Northern Lights in October? Where to go?

Guru

Guru

Guru

Soldato
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8 Jun 2005
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Hi all,

It's my 40th in October and one thing I've always wanted to do is see the Northern Lights...

I've booked holiday off work at the middle of October with the intention of trying to go somewhere I can see the northern lights.

Has anyone done this before? What's a good way to do it? I'm considering just the Mrs and I, but maybe take our three kids too if it's not prohibitively expensive.

Where is the best place to go and is October even a viable time to potentially see this phenomenon?

Cheers,

G
 
there are several prediction sites on the net, but unless you go way up into the Arctic circle nothing is guaranteed ~ bear that in mind when you look at any cruise/flight deals related to the aurora. sun's in a period of minimal activity at the mo.
 
Tromso, Norway.

I saw the northern lights by chance a few years ago, I was lucky as the sun's activity must have been at a high. It was far more spectacular than photos and videos led me to believe it would be, altought I understand a mild display can be a bit of a disappointment.
 
I second Tromso, saw them there in feb 2016, it wasn’t the strongest of displays but still lovely to look at.

I didn’t see them in Iceland as the weather was bad.
 
They've been seen quite far south, I remember my mum saying she saw them as a kid in Middlesbrough though that's not quite the same as seeing them in the Arctic Circle. Northern Norway is where I'd go to see them.
 
They’re viewable here 2-3 times a year, I’ve got an app that warns me if they’re likely and it seems fairly reliable. Biggest issue is being somewhere dark enough though with the amount of light pollution here.
 
ElliorR said:
They've been seen quite far south, I remember my mum saying she saw them as a kid in Middlesbrough though that's not quite the same as seeing them in the Arctic Circle. Northern Norway is where I'd go to see them.
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I've seen them once quite faintly in the south of the UK and once a little more distinctly while on holiday in Scotland but it doesn't compare to a good display in Iceland.
 
I go to Iceland once a year at various times of the year (half my family is there) and saw them 'properly' for the first time late sept last year. You need to get lucky with clear skies and get yourself out of Reykjavik I imagine (I have family all over so was in the middle of nowhere at the time I saw them) but they're quite something to see when they're in full swing.
 
I get that it's not guarenteed, so I kind of want to go somewhere where there is other cool stuff to do, but at the same time I don't want a lot of light pollution.
 
Iceland's probably a better bet than Norway in that case. There's more to do that's accessible.

We had three nights of them in Iceland a couple of years ago, but two of those nights they were either faint or the weather was too cloudy. We did get to see them on one night, although we were in a town then, and they're quite spectacular.
 
Guru said:
I get that it's not guarenteed, so I kind of want to go somewhere where there is other cool stuff to do, but at the same time I don't want a lot of light pollution.
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This is the advice you will get from seasoned NL veterans. Go to have a good time and view the lights as a bonus. Iceland is generally your best bet in this regards.
Also from late September to March it is dark after 6pm so will increase your chances.
 
Bringing up an old thread here.

@Guru Did you end up going to Tromso or anywhere for October? I'm planning a trip for later this year and well it's the magic question - did you see anything? :)
 
I’ve been to Iceland and Norway(Tromso). Iceland is a lovely place but it was too cloudy everyday to see the lights.

Saw them 3 times in 5 days in Tromso so i would go there again given the choice.

a truely magical experience. It is expensive though, i think a pint was around £8-10 although a few bars do happy hours which we made good use of. We also did reindeer sledding in the middle of nowhere which was surreal.
On the night where we did a specific northern lights hunt we stopped off on a beach and had a campfire dinner which was amazing but the lights didn’t show that early.


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Bassmansam said:
I’ve been to Iceland and Norway(Tromso). Iceland is a lovely place but it was too cloudy everyday to see the lights.

Saw them 3 times in 5 days in Tromso so i would go there again given the choice.

a truely magical experience. It is expensive though, i think a pint was around £8-10 although a few bars do happy hours which we made good use of. We also did reindeer sledding in the middle of nowhere which was surreal.
On the night where we did a specific northern lights hunt we stopped off on a beach and had a campfire dinner which was amazing but the lights didn’t show that early.


JM1oBhv.jpg

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@Bassmansam, Thanks for your reply - although I can't see your photos.

My primary concern is the weather in October blocking the view (I appreciate its a risky whenever you go). I imagine there will be no snow in October, so it's likely we would do some walking, Fjords, even self driving if needed :)

Thanks for the heads up, I've done some work in Finland and Sweden they were pricey enough! I imagine to allow for at least 2 nights of tours so drinking won't be that important :)

Lets just ignore the big coronavirus question on if I could travel anyhow :)
 
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