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If you’re traveling outside of the optimum time—such as a Christmas cruise—pick a longer itinerary. It will cost more, but if your reason for cruising is to see the aurora, it will be money well spent. As well as seeing the Northern Lights from the deck, most aurora-themed cruises offer instruction on photography—which you can do with just your smartphone—as well as lectures and other astronomical activities. Right now, the sun is approaching the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, meaning magnetic activity is very high. As a bonus, auroral activity tends to increase around solar maximum and intensify in the few years after. Why bother, you might ask if the northern lights are now regularly visible at lower latitudes.
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Under the Northern Light Promise, if the Northern Lights do not appear on a traveler's applicable Norway Expedition cruise, the expedition group will give travelers another Norway cruise free of charge. Glimpsing the Northern Lights in all their mystical and sky-transforming glory is one of those bucket-list life experiences that many world travelers often wait years to see. Enjoy sweeping views as you sail along Norway’s coast, one of the world’s longest shorelines. Paddle by kayak and explore local alpine landscapes; enjoy Tromsø’s waterways by RIB. Sail the North Sea, central to Europe’s history, from Viking voyages to oil drilling. You can also see the lights in Canada's Yukon, including in the gold rush town of Dawson City, which is visited on some Holland America cruisetours.
Where do Northern Lights cruises go?
Don't Be Afraid to Take a Hurtigruten Cruise Through Frozen Norway to See the Northern Lights - Fodor's Travel
Don't Be Afraid to Take a Hurtigruten Cruise Through Frozen Norway to See the Northern Lights.
Posted: Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Let us introduce you to the mysteries of the aurora borealis, the beautiful Lofoten Islands, and how our on board spa services take inspiration from the ocean itself. Rebuilt after a fire in 1904, Alesund is uniquely art nouveau in style (something of a rarity in Norway). It’s spread across a series of islands, best seen from the city’s famous Fjellstua viewpoint. While seeing the Northern Lights isn’t guaranteed, cruises to Alaska and Iceland make for unforgettable vacations. Whether you’re traversing the wild terrain of the Last Frontier or spending your days exploring cities like Bergen and Alesund, we have an ideal itinerary for you.
best northern lights cruises for a spectacular adventure
In the last months of 2023, the skies of Northern Norway were lit up with mesmerizing ribbons of green, purple, and pink, at a more intense level than usual. In fact, so powerful were the aurora displays that they were seen from remote parts of the English countryside. Cruise ship passengers trying to photograph an aurora borealis display in Northern Norway.
Go Chasing Northern Lights — And Waterfalls — In Iceland
The Restaurant - this is another sit-down restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We went once or twice on ocean days as it was on a lower deck and better for motion sickness. If you like seafood, at dinner there were always steamed king crab legs, freshly made sushi, and on various days there were scallops, soft shell crabs, British style Fish n Chips, Norwegian Salmon, Lobster, and much more. Like all the other ocean class ships, the Viking Venus is very spacious and luxurious with interesting artwork displayed throughout the ship.
Best Time to See Polar Bears in Svalbard – Wildlife Guide
Nunavut in the heart of Canada’s High Arctic is a prime aurora borealis viewing country, with its close proximity to the North Pole and vast expanses of tundra. Consider visiting a remote traditional Inuit community for an unparalleled night of dazzling aurora displays. Every year, millions of tourists flock to the Arctic for a chance to witness the phenomenon of the Northern Lights. To increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights, be prepared to venture into the heart of the Arctic, to destinations such as Greenland, Iceland, Northern Canada and Northern Norway.
The final days before disembarkation in Bergen, Norway, will be spent in the Faroe Islands. There you’ll find traditional red-painted timber homes with grass roofs, lots of sheep and Faroese ponies, Viking history, and imposing sea cliffs. In Antarctica, we have many opportunities to encounter penguins, seals and whales, and occasionally we may even spot leopard seals or orcas. In the Arctic, we’ll paddle under nesting bird colonies, past massive glaciers and around large icebergs, however we maintain a safe distance from polar bears and walruses.
