Hunting the northern lights in Tromsø: a night with a guide

"Will we see the northern lights tonight?" That's the question I hear every evening when I pick up a group outside a hotel in central Tromsø. The honest answer is: I don't know. And that's exactly the magic of hunting the northern lights. It's a search in which you follow cloud forecasts, satellite images and magnetometers, and then head where your chances are best. This is what one night looks like.

6 pm: deciding where to go

In the afternoon I sit over the maps. The aurora is above Tromsø almost every clear night, because the city lies under the auroral oval. The problem is the weather. The coast is often covered by clouds from the sea while it's clear inland. Based on the forecasts I decide whether we'll stay by the fjords on Kvaløya or drive towards Skibotn and the Finnish border, where the weather tends to be more stable.

6.30 pm: pick-up and the drive

I drive a small group, so there's room for everyone and I can give everyone time. On the way I explain what the aurora is (charged particles from the Sun that hit the atmosphere and make oxygen glow green and nitrogen purple) and how to set up a camera or phone. You'll find a detailed guide in how to photograph the northern lights.

8 pm: waiting by the fire

On the spot I light a fire, pour hot tea or cocoa and grill sausages. The sky is still dark, with only a faint grey arc to the north. Guests ask if it's clouds. Often it's already the aurora: when it's faint the eye sees it as white. The camera, though, records it as green.

10 pm: an explosion in the sky

And then it comes. The arc brightens, starts to ripple, and within minutes green curtains with purple edges race across the whole sky. It's called a substorm, and it usually lasts five to twenty minutes. Everyone shouts, someone cries, and I run from one tripod to the next taking portraits of the guests under the aurora. These moments can't be described; you have to live them.

1 am: heading back

After midnight we head back to Tromsø. By the next day I send everyone the photos from the night as a keepsake. Sometimes we don't get back until three in the morning, because the aurora won't stop.

When to go to Tromsø for the northern lights

• Season: from September to early April, when it's dark enough.
• Best months: September and October (aurora over unfrozen lakes and autumn colours), February and March (snow, more stable weather, longer days).
• How many nights: plan at least three or four. You improve your chance of hitting a clear sky.
• The moon: a full moon won't hide the aurora, but it adds light to the landscape. Without the moon, you see the stars instead.

How to choose a tour

There are dozens of tours in Tromsø, from big buses to small groups. The difference is huge. A big bus can't move quickly to a gap in the clouds, and on the spot you're standing with fifty people. With a small group led by a photographer you have space, help with your camera, and a guide who can change the plan during the night. Ask whether warm clothes, food and photos are included.

What to wear

For a night by a fjord, dress as for skiing and then add a layer. Thermal underwear, fleece, a down jacket, insulated trousers, warm boots, a hat, mittens and spare gloves. You'll stand in one place for hours, so you feel the cold more. More tips in winter activities in Arctic Norway.

Faq