Northern Lights Holiday Ideas…
ClareThe Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, are one of the Earth’s most mesmerising phenomenon. With winter now upon us we are giving you our suggestions to make the most of this magical wonder and experience them for yourself.
ICEHOTEL, SWEDEN
We have operated the specialist website IceHotels.co.uk for nearly ten years and know this amazing, unique hotel inside out. We have some special packages that include a wonderful Northern Lights by snowmobile excursion, as well as a husky trip where you learn to mush the sleigh yourselves. We also upgrade our clients to the special Art Suite. Prices start from around £1,199 per person with flights, one night on ice, three nights warm accommodation, transfers, breakfast daily and two special excursions. You can visit all-year-round now with the special Ice Hotel 365, but the main winter season is from mid-December to March. icehotels.co.uk
TREE HOTEL, SWEDEN
Another unique hotel in Sweden is the Tree Hotel. Each tree house room is completely different. Our favourite is the UFO (like something out of the 80’s film ‘Flight of the Navigator’). The surroundings are picturesque, and Britta’s Guest House is a themed home celebrating the 1930-50’s, where you take meals, and certainly adds a unique, quirky element to your stay. Activities include snowmobiling, ice fishing and more. Three-night packages from £1,445pp. The Tree Hotel and Ice Hotel can be easily combined to make a twin-centre holiday, with a lovely train journey between the two hotels.
LAND OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR
Follow in Joanna Lumley’s footsteps on this special independent tour. This touring holiday using local transport begins in Trondheim, Norway’s former ancient capital. You then travel by rail across the Arctic Circle to the pretty little port of Bodø. Embark on a short flight to the great Vestfjord and the magical Lofted Islands. Continue on an overnight mini-cruise to the Arctic capital itself, Tromsø. Eight days costs from £1,985pp.
ICELAND
One the best value for money places to see the Northern Lights is Iceland. A three-night break to Reykjavik with flights and accommodation starts from £695pp. You can then pick and choose various excursions to add on – our top tip would be the Super Jeep Northern Lights trip.
HURTIGRUTEN COASTAL CRUISES, NORWAY
Cruising along the Norwegian Coast is a great way to see the beautiful fjords and of course the Northern Lights. A popular option is an eight-day tour from the south of the Norwegian coast to the north. It offers great value for money with flight inclusive packages starting from £995 per person. This even includes a night staying at the Snow Hotel in Kirkenes too!
ABISKO SKY STATION, SWEDEN
Voted by National Geographic as the best place in the world to see the lights, The Aurora Sky Station at Abisko is a mountain top viewing lodge. Accessed by a chairlift, we arrange for our clients to have a traditional dinner earlier in the evening before the rest of the visitors arrive. This intimate experience adds something special to the night. You can stay at the station until 1am to ensure you get a lot of opportunities to see the lights. We often combine this with a stay at the Ice Hotel which is in the same area.
TROMSO, NORWAY
At a latitude of nearly 70 degrees north, Tromsø is the largest city in the Nordic countries north of the Arctic Circle. Surrounded by the Lyngen Alps, vast forests, blue fjords and an archipelago of hundreds of islands, this lively university city has much to offer the visitor whether summer or winter. The winter months, with its moderate arctic climate of c. -4°C, brings the natural phenomena of the Polar Nights (November 21 and January 21) and Northern Lights (September to April) as well as a host of activities to suit all interests from dog-sledding, glacial walking, snowmobile safaris and snow shoe excursions. Three-night short breaks with flights and private transfers cost from £529 per person.
ADULTS-ONLY FINLAND LUXURY LODGES
This newly transformed adults-only wilderness hotel is just a total haven of peace and quiet and is tucked in the most incredible lakeside location in the depths of the wild. It is small scale and just oozes comfort and charm with its high-end décor and stunning log-built construction. The hotel’s proximity to Lake Inari means that, by night, there is a vast expanse of dark sky above you, ideal for Northern Lights hunting. You will visit the village of Nellim for an incredible day which combines reindeer encounters and dog sledding, you’ll explore the area on snowshoes and will have the chance to try snowmobiling. We have also included two Northern Lights hunts. Three nights from £1,495 per person including flights, transfers, accommodation with full board basis, dog sledding, visiting a reindeer farm, snowshoeing, aurora camp, snowmobiling lesson and aurora snowshoeing, fully qualified guides and instructors during activities, cold weather clothing for the duration of your stay and aurora alert until approximately 1am!
CLARE’S TOP NORTHERN LIGHTS TIPS
1) Think ‘off-season’ – in far-north Scandinavia, the lights start to come out to play as early as the end of August with specific late summer/autumn excursions offered. Some locals near the Ice Hotel in Swedish Lapland say October is, in fact, one of the best times to see them, as well as March when it is quieter and cheaper to visit, even though most expect it to be January and February.
2) Join a photo tour – while modern phones and cameras are great at capturing day to day life, the illusive Northern Lights with their dancing pattern, dark night conditions and cold temperatures can make getting the perfect picture a challenge. Many trips offer a taster photo tour, suitable for all levels of experience.
3) Maximise your opportunities – the lights can be illusive at times, and weather conditions could prevent sightings. Our advice is not to rely on just one opportunity to see them. For example, on the Super Jeep trip in Iceland, if you don’t see them on your first excursion, you can go again the next night for free. A longer trip, travelling around Scandinavia may also be a good idea giving you extra opportunities in different areas.
4) Beyond the lights – there are so many fantastic places to visit and activities to enjoy on these kind of trips, we always manage our clients’ expectations by arranging other experiences to create more and more memories, and then if the worst happens and the lights don’t come out to play for you, it will still be a fantastic trip all round!
5) Don’t cut corners – there are companies out there offering very cheap short trips, or even just one-off flights. In our experience, these can be in large groups and also give you limited opportunities to see the lights. For such a once-in-a-lifetime trip, do you really want to compromise and risk wasting your money? Investing a little more can take it from a mediocre experience to one which will stay with you forever.
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