Finding a clear sky typically means driving, often in icy mountainous environments. For many, the best and most convenient solution is to take a Northern Lights cruise, the popularity of which has been booming in recent years. Popular destinations to see the southern lights include Cloudy Bay, Tasmania and Ushuaia,Argentina, the latter of which is a popular gateway for cruises to Argentina during the summer months. New Zealand's Mt. Cook (known to the indigenous Maori people as "Aoraki") also provides a stunning foreground for the aurora australis, as does the Church of the Good Shepherd in nearby Lake Tekapo. The best time to see the northern lights in Iceland is as deep into winter as you can go.
Northern lights cruises: A guide to chasing the aurora borealis at sea
North of Scoresbysund lie Kong Oskar and Kaiser Franz Josef fjords, two of the most significant fjord systems in Greenland, each one encompassing several smaller fjords and sounds. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil and the surrounding mountains offering protection from strong winds, the area is rich in wildlife. You may spot everything from musk oxen and arctic foxes to mountain hares, and even reindeer, near the fjord.
The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing - AFAR Media
The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing.
Posted: Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
While this list is not inclusive, lines to choose from include Hurtigruten, Viking, Cunard, Quark, P&O, Silversea, Fred. The conditions must be just right, but it's highly likely to see this magical and sometimes elusive scientific phenomenon on a Northern Lights cruise sailing the Arctic Circle during the long, dark winter nights. Experience a land where dawn and twilight merge on the edges of the long Arctic night.
In Iceland, you’ll stop in Akureyri and overnight in the capital city, Reykjavik. Discover the wonders of Iceland’s nature by hiking along snow-capped mountains, marveling at enormous waterfalls, and exploring gurgling fields of Icelandic lava. Aurora Borealis, as it’s officially known, can only be seen above the magnetic pole of the Northern Hemisphere. Your chances of seeing them increase the farther north you are, which in turn makes Iceland an ideal place to try your luck at Northern Lights gazing. Take a look at our gallery of fantastic photos taking on board our ships as we cruise to the Northern Lights.
This is a difficult question to answer, as sightings are more dependent on cloud cover and luck than anything else, and the weather is so varied around the Norwegian coast. Home to over 100 nationalities, the city offers a wealth of eateries serving some of the best native cuisine in the Arctic. For fall and winter, when sightings of the Northern Lights are more common, layering is key. While we can’t guarantee you’ll see the Northern Lights on your cruisetour, we can promise you’ll walk away with a deep appreciation for Alaska’s rugged wilderness, flora, fauna, and rich history.
But the routes of this coastal ferry company in Norway just happen to traverse the perfect latitudes to see the aurora. In fact, Hurtigruten is so confident you'll see the northern lights during the auroral season (Sept. 26 through March 31) that if they don't show up on a sailing of 11 days or more, the company will give you a free six- or seven-day cruise to try again. For the best odds of seeing the northern lights, we suggest the 12-day round-trip itinerary from Bergen up the coast of Norway and back. Yes, you can witness the Northern Lights from a cruise ship during dedicated Northern Lights cruises with Aurora Expeditions. These cruises navigate to prime viewing locations near the Arctic Circle, offering passengers a unique vantage point to experience the dazzling spectacle of the Aurora Borealis.
But there will also be activities geared to exploring parts of the world filled with many other natural, cultural, and man-made wonders. Iceland, Greenland, and polar regions around the Northwest Passage promote some of their active, adventurous cruises around the equinoxes in September and March as northern lights viewing opportunities as well. Lines cruising in these regions include Hurtigruten, Silversea, Lindblad Expeditions, Viking Cruises, Quark Expeditions, Adventure Canada, and others. Remember that seeing these lights doesn't involve a cruise director flipping on a switch.
It can take many minutes for the human eye to adjust to ‘night vision’, and even then, color can be difficult for many people to distinguish. On this trip, the excursions we decided to pay for were the Northern Lights Bus Hunt, Snowmobiling / Ice Hotel, and Husky Sledding. Most were paid excursions but with all Viking cruises, there was always a free excursion at each stop.
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