northern lights-norway

Northern lights depend on teh suns activity. The sun is very inactive at the moment (unusually so), and unless it perks up in the coming year there is only a low possibility of seeing the aurora.

You can see them at any time of year, not just in winter, and in fact have more chance of seeing them in Alaska and Canada than in Norway.

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ is a good starting point to find out more about the aurora, and this gives you maps of auroral activity http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/
This gives forecasts: http://www.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm

I was on the Hurtigruten travelling from Bergen to Kirkenes last March and was lucky enough to see them twice.

They are a natural phenomena and the best chance of seeing them is when it is dark and in an area where there are few city lights. It will certainly be dark in Tromso in December but you might have to move into the countryside and out of the town for a better chance of seeing them.

Joanna Lumley, an actress in the UK, presented a programme in search of the Northern Lights last year. She eventually saw them in an area outside of Tromso and used a guide to take her there. This is part of her report

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPvr9d8UDxs

Good luck it is something I will never forget.

Here's our trip report from 2007. We had the time of our lives.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/trip-report---tromso-nye-2007.cfm

Norwegian.co.uk run connecting flight from around Europe into Tromso and if you book early they offer very good deals.

This was Rosy's 40th and we did a lot of research. We found that a certain latitude has a better chance of seeing the lighst. However, we had a then 2 year old and Tromso is very doable as it is warmed by the North Atlantic Drift. Usual Tromso (coast) temps are around -5oC to 2oC. Travel 20 miles inland and you lose the warming effect. the temperatures there will be -35oC. Locals came into town in T shirts as they thought is was warm compared with home 30 miles away.

The upshot is that Tromso is the best, most accessible destination. I have hoards of friends who swear by Iceland as a trendy trip but have never seen the lights there.

The lights - as far as we were concerned nothing on Earth compares to this experience. So few people see them to the extent they are on offer in Tromso so they seem to be missed off peoples agenda.

The chain hotels in town all seemed very good try to book full board as eating out is obscenely expensive. 2007 - pizza out in a very average restaurant £20. Bottle of Coke £5 etc etc. This made the excursions quite reasonable as the meal was included.

We went on the reindeer and dog sled trip and again they contributed hugely to the whole experience. Beware the place closes down for NY day and there is very little to do.

The difficulty is the weather. Basically everyone wants the lights combines with beautiful snow falling. clearly you will get one or the other. We had no snow but the lights each night for 4 nights. When I say the lights I mean nothing like the trash Disney serves up in Florida, the WHOLE sky was on fire and it was impossible to speak. Most nighst you will see a wide band of wandering green but as somebody mentioned about its down to the amount of solar activity on any given night.

The other experience in winter is the lack of daylight. Without clouds around the turn of the year you will see what in effect is a stunning sun set from 10:30am to 1pm. We didn't see the sun just a stunning twylight. Before arriving we had thought that it would be pitch black for 24 hours a day. the latitude does give you some light for 3 hours a day.

All in all I would say that this short trip is something that everyone in life who has the financial resources should complete at some time in their life. It's that good.

Wow markrosy ,your experience sounds fantastic .
I had not really thought about the `lights` now they too are on my agenda. I hope to be in Scandinavia early Nov.
I must start planning,any hints for solo female traveller?

Susielou - if you have a house remortgage it just to spend a few days there. It is that expensive.

I can't think of anything specifically related for a solo female traveller.

Tromso has a huge university in relation to the size of town. There seemed to be a lot of well balanced people around. Not Milan fashion victims just well dressed 20 - 30 somethings who go hangout. More Banana Republicish than GAPish.

The excursions had a real mix of single, older, young families etc. No single group dominated so mixing should be no problem.

In summary, Tromso is a very safe and welcoming place.

Thanks markrosy,I`ll give a bloody good shot at getting to Tromso, buy I reckon I`ll keep my house mortgage free for the moment. It must be pretty damm good tho`.I know it will be cold ,but just how cold? Will the mortgage have to go to a fur coat and boots?

Don't need furs, but warm boots. Incidentally, Bergen on west coast was colder than Tromso this january. But a few years back T had 3 meters of snow. No problems for single travelers.

Thanks rjsol,I`ll make sure I have warm boots,it`s good I don`t need fur ,it`s soooo politically incorrect.Lovely to know single travellers can be comfortable.

I live in Cornwall and believe it or not I witnessed the Northern Lights once in St Ives, which is in the west of the county; it was a fluke and I just happened to be there that night - bands of red and green coming from the horizon, up and over my head, just amazing. Anyway, on Thursday this week I am off on the Hurtigruten round trip from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, so maybe I will see them again! Am really looking forward to it, having read reviews on this website. Enjoyed all your comments - I'm new to Fodors and am looking forward to reading more.

sueinfal

fal as in Falmouth?

Top five town in the world - stayed at The Valley 18 months ago and had a whale. Swam every day for a week at the end of a very warm September.

