Northern Lights Hunting in Finnish Lapland – When, Where & How to See Auroras

Last Updated 09/2026

Seeing the Northern Lights is one of the top reasons travelers head to Finnish Lapland. Between September and April, the long nights offer great chances to spot this natural wonder, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you start your “aurora hunt.”

For us, the Northern Lights are a very normal part of life. We probably see them around 50 times during a typical winter season and that’s considering that we usually go to bed around 10 or 11 PM, rather than staying up every night hunting for them. We have also worked in Northern Lights tourism and spent many nights hunting for auroras with customers all around Lapland.

What is unfortunate is that more and more people are travelling to Lapland solely for the Northern Lights. And while we completely understand why, this also creates the perfect recipe for a huge disappointment.

The best way to see the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland is to combine darkness, clear skies and sufficient aurora activity. You don’t necessarily need to travel far north or book an expensive tour but you do need to be in the right place at the right time, and sometimes you simply need a little luck.

First, Don’t Let the Northern Lights Take Over Your Trip

Here is something we have noticed after years of living and working in tourism in Lapland: Sometimes, chasing the Northern Lights can actually ruin the very trip you saved for years to take. It sounds dramatic. Maybe even a little provocative. But we see the same pattern again and again.

People don’t just hope to see the Northern Lights. They build their entire trip around them. Flights are chosen around forecasts, accommodation is booked far from city lights, and multiple aurora tours are scheduled in advance, sometimes for every single night of the stay.

Before even arriving, many travellers are already following the KP index, solar wind data and cloud coverage. Questions appear in travel groups weeks or months beforehand:

“Do you think we’ll see them in December?”
“What are the chances in January?”
“Are they guaranteed in February?”

And somewhere along the way, the trip can stop being about experiencing Lapland and start being about achieving a result. Instead of curiosity, there is pressure.

Once you are here, you can easily end up spending every evening sitting in a dark van outside town, refreshing weather apps, checking radar maps and wondering whether you should drive another 100 kilometres to find clearer skies. Every evening becomes “tonight’s chances.” And when the forecast looks bad, the disappointment can start before the evening has even begun.

The problem isn’t the Northern Lights. It’s the pressure.

Chasing the lights every night can also affect the rest of your holiday. You stay up late. You don’t sleep properly. You start saving your energy for the evening because what if tonight is the night? Then you are tired during the day. You might skip activities or sightseeing because you need to rest. You have less patience with the cold. And when you are exhausted, even an ordinary winter day can feel like hard work. Meanwhile, the very thing you travelled thousands of kilometres to experience is happening around you.

Lapland in daylight is part of the experience too. So is sleeping. You didn’t come all this way just to sit in the back of a dark van with your eyes glued to a weather app. And yes, sometimes that van ride ends with an incredible aurora display. When it does, it can be absolutely magical.

Sometimes you spend hours driving around, see nothing, return exhausted to your accommodation and realise that you have spent another evening of your holiday waiting for something that was never guaranteed in the first place.

Be careful with the word “guaranteed”

This is also why we think travellers should be a little sceptical about Northern Lights tours promising too much. A faint aurora can sometimes look like a grey or greenish mist to the naked eye, while a camera captures much stronger colours. Technically, you may have seen an aurora but that doesn’t necessarily mean you experienced the spectacular display you were imagining. You still paid for the hunt, of course.

We are not saying that all Northern Lights tours are like this. Far from it. There are excellent aurora guides in Lapland who genuinely hunt for the best possible conditions. Some will drive a long way when the weather demands it. Others will honestly tell you that the conditions are so poor that there is little point in going out at all. That’s the kind of honesty we appreciate.

Don’t let the Northern Lights become a test you have to pass. You came to Lapland. Experience Lapland. And if the sky decides to put on a show, let that be the spectacular bonus.

