Where else to see the Northern Lights
NORWAY
Where else to see the Northern Lights
ABISKO , SWEDEN Light shows are likely in Abisko National Park in the snowy wilds of Swedish Lapland . Right in the center of the aurora oval , Abisko often ranks at the top in polls of the world ’ s best places to see the Northern Lights , and with good reason — it ’ s said that if you visit for three days , statistically you have an 88 percent chance of spotting them if conditions are clear . To up your chances further still , take the chairlift up to the Aurora Sky Station at Mount Njulla .
JÖKULSÁRLÓN LAGOON , ICELAND The lights regularly flash in night skies in Iceland . While you can admire the aurora just outside of Reykjavik , for a more dramatic backdrop , clearer skies and less light pollution , take the Golden Circle route along the rugged south coast . Here , the Northern Lights illuminate lava fields , black-sand beaches and the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon , where the aurora is mirrored in crystal waters between calving icebergs .
SAARISELKÄ , FINLAND With its frozen fells , tundra , thick blanket of forest , reindeer-drawn sleigh rides and hefty winter dump of snow , Finnish Lapland is the stuff of childhood winter dreams . And the odds of seeing the lights here are terrific . Stray north of Santa ’ s HQ in Rovaniemi to wilder reaches like Saariselkä on the fringes of remote Urho Kekkonen National Park , almost 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle . Here , you might glimpse the aurora while skiing , snowshoeing , dog sledding or tucked up in bed in a glass-roofed cabin in the Northern Lights Village .
LOFOTEN ISLANDS , NORWAY Sprinkled across the icy Norwegian Sea , these ravishing Arctic islands really hit the winter wonderland sweet spot . Cue snowpolished granite mountains leaping above sapphire waters like something from a Tolkien fantasy , rustic red timber rorbuer ( cabins ) recalling a rich fishing heritage , and the aurora swirling from late August to mid-April . Make for Svolvær on the island of Austvågøya for dark skies and guided Northern Lights photography tours .
Clockwise from top left : Icebergs on the Jökulsárlón glacial lake volcanic beach , Iceland ; buildings on stilts by the sea in Lofoten , Norway ; cross-country skiing in Abisko , Sweden ; a polar bear feeding on blubber from submerged remains of a dead fin whale
WINTER 2023 • 43