Abisko National Park is considered to be the best place in the world for experiencing the northern lights (situated in the center of the Aurora Oval). You can see northern lights here every night from October until the end of March. Abisko has clean air without any light pollution and is scientifically proven to have clear skies due to the position of a large lake surrounded by mountains.
Introduction to Aurora Borealis
Aurora is a fascinating magical display of multiple colors (pink, green, yellow, blue, violet, orange, and white), which are produced when the solar wind collides with the Earth’s magnetic field and interacts with the nitrogen and oxygen atoms. In northern latitudes, this effect is known as the aurora borealis/northern lights and aurora Australis/southern lights are visible from high southern latitudes (Tasmania, Antarctica). The Northern and Southern Lights occur simultaneously in both regions of the magnetic pole.
Auroras are present throughout the year, but nighttime in winter is usually the best time to see them, due to the combination of lower levels of light pollution and clearer sky. Auroras tend to be brighter and more active for up to two days after a solar flare, which is monitored by several agencies and the information is posted on their websites (https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/auroral-activity/auroral-oval.html).
The Best Places in the World to See the Northern Lights
Northern lights occur most frequently in a belt of the radius with latitudes between 66 and 69 degrees north (auroral zone), which extends over northern Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden Finland), Iceland, Greenland, Northern parts of Canada, Alaska, and Russia.
Lapland is a region (situated right under the aurora oval) that encompasses the northern areas of Norway (“Finnmark”, “Troms” and “Nordland”), Sweden (“Norrbotten”), Finland (Rovaniemi, Inari, Kittilä, Utsjoki), and the Kola Peninsula (Murmansk) of the Russian Federation.
| Best Northern Light Locations | Latitude |
|---|---|
| Abisko, Sweden | 68.3495° N |
| Jukkasjärvi, Sweden | 67.8502° N |
| Saariselka, Finland | 68.4197° N |
| Ivalo, Finland | 68.6576° N |
| Nellim, Finland | 68.8455° N |
| Utsjoki, Finland | 69.9090° N |
| Kilpisjärvi, Finland | 69.0443° N |
| Levi, Finland | 67.8041° N |
| Ylläs, Finland | 67.5667° N |
| Luosto, Finland | 67.1333° N |
| Rovaniemi, Finland | 66.5039° N |
| Tromso, Norway | 69.6492° N |
| Alta, Norway | 69.9687° N |
| Lofoten, Norway | 68.4711° N |
| Senja, Norway | 69.2965° N |
| Narvik, Norway | 68.2741° N |
| Svalbard, Norway | 77.8750° N |
| Kirkenes, Norway | 69.7269° N |
| Faroe islands, Denmark | 61.8926° N |
| Ilulissat, Greenland | 69.2198° N |
| Sisimiut, Greenland | 66.9395° N |
| Kangerlussuaq, Greenland | 67.0095° N |
| Kulusuk, Greenland | 65.5681° N |
| Nuuk, Greenland | 64.1743° N |
| Fairbanks, Alaska | 64.8401° N |
| Talkeetna, Alaska | 62.3209° N |
| Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska | 71.2906° N |
| Hella, Iceland | 63.8355° N |
| West Fjords, Iceland | 65.9196° N |
| Murmansk, Russia | 68.9733° N |
| Yellowknife, Canada | 62.4540° N |
How to pick a place to see the northern lights?
Northern lights can occur for 8 months of the year in most of the places listed in the table above and I have tried several of them so far due to my consistent winter trips every year to chase auroras. I recommend picking the least crowded places within the Aurora Oval or Lapland for the best chances of seeing northern lights on your first visit. All the northern light viewing places tend to get very cloudy in the winter and a 5-night stay in one place will increase your chances.
What makes Abisko National Park Special for Aurora Viewing?
- Abisko National Park is located right in the middle of the ‘auroral oval zone (68°N).
- Abisko has a 50-mile-long Torneträsk Lake surrounded by mountains that helps to create a patch of sky that remains clear regardless of the surrounding weather patterns (“blue hole of Abisko”).
- Abisko is cloudy but also one of the driest places in the country due to the surrounding Scandinavian Mountains.
- Winter temperatures are moderated by Gulf Stream air coming from the west which results in a milder winter mean temperature.
- Abisko town has very little light pollution and you don’t have to take expensive aurora tours to go far to see the northern lights.