The Five Things You Need for Northern Lights

Before worrying about KP numbers, apps or the “best” viewing spot, focus on these five things:

1. Darkness

You need a dark sky to see the aurora clearly. The further you get from artificial lights, the easier faint displays are to see.

2. Clear skies

This is absolutely crucial. The Northern Lights can be dancing above the clouds, but that doesn’t help much if you’re standing underneath a thick layer of them.

3. Aurora activity

There needs to be enough geomagnetic activity for an aurora to become visible from your location.

4. An open view of the sky

Trees, buildings and hills can block your view even when the aurora is active.

5. Patience

Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, not a scheduled performance. Sometimes they appear within minutes and sometimes you wait for hours. Sometimes you see nothing at all.

Northern Lights Are Never Guaranteed

The aurora borealis is a natural phenomenon created when solar particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere. Even during the current solar maximum, a period of intense solar activity, there are no 100% guarantees. No matter what any company tells you. Forecasts can only predict visibility a few hours ahead.

While winter is the most popular season for visitors, autumn and spring are actually the most active Northern Lights periods. The skies must be dark and cloudless for sightings, so getting far away from bright lights and buildings is essential. Hilltops and lakeshores are excellent view points, and your chances drop to almost zero when it rains or snows as the clouds simply block the view.

Auroras can also be surprisingly local. It’s possible that the sky above you stays quiet, while just a few kilometres away someone else is watching the lights dance at the same moment. Always check local aurora and weather forecasts, and consider downloading aurora alert apps. My favorite app is AuroraAlert! RealTime.

The best time to see the Northern Lights is usually between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., when the sky is darkest and auroral activity peaks.

On average, in Northern Lapland, auroras can be seen up to 200 nights a year, from September to April, whenever the sky is clear and sufficiently dark. Between end of August 2024 and mid-April 2025, I documented every aurora on Instagram and saw 49 occurrences, even though I often slept by 10 p.m. Many shows were missed simply because I was a sleep or I wasn’t outside at the right time. (Read more about different seasons here.)

Northern Lights are visible in Lapland for over eight months, from early August until late April. Aurora activity is not evenly distributed throughout the season. It peaks twice a year, in autumn and spring. This is caused by the “Equinox Effect”, a scientifically proven phenomenon where Earth’s magnetic field aligns in a way that allows solar particles to interact more efficiently with the atmosphere.

Technically, auroral activity happens all year round. However, due to the Midnight Sun and bright summer nights, the auroras are not visible during summer. Because the nights are very short at the beginning and end of the season, the chances are lower in early August and late April.

Clouds Can Matter More Than the Aurora Forecast

One of the biggest mistakes first-time Northern Lights hunters make is concentrating entirely on aurora activity. But there is another forecast you should pay just as much attention to: cloud cover.

A strong aurora behind thick clouds is still invisible from the ground. This means a night with moderate aurora activity and clear skies can be much better than a night with a fantastic aurora forecast and complete cloud cover.

Before heading out, check both:

• Aurora activity – is there likely to be an aurora?
• Cloud cover – can you actually see the sky?

And remember that weather forecasts become much more useful as you get closer to the actual night. Conditions in Lapland can change surprisingly quickly. If the entire sky is covered in clouds, there is no prize for standing outside for three hours hoping they’ll disappear.

Can Northern Lights be “grey”?

Yes, and this is very normal

Not all Northern Lights explode across the sky in bright green, purple, and red waves.

Sometimes auroras appear very faint, almost like thin clouds or a pale mist in the sky. These weak auroras are easy to mistake for cloud cover.

What reveals them as auroras:

• subtle movement (clouds don’t “dance”)
• soft, uneven shapes
• your camera, which often sees colors more clearly than the human eye

In many cases, even a phone camera is enough to confirm whether you’re seeing auroras or just clouds.

How to see faint auroras better with your eyes

If you don’t see much at first, don’t give up.

