One of my dreams was to see the northern lights, and one day I went after them, after doing a lot of research, I had my doubts as any trip that one undertakes and does not know very well. Among the 2 options that I liked the most was going to Norway, or going to Iceland. The two countries have their magic, and I had to make up my mind. It was then that the best thing for me was to go to Tromso, which is located within the Arctic Circle, and is the city with the most atmosphere in northern Norway, with the idea of ​​being able to do activities during the day.
Did you know that traveling to high latitudes to see the northern lights can be a lottery, and why am I saying this? Because it may or may not touch you, but the illusion is never lost, you just had to cross your fingers, find the right month and let the weather help to appreciate this incredible phenomenon. The polar auroras are a natural phenomenon consisting of the appearance of mostly green colored lights in the sky, in areas close to the north pole (northern lights**)** or the south pole (southern lights )
Having the possibility of witnessing a Northern Lights is an experience that will keep in your memory all your life. At times you wonder if what you are seeing is real and leaves you speechless and what you have to see once in your life, although once you contemplate it, you will want to return, as it is happening to me at this moment.
I recommend that you plan everything perfectly, so that you can enjoy the magic. So I will give you my help and to make the preparation easier for you. I will talk about how to prepare for the cold, accommodation in Tromso, agencies, how to get there, photographic equipment, etc.
What is the Northern Lights?
It is a question I asked myself before traveling, I was curious about this spectacle of nature, its colors and movements. An aurora occurs when charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth’s magnetic field. These particles from the solar wind are guided by the Earth’s magnetic field and are directed towards the poles. When these particles reach our atmosphere, they collide with the oxygen and nitrogen molecules, exciting the atoms and causing them to gain an electron. After a while, when released from that electron, they return the acquired energy in the form of light. This light can be produced with different intensity and wavelength, which affect the color of the light we see.
The explanation seems complicated, but it is simple. Solar activity is variable and cyclical, that is, it changes constantly but follows 11-year cycles. However, it is not possible to predict solar activity and therefore auroras are always a lottery.
The auroras have very different shapes, structures and colors and change rapidly over time. During a night, the aurora can start as a very long isolated arc that spreads over the horizon, generally in an east-west direction. Waves can form along the arc and also almost vertical structures. Suddenly the entire sky can be filled with bands, spirals, and rays of light that tremble and move rapidly from horizon to horizon. And as fast as it arrives, you can go and leave a starry sky without activity.
Auroras are always unpredictable and can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.
When and where to see northern lights
Auroras do not occur anywhere. Since the electrons are displaced towards the poles of the earth, it is just near them where they are produced. Specifically in some oval-shaped areas near both terrestrial poles.
In the case of the northern hemisphere we can see this luminous phenomenon that can be observed during the winter months along a strip that stretches across Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland and northern Norway, Finland and Russia.
Exactly in Norway, where I went, there are two perfect spots to see northern lights, Tromso and the Lofoten islands . Both populations are located just below the oval where the auroras occur.
The northern lights can be seen between the months of September and April, however it is important to consider the following:
- March and October. They are the busiest months of the year and we have the weather in our favor. The snowfall and storms are not as intense or are just beginning, so the obstacles to enjoying the show decrease considerably.
- February and September. They are very good months, the activity is quite intense and the climate favorable.
- November, December and January. The activity decreases a little compared to the other months and the climate presents certain disadvantages due to snowfall. The cold is also very intense.
- April. It is possible to find them in this month, but the activity is low since it is the last of the season and with the arrival of spring and light, sightings decrease a lot.
So what is the best month to see the Northern Lights in Norway?
March and October are the best months to see the northern lights since the activity is very intense and the cold is more bearable.
What clothes to wear?
Before arriving in Norway, I was in Madrid, and this is where I “equipped” myself with everything necessary for the cold. It is super important to have the appropriate clothes for these experiences, because we will be outdoors with temperatures of -20ºC and we could have a bad time if we are very cold.
So I went to a well-known store in Europe that is Decathlon, where it has everything at very good prices.
Experts recommend following the multilayer or onion formula: dressing in several overlapping garments that will be added or subtracted depending on the activity. It is the best way to regulate body temperature. Ideally, the garment in contact with the skin should be a long-sleeved shirt, which offers maximum protection.
The next layer must insulate and at the same time keep moisture out of the body, so you can choose a sweater, also made of wool, or a high neck fleece. The last layer must be a jacket, if possible, of feather or synthetic material.
