Awesome Northern Lights Vacations All Over the World

To experience the mesmerizing colors of the Aurora Borealis is the dream of every traveler. It is a bold claim that Northern Norway is the best place to fulfill this very dream. Other than Norway, other places flaunting this beauty are various Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Greenland,andAlaska.

These magnificent Auroral displays occur in many colors, pale green and pink being the most common. There are many shades of red, green, yellow and blue emitting in the night sky around the poles. The light appears in many forms from scattered clouds of light to shimmering arcs and sometimes even shooting rays that light up the sky with a stunning glow.

What causes the Northern Lights?

The understanding of Northern Lights is no rocket science. It is a simple process that occurs when our planet earth revolves around the sun, there is a small fraction of solar wind that is intercepted by our planet.  Almost 98% of these solar particles are deflected by the earth’s magnetic field and are drifted downside towards the Northpole and the South pole.
The excitation of these atoms is caused when they hit the molecules present in the earth’s atmosphere. This collision creates many glowing rings of auroral nature around, known as auroral ovals. The distinctive color of light appears during the disintegration of these particles to their original state.

Best destinations to experience the Northern Lights

Experiencing the Northern Lights is a spiritually uplifting experience. Every form is different, displaying a multicolored shifting dance of nocturnal rainbows. This  ethereal sight can be witnessed from some of the most beautiful Scandinavian countries. To see the celestial moves in the night sky one has to travel north towards the Arctic.

 

Listed below are some of the top-notchdestinations-

Sweden

The best-guaranteedexperience of the Northern lights is in Sweden. NorthernSweden is situated in a weather shadow surrounded by a mountain range providingan 80% chance of witnessing the auroral lights. The famous AbiskaNational Park situated in Swedish Lapland delivers the best experience of the Northern lights.

The stupendous mountain range prevents the orographic rains and keeps the sky almost clear and pollution free. It is no wonder that Lonely planet announced the Abiska, world’s most illuminating experiences in the world.

Iceland

Being a native to Iceland has its own privileges. They are, without a doubt, most privileged ones. Northern lights here are clearly visible for eight months a year, starting from September to the end of April.

On the contrary,it is just a matter of luck to see any such aurora activity as it depends on the local weather conditions and solar activity. Iceland, therefore, is an optimal destination in order to tick seeing the Northern Lights off of your bucket list.

Canada

Canada boastssimilar experiences as Iceland since it faces longhours of darkness in winter. However, the dense cloud cover prevalent in these areas decreases the chances of aurora activity. Places like Whitehorse, Yukon in Canada is illuminated by the northern lights as a shimmering cosmic dance across the night lit sky.

Yukon is no doubt the top-notchdestinations for travelers seeking spiritual upliftment in this natural wonder of nature. There are many prime lodging options in Yukon flauntingserene viewing locations at all times.


Source- https://pixabay.com/en/skywatch-couple-love-motorcycle-3384730/

Iqaluit, Nunavut is another superb destination for blending into the cultural perspectives and witnessing northern lights. This epic destination exhibits a unique life to this region.

Athabasca Country, Alberta

Want to get a glimpse of glory? Northern Alberta is the place for you. Alberta is home to Athabasca University’s Geophysical Observatory.

It is amongst the many stations in the whole of North America studying the detailed aspects of Northern Lights.

Norway

One of the most fantabulous sights of Northern lights in the world is in Norway. Here the lights only appear at high latitudes from September to March, where the lucky stargazerscan get an opportunity to experiencethe emerald green sky to the scarlet violet sky. Various companies, like Nordic Experience and Sunvil,organize amazing activities such as the Northern Lights and dogsledding.

Alaska

If you are a resident of America, you are the luckiest as there is no need tohead toEurope to experience the Northern lights. You can actually experience it without leaving the United States.It is the inland Alaskan Arctic where skies are crystal clear and thus provides one of the best spotsto witness the Northern lights and enjoy the natural cosmic light show. Northern America is the most convenient place where Americans head for their chances to see the aurora borealis.

The Northern Lights near Coldfoot is a place in Alaska and is home to the rustic Coldfoot Camp in the Brooks Mountain range. It is the prime Northern Lights observing location in the Alaskan Arctic.


Source- https://pixabay.com/en/aurora-borealis-alaska-space-1181004/

 

Northern Lights near Barrow

This beautiful town is located on the extreme  northern edge of Alaska which organizes tours and outdoor adventures connected to the native culture providing a vast open area to drown in the feel of Northern lights.