• Let your eyes fully adjust to the darkness (this takes 15–30 minutes)
• Stay away from streetlights, buildings, and cars (or any light source whatsoever)
• Avoid checking your phone, bright screens ruin night vision

Once your eyes adapt, you’ll often start noticing a soft green glow that wasn’t visible before.

Important:
Faint auroras are often just the beginning. Many strong aurora shows start weak and gradually intensify, so it’s worth waiting to see if the activity builds.

Choose your tour wisely

In Rovaniemi and other Lapland towns, many companies offer Northern Lights tours*. Some take large groups by bus to fixed locations every night, regardless of the weather. Others focus on small groups and flexible routes, following real-time aurora forecasts.

It’s important to understand that Northern Lights can never be guaranteed. Despite this, tours are sometimes marketed with strong promises or reassuring wording that may give a misleading impression of certainty. In reality, visibility can range from breathtaking displays to completely zero, and this isn’t always communicated clearly before booking.

Marketing terms such as professional photographer, long experience or authentic local operator are commonly used. While these phrases sound trustworthy, they don’t automatically reflect formal training, deep local knowledge, or the actual quality of the experience. The reality behind these labels can vary significantly from one operator to another.

Responsibility and quality are also often justified through certificates, labels, and large numbers of reviews. It’s worth looking a little deeper into what these actually mean. Some certifications are based on independent assessments, while others rely mainly on applications or paid labels.

Likewise, a high number of reviews or star ratings doesn’t always equal high-quality or responsible practices, marketing strategies play a role here too, which is why critical reading is essential.

Look for tours that promise an experience rather than a guaranteed sighting. Even if the aurora doesn’t appear, a well-designed tour should still deliver value through atmosphere, nature, storytelling, and the overall experience.

Many companies now use the term “Northern Lights tour” for fixed-location experiences, while “aurora hunting” usually refers to actively searching for clearer skies over a wider area. Some hunting tours may travel long distances, occasionally even crossing into Norway to escape cloud cover, while others may be cancelled at the last minute due to weather conditions.

Don’t Expect the Instagram Version

You’ve probably seen photos of the Northern Lights filling the entire sky with bright green, purple and red colours. Those displays absolutely happen, but they are not what every Northern Lights night looks like.

Sometimes you see a faint green glow. Sometimes the aurora looks almost grey or white to your eyes, sometimes it appears for only a few minutes, sometimes you wait for hours and see nothing. And sometimes you get incredibly lucky and the entire sky suddenly comes alive. All of these are normal Northern Lights experiences.

And if nothing happens?Unfortunately, that’s part of Northern Lights hunting.

Combine Northern Lights Hunting With Another Experience

You don’t have to sit on a bus or a minibus to chase the lights. These tours turn your aurora hunt into an adventure, not just a waiting game. Pairing aurora hunting with another activity like snowmobiling ensures you get value even if the Northern Lights don’t appear. Many tours combine a few hours of adventure with aurora hunting for a full experience.

There are many unique and memorable options:

• Snowmobile Northern Lights Safari:* Driving through frozen forests and over silent lakes by snowmobile is a thrill on its own. Even if the sky stays dark, the feeling of speeding through the wilderness at night is unforgettable. PLUS often you would pay around 100€/ person for snowmobiling tour, while Northern lights snowmobile tour go for around 140€/ person, and you drive multiple hours.

• Reindeer Sleigh Ride:* A peaceful glide through snowy woods under the stars, and maybe under the aurora connects you to Lapland’s oldest traditions. The quiet rhythm of the sleigh bells and the reindeer’s breath in the cold air make it a truly atmospheric experience. Northern lights Reindeer ride is often also a lot longer reindeer ride that you would get otherwise.

• Aurora by Snowshoes or Huskies:* For those who like a bit of adventure, snowshoe hikes or dog-sled rides offer an very unique experience in the dark quiet forests.

DIY Northern lights hunting – Know when and where to go

You do not need an expensive guided tour to witness the Aurora Borealis. If you have a rental car, a bit of patience, you can find them on your own. With a rental car, good aurora apps, and some planning, you can explore independently all around Lapland. Option is also go by foot, but don’t go very far as nights can get freezing cold very suddenly.

