Things We Learned Searching For Northern Lights

What We Learned Searching For Northern Lights

There were many things we learned searching for Northern Lights. We did a lot of reading and preparation but we were still a bit surprised on our cruise with in Norway for Northern Lights with Viking Cruises. Our learnings on this first encounter prepared us for Northern Lights when we visited the Yukon in Canada.

The winter weather was unpredictable and the Northern Lights forecasts were not always reliable. The longer the trip, the greater the opportunity to get the light show we wanted. When we picked tours and excursions for Northern Lights, we learned to ensure there were other winter adventures we wanted if the Northern Lights did not show. And while we got mostly green Northern Lights, we were totally enthralled with the beauty and art of the light shows. So many learnings when we travelled and found Northern Lights.

Weather Was Unpredictable

Much like on our cruise to Antarctica, when we cruised in Norway for Northern Lights it was not as cold as we planned for. Average temperatures in January in Alta and Tromso in Norway were between -4°C and -10°C (13°F to 25°F). And we expected lots of snow. In fact we found that all of our stops in Norway in January were much warmer than at home in Toronto. But we were still glad we prepared with lots of cold weather clothes. And we used our winter boots with great treads for snow and icy conditions.

But if we found Norway warmer than expected, on our visit to the Yukon in Canada we visited during an extreme cold spell. We packed for cold weather but the cold temperatures still limited our time outdoors. The temperatures when we visited went down to below -42°C (-44°F) and with brisk winds it felt as low as -54°C (-69°F).

We hoped for clear skies on our Northern Lights trips. Even if the Northern Lights appeared, cloudy skies meant we missed them. We were lucky that on most nights when we cruised in Norway for Northern Lights, we had periods during the night when the skies cleared up and we got some great sights. On our night tour in Tromso, our tour leader drove us 3 hours south and found clear skies! And on many nights we saw Northern Lights right from the ship! On our visit to the Yukon, we were surprised we got great views of Northern Lights when we got up early in the morning.

The other weather issue for winter cruising in Norway was the rough winter storms in the North Atlantic. The cruise before us suffered damaging winds and waves that derailed their entire cruise. The change in itinerary our captain made early in the cruise avoided a storm heading for Northern Norway. And we got the most amazing calm seas for most of our 12 days at sea. This was certainly not expected. But we were still glad we packed anti-nausea medicines and seasickness bands.

We learned searching for Northern Lights that preparing for cold weather was important.

We Learned Searching For Northern Lights That Forecasts Were Unreliable

Several different sources helped us look at the potential for Northern Lights. The “Norway Lights” App provided a 2 day forecast for Northern Lights for different spots around Norway. The “Aurora” App was a more generic tool that allowed us to enter the specific location we wanted to look at for Northern Lights. This provided a real time view of where the lights were. And a bit of a forward looking view on expected intensity. 

Despite using the different apps, we were often surprised we saw lights when we did not expect them. And that no lights appeared when the apps suggested they might.  

We learned searching for Northern Lights that we could only expect a “forecast” to be right some of the time.

Plan For A Longer Trip

When we cruised to Antarctica, we planned a longer trip than most Antarctica cruises to maximize the chances for good weather for sights and excursions. This strategy worked perfectly. We had a lot of flexibility in our cruise plan and enjoyed every one of the 17 days we were south of the Antarctic Circle. 

In early research on travel for Northern Lights, we found resort stays for 3 days. We worried that might not give us enough opportunities for lights so we wanted to book 7 days. When we planned our cruise for Northern Lights, we chose a 12 day trip for our Viking cruise and were glad we planned this longer trip.  

When we visited the Yukon in Canada, we booked 3 days at a resort out of town and added another 3 days in the city of Whitehorse. We hoped for open vistas at the resort and knew there were additional Northern Lights tours offered from Whitehorse. The Northern Lights sighting did not disappoint over our week long visit to the Yukon.

The Northern Lights predictions were never 100% accurate. A prediction of a strong source from the sun, may not reach your geographic area and Mother Nature might ensure the skies were cloudy all day and night! We learned searching for Northern Lights that a short visit was definitely risky if that is the sole purpose of a visit.

Cruising Risks Were Reinforced When Travelling For Northern Lights

We cruised a lot and were aware of many of the risks of cruising. Our Norway cruise for Northern Lights reinforced a few of the big ones.

The Terms and Conditions of all cruise ship tickets clearly stated that itinerary changes were made based on a number of factors, generally without penalty to the cruise line. The cruise directly before our trip hit bad weather which caused some ship issues and the need to sit in an unplanned port in Southern Norway for 4 days. They lost all Northern ports and even the re-planned itinerary was changed and they missed one of the fjord ports. Even a 100% cruise credit did not soften the blow of losing what was a bucket list trip to see Northern Lights.

