Seeing the Northern Lights in Abisko, Sweden
Last Updated on November 25, 2021
Swathes of green lights danced and shimmered across the sky, almost like electronic curtains flapping before us. What had started out as a faint beam of white light radiating from above the clouds now stretched well into the east, forming a green arch over the horizon.
Once we moved higher up into the mountain away from the lights of the city, the color of the aurora became clearer. Like a luminescent green flame, it moved and swayed in slow motion. We’d been hunting for the Northern Lights for a week now, and in Abisko, we finally caught our first glimpse of it.
Northern Lights in Abisko, Sweden
Poised along Lake Torneträsk and entrenched within the U-shaped Lapporten Valley, Abisko is one of the best spots in the world to see the Northern Lights. With its location 200km north of the Arctic Circle, this wilderness area lies close to the Aurora Oval, the hub for the formation of the Aurora Borealis.
Protected by over 60 peaks in the Abisko National Park, the area rarely sees cloudy skies. Sometimes known as the Arctic Desert, Abisko is the driest spot in Sweden with the lowest precipitation in the country and clear, unpolluted air for excellent viewing. It was no wonder on our first few nights here, we were already seeing one of the strongest Northern Lights displays of the season.
Abisko: The Best Place in the World to See Northern Lights
In fact, according to scientists, the Northern Lights shine about 159 nights a year, but they can’t be seen all the time because of the midnight sun and clouds. Originally from Southern Sweden, Sandra had moved here nine years ago for the rich nature and myriad of outdoor activities which she loves – and of course, the Northern Lights.
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“The best aurora I’ve seen was in 2003, during the solar maximum, when the lights were blooming in bright pink and yellow.” It is predicted that in 2013, there will be another solar maximum, although it’ll barely be half as spectacular as the previous one.
That evening, we hiked up the trail behind the Abisko Mountain Lodge where we were staying, towards the forests and onto a viewing point. Sandra made a fire and we sat and drank hot tea while looking up to the skies. A view of Abisko and the surrounding mountains unfurled upon us. Over 6o peaks sprawl across the Abisko National Park, home to plenty of wildlife – from reindeer to moose, lynx, fox and even brown bears. We huddled up close to the fire and listen as Sandra shared more stories about the aurora.
“The Sami people have huge respect for the Northern Lights; they believe that they are the souls of dead people playing football with a walrus skull,” explained Sandra as we watched the sky dreamily. I pondered over how the Sami came up with that bizarre idea, but I looked up, and realized the Northern Lights were what you wanted them to be. I saw magic.
Here is a series of Alberto’s photos, hope they put a tint of magic into your life!
How to:
This Aurora Hunt trip was organized by The Aurora Zone. The four-night trip costs £1895 (US$3100) for twin sharing, including flights to Kiruna from London Heathrow, private transfers, Aurora workshop, a snowmobile safari, two Aurora hunts in heated minibus, visit to the ICEHOTEL®, Aurora snowshoe, and a husky safari.
Disclaimer: Our trip was made possible by The Aurora Zone and Eurail.com, but all opinions expressed are our own.
The Comments
Rachel
This is one of the things I'd love to witness, and your photos made me want it more. Thank you for the amazing shots, I especially love that photo of you two with the expressions and everything.. it's perfect. Have a great holiday! :)
@WildJunket
RachelThanks Rachel! It was an incredibly moving sight. I hope you get to see them soon!
Erica
This trip sounds absolutely magical and freezing at the same time :)
And as always, Alberto's pictures are fantastic. These will hold me until I can see the real thing!
@WildJunket
EricaI used to hate the cold, but after visiting Lapland, I'm hooked to it! When there's snow, everything looks pretty. Hope you get there soon!
Erica
@WildJunketI'm going to attempt to channel that here in NY so I am more willing to go outdoors. :)
Camels & Chocolate
This looks amazing! All the times I've been up in Arctic regions, it's been summer or early fall so no Northern Lights for me…yet!
@WildJunket
Camels & ChocolateThanks Kristin! We were quite nervous about going to the northern extreme in winter, but it turned out fine. It was mostly -5 degC, not bad at all! Hope you catch the Northern Lights soon!
Nellie
Thank you Chez! Glad you liked your photos. The Northern Lights were truly stunning.
Joyce
Hi, your photos are amazing and thanks for the recommendations! When were you in Abisko? I'm hoping to plan a trip there in December and I'm really hoping with all my might that I'll see the northern lights.
Mere@GreenGlobalTrvl
Wow! Stunning photos! Amazing you were able to capture those colors, beautiful!
Bindhu Unny
Your photos have made us think about planning a trip to see this magic. Hope we will be able to make that trip. :)
Ris
Hi! It’s a nice post on northern lights in Abisko and the pictures are awesome! May I know that is it possible for me to hunt the northern lights by my own together with my travel mates? (We have no budget to join any tour to hunt for the northern lights). If it’s possible, is there any recommended place for us to hunt for it? We will be staying at Abisko Mountain Station.
Nellie Huang
RisOh yes for sure you can go and see the northern lights yourself. The key is to go to places where there are no houses or lights, so you can see them clearly. We saw the northern lights actually just outside the lodge we were staying at, and they were extremely clear. I’m pretty sure if there are northern lights when you are in Abisko, you’ll be able to see them from the mountain station. How long are you staying in Abisko?
Ris
I think I will be staying for 3D2N if not mistaken. Is there any other place apart from the mountain station? We would like to explore on our own yet worried that we might get lost somewhere in the dark. All those northern lights pictures taken by you were from the abisko sky station?
Nellie Huang
RisSome of them were taken at the Abisko Sky Station, but a few were taken right outside our lodge. We stayed at the Abisko Mountain Lodge (http://abiskomountainlodge.se/) and highly recommend it. It was easy to get to from the train station, and within walking distance from the village center. If you stay at the lodge, you don’t need to be worried about getting lost as there will be other houses and buildings around. You’ll still get to the see the lights pretty well in winter. But of course it depends on your luck. We were in Lapland for two weeks but only saw them on 1-2 nights.