We loved Restronguet but hated The Beach Cafe, St Ives.

Enjoy Norway and good luck with the lights. I believe there has been a lot of snow this year - let us know how it goes.

Try the husky trip in Tromso, great fun and very local.

Mark

Sueinfal, I am so envious as I did the same trip on the Hurtigruten last March. I was lucky enough to see the Lights twice. First time around Tromso and the second on the final night approaching Kirkines. On both occasions the only colour was green but varying shades and it wasn't so much the colour but the way the bands of light lit the sky.

I hope you don't mind if I give you a few tips on my experience

1. The first thing you do after you have unpacked in your cabin is go to reception (not the excursion desk) and ask them to take your name to be called if the Lights are showing (the first time it was about 3am and I got call from reception)

2. Don't do the Alusund walking tour - easy to do yourself and the tour is very expensive.

3. If you want to go inside the Cathedral at Trondheim you have to do a tour as visitors are not allowed in unless part of a tour. You have quite a long time here and I think it would be a mistake not to see the inside of this wonderful Cathedral. You can either take the bus back to the boat or do as I and many others walk back (in my case during a snow storm which was wonderful) and visit some of the colourful wooden houses on the way.

4. I would not advise taking the tour to the Viking House as IMHO it was a total waste of money and I missed a wonderful meal on board ship.

5. The Dog Sledging excursion was one of the highlights of my trip and I highly recommend it. The down side is that you do not get a chance to visit Tromso but for me Tromso or the dogs it would have to be the dogs every time.

6. Be an eccentric Brit and take the rug which is supplied for you in your cabin and go out on deck in all weathers with a book. You won't read a lot as there is so much to see (bring binoculars) you will see and experience so much more than sitting with the Germans in the Panoramic Lounge - believe me I've been there.

7. When you arrive in Norway go to the Duty Free shop and buy the maximum amount of alcohol you can (can't remember but I think it is 3 litres of wine or equivalent). Alcohol is very expensive and although you can't drink your duty free in public areas you can in your cabin - worth it.

Most of all enjoy Norway and the Hurtigruten, it was to date the best holiday I have ever had.

Hello Mark/Cambe. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I do live in Falmouth in Cornwall, a beautiful place, lucky me! Don't know The Valley but agree that Restronguet is lovely. Was in St Ives today at a cafe - there are several beach cafes so not sure which one you meant Mark.

Am just back from my Hurtigruten trip - what an amazing experience! It was everything (and more) that everyone says it is; saw killer whales, the Northern Lights (three times)... and the Sea Eagle Safari was amazing, as the eagles came right up to the boat to take fish from someone's hand. I did the Kirkenes husky trip which was sweet but not what I was expecting as I would have liked a bit more speed and excitement, but that's me! Went in the Snow Hotel in Kirkenes - that's a fascinating experience. Didn't do the Cathedral and yes I walked around Alesund myself; as you say Cambe there's no need to walk with others. There's nothing I can fault - the food was fantastic, the crew very helpful and the tour guide on board was great fun and kept us well informed. Yes, I let them know I wanted to be woken at night and I was!

I'm not an experienced photographer but I took a digital camera and have come back with the most stunning photos because the scenery is just so amazing. There was a lot of snow as we went North but the sun shone most days and it wasn't particularly cold. In Hammerfest I went into town dressed up like Scott of the Antarctic to find the locals in fairly lightweight clothes! It was only really cold when the wind blew and then ouch it could be very cold on deck. But I expected that. One of the best things for me, apart from the scenery, was watching the boat unload cargo and take on passengers at the various ports.

My cabin was on Deck 3, which was good because those on Deck 5 had people walking past their cabin windows and obscuring their views. I would totally recommend this trip - it's an experience that will stay with me forever.

All these reports are fantastic! Mark/Cambe/Sue, it is fascinating to read about what you have seen & done,so now I have booked my (full board) hotel in Tromso for 4 nights in November.What exactly is the reindeer and dog sled trip? the dog sled I get,but what is the reindeer bit? & what is the approx.cost?
What else would you recommend to do & see in Tromso?

Susie

The hotels arrange the following trips from memory. I can't remember how much they were but I do remember they the price was OK in view of the meal that was included. Remember that eating out in Norway is very, very expensive and try to get a huge breakfast from the hotel to carry you through. Your full board was the best travel decision you have ever made. We found a posh restaurant for NYE and were quite prepared to lush the boat out (once in a lifetime) until we found out that mains were £100 a head.

