ideas for getting to see northern lights

[qbay]

Couple of year ago i went to Yellowknife in Canada to see the lights, it was fantastic, went out at night on skydoos on the frozen lake to a cabin and just watch the lights.We flew to Vancouver then up to Yellowknife

 

[funnymummy]

Hi. Just returned from Norway top to bottom trip to see lights and sights. Traveled on Hurtigruten coastal cruise ferry Kong Harold up to Kirkenese. took the most basic cabin with full board and for 12days was 1200 euro pp. lights weren't great due to lots of rain. Apparently best time for clearest weather is after 12-20 January. With ocean jacket you could stay out on deck every night to catch lights. This trip also crosses arctic circle and you can also visit north cape (western most point of continental Europe- don't ever recall learning about that). Ice Hotel at kirkenses etc. will do the 6days up again next time and then fly out.
Flew QF.EK to FRA then SAS + returned Bergen to Oslo day train (comfort class $A130) then overnight ferry OSL to CPH 73£ then AB to FRA.

 

[cxthomps]

We have booked 4 days in Tromso over next new year (29th to the 2nd) as part of a RTW J Award (still in progress). Hotel reservations for Clarion Hotel The Edge if anyone has any feedback or opinion to share.
We are thinking to book a personal guide to minimize the chances of not seeing anything, worth it ?
Can't wait.

C

 

[shan1983]

My partner and I are currently in Dubai and expecting to fly out to Stockholm tomorrow before overnight train takes us to Abisko in the north of Sweden. Apparently the lake at this location rarely has cloud cover, even if the surrounding areas do. This means it offers the best chances of seeing the lights from Sweden. Only basic accommodation there, but the point is to see the lights. We'll be there Tuesday to Friday, so will let you know how it goes.

 

[funnymummy]

We have booked 4 days in Tromso over next new year (29th to the 2nd) as part of a RTW J Award (still in progress). Hotel reservations for Clarion Hotel The Edge if anyone has any feedback or opinion to share.
We are thinking to book a personal guide to minimize the chances of not seeing anything, worth it ?
Can't wait.

C

I noticed that Clarion and Radisson were the usual 2 hotels - I stayed in Radisson, others on the ferry stayed in Clarion. No one expressed any issues. I thought that the Clarion may be rated a little higher than Radisson, as those that flew business class seemed to be booked at Clarion

 

[Scr77]

We've done Fairbanks, Alaska in September and March. Start of winter is warmer but is more likely to be cloudy. March was clear and we had a fantastic show every night. Fairbanks hosts an international, month long ice carving festival in march. There are lost of dog sledding, ice fishing etc activities. We found it one of the easiest Northern lights spots to get to (wife won't go on anything smaller than 737 or A320). Alaska air has good reward availability and also goes direct to many Hawaiian islands which can tie in well after the snow. I can highly reccommend staying at Aurora Borealis Lodge - Aurora Borealis Lodge

 

[fn0]

hi all
...going to see the Northern Lights....how to get there on miles. .reykjavik would be a nice place to see the lights, ..open to any other suggestions.. ample miles ..across VA, QF, AA, Alaskan, SQ with lots of SPG, MR, Citi points as well

EK F SYD-DXB-AMS which has lots of availability and then a paid ticket from AMS to reykjavik which is close so i'm presuming not too expensive.

Flight time non-stop AMS to KEF is 3 hours, and return is 3 hrs 10 mins by Icelandair. Expect to pay around €370 for a lowest price regular Economy Class seat, with Special Economy fares sometime as low as €238. In other words somewhere between A$370 and A$530 for the return ticket.

Some places in Northern Canada are better for auroras, e.g. "Yellowknife is the best place in the world to view the aurora borealis. With our long and clear winter nights, mid-November to the beginning of April tend to be the best times to visit, and late summer to early autumn often also give a good chance." "Churchill is one of the BEST spots on the planet to see the Northern Lights (Aurora borealis) Churchill lies directly beneath the Auroral Oval in the Northern Hemisphere, and auroral activity occurs on over 300 nights a year."

Winnipeg to Churchill flights are C$1350 round-trip, approx A$1370. Edmonton to Yellowknife flights are cheaper than Winnipeg to Churchill as Churchill is much smaller and more remote. For folks with lots of time, the Via Rail train from Winnipeg takes 45 hours to reach Churchill, visited by people who want to see polar bears roaming around as well as auroras. Let us know about your trip wherever you chose.

 

[jastel]

It's a gamble wherever you go...you cant control the weather.

I have done Tromso and had a blizzard, tour cancelled, for 2 nights and on the third night the tour went and we got the faintest glimpse by driving over to Finland.

A few months ago I was in Iceland and was lucky enough to see them on 2 different nights, but this was on a tour up in the north not in Reykjavik

My advice is wherever you go, stay as long as you can, watch the weather and aurora apps for good conditions and book a tour ASAP.
Many tours give a "guarantee" that you can come again if they dont see the lights...not much good if its your last night there...a green smudge counts as lights...dont expect National Geographic Photo type lights...if you get this consider it a bonus!

