In Search of the Northern Lights (Norway)

 

To celebrate my birthday in early January 2026, my cousin and I went to Tromsø, in the far north of Norway. We had chosen this destination since January 2025, we were at that time in Lapland to celebrate my 35th birthday. We were unable to observe the northern lights during that trip, which is why we decided to try our luck in Norway. We left on Friday, January 9, 2026, in the morning, and returned on Sunday, January 11, 2026

Day 1

Our flight, which departed from Roissy Charles de Gaulle at 11:30, was 30 minutes late. It lasted 3:45. When we arrived in Tromsø around 3:45, it was nighttime because the polar night lasts from November 20 to January 20 in Norway, which is quite disorienting. I had ordered a taxi through Booking as usual, but when we arrived at the airport exit, there was no one there. I didn't receive any message from the taxi service. Usually, I always receive a message from Booking telling me the driver is arriving and also a message from the driver letting me know he has arrived. So I sent a message to Booking through the chat. They were very responsive and ordered an Uber at their expense.

Once check-in was done, we relaxed at the hotel for a bit to charge our phones, then we went out to meet up for our northern lights excursion. Unlike in Lapland, I booked a tour with a 99% guarantee of seeing the Northern Lights because the driver drives all night until we see the Northern Lights. If we don't see any, we'll be refunded part of the price of the excursion.

Our guides, Bernardo and Lucas, were super friendly, and our driver, Sergueï, was great. We first made a stop a few minutes after picking up the last participants at their meeting point. We were able to observe faint northern lights.

We hit the road again, and this time, jackpot! We were able to observe beautiful northern lights. They kept dancing in the sky, it was so beautiful! One thing to know: to the naked eye, the northern lights appear very clear, it is a bit white. Through the lens of a camera or phone, their appearance is completely different; here, they were green.

During the observation of the northern lights, Lucas took photos of us with a professional camera. The photos are sent to us within 4 days.

In total, the excursion lasted about 6 hours, including the departure from the meeting point and the return. The guides were super nice because they asked Sergei to drop us off at our respective hotels.

Day 2

For this day, I booked a 5-hour cruise in the fjords. The cruise allowed us to discover beautiful snowy landscapes and beautiful colors in the sky. We first strolled through the city center before meeting at the designated location.

A meal was served on board, a delicious soup of fresh fish prepared before our eyes. We also had tea bags, hot water, and biscuits available. For those who wanted to, it was possible to fish during several stops. Some caught enormous fish.

The onboard staff was lovely and would let us know when there were interesting things to see outside the heated cabin. For example, we were able to see a red fox go hunting.

It was a wonderful excursion.

In the evening, we went to eat at Arctandria SjømatRestaurant, a typical restaurant where we were able to taste whale steak and reindeer steak, it was very good.