a solution and took us safely back.

Tromsø was an adventure I will not soon forget. I would love to return in the summer for the 24 sun filled hikes. But the first time seeing this spectacle was worth the chase.