Hunting the Northern Lights - part 2

Part 1

I actually allocated 3 nights in Tromso to maximize our chances to see the elusive Aurora Borealis. Tromso is regarded as one of the best places to view the spectacular northern lights but sometimes, we still might not get to see it if the conditions are not perfect; clouds, snow showers, light pollution, moonlight etc.

You need dark and clear night. And that’s why visitors usually sign up for tours cos these tours will bring you to the ideal places, away from the light pollution in the city.

And then, pray to God that the KP index for that night is high. The higher the KP index, the higher your chance of witnessing the aurora cos it means the aurora is stronger. Read about the KP index here.

Alhamdulillah luck was on my side and I got to witness the aurora on our first night of hunting. My friend and I were still reeling with excitement from that magical night so we decided to go again on our 3rd night in Tromso.

This time, we followed Hans-Petter Nilsen tour cos we wanted different experience. Again, it was not our first choice cos the tour that I wanted was sold out. The tour price was same, NOK 1200 (~ RM600). We actually set our limit, that we would not go for tours that cost more than that. So yeah.. just choose the tours that you want according to your budget. But be quick la cos the best ones sold out fast.

There were 14 of us in this excursion. Hans drove us about an hour from the city to Sommaroy, an old fishing village in the western part of Tromso. I can say he is a one man show guy. He’s the driver, he’s the guide, and he’s also the photographer.

Putting on our warmsuit once Hans parked the minibus