Chasing the Aurora: My Success Rate

The Northern Lights, known as Aurora Borealis, are one of nature's most spectacular phenomena. For many, witnessing this enchanting light show is a bucket-list experience.

Over several years, I made it my mission.

TL;DR

In this post, I’ll share my experiences of my many attempts to see the Northern Lights, including the best picture and overall success score.

Let’s dive into each adventure and reveal which destination emerged as the clear winner.

Iceland : We love Iceland

We'd visited Iceland for the many other reasons you go to Iceland and whilst throughly enjoying each of our visits - of which at least 4 were in winter time, we saw next to nothing - only a faint glimmer. In fact I don't even have a usable photo! Here's their flag instead.

Tromso 2019 & 2021

In 2019, I traveled to Tromso solo. It is often mentioned in research as one of the best places in Europe to view the Northern Lights. This destination is located above the Arctic Circle, with low light pollution, and offers stunning natural beauty alongside an excellent tourism infrastructure dedicated to Aurora chasing.

During my stay, I did the bus trip out and experienced the best Northern Lights show. On the second night, it wasn't as good - but still beat the socks off most of any other locations.

I returned again in 2021 - and again we saw a good show which included the lights dancing.

Here's a link to the youtube video - https://youtu.be/FkcwcoJf7sk

Northampton 2024: An Unexpected Delight

While Northampton is not typically known for Northern Lights sightings, I saw Northern Lights being discussed on the local facebook page and took a walk up to the country park.

I couldn't believe that we could see them with the naked eye, and even more pronounced through our iphones. The colours were the best I've seen.

Havila Voyages 2023 & 2025: All at Sea

We did this 11 night spectacular journey twice we loved it that much. Working our way up from Bergen to Kirkennes (you might have to use Google Maps to find it) and then back down the Norwegian Coastal Route. Each night was spent looking for the elusive lights - but when they did appear for more than a few nights they were fantastic.

We witnessed the Auroras dance across the sky on two consecutive nights. The experience was mesmerising

Conclusion: And the Winner Is...

After all the attempts this is how I rate the locations;

• Iceland: 1/10 Lovely country we have been particularly unlucky with the lights

• Tromso: 10/10 Fantastic

• Northampton: 1/10 Whilst good it won't happen again in my lifetime

• Havila Voyages: 7/10 Pretty much guaranteed to see lights - if you travel at the right time of year

  
  

Based on these experiences, Tromso stands out as the winner for its consistent magical opportunities to witness the Northern Lights. Iceland was a washout. Both trips to Tromso provided a memorable experience, Northampton was a lovely surprise. Havila is consistent but hasn't been spectacular for us.

For anyone dreaming of seeing the Northern Lights, I recommend visiting Tromso for the best odds - perhaps taking the Havila ship, north or south bound to increase your chances further!

Happy travels