A hat we have to have if or if, and that covers the ears, good waterproof gloves, a scarf or polar neck.
For the legs it has to be the same as on the top, three layers are necessary to avoid any cold. Although I was pretty good with 2, the first layer was a thermal shoe, and then a snow pants with a cotton interior. And finally one of the most important things that are the feet, the thick thermal stockings, and some boots for the cold and the snow, try not to fit them when they try it on, it is recommended that the boots they use , are at least half or even a larger number of your size.
For the cooler ones, in Declathon there are some thermal patches that last 12 hours and give you constant heat. They are very good.
Flights, transfers and accommodation in Tromso
Flights
Unfortunately from Argentina, we have nothing direct, and getting to this point in the country may take us 3 flights or more. My tour was from Ezeiza to Madrid by Aerolineas Argentinas, I stayed a few days there and then I took a flight to Amsterdam by KLM, then to Oslo by SAS, and finally to Tromso.
Summarizing it would be like this:
EZE – MAD
MAD - AMS
AMS - OSL
OSL - TOS
There are faster or less connected ways to get there, but more expensive, this depends on each one. From Madrid you can go directly to Oslo and then Tromso, but since there are no flights every day, it was difficult for me. You could also make the journey with the Norwegian Air company, to London and then go see how to get to Norway, but always going through its capital Oslo.
Transfers and how to get around in Tromso
We have to take into account one very important thing, this country has its own currency and it is normal for us to have Euros in our pockets, we would have to change a bit at the airport to be able to pay for transportation, more than anything the bus that takes us to the center from the city. Once we have Norwegian Krone, from the airport the cheapest way is to take the urban buses 40 and 42, which will cost us 50 crowns (5 euros) I did not change money and only had Euros, the good vibes driver looked at me with a I’m a gil, and he let me go for free.
If you prefer to take a taxi, the price varies between 18 and 30 euros, considering that Sunday is the most expensive day. The Flybussen is an intermediate alternative, with a value of 9 euros. Your tour ends at Prostneset, Tromsø Central Station.
Accommodation
Like any city, we have several options to stay, from Hotels, Hostel, cabins, Airbnb, etc. and for your stay to be satisfactory, you need to find a place that is perfect and that meets your demands, tastes, preferences and budget.
The hotels in Tromso is wide despite being a small town, with a great variety of prices, you can find quality rooms and also cheaper, starting at 54 euros depending on the time of the visit. On Booking.com you can see the great variety.
The hostel, which is something I use often when I travel alone, is much cheaper and was the option I chose. They are places without much pretension but with comfortable beds where you can rest after a long day of tourism or sports.
Using the Airbnb application is one of the best options that the city of Tromso offers, they are small houses or rooms where the contact with the hosts is direct. The rooms are usually very homely and the best thing of all is the breakfast they offer in the morning, perfect to face the cold of Tromso.
Finally, those people who want to get away from the center have the option of renting some beautiful cabins. They are usually small establishments located in idyllic places surrounded by nature and in many of them they offer breakfast and dinner.
Touring agency and the experience of seeing the Northern Lights
To start talking about the Northern Lights, it is important to clarify that in order to see them clearly, we need to be in a place with little or no light pollution. This requires getting far enough away from the city to be able to do it.
As soon as I got to Tromso, I started looking for an agency to be able to do a tour. I had read enough to know which one was good or recommended, and it just so happened that it was just 3 blocks from my apartment. On the main street, in front of the wooden cathedral in the city center, is Chasing lights, the agency that you hire.
There are several tours depending on what each one is looking for, I chose one that is for a group of 12 people in a minibus, and they lent us a tripod to take the photos.
The next day, at 5:30 pm I had to be at the door and we got into the combi, leaving the city lights behind us and heading to where we expected the clearest weather conditions that night. We got far enough away that night, it started to snow heavily and that did not help us much, we were about 3 hours up to be able to find the right place. There are nights that you can even get to Finland looking for the Auroras.
Every so often we stopped in the middle of the route and the guide would get off and look at the sky. He also consulted a cell phone application where he informed him where the best conditions could be.
Once we found a clear sky, we stood alongside a frozen lake and went down. I remember that we went down and began to walk on the snow, each footstep halfway down my leg. After about 100 meters we camped there waiting for the green lights. The guide grabbed a shovel, and began to make a well where he then built a large bonfire.
Some nights, the Aurora appears immediately, but they kept waiting until we saw a faint greenish line on the horizon, I will not lie to you, but did I say this is it? Crap… Question to accommodate my tripod, they helped me set up my camera and I started shooting. After a few minutes it grew and grew, until it reached a point where they were right there dancing the green lights in the sky, a show like no other.
