Unpredictable and awe-inspiringly beautiful, the Northern Lights are nature’s most dazzling display.

Our Northern Lights trips take you to some of the world’s best locations for witnessing this spectacular event. Whether it’s heading to Iceland’s remote Lake Myvatn, cruising among Greenland’s glaciers, watching the lights dance across the Canadian Rockies or travelling by dogsled into Finland’s northern wilds, Northern Lights tours with Intrepid give you the best seats in the house for one of this galaxy’s most stunning natural performances.

Our Northern Lights trips

6 Days From 2295

Discover the unique beauty of Iceland. Visit the Gullfoss waterfall, touch the...

8 Days From 3810

Explore the taigas of Finnish Lapland on this eight-day adventure across pristine peaks...

11 Days From 5210

Marvel at snow-capped mountain ranges frozen wonderlands and the elusive northern...

14 Days From 11495

An Arctic expedition through East Greenland and Iceland is the perfect opportunity to...

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Where can you see the Northern Lights?

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About the Northern Lights

 

The Northern Lights or “Aurora Borealis” is a phenomenon that draws travellers to the windswept wilds of the some of the northernmost places on the planet. Those lucky enough to witness Mother Nature’s light show are in for a uniquely breathtaking experience. Best seen as high latitudes when the sky is dark and clear, the Northern Lights will wow even the most seasoned adventurers.

FAQs

The Northern Lights are at their peak from late September to late March.

The best places to see the Northern Lights are all located in the “Auroral zone” – an area that stretches around the Northern Hemisphere at a latitude of about 66 to 69 degrees north – including parts of Canada, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Alaska, Iceland and more.

The Northern Lights are caused by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with elements in our atmosphere (such as nitrogen and oxygen) creating brightly coloured dancing displays of light.

While Northern Light displays can never be guaranteed, as they are a natural phenomenon, our local leaders do their best to ensure you get to see nature’s greatest spectacle.

Yes, the Northern Lights can be predicted to some extent. The activity level of the Northern Lights depends on many things (of which some are predictable and some are somewhat random) including sunspots, coronal holes, solar flares and geomagnetic activity. If you’re not an astronomer, your best bet is to check the local Aurora forecast – a KP-index number of 3 or higher means you have a good chance of seeing the Lights.

Yes, you can definitely see the Northern Lights with the naked eye. Humans can most easily see the green and white of the lights at night. A camera, however, does not have the same limitations as the human eye, so the colours may appear brighter and more brilliant in photos.

Of course! There is no magic recipe for capturing the Northern Lights, but you’ll want to set your camera on a tripod and ensure it has a manual mode functionality, so you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed to best capture the spectacular display.

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