We were uncertain if we would actually board the Viking Vela when it arrived in Bergen. So we were delighted when we boarded and were told our Northern Lights cruise itinerary was unchanged. However, Mother Nature whipped up a storm for Northern Norway and the captain revised our itinerary and removed 2 days at the most Northern port in Alta, Norway. The new itinerary messed with all of our booked excursions. 

Every cruise inherently had risks. And we learned searching for Northern Lights on this cruise that on one trip you might experience more than one cruising risk!

Pick Your Excursions For Northern Lights … And More

Seeing the Northern Lights on excursions planned for a specific location and date was a bit of a crap shoot. While the excursions were often designed to increase the chance of seeing the Northern Lights, it was no guarantee.  

The original Viking cruise excursions we planned offered husky dog experiences, snowmobile fun, an Ice Hotel visit and a dogsled ride. We knew we would have great adventures even if we missed the Northern Lights. Sadly we lost all of these fun experiences when our cruise itinerary was changed.

When we booked our private Northern Lights tour from Tromso, the tour company did its research and moved us to the location with a higher chance of success. The private tour we booked with “Spirit In The Sky” in Tromso offered a campfire with snacks and a photographer to get shots of us with the Northern lights.  

When we planned our visit to the Yukon, we booked a package at the Inn on the Lake. This gave us snowmobiling and ice fishing. On our stay in Whitehorse, we booked a trip with Whitehorse Tours that included to visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs. The extreme cold weather sadly meant our wildlife and hot springs adventure was cancelled. But we were glad we had some winter fun in addition to Northern Lights.

We learned searching for Northern Lights that excursions needed more adventures than just hoping to see the Northern Lights to make the most of our winter trips.

Seeing The Northern Lights While Cruising May Be Unpredictable

When we planned our Northern Lights adventure, we did not really count on seeing the Northern Lights from our cruise ship. We knew that on nights docked in ports, the ambient light was high enough to make viewing a challenge. But we were surprised when they were visible a few nights when docked.

We also worried that while cruising the ship motion and heavy winds might make seeing and photographing the Northern Lights a challenge. But we were delighted when we got wake-up calls many nights while the ship was travelling. And we got some amazing views from the ship on our cruise for Northern Lights in Norway.

Planning to be on a stable, wind-free and non-moving platform was preferred for Northern Lights viewing. But we learned searching for Northern Lights that sometimes a cruise ship was an ideal spot for amazing sights!

We Learned Searching For Northern Lights That Green Was Still Exciting

Green was the most common colour to see for Northern Lights. Most of the time on our cruise for Northern Lights, we were right under the Northern Lights and saw green in the sky. Red, pink, purple and blue were much less prevalent. We saw a little red when the lights were much further off in the distance. But we missed seeing any more vibrant colours.

While we saw mostly green Northern Lights, we saw them in a dazzling array of patterns. Sometimes they were like a blazing ribbon in the sky. At other times we saw the “curtain” of lights.  We saw beams of Northern Lights. And we even saw a staircase like effect of Northern lights. The green was never a boring sight!

On our visit to the Yukon, we saw Northern Lights from different areas around our resort. It was great to have a little foreground to highlight the beautiful Northern Lights.

We learned searching for Northern Lights not to be disappointed with mostly green lights!

Short Days And Long Winter Nights

When we visited Norway in late January, we found about 4 hours or less of daylight in the most Northern ports. The sun rose around 10am and was gone around 2pm. It was tough to see much of the towns and scenery in daylight hours. So we planned tours carefully for those brief daylight hours.

While the long nighttime hours should have meant long sleeping nights and late sleep-in mornings, that was not the reality. Because we did not want to miss any sighting of Northern Lights, we booked night tours that often returned very late in the night. And we got a wake-up call when Northern Lights were spotted from our cruise ship. Much to our delight, we saw Northern Lights from the cruise ship far more than we expected.  

When we visited the Yukon, the sun set about 5pm and did not rise again until after 10am. This left less time for daytime winter fun. But when we visited, we found amazing views of Northern Lights when we got out of bed very early. One day the lights were even visible through the windows! When we stayed in Whitehorse, we still had enough daytime hours and we saw a little of the interesting city.

We made sure we made the most of the short daylight hours. And we slept when we could. Planning for short days and long nights was something we learned searching for Northern Lights.

Many Things Learned Searching For Northern Lights

On our first winter cruise in Norway, there was much we learned searching for Northern Lights. We considered these lessons for our trip to the Yukon.

Our thoughts on weather and forecasting of Northern Lights were reinforced. But we learned the hard way to make sure we looked for adventures that were more than just Northern Lights sightings. We certainly learned that travelling for Northern Lights could prove very successful! 

Were you surprised by the things we learned searching for Northern Lights? Did you have other learnings on your Northern Lights adventures?

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