Unparalleled Beauty: Exploring the Northern Lights from Tromsø, Norway
Norway is a beautiful country and though I looked forward to exploring the country, seeing the Northern Lights was a highlight of trip. The recap of this incredible experience is a part of the larger Nordic Expedition. For more on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: Delta Comfort+, CHS-JFK
Flight: Norse Airways Economy, JFK-OSL
Flight: Norwegian Economy, OSL-BGO
Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret, Bergen, Norway
Hotel: Comfort Karl Johan, Oslo, Norway
A Whale of a Meal, Tromsø, Norway Restaurants
Seeing the Northern Lights (This Article)
Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora, Tromsø, Norway
Hotel: Clarion Collection Hotel With, Tromsø, Norway
Flight: Norse Atlantic Airways Economy: OSL-JFK
Flight: Delta Economy, LGA-CHS
Where to See the Northern Lights:
The Northern Lights can conceivably be seen from the continental US or the majority of Europe. That being said, due to light pollution and interference from cities, you generally have to go to far north to see them. The most popular destinations are Norway, Finland, Iceland, Northern Canada, and Alaska, though a dark sky park in the US could be a good alternative. As this trip was based in Norway, I opted to visit Tromsø, the largest city North of the Arctic Circle in the country.
You can see the Northern Lights for most of the year (excluding the summer when the sun does not set), but the peak seasons are the late fall and winter. Many advise attempting to visit in September or October before it gets too cold! While I did see the Northern Lights in the city of Tromsø, the best way to see them is generally by taking a tour or driving into the deserted night away from the city.
Options to Book:
As you might have guessed, this is a major source of tourism and there are trips catered to every type of Northern Lights seeker. Want to take a luxury cruise with a 3-course meal? That can be arranged! Want to camp outside overnight in a luxury tent? That’s a possibility as well! I opted for the trip with the best likelihood of seeing the lights even if the overall experience was not as luxurious: a minibus tour.
I searched through Viator until I found the minibus tour I was looking for. Some companies take you to a specific spot regardless of the weather. However, this one was clear that the driver would keep going as far as needed, even if that meant heading into Finland!
Prices range from $100 or thereabouts for tours such as this one to $500 for an experience spending the night in a luxury tent with meal service.
Booking:
Card Used:
I used my Capital One Venture X to earn 2x miles on the purchase. I eschewed earning 3x on the Chase Sapphire Reserve as I was using that card frequently for dining purchases on the trip.
Rakuten:
Our 16-person group, posing in front of the Northern Lights! Photo by: Evan Berman
As usual, I went through a shopping portal to maximize rewards earned. This time, I used Rakuten and earned 4x AmEx Membership Rewards Points on the purchase.
As a reminder, Viator is a 3rd party booking company, so you are not booking directly with the operator. I’ve not had any issues but it is possible that you may.
Price: $105.90, though there are many different prices depending on what you are looking for.
Points Earned: 211 Capital One Miles (2x Points Earned on Capital One Venture X Card) and 424 AmEx Membership Rewards Points (from 4x Rakuten portal)
The Experience:
Pickup:
We were advised to meet at the pickup location at 6pm. After a few minutes of standing around, the bus arrived and we were picked up at 6:08pm. Our host introduced himself and started reading off names of those on the list. After we all introduced ourselves, we boarded the bus and prepared to take off. As mentioned in the recap of the restaurants in Tromsø, there was some excitement with two Chinese girls trying to join the tour, despite not booking this excursion. I enjoyed the indignant response when told tey would have to leave– without any empty seats, it was unlikely they would be allowed to join!
We left at 6:20pm with the warning that we may need to head towards Skibotn, a 1.5-2 hour drive due to the cloudy weather in and around Tromsø. That ended up being the case. We stopped for gas about 45 minutes later then stopped near Lula mountain which is only 20 minutes from the border. Unfortunately, the sky was still too cloudy to see anything. After a few minutes of standing around, we boarded the van again and headed onwards towards the aforementioned Skibotn. After nearly 30 more minutes of driving, we pulled over to another lot near Skibotn.
The Beauty and The Tasty:
Once again, this was a very cloudy night so we were very excited when it was briefly possible to see the Northern Lights!
The majesty of the Northern Lights over the van was not diminished by the clouds. Photo by: Evan Berman
We first saw the lights in a southward direction away from the van, before looking back over the van to see a beautiful sky composed of clouds with a bright green mix from the Northern Lights! As part of the tour, we each had the opportunity to get photos taken with a professional camera. As I was by myself, this was straightforward, but those who came with a group had the option to have group photos and solo ones as well.
We ended up spending nearly an hour marveling at the beauty of the nature outside. As this was Norway in December, you may be surprised to learn it was a bit chilly! I was glad to have brought my warm wool jacket on top of 3 layers, including a warm sweater. Many of the others on the trip were hopping up and down due to the weather, so if you attend, be prepared and dress accordingly!
A nice warm treat after standing out in the cold! Photo by: Evan Berman
After taking a while to enjoy the beauty of nature, we were invited to eat a traditional Norwegian cake, with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Our guide built a small fire and we gathered around to keep warm and chat. This was enjoyable as it was an opportunity to learn about each other’s background and hear stories from our guide about trips past. For example, one such trip an Indian billionaire offered a blank check in return for a tour, despite warnings of the inclement weather. His offer of $10,000 was later rejected due to the storms and risk of injury when driving in such weather!
The Return:
At 9:35pm, we began our return to Tromsø. As you might expect, rural Norway is quite dark at night. The trip took roughly 3 hours and was great for napping! Snow began to fall outside as we returned, adding to the ideal sleep conditions. 😉
When returning to Tromsø, we were dropped off at our respective hotels. I was first, being dropped at 12:40am. Before we departed, the guide instructed us on how to access the photos that he took and how to communicate with any future questions. This was done by sending a message either via WhatsApp or Messenger with the name, date of tour, and email. He noted that outlook.com emails were not working. Finally, any other information could be found on the company’s website, amazingarctic.com.
Summary:
When in Norway, one of the best activities is to head outside and see the Northern Lights. I chose the option that guaranteed driving wherever the weather allowed, rather than a fixed location and was vindicated when it was cloudy outside at night. I highly recommend everyone marvel at the beauty of the Northern Lights at least once in their lives and am certainly glad that I was successful in my quest to do so! Next up, the reviews of my 2 Tromsø hotels and some tasty meals in Tromsø!
Yay! New post!!! Smart to choose tour that was flexible to ensure best result.
Frank and I have used Viator with great success.