1. Snowmobile in the adjacent fjords which are much colder than Tromso (usually around -20oC in winter as opposed to Tromso's balmy -5oC
2. Trip on reindeer sleigh - very Christmasy
3. Husky dog sled trip
4. Trip to Husky farm (Wilderness Centre) - where they keep the 100 plus dogs. This is in one of the best spots in the world to see the lights.
5. Various ferry trips on the Hurtigruten
6. Long trip to the Lofotens to see the Orcas feed

Here's the site for the trips

http://www.destinasjontromso.no/english/activities_on_offer.html

Have you booked a room. I would rate the hotels as follows

Bryggen - best value and waterfront
Radisson - best standard to not waterfront
Rica - best location, good food and "homely" - a weird place (we stayed there and a bit of the Luxor Winter Palace about it)(stayed there also). You expected Howard Carter or Scott to wander through reception with a new find. There were lots of extreme adventurer types who looked like they had just returned from a trek to the North Pole in the bar.
Grand Nordic - not good location and looked basic

We went to Polaris and just generally wandered about.

Unless you live in Dubai and are used to seeing the sun 12 hours a day, I would not worry about the latitude. Tromso is high but not that close to the Pole. On New Years Eve we had twilight from around 10am to 2pm. It wasn't much worse than a bad day in Manchester, UK.

We backed out of hiring a car (which is very unusual for us). There had beem very little snow and it was forecast. It just wasn't worth the worry with a 3 year old.

Mostly we just hung out in cafes and took in the atmosphere/ talked to the locals whose English was generally better than ours.

I can't describe how much of an impact the trip made. You are definitely entering another world. I think when William is older will will return and try to go up the Svalbard to see the polar bears.

Enjoy yourself.

4 minutes or so into this clip still amazes me and one day I hope to see this and join the exclusive club of the folks here who have already:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ8xd6xnZ9U&feature=related

Every show is different. On the first night we saw the huge green band which slowly moved from side to side. That lasted about half an hour. Would have been well pleased with that.

I will not even begin to describe the show on New Years Eve - we went to the Wilderness Centre and had an hour like no other.

Tromso, Narvik, the Lofoten Islands, and all the way to North Cape benefit from the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. Roses grow quite well in Tromso, in fact. Winters there can be quite bleak, not so much deep cold as damp and very long.

I served a tour of duty on Greenland many years ago. We had the aurora borealis quite often once midsummer was past so that the night sky darkened. The effect would come and go all night long.

"Storms" on the sun create sun spots and cosmic rays flood in all directions, creating the "Northern Lights" in our upper atmosphere. Colors range from pale white to green to rose, like a giant curtain, rising and falling.

Hi Mark,I`ve booked the Clarion Collection Hotel With in Tromso. It`s reviews read really well. I`m from Melbourne, Australia,so whilst its not Dubai I am used to quite a lot of sunlight,even in our winter,but such a difference in climate is exactly why I`m going to Scandinavia in Nov.
All your information is invaluable & I can hardly wait to see this all for myself.Thank you all so very much!
I have heard that their English will probably be better than mine,But I will be coming from Russia so I will no doubt be delighted not to struggle with a language barrier.
The cost of food & drink sounds almost unbelievable, so I will eat up big at breakfast,again thanks for the tip.
If the realization of this trip is half as exciting as the planning it will be simple amazing!!!

yes that makes sense Susielou - you must have got the full board deal at the Clarion - IMO it's the best in town - harbour side and you won't have to worry about the cost of outside restaurants.

We tries to book there when we went but it was closed for a reburb.

I don't know how to put this but at 41 I now have a few years behind me and feel many things have defined my character (shaped the way I am).

I have about 150 trips out of the UK - only two destinations have changed me - Tromso and The Out Islands (Bahamas).

I don't know about your budget but my only advice would be don't whatever you do worry about the cost of the trips. They aren't that expensive but if the cost is an issue - just go get a few more credit cards. They will be the experience of your life.

One note of caution, snow and the lights make the experience - we had little snow but lots of lights. The snow tumbles down in late January, it may be possible that Nov it may be cloudy with little snow. Be prepared.

Susielou, I have to agree with markrosy, I am older than he/she is but I am pretty well travelled and Norway was the best for me.

You must do the dog sledging, I booked mine as an excursion from the Hurtigruten and it was about £100 but worth every penny. I think I did it in the Wilderness Centre (Markrosy is that a sort of island from Tromso)? I am sure it would be much cheaper booking from Tromso. Unfortunately the only thing I remember about Tromso is the Cathedral as I had to get back to the ship but Tromso is on my wish list to revisit.

I didn't see any Reindeer rides from Tromso they seemed to be further North but perhaps I just didn't notice them.

Please do a trip report when you return.

Enjoy your trip.

Cambe - without checking google earth, I seem to remember Tromso was on an island and the Wilderness Centre was on the mainland. We are now considering a re-visit in Jan 2011 - once Norwegian.com release their schedules, we will see how the flight deals stack up. We may try the thousand islands in Sweden (after the current series of Wallander we have becaome Scandanavia mad).

We would love to do the snow based trips, we now have a lot more money than we did 2 years ago and there was very little snow at that time anyway.

One crazy trip was to snorkel in -10oC using a survival suit which allowed you to see the Orca. That was near the Lofotens.

Now we didn't do that in Hopetown, Bahamas!!!! Well the -10oC anyway.