Soak in the bright-hued skies as you witness once-in-a-lifetime phenomena in Svalbard

Northern lights
Region: Svalbard
Make your long time wish come true as you travel to witness one of the biggest natural wonders. Head to Svalbard in Norway, this island, is well up into the Arctic – and generally the higher the latitude, the better your chances of spotting the Lights. From November to February, your odds of witnessing the Northern Lights here are pretty darn good, however, the majority of visitors come for a different natural phenomenon: the Polar Night, night-time darkness that lasts for more than 24 hours. Svalbard is without daylight from mid-November to the end of January (a blue twilight being the lightest it gets) so your chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis are really good. If you decide to visit when there’s daylight, outside of the dark period, you’ll be much more likely to see walrus, reindeer and polar bears than the lights.

Tips to keep in mind:
Dress warmly, temperatures can also reach upto -25.

Plan to watch the sky between 10 pm and 2 am local time, although an active period can occur anytime during the dark hours.

The weather in the Arctic is unpredictable as the Northern Lights themselves. It’s not unusual to have sunshine, clouds, rain, sleet, hail, snow, and high winds all in the same day.