Seeing the Aurora in the Arctic Circle has become a bucket list activity. What does a Weather Holidays chase tour in Norway involve, by day and night?
Spending time in a dark, icy country swathed in thermals, an Arctic jumpsuit and thick boots might not be everyone’s first choice for a holiday. Add in the Northern Lights, hot chocolate, majestic fjords and snow-covered mountains and you might begin to see the allure. Witnessing the beauty of the Aurora Borealis is a big tick right now on travel ‘bucket lists’. As is the destination of Tromsø, way up in northern Norway within the Arctic Circle. There is something deeply moving about visiting the polar regions and experiencing breathtaking beauty alongside brutal cold.
For many, it’s a hotel weekend break combined with an evening bus trip full of hope that the lights will appear. Some just seem to be chasing an Instagram selfie. Boat trips offer a different viewpoint as the total darkness of the polar night retreats. Another option is ‘aurora chase’ trips, styled on the US storm or tornado tours. With central group accommodation, a tour leader and cars to explore, there is opportunity to see the stunning Norwegian scenery by day and get into position for aurora viewing by early evening. Like in North America, there is a lot of driving. A group holiday can be ideal for solo travellers as well as fitting friends and couples but the key ingredient is more than one sky-viewing opportunity, during a four-night stay. This is what Netweather’s sister company, WeatherHolidays offers and the trip that I undertook in February 2024. Here we will look at a typical tour day, what the aurora is and how to spot it. Also, photographing the aurora and what to wear in the Arctic.
Paul Botten leads the Weather Holidays Aurora tours
“Many people love the snow and ice, it turns them into a big kid again. With a Northern Lights holiday to Norway you can combine stunning views with great culture, and fantastic food and tick off that bucket list dream all in one go with an appearance from the dancing lady.”
Days vary depending on the activity. The first day involved collecting the recommended winter hire outfits with a jumpsuit, boots, over gloves and hat. It happened to be Sami week in Tromsø with a Reindeer racing event along the high street. The occasional early start helps to get way inland for husky sledding (an additional cost) or to catch a ferry to one of the numerous islands. Sometimes there is a more leisurely start with the camaraderie of group meals and driving off for the next adventure. With clear blue skies, blinding winter sunshine and an air temperature of -8C, the still fjords displayed incredible mirror images.
Cloudy mornings can change to late afternoon stunning sunsets where pink hues hit the mountain tops on our return journeys. A cold easterly set in midweek and the air temperature plummeted to minus 16C but it was the cutting wind that felt dangerous if your hands were exposed for any length of time. Fingerless gloves are a good addition for taking photos as no one had much success with those supposed touchscreen fingertip ones.
The wind plays a big part in the evenings too. It's not just about the bitter cold, your camera tripod will wobble or fall over. However, it can help with cloud clearances. In a brisk southerly wind, there can be lee breaks to the north of any mountains. We encountered handy breaks but also sudden gusty spots blowing snow into drifts, so do keep an eye on the Meteorologisk Institutt warnings.
Much of Norway is coastal and Atlantic low pressures which bring rain to western Scotland often carry on to northern Scandinavia. There can be days of cloud and snow. That’s when tour cars can head inland, to Finland. For a reindeer steak, a different interior landscape and hopefully, cloud breaks.
Auroras appear above the Arctic and Antarctic regions as the Northern or Southern Lights, an oval of light visible on the nightside of the Earth.
“These natural light shows are caused by magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares (explosions on the Sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles). Energetic charged particles from these events are carried from the Sun by the solar wind. “ NASA
After about two days’ travel and interactions with the earth’s magnetic field, there are collisions with different particles high up in the earth’s atmosphere, they excite and then relax as energy is released as light. Oxygen gives the iconic green, Nitrogen can show violet, purple or blue colours and sometimes, high atmosphere Oxygen appears as stunning reds.
Forecasting for Aurora viewing seems nigh on impossible. There are so many variables due to our near surface (more traditional) weather and also the space weather linked to solar activity. The Sun’s activity occurs in an eleven-year cycle, with a maximum and minimum of sunspot activity on the surface of the Sun. How and when those travelling emissions translate to a brilliant aurora overhead is still mysterious. A tour guide can help hone the quest but there aren’t any guarantees. At least in the current solar maximum, the chances are higher.
“Forecasting the aurora is a nightmare, … we only really have an hour's worth of reliable data before things become unclear. So it really is a 'go out and try' activity, because we just don't know how to forecast the lights that well. It's still an emerging science. “ Local tour guide
Some nights it is obvious and just there overhead. Other times you need good luck or a fortuitous cloud break. You can look at the local weather forecast, YR.no in Norway which shows the Meteorologisk Institutt data and Vedur.is in Iceland. Coastal Norway is often cloudy but inland high pressure can bring settled, very cold weather with clearer skies. Both detailed cloud forecasting and the aurora are tricky.
“Geomagnetic Activity: If the geomagnetic field (the earth’s magnetic field) is active, then the aurora will be brighter and further from the poles. Geomagnetic activity is driven by solar activity and solar coronal holes and thus it waxes and wanes with time. The level of geomagnetic activity is indicated by the planetary K index or Kp. The Kp index ranges from 0 to 9.” NASA
Just keep looking, to the north and up, don’t be put off by low KP numbers in the polar regions. Under normal conditions, the northern aurora oval covers Scandinavia, Greenland, Alaska, Canada and Russia. SpaceWeatherLive will show you the progress of the aurora oval, edging west out of Siberia, towards Lapland.
If you are trying to choose a day for an outing, good luck. It seems to be like trying to balance a ping-pong ball on your nose. That’s why four nights on the tour is a good idea!
“ Regardless of the Sun's activity, aurorae can still occur at any time and observers in high latitudes should always look out for them.”
How the aurora might look to the naked eye compared to through a mobile phone camera (with the right settings)
In the UK, TwitterX is a good way to hear if the aurora is out there and Facebook groups for your location such as Tromso Northern Lights alert seems to be the fastest way to see if any local action is taking place. Staying away from light pollution sources helps and you might want to consider the moon cycle when booking your flights. Full moonlight can distract but a tiny crescent will look attractive on photographs and help with cloud observations.
The Aurora was visible from the city streets of Tromso on two occasions, early evening for us. We were generally out from 7pm til 11pm, sometimes later. The most common sighting is the green arc stretching across the northern horizon. Two lines become visible, then it starts to waver and dance. It can look like a curtain with folds of cloth. The arc can twist and become very bright, filling more of the sky and moving overhead, which is when it looks its most dramatic and colourful. There are almost formulaic steps in the performance and yet, with different structures and colours each time.
To get great photos you’ll need a dramatic backdrop. Snow-covered mountains, a fjord to reflect the green light, snow-laden trees or an eye-catching building such as a lighthouse. The aurora usually starts to the north so bear that in mind but it can move overhead, edging southwards. This is when it can become visible in the UK.
Our group had iPhones 15 or 14, Samsung S23 and one DLR camera, all giving great photos with a tripod. You’ll need to research the settings and watch for batteries draining away in the cold conditions.
Hiking boots, thick woolly socks, thin merino socks. Base layer thermals- I had a mix of merino wool and synthetic Arc’teryx, and for my mid-layer, a decent Dale wool jumper. I could have done with a thin padded coat as a third layer to go under the jumpsuit but I did wear my trusty winter Didrikson coat over the top in the coldest times.
Next a balaclava, a thick snood/neckwarmer, under gloves and I opted to take my Dr Zhivago style sheepskin hat because where else am I going to wear it? Also instant hand warmers, a flask for hot chocolate and slip-on spikes for the bottom of walking boots for the icy pavements in Tromsø. With the hired Arctic clothing package, this lot worked well for the evenings outside.
It was stunning; the snow, the aurora, the dramatic landscape and the menace of the winter conditions which switch to breathtaking beauty and sunshine. What I particularly liked about this style of holiday, is not having to make any decisions. That is a rest for me. It was fun joining the WeatherHolidays group to share the experience, and Norway is highly recommended.
Photos - thanks to Weather Holidays staff