If you are a photographer you will need a decent camera and tripod, not a point and shoot or iphone, for steady time exposures...I suggest practice somewhere dark with some star photos so you know what the settings do on your camera before you go. Now practice again wearing gloves...not so easy now! It will be minus something degrees and probably windy as well, you will be cold...at least until the lights come out, then you forget about it for some reason.

Good Luck!



Also be prepared for bad weather delays

 

[get me outta here]

I stayed at Clarion Hotel With. It's just a short walk along the foreshore once getting off the ship. Get off the ship, turn right and walk for a few minutes. Induded breakfast and a light dinner and free wifi.

We have booked 4 days in Tromso over next new year (29th to the 2nd) as part of a RTW J Award (still in progress). Hotel reservations for Clarion Hotel The Edge if anyone has any feedback or opinion to share.
We are thinking to book a personal guide to minimize the chances of not seeing anything, worth it ?
Can't wait.

C

 

[Prof Henry]

This link is useful too – https://www.churchillscience.ca/about/northern-lights.cfm. Not really my original discovery - found it by following drron's earlier link. More great photos and scientific information for non-scientists from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.

 

[trader10]

Just came back from the Norwegian Hurtigruten ferry Bergen- Kirkines. As pointed out there is a Northern lights app you can download. So just have to decide where you would like to go other than the Northern Lights I.e Norway, Canada etc. I would definitely give the SnowHotel in Kirkines a miss. Save the $ and stay somewhere else. IMO totally over rated. The Clarion chain are a bit more upmarket than Radisson. Blu, Scandic or Thon. Most of the Norwegian cities have at least 3 of these hotels.
Daughter went to Rejavik , however if taking the wife /partner I would go to Norway or Canada .

 

[Justinf]

Heading to Fairbanks in four weeks and hoping like hell I get to see the lights.

 

[Boris spatsky]

Was in anchorage just before xmas and there were plenty of people going out around midnight on tours to see the lights. I missed them.

 

[Scr77]

Heading to Fairbanks in four weeks and hoping like hell I get to see the lights.

Enjoy. I can recommend Just Short Of Magic for dog sledding.

 

[RB]

Heading to Fairbanks in four weeks and hoping like hell I get to see the lights.

We enjoyed the model railroad at the train station and thought the Uni of Alaska Museum was worth the effort to get to

 

[Justinf]

Enjoy. I can recommend Just Short Of Magic for dog sledding.

We are doing dog sledding and the reindeer walk, but I'm not sure who we are doing the sledding with. My sister booked it.

 

[amaroo]

We are thinking to book a personal guide to minimize the chances

worth it ?

We booked a private guide with photography benefits - worth every coin IMO!

 

[drron]

A fellow on a plane JFK-KEF caught the aurora a few days ago-
Stunning Footage of the Northern Lights Captured at 35,000 Feet on a Flight From New York to Reykjavík

But in the search was another flying NRT-ORD-
[video=youtube_share;eV8Xo_wR2Po]https://youtu.be/eV8Xo_wR2Po[/video]

Then another SFO-CDG-
Northern Lights from a plane going to Paris from San Francisco | Daily Mail Online

 

[amaroo]

Earlier today I was answering another AFF members's question and came across this .... thought it might be useful.

I received this when booking our northern light tour. I'm not a photographer - so have no idea if it's good advice. We didn't bother using the checklist as our guide took care of all the photos.

NORTHERN LIGHTS PHOTO CHECKLIST

Focus your lens at infinity during the day time and mark an area on your lens with a pen so you know exactly where to turn it in the dark.
Find your settings home, or in the warm car on the way to the spot. Often to cold to do this outside.

Aperture as low as possible.
Shutter as low as possible.
ISO as low as possible but still get good pictures. Normally 800-2500 ISO is best.
Use timer.
Turn off timer sound.
Lens on infinity.
Shoot in RAW format, if possible.
Set LCD Brightness to low.
Remove the filter from your lens, or you will end up with an undesirable aberration on all your images.
White balance best to set to appr. 3000-4000 Kelvin.
Have at least 2 batteries, and recommended 2 flash cards. Change often and keep in warm place.
Use a tall but sturdy tripod.
Use your lens hood to protect against frost/condensation on your lens.
Put black tape over your red processing light under the wheel.
Have some references like mountains, ocean, building, lakes etc.
Have a nice foreground, not only the sky. Be creative.
Most important is, not forget to enjoy the lights also! Balance taking pictures and enjoying it.

 

[rainbowgirl]

I like the last part. "Most important is, not forget to enjoy the lights also! Balance taking pictures and enjoying it."

Sometimes I don't take photos of things or just take one or two and then spend the rest of the time looking and feeling and appreciating what I have and what I can see.