hetismij2

Percy, Percy! what are you doing to me? Still have to win big on that lottery though .

starrs

Okay, how far from you? I just googled and found a 7 night cruise. Are there shorter options, so I could do a combo trip - AMS + area and then a polar bear excursion?

sassy27

I've looked into this same question before and decided it would be a cruise around Norway. My problem is that I don't have enough vacation time to do the cruise round trip. I did get a slight glance of the lights while in Iceland last early September. It was so slight and poof gone. So I want to find a place I know my chances will be better.

starrs

That's my problem. Not enough vacation days. There are two trips I'm already planning and don't have much "extra" time for this one. The closer I can get to a week (or 9 days) the better.

sassy27

Starrs if you can figure it out, I may follow your lead. I would like a place were my chances are high to see them.

sundowner

I've seen polar bears in Churchill but not the Northern Lights. I was sure hoping to see them when I was there! My photography friend just posted Northern Light photos from Manitoba so it does happen. For the lucky ones.
Here are some polar bears from Churchill.

gruezi

Jean

We saw the northern lights unexpectedly on a trip to Lake Louise a few years ago.

Now, I want to see the southern lights from New Zealand.

hetismij2

Starrs, fly to Kirkenes (via Oslo), take the Hurtigruten south to Trondheim, fly home. 5days on the ship, see Lofoten in daylight (if you go in February or later) and a good chance of the lights. If you don't see them at least you have seen something of Norway. Get up earlyish to experience the Arctic dawn, and pray for clear skies!

Moderator3

Moved to Europe board and copied to Canada. I can copy to the US as well if desired.

raincitygirl

Starrs and Heti, my friend said she felt privileged (in more ways than one I guess!) to be there watching the polar bears. She had some particularly good pics of a mother with two cubs and of the cubs frolicking with each other in the water.
She was very impressed at how friendly and affectionate all the bears were with each other, adults greeting each other as they arrived, young ones playing together and snuggling up to nap together. They saw no aggressive behaviour while they were there.

The sad thing is the bears were waiting for the ice to form so they could get out on it seal hunting, there was no ice yet and apparently it is later and later every year which is impacting the bears. The area she was in is also the wildlife reserve where Trump's government has decided to allow oil exploration. Is there no end to the stupidity of that man and his minions?
So she said this decision has divided people in the local villages also.

Fodorite018

We have seen them in Alaska, but not in any towns. Way up in the bush in the Brooks Range/Gates of the Arctic. Bettles is a very popular place to go to see the lights.

When we were in Iceland, apparently we missed a few nights of great viewing, but we were just too tired to care to get up. I think if we had not seen them before we would have dragged ourselves out of bed, but we figured it was a been there, done that thing. Everyone we came across was talking about it anyhow great those few nights were.

Leely2

sundowner, your photos are beautiful!

Elizabeth_S

thefoodellers

I've seen the northern lights in Lapland in January and in Iceland in February and April. Check out a mobile app called Aurora, there you can find a list of the locations when the aurora is visible.