Why do we see the blend of different colors?

The most common color observed in Northern Lights is green. It is due to the collision of the solar wind with millions of oxygen atoms which, when decay fall back to the original state, while emitting the green hue in the night sky.The reason for the red color seen in the northern lights is also caused by oxygen atoms.

The red color is always present, the reason for its intermittent appearance is that the human eyes are five times less sensitive to red light than green. The beautiful swirl of purple tinge is due tothe fact that the earth’s atmosphere is made up of nitrogen.


Source- https://pixabay.com/en/northern-lights-aurora-borealis-984120/Myths associated with Northern Lights

Conclusion

To witness the real beauty of our planet, we need to travel often and experience the richness of diversity in terms of culture, ecology, food and the natural events that occur on this planet.

Author’s Bio:

Yogi and Suchna believe in taking the road less travelled and stumbling upon some hidden gems along the way! For over a decade, they’ve mapped their way across various continents, sniffed out unusual routes, discovered new flavours and stayed at quirky hostels. TheVillaEscape is their expression of soul travel. To check Iceland Trip From Indiayou can catch up with them at TheVillaEscape.

 

 

16 thoughts on “Awesome Northern Lights Vacations All Over the World

  1. Thank your very much for such an informative post with list of places where Northern Lights can be seen. I must admit that I have added ‘Watching Northern Lights’ as one of the must do things in my life.

  2. Northern Lights have always fascinated me and to witness them in person is my life long dream. Your post is very informative. I didn’t know what causes them and why they are in different colours. Thanks for listing down the places to experience this heavenly phenomenon. We’re planning our trip to Iceland and hopefully I’ll get to see the colourful play of Aurora Borealis.

  3. I would love to see the northern lights and it is good to know there are so many options. I didn’t realise Sweden was the best place and should definitely make this a priority. It looks amazing

  4. Ohh how I would absolutely love to see the Northern Lights one day – it looks stunning and just so mesmerising. I never knew the science really behind it, but the way you have explained it makes sense. I totally would like to learn how to take good night time photos so that I can plan a trip to see the Northern Lights one day!

  5. Ohhh watching Northern lights has always been on my long long bucket list! Although I grew up in Sweden I never got the chance to go to Norrland! Perhaps this summer, but if not perhaps in Alaska! Thats another thing on my bucket list. Imagine to see Northern lights in Alaska….the thought gives goosebumps!

  6. I hope to see the Northern Lights some day! Probably I would go for the the best experience and opt for the the Abiska National Park – the world’s most illuminating experiences.

    And I agree with you. More we travel, more we witness and appreciate the beauty of the World.

  7. Who doesn’t want to see Northern lights at least once in their lifetime. Scandinavia is a suitable region for the same, as you have mentioned. I had no idea about what causes Northern light. I had heard of auroral ovals for the first time. This is a very informative post.

  8. Northern Lights are truly awesome and it is on my wish list since long. There are so many options to watch for nature’s disco lights and for this, I would opt for Norway. Very informative post on Auroras and how they are created as before reading this, I was not knowing the whole science.

  9. I’ve been living in Canada for the past 5 years and have never seen northern lights! There are many northern lights tours that go to Yukon but they are quite expensive even when traveling within Canada. One of these days, I might take a trip to Sweden for the best result!

  10. I have long been dreaming to experience Northern Lights, since I was in Grade school. I never thought that this really exists until I my friend saw it with her naked eyes during her visit in Norway 2 years ago. Truly, this is a rare scenery that everyone wish to experience. I love that you have elucidated it very well about the existence of Northern Lights. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

  11. I am supposed to visit Iceland in October this year to experience the Northern Lights! The worry is that it’s in unpredictable occurrence and a few people I know haven’t been lucky and that is why I plan a 10-day trip, hoping that I will get lucky on at least one of the days. Otherwise, like you said, there are several other places where you can experience this phenomenon, Alaska and Sweden would be my next choices.

  12. Northern Lights is a visual delight. To be able to see it in person is a dream come true. I guess, only Norway promotes its tourism with northern lights. I’m gonna look into the Swedish options too see the Aurora. Thanks for explaining the science behind it as well.

  13. I love photos of Northern Lights everytime I see it. As a travekler and a photographer, it is my dream to capture this beauty on my camera. Your blog sparked my wanderlust and I want to visit these places more than ever

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