- During our 3-night trip, we parked the car near the frozen lake between 9 pm to midnight and saw a beautiful display of multicolor northern lights 2 nights in a row. Both nights there were cloudy skies till 9 PM and we gave up hope on seeing the northern lights, but magically the clouds cleared around 10 PM. There was a snowstorm one night and we could not see clear skies.
- Aurora webcams can be checked online to see the northern light activity (https://lightsoverlapland.com/aurora-webcam/).
Best months to visit Abisko to see the Northern Lights
You can see northern lights from the end of August to the middle of April in Abisko national park. I prefer avoiding the months with very little or no daylight (mid-November to late January), which makes it harder with activities like dog sledding, snowshoeing, or skiing (https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@2727660?month=2&year=2023).
We visited Abisko when it was almost 22 hours dark in December, but northern lights are still NOT visible during the daytime (they come late around 9 PM). My personal preference is to book a northern lights trip in February to late March, so you can enjoy skiing and dog/reindeer sledding in the daytime.
Best time of the month to book a Northern Lights trip
I recommend booking your flights for 5 nights (between late November and late March) in one place to increase your chances of viewing the northern lights. I recommend avoiding a trip around the full moon days if possible since only the brightest auroras will overcome the brightness of the full moon. I use the following moon calendar before booking my trip (https://www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2023/February). For example, the best time in February 2023 to look for northern lights is between the 17th to 22nd when the skies are darkest (see image below).
Fly to Kiruna and drive to Abisko
Kiruna has daily nonstop flights from Stockholm, Sweden and roundtrip economy flights can be booked with Star Alliance partners (15-16K United or Aeroplan miles). I recommend renting a car in Kiruna airport (1-hour drive to Abisko) to explore the northern lights on your own and to get around in Abisko easily.
Fly to Evenes airport, Norway and drive to Abisko
Abisko National Park is located within 2-hour driving distance from Evenes airport (EVE) in Narvik, Norway. We were already visiting Norway during the time of our visit and we rented a car from Evenes airport to drive to our accommodation in Abisko (no border passport check is necessary).
Accommodation in Abisko
- Stay at Abisko Guesthouse with shared bathrooms (100-150/NIGHT) https://www.abiskoguesthouse.com/
- Stay at Abisko Tourist station with private bathrooms (~$200/night) Abisko Mountain Lodge.
- I recommend also looking for accommodations in Björkliden (5 miles from Abisko) when checking on booking.com.
I also recommend another property (Micke o Ritas stuga) in Björkliden, which may not show up when you search for Abisko in booking.com search results.
Abisko Dining
Abisko Tourist station has the only restaurant in town and there is a small meal truck (till 6 pm) parked near the Abisko Guesthouse offering sandwiches for reasonable prices. There is a large grocery store in town and we were able to cook our choice of eggs, hot noodles and make sandwiches during our 3-night trip.
Aurora Sky Station
Between November and April (21:00-01:00), you can take the chair lift (20 minutes) to the top of the mountain Njullá to the Aurora Sky Station (https://auroraskystation.se/en/winter/night-visit/). Aurora Sky Station is a great place to see northern lights while staying warm inside with hot drinks and snacks. There is a large outdoor deck you can you can step out onto to take pictures of the northern lights when they appear. Aurora Sky Station visit costs ~$100 USD (includes chairlift ticket, overalls & boots in the ticket price), and dining options are pricey. It is a unique trip to experience and I recommend going there one night during your visit if permitted by your budget (advance booking is recommended).
Things to do during the day time
Northern lights typically come between 9 PM to 1 AM and one has to find activities to spend the day time when visiting Abisko. There are several companies that offer tours for dog/reindeer sledding, snowmobile, ice fishing, and snowshoeing. There are nearby ski stations (Björkliden & Riksgränsen) which are reasonably priced for learning lessons and enjoying slopes without many crowds. You can also drive to the Ice Hotel during the day to see the unique architecture.
Abisko National Park Scenery
None of our camera pictures turned out well, so I am posting some of the professional images below.
Summary
Seeing the northern lights is high on the bucket list of many travelers and Abisko National Park is the best place in the world to experience them due to the unique location that makes it possible to view auroras despite a cloudy sky. It also fulfills the dream winter vacation idea to enjoy skiing/dog sledding in the day and experiencing northern lights at night.