Our Northern Lights Blog

Our expert Aurora guide and CEO of the new Northern Lights Village in Saariselkä, Markku Inkilä is a self-proclaimed Aurora nut. He lives and breathes the Northern Lights and is rarely happier than when he is capturing them on camera. His photos have been published in the Sunday Times, the Telegraph, and on hundreds of websites around the world.

We have big news here at The Aurora Zone and we couldn’t wait a moment longer to share it with you. Our good friends Mari and Jouko, two of our longest-standing suppliers, have announced the launch of their brand new wilderness boutique Hotel Nangu, located on the tranquil shores of Lake Inari.

We love it when our suppliers come to visit us regardless of the occasion. So when, while we were dining and enjoying an evening with Mari and Sinnika from Nellim and they described in detail this stunning new hotel in one of our favourite destinations, I am sure you can imagine our elation. Not only this, but it will be opening its doors ready for the coming season!

Autumn is coming and we just can’t wait to see a new season of the Northern Lights!

Why are we so excited about autumnal Northern Lights? Here are five good reasons!

Ah, how we love travel on Instagram! We look, get wanderlust and then next thing you know it’s added to your travel bucket list. With the Northern Lights and Arctic landscapes, however, it’s another ball game completely. 

Here's my five most Instagram-able Arctic destinations:

How often have you returned to work in the New Year regretfully thinking,

“Why on earth didn’t I do something useful over the holiday period?”

That period between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, Betwixmas if you like, must be the most neglected of the year. It’s a dead zone during which you know you should be doing something useful but simply can’t be bothered.

Your first experience with the Northern Lights is something truly unforgettable. Where you were, who you were with, and how you felt at that exact moment stays with you for a lifetime.

Here’s our Aurora Zone Experts first experiences of seeing the glorious Northern Lights.

Tranquil Torassieppi in spring was everything it promised to be; a picturesque smattering of colourfully painted cabins scattered amongst a delightful woodland setting at the edge of a wide, deep-frozen lake. Here perched my "glamping" accommodation; an Aurora Dome, a kind of luxury man-made snow globe where I would be cocooned for the night.

Here at The Aurora Zone we’ve seen something of a change in recent weeks. Naturally, as holiday providers and Northern Lights enthusiasts, we spend a lot of time travelling to the likes of Finland, Sweden and Norway in search of dark skies illuminated by dancing celestial light.

(Taken 1st March 2017 in the Lyngen Alps by Francisco Damm)

Prior to travelling to the IceHotel, it was difficult to know what to expect, for not in my wildest imagination could I envisage a hotel made from blocks of Ice and decorated with magical sculptures. I had seen photographs of both the IceHotel and the IceHotel365 but once again nothing could prepare me for the reality of actually witnessing them for myself.

After arriving, I dressed into my warm overalls and left the bus behind. We met our guide in the reception area before she led us down snowy paths towards the hotel. As we entered into a courtyard I gazed upon the hotel for the first time and was instantly mesmerised. The structure before me was bathed in enchanting colours of white and blue and it was difficult for me to comprehend that it was rebuilt each year.

After arriving in the beautiful city of Honningsvåg, the northernmost city of Norway, I was in my element. Although chances of seeing the Aurora were slim, I was happy enough to admire the stunning view from my window of the harbour scattered with lights reflecting from the water and lined with fishing boats and nets ready for tomorrow’s work.

The drive to this enchanting (extremely small) city, along the Norwegian coastline, made for some spectacular views, with the sunset creating a pink tinge in the sky above the mountains, causing me to come to the conclusion that my trip wasn’t going to get much better than this.