Self-guided aurora hunt allows you to move at your own pace and stop whenever the sky looks promising, which is ideal for photography and observation.

To succeed in a self-guided hunt, you need to master three things: Timing, Weather and Location.

When renting a car just remember:

• Never stop in the middle of the road in the dark. Use bus stops, designated parking areas, or lay-bys if you need to pull over.

• Keep your engine running and your lights on to prevent the battery from draining, and always make sure you have enough fuel. Gas stations are not frequent in Lapland.

• Stick to main roads and well-maintained routes. Smaller roads can be narrower, less maintained and more difficult in winter conditions.

• Avoid private roads. Fields are always privately owned and used for farming or grazing animals.

(Read more about winter driving in Lapland here)

In general remember:

• Do not walk on fields and never leave litter behind. Trash can be extremely dangerous to livestock and reindeer.

• Avoid wandering far into dark forests alone. Choose open lake shores, hilltops, or other open areas with a clear view of the sky.

• Use real-time aurora and weather apps to guide your decisions. Windy is especially useful for tracking cloud cover.

• I highly recommend to use some aurora alert apps. My personal favorite is AuroraAlert! RealTime.

Best months for auroras in Lapland:

• September
• October
• March

The Best Months: While auroras happen from late August to April, the “Equinox effect” makes September, October, and March the peak seasons for high activity. These months also tend to have less deep-cloud cover than mid-winter.

The Best Hours: Start monitoring the sky as soon as it’s dark (around 8 PM or 9 PM). The most intense displays usually occur between 10 PM and 2 AM.

For safety tell someone where you are going and keep a warm spare clothes in the car.

Enjoy the athmosphere and dress up warmly

Even without auroras, Lapland nights are pure magic. The crunch of snow, the glow of stars, and the silence of frozen forests create an unforgettable setting. For some the absolut silence might be little spooky, but after a moment you get used to it, and you will forever miss it. The Northern Lights are just one part of a much bigger experience.

It tends to be very cold, especially on clear winter nights when the Northern Lights are most likely to appear. Wear proper winter gear: layers, insulated boots, gloves, and a warm hat. Read more about layering for winter in Lapland here and what to pack for winter trip to Lapland here.

A comfortable alternative is to stay in a glass igloo, hut, or cozy cottage* built for aurora viewing. You can watch the sky from a warm bed, hot drink in hand.

Personal favorite aurora tours by reliable companies

Rovaniemi Aurora Experience with Pro Photos* (Duration 5.5 hours, 145€/ audlt)

Rovaniemi Northern Lights Snowmobile Tour* (Duration 4 hours, 185€/ adult)

Levi Northern Lights Snowmobile Safari* (Duration 3 hours, 135€/ adult)

Levi Aurora tour on a Snowcat *(Duration 2 hours, 135€/ adult)

Äkäslompolo/ Ylläs Northern lights ice-floating experience *(Duration 2.5h, 138€/ adult)

Find out more about Lapland and Rovaniemi area here!

FAQ

What weather conditions do I need for a good sighting? – You need two things: clear, cloudless skies and active space weather. Clouds are the biggest obstacle for aurora hunters, so monitoring local cloud cover forecasts is often more important than checking solar activity.

Can I take photos of the Northern Lights with a smartphone? – Yes. Modern smartphones with a dedicated Night Mode can capture clear photos. To get the best results, mount your phone on a tripod to keep it completely still, turn off the flash, and set your exposure time to between 3 and 10 seconds.

How many nights should I book for an aurora trip? – Because solar activity and weather are unpredictable, plan to stay at your destination for at least 3 to 5 nights to maximize your chances of a successful sighting.

* This post contains affiliate links. If you use links to purchase, I might earn small commission without any extra cost to you. I never recommend any activity, product or company I don’t trust.