The guide and photographer began to accommodate us and took pictures of us from that moment, it was included in the tour, and they were the best.
There is a wedding couple who even got engaged at the time, and the applause broke the silence of the place.
We were there, about 2 hours. After the photos, I simply went to bed in the snow and dedicated myself to enjoying the moment, without taking photos, just recording absolutely everything in my mind. I didn’t feel the cold and I didn’t care.
Moments later they call me to come over to the campfire, because it was dinner time. I don’t even remember what they gave us, because I was still looking at the sky, what I do remember is that later they gave us hot chocolate with some cookies.
It is necessary to clarify that we were lucky to see the auroras that night, because there are times that one does this tour for several days and fails to see them, this implies paying the tour again. It is a real chase, which often involves traveling long distances and returning late. It was time to return and the long way to the hotel, I slept the longest, but I got off around 2 in the morning.
These tours can last from 5 to 10 hours, they stop at some service stations to buy something to drink, eat or go to the bathroom. I would definitely return.
The price of the tour I took was about 180 Euros
See auroras without agencies
One of the options that I would have liked to do is go looking for the Auroras on my own, but being alone didn’t suit me. But if 2 or more people are traveling, the best would be to rent a car. In this way they are freed from the most important expenses of the trip. And if they are very adventurous they can even sleep in the car, although with -15º of temperature it can be hell.
Keep one thing in mind, the Northern Lights are free, you just have to know where and when to go looking for them. Nothing is further from reality, everything they offer you can be achieved by yourself.
Forecast: To know how good the night is, there are different very professional pages (such as aurora-service.eu ) where you yourself will know how beautiful it is presented to us. The only parameters to take into account are the sky forecast (we want it to be as clear as possible) and the KP value that we want it to be as high as possible. There is a mobile app that will help us a lot, called Norway Lights, which works as a weather forecaster. Very interesting and useful.
Location: In order to know the best place to see them, there is no greater mystery: the island of Kvaløya. The island of Kvaløya has only two routes (one for each end of the island, the most beautiful is the one above) and is the ideal place to see the auroras because you avoid light pollution from the city of Tromsø (in addition to having some spectacular views).
How to photograph northern lights
To capture the auroras, it is best to have a reflex camera where you can manage the manual parameters that it brings. With the cell phone it is difficult for them to go well. So I give you some initial guidelines and then start testing.
- Having a tripod is essential, it must be well fixed.
- Manually focus to infinity and then take out autofocus, to avoid blurring.
- Disconnect the lens stabilizer, if you have one.
- Put the white balance at 3000 and the ISO sensitivity at 1600.
- Program the camera in M ​​(manual) mode. The lowest possible diaphragm (f 2.8, f 4). Speed ​​in 15 seconds.
- Shoot with the remote shutter or timer for a few seconds to avoid moving the camera when pressing the shutter button.
- If it comes out very dark, lengthen the speed for a few seconds or increase the ISO (the latter is worse because the image will have more grain and noise). If, on the other hand, the photo is very exposed (very clear), set fewer seconds or lower the ISO.
- Carry several batteries because at low temperatures they last much less. Keep them in a pocket so that with the heat of the body they do not cool.
- Shoot in RAW format
It would be nice to have a flashlight, not only to give us light when we set up the camera, but also to be able to light the person in front, just a few seconds. Or also to be able to take photos like the ones I put in, pointing to the sky.
In Tromso there is much more
In the surroundings of Tromsø there are many options to satisfy tourism. From October to January it is possible to see whales, both humpback and killer whales (tours are close to 150 euros, depending on the service chosen). In winter, in different areas near the city, you can do snow trekking with rackets, as well as other sports. There are tours to drive snowmobiles, or go dog sledding.
Meanwhile, year-round excursions are offered to visit the Sami communities - a village originally from the Lapland region, comprised of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and a portion of Russia, where you can visit a reindeer farm. And from Tromsø (both by boat and plane), it is possible to continue on to Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago where walruses and polar bears live, among other species.
Did any of you ever see the Northern Lights? Would you like to meet him? Leave your comments.
Thank you for reading this post
I invite you to read my last post:
Flight to EVEREST: See the top of the world
The mysterious Easter Island - Chile
A Real SAFARI FOR AFRICA, The best experience - Kenya
but very big writing!! Photos of Northern Lights are so attractive!!
