Do you know the best places to see the Northern Lights? While everyone is familiar with Norway and Iceland, there's plenty of other dreamy destinations around the world where you can see these mesmerising light shows.
So pack your bags, take your favourite travel pillow, your camera and book your flights and start exploring the best Northern Light experiences.
5. Yellowknife, Canada
Known as the “Aurora Capital of North America”, Yellowknife, Canada offers visitor to this region a 95% chance of viewing the Northern Lights during Aurora season.
This is due to Canada containing a majority of the Aurora Oval, which is the area of North America with the strongest geomagnetic energy.
This area is known for having the most vibrant and most active viewings of the Northern Lights. While the Northern Lights are a highlight of visiting Yellowknife, there are also plenty of other activities to keep you busy in between sightings, such as ice fishing, cross-country skiing and dog sledding.
4. Fairbanks, Alaska
During Aurora Borealis season, which lasts from August 21 to April 21, Fairbanks, Alaska offers the highest likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights.
This is because it is located in the center of the Aurora Oval, and the average of seeing the lights is four out of every five clear nights.
Fairbanks offers lots of other activities to explore during the day. Families could pan for gold or go snowmobiling, and if you are there at the right time, you can also travel to the actual Santa Claus House in the real city of North Pole!
3. Lapland, Finland
Almost anywhere you go in Finland is great for viewing the Northern Lights, as they are able to be seen nearly every other night between September and March each year.
You will need to escape the city lights in order to have the best viewing of the lights, which makes Lapland a great location.
Since the temperatures can drop very low this time of year, consider checking out the unique experience of renting a room at a glass igloo hotel. These are rooms that are made entirely from glass so that you can enjoy the show from the comfort of your own bed!
2. Tromso, Norway
Norway is an ideal place to see the Northern Lights as it is rich in natural wonders and is fairly easy to get there and travel around the country.
Just an easy flight from most major cities in Europe, once you arrive in Norway you will be greeted by the unique Norwegian culture, from the fishing villages and fjords to the whales and reindeer.
The Northern Lights are best seen from October to March, and can be seen from a variety of locations around the country. Choose your favourite location and settle in for an amazing experience!
1. Kola Peninsula, Russia
The Kola Peninsula is in the north-west part of Russia, extremely close to the border with Finland. It is very easily accessible from Moscow or St. Petersburg by train, making it an ideal escape from the busy city to view the Northern Lights.
It lies in the Arctic Circle, where the Northern Lights are best seen from September to March, with December and January being the most ideal months during that time. You can take an Aurora tour, or check out some skiing or dog sledding in your extra time exploring this region.
How To Capture The Northern Lights?
You need three factors to see Aurora Borealis which includes, darkness (partly), clear sky and high Aurora activity. You'll also need lots of luck and plenty of time.
You probably won't see any auroras during the summer time, so the best season to see the Northern Lights is from September to March.
You'll want to pay close attention to the various local aurora forecast websites in your chosen area. Iceland offers a great resource here.
While your naked eye can see the Northern Lights, most cameras cannot. Therefore you need the best camera equipment for capturing them.
You will need a camera that has manual mode functionality, probably a full frame DSLR.
You'll also want a wide angle lens with fast aperture (f2.8 or max. f4).
You'll want a high quality tripod to keep the camera still. You'll also want a spare battery as the cold makes your normal battery life much shorter.
The Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR is a good camera to consider.
Also checkout the Canon EOS 5D CMOS Digital SLR Camera as well.
Related: Travel Packing Cubes
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