Northern Lights

Did you know that in Finnish Lapland, the Northern Lights can be seen on about 200 evenings every year? While many people opt to observe the Northern Lights outside on snowshoes, skis, snowmobiles, or dog sleds, you can also see them from the warmth of an indoor space. A once-in-a-lifetime experience is seeing the northern lights, the Aurora Borealis, or fox fires. This can be seen as one of the Reasons to Visit Finland.

One of the best sites to see the northern lights, which paint the sky with breathtaking and enchanted hues of green, turquoise, ultraviolet, pink, and light blue, is in Finnish Lapland. Your chances of seeing them increase as you travel further north. Due to its northern latitude, Lapland is located within the "aurora zone," or band surrounding the earth between latitudes of 65° and 72°N, which is known as the "northern lights belt." The aurora borealis is most frequently and intensely visible in this area. In Finnish Lapland, the aurora season lasts from the end of August to the beginning of March.

Anytime between shortly after dusk and just before dawn, the lights could unpredictably appear and vanish. Skiers have been known to make their way home thanks to brilliant auroral displays that illuminate the snow-covered arctic terrain! Wear proper clothing because clear winter nights, when the lights are easiest to see, tend to be very cool. Get away from tall structures and lights as well. Hilltops and lakeshores make good vantage points.