Aurora is an optical phenomenon characterized by bands of light of many different shapes, moving and changing continuously like silk bands in the sky. Aurora occurring in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is called aurora borealis, or northern lights.
1. Abisko, Northern Sweden
In Sweden, if you want to “hunt” for the Northern Lights, the best place to go is Abisko National Park in Northern Sweden. It takes about 20 minutes to take the cable car to the Aurora Skytrain Station – the highest mountain in the region. This is also an opportunity to explore the ice hotel built and accumulated from snow for many years.
2. Tromsø, Norway
Tromsø is known as the gateway to the Arctic. During the winter, there is almost no daylight in Tromsø, with 24 hours of darkness from late November to mid-January. During this time, Tromsø hosts an aurora festival, which attracts visitors from all over the world to see the lights.
3. Lake Laberge, Yukon Territory, Canada
Lake Laberge is located in northern Canada. Wooden huts are often rented on the edge of the frozen lake so visitors can watch the Northern Lights and their reflections on the ice. A 40-minute drive away, the city of Whitehorse is a good place to relax in hot tubs and visit museums before returning to watch the Northern Lights after dark.
4. Rovaniemi, Finland
Located north of the capital and gateway to Lapland, Rovaniemi boasts around 200 aurora nights. There are trains and buses to Rovaniemi from Oulu and Helsinki, taking around 10-12 hours to travel.
5. North Iceland
Reykjavik, located in the north of Iceland, is an ideal destination because it is located between two continents and has excellent infrastructure for viewing the Northern Lights. Here, visitors can also see the midnight sun in summer and the bright moon in winter.
6. Fairbanks, Alaska
The aurora borealis in Alaska is at its brightest and most spectacular between December and March, when the nights are longest and the skies are darkest. Try to stand atop Ester Dome, a local hill, for uninterrupted views. The aurora borealis can also be seen in the summer in Fairbanks, but is rare.
Don't forget to lie on the snow and look up at the sky like the Alaskans do.
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