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The Best Way To Spot The Northern Lights

To spot the famous Aurora Borealis (or more commonly known as the Northern Lights) is on many people’s bucket lists and it is no wonder as to why. This natural spectacle is simply stunning. As a travel agent, we often get asked where is best place to go and what is the best way to spot the Northern Lights? Our answer is always simple – you need to travel along the Norwegian coastline with Hurtigruten.

The classic 12-day voyage with Hurtigruten is a unique holiday and can be one that is hard to understand at times but luckily we are here to help explain it. You spend 12 days travelling along the Norwegian coastline from Bergen to Kirkenes (which is right at the top by the Russian border) and back down to Bergen. It is like a cruise on the basis that you sleep, eat and travel on board a ship but that is pretty much where the similarities end.

It isn’t like any ordinary cruise. All the ships in the fleet are working ships – they are used by Norwegians to deliver post to various towns and cities and they even use it like a ferry to get from place to place. Plus the ships are smaller in size, no more than 1,000 passengers stay on board at a time, which means that they can get further into the beautiful fjords than the larger ships, giving you plenty of chances to take photos of views you won’t see anywhere else in the world. Another bonus to this is that Hurtigruten has to visit each port enabling you to always see the true Norway.

So why is Hurtigruten the best way to see the Northern Lights? The first and main reason why is because you spend half of the 12-day voyage above the Arctic Circle. It is in fact above the Arctic Circle where you have the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights, which is the key reason why this trip is better than going to somewhere like Iceland. It doesn’t mean that the lights are better here, just that you are pretty much guaranteed to see them.

Another reason why Hurtigruten is the best way to see the Northern Lights is that you are not in the cities or towns at night where there is lots of light pollution that can affect your chances of seeing them clearly or at all. The ship travels close to the coastline keeping you away from this (yet not too far into the sea so you shouldn’t really experience rough seas and sea sickness should you be worrying about that) giving you yet again more chance to catch them.

Finally, our favourite reason why Hurtigruten is the best way to hunt the Northern Lights is because you always have someone looking out for them – the ship’s captain and their team. There is always someone sailing the ship and therefore will be able to spot the Northern Lights no matter what time it is. Consequently, if they make an appearance in the middle of the night, you can request the team to give you a call in your cabin to let you know where you can then grab your coat and shoes and head to the deck with the other guests to marvel at the spectacle.

Can Hurtigruten really guarantee to see the Northern Lights? Well yes and no. Of course they can’t officially guarantee that you will spot them as it is a natural phenomenon and nature has a mind of its own. Nevertheless, it is extremely rare that they won’t been seen whilst on a 12-day voyage. As a result, Hurtigruten have their Northern Lights Promise on all of their Classic 12-day Voyages. This is simple – if the Northern Lights don’t make an appearance during your trip, Hurtigruten will give you a free 5 or 6-day voyage for another time free of charge (excluding flights). They can offer this as they are so confident in you seeing the Northern Lights.

Have we peaked your interest yet? For more details on the full experience you whilst on the Classic 12-day Voyage have a read here. Hurtigruten have some chartered flights throughout the winter season departing from various UK airports. Nevertheless, if those dates don’t fit with you, don’t worry as the voyage runs daily and there are also daily flights so there’s plenty of days for you to choose between October and March for your adventure to begin.

 

If you would like more information on this trip, get in touch with our experts Mike and Penny who will be able to answer any questions you may have. Or fill in the form below and they will get in touch at a time that is convenient for you.

For more information on Hurtigruten please visit HURTIGRUTEN

 









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