The Northern Lights are one of the most popular holiday attractions in the world, and with good reason. The Aurora is a magical and mesmerising spectacle seen across the far north and Arctic Circle in the depths of winter in a region perfect for a festive and unforgettable holiday experience.
One of the challenges for guests is often the breadth of choice, with so many potential destinations, holiday durations, accommodation options and packages, which can make it tricky to book with confidence or understand which holidays are best suited to you.
We’ve put together this brief guide to clarify some of the main pointers to look for, from choosing travel dates with the highest possible chance of seeing the Northern Lights to checking whether Aurora tours are included and ensuring you have adequate travel insurance for a wintery adventure.
Picking the Right Travel Dates for Northern Lights Tours
The general advice is that the Northern Lights can be seen in the dark skies in the Aurora Zone for much of the autumn and winter season, outside of the Midnight Sun in the summer, when much of Lapland experiences almost continual daylight—meaning the stars and the Aurora are obscured.
Although the Aurora season begins around late August or the start of September and goes on until roughly mid-April, the ideal times are within the middle of winter, with most guests travelling between November and January when the lights are at their brightest.
If you’re looking to travel over Christmas and New Year, be conscious that this is a peak travel period. It is highly advisable to reserve as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment and to reserve the accommodation and flights you prefer.
Otherwise, you can travel to the Aurora in later winter or even early spring, when the weather is slightly milder and the last of the snow begins to thaw, paving the way for a range of outdoor experiences and activities.
An important point to note is that the lights are best seen in remote areas, so it’s best to book accommodation, packages or tours that include Aurora chases or excursions since a hotel in a city or town won’t provide the views you’re hoping for.
That said, you can opt for a multi-stop package or tour that includes a few days spent in one of the beautiful Lappish cities or charming smaller towns and villages, as well as late-night or overnight stays in the wilderness, where you’ll get an unparalleled view.
Selecting the Ideal Destination for Your Northern Lights Trip
Your next decision is where to go. We provide an array of Northern Lights adventure holidays, relaxing romantic short breaks, and family trips with Aurora hunts included, in destinations from Iceland and Norway, Sweden, Greenland, and Finland, or in less known locations like the wild archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean.
Provided your package includes either a visit or stay within the Aurora Zone, you’ll have the opportunity to see the lights, although you’ll need to venture away from light pollution to get the maximum impact.
It’s also a great idea to think about what you want from the rest of your holiday, which can help you narrow down the options.
The daytime hours provide ample opportunity to experience everything a winter wonderland has to offer, with holidays that include reindeer sleighing and safaris, snowshoeing and dog sledding, or the chance to relax and unwind in a traditional sauna or enjoy the hot springs local to many parts of the Aurora Zone.
Checking for Northern Lights Tour Packages: Inclusions and Exclusions
Next, we’d advise all guests to consider the costs and extras common in Northern Lights wilderness resorts and camps. You’ll find comprehensive details of everything included in all our Aurora Borealis packages, but it’s well worth taking the time to review things like:
- Whether your resort, hotel, or package includes an experienced local guide. The lights are best seen as far from artificial light as possible, and travelling into the countryside, forested regions, or away from the cities means you’ll almost certainly require a guide for safety and navigation.
- The availability of aurora alarms, which provide on-the-ground alerts so you know when there are optimal conditions without cloud cover or weather that could obstruct your view.
- Options to shift your Aurora excursions or trips, which provides the assurance that if the lights sparkling in the earth’s atmosphere are less active on a certain day, you can reschedule to ensure you get the full Northern Lights experience before you head home.
- Thermal and Arctic clothing hire options, whether included in your Northern Lights holiday or available on request. Warm clothing is a must throughout the winter season, and we’d advise against trying to see the lights without appropriate clothes, gloves, hats and footwear!
Once you’ve checked exactly what you will and won’t need, it’ll be far easier to pack and plan or book any activities or excursions you’re keen to add without leaving anything to chance, facing unexpected extra costs, or discovering that activities you’d been excited about have already been fully booked.
Organising Travel Insurance and Coverage Before a Northern Lights Holiday
While insurance and financial protection aren’t the most exciting aspects of booking a holiday to the frozen north, they’re also important. All Northern Lights packages from the Baltic Travel Company provide a complete list of inclusions with ATOL or ABTOT protection and details about the excursions and optional extras you can add.
It’s also essential to verify whether you have any additional costs to cover, such as visas and taxes. Again, these details are confirmed at the bottom of each package, which ensures you can plan in advance and will know if there are localised fees you’ll need to include within your budget.
Most travel insurance providers will need to know if you’re expecting to participate in winter sports like snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, or husky sledding, so it’s wise to notify them before you travel or when purchasing a standalone travel coverage policy.
We’re always on hand if you’d like more information about the activities available in each destination that you may need to be covered for or to ensure that your travel insurance and the financial protection we offer as standard cover your requirements.
Otherwise, we ensure that every guest has every detail taken care of well before they travel and can add or customise the winter activities within your itinerary on request, adapting your Northern Lights experience to your specifications.
Simply let us know what your perfect holiday looks like and what it includes, and our talented travel consultants will do the rest!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 at 11:35 am; on the subject of Northern Lights.