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These unique Northern Lights tours offer unforgettable ways to see the Aurora Borealis

Jamie Davis Smith
·6 min read

Seeing the northern lights is a bucket list experience, and 2025 is prime time to make it happen. Few other experiences can compete with seeing the sky light up with dancing green and purple lights. Seeing the elusive Aurora Borealis depends on Mother Nature’s mood and a little luck. However, booking a tour organized by an expert is a great way to stack the odds in your favor. Plus, tours include daytime activities to enhance your overall experience. Here are my favorite tours for Northern Lights viewing.

Aurora Borealis hunting

Why stay in one place and wait for the northern lights to come to you? Lights seekers increase their chances of catching Mother Nature’s most spectacular show by chasing the aurora borealis. During such tours, an expert tracks nearby locations to find the best viewing spots each night. Typically, these tours make several stops known for great northern lights viewing in hopes of catching different views of the lights.

▶ Tour: The Northern Lights Escape in Iceland by Intrepid Travel (read our review of the company) takes you around Iceland’s South Coast and Golden Circle in search of the lights displays. Along the way, the tour also visits Reykjavik, glaciers, waterfalls, a black sand beach, and more.

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The aurora borealis, also known as Northern Lights, seen over the municipality of Thingeyjarsveit and the Sprengisandur river in northern Iceland on Oct. 14, 2018.
The aurora borealis, also known as Northern Lights, seen over the municipality of Thingeyjarsveit and the Sprengisandur river in northern Iceland on Oct. 14, 2018.

A multi-country experience

Boost your chances of seeing the lights by taking in two countries on one tour. Northern-lights-focused tours that include aurora hotspots like Finland and Sweden cover more ground and give you more opportunities (and backdrops) for northern lights viewing. Add in cultural experiences for the chance to go deeper into the lore of this ancient wonder.

▶ Tour: The Scandinavian Northern Lights tour by Trafalgar (read our review of the tour company) is a nine-day experience that travels the length of both Sweden and Finland. During the tour, you'll get the chance to learn about the native Sámi people, visit both Stockholm and Helsinki, and, as long as nature cooperates, see some spectacular aurora borealis displays.

Arctic safaris

Some people want to sit back and enjoy taking in the lights, but if you're the type who wants thrills while the lights dance above you, consider an Arctic Lapland Safari on a tour that includes speeding through the snow on a snowmobile, cross-country skiing, and staying in a treehouse.

▶ Tour: Red Savannah's Arctic Lapland Safari offers both luxury and adventure with experiences like visiting the Sami tribespeople, ice-fishing, and ice-sculpting.

Aurora photography tours

There's maybe no better place on earth to see the aurora borealis than Churchill, Canada. This far-north town in Manitoba may be best known for its polar bear expeditions, but its perfect location on a bay that freezes in winter reduces the chances of cloud cover, boosting your chances of seeing amazing aurora displays. A photography-focused tour gives you the skills you need to capture the experience with photography that, while it may never match the wonder of the actual experience, will definitely dazzle your friends.

▶ Tour: Natural Habitat Adventures' Northern Lights Photography Expedition pairs you with seasoned photographers who, during the day, accompany you on activities like dog sledding and snowshoeing. Come night, they'll take you to some incredible spots, including an Aurora Pod and a geodesic Aurora Sphere, to see the lights and help you capture the magic with your camera or phone.

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Northern Lights by ship

One of the most immersive ways to see the northern lights is from a ship’s deck in the middle of the ocean. Some cruise ships have itineraries that take passengers through open waters where the northern lights may appear overhead. Passengers who go to Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, and Norway during the fall and winter may get lucky and see the sky light up during their voyage.

▶ Tour: Iceland’s Wild West Coast to East Greenland expedition cruise from National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions (here's our full overview of the company) includes the opportunity to see the northern lights with a National Geographic expert. The tour also includes night photography instruction from a National Geographic photographer.

Lights + hot springs

The northern lights appear most often in places that get very cold. That makes seeing them from warm, relaxing geothermal hot springs an extra-cozy approach to aurora viewing.

▶ Tours: The Northern Lights and Blue Lagoon tour from Iceland Air includes a stop at the famed Blue Lagoon and a Northern Lights evening cruise. Or, check out the Northern Lights and Sky Lagoon tour for a chance to see the Northern Lights from another one of Iceland’s geothermal pools.

By train

In Norway, hop aboard the Northern Lights Train, also known as the Arctic Circle Express, to get far away from light pollution caused by cars and streetlights. Gaze out the window to catch the northern lights before you arrive at the top of a mountain. Along the way, listen to northern lights stories and get a glimpse of beautiful fjords and wintery landscapes. Once you arrive, get comfortable next to a bonfire while enjoying traditional pastries.

▶ Tour: UpNorway takes visitors on an Arctic Circle Express Train tour that can be customized for aurora viewing. The tour also includes hikes, visits to small towns, and more.

GO IT ALONE: 5 great tour companies with independent tours in 2025Aurora shows from a roving diner

In Canada, Dan’s Diner is a pop-up gourmet restaurant with big glass windows built into the ceiling for optimal northern lights viewing. The roving diner travels to an ideal viewing location around Churchill, directly beneath the auroral oval. Guests looking for a more immersive experience can step outside the diner to enjoy the lights while sitting by a campfire.

▶ Tour: Book a tour with Frontiers North Adventures for a chance to see the northern lights from Dan’s Diner. Tours may also include snowshoeing, dog sledding, and fat-tire biking through the boreal forest.

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With a wake-up call

Some hotels offer aurora wake-up calls. This is a perfect option for those who don’t want to stay up all night chasing the aurora borealis but have FOMO about sleeping through a spectacular show. Typically, these hotels ask guests if they would like a wake-up call in the middle of the night if the lights make an appearance. Guests who say yes can then decide if they simply want to gaze at the lights through their window or head outside and brave the cold for a better look. Hotels like Hotel Ranga in Iceland go the extra mile by providing snowsuits and hot chocolate so guests can stay in their pajamas while gazing at the sky above.

▶ Tour: Iceland's Hotel Ranga can arrange a custom tour full of South Coast and Golden Circle adventures by day and northern lights spotting at the hotel at night. View the aurora borealis from a geothermal hot tub outside of your room or on dry land with the hotel’s on-site astronomer.

These unique Northern Lights tours offer unforgettable ways to see the Aurora Borealis originally appeared on TourScoop.com.

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The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. Using the FamilyVacationist travel recommendation methodology, we review and select family vacation ideas, family vacation spots, all-inclusive family resorts, and classic family vacations for all ages. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators, tour operator reviews, tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: These are the best tours to see the Northern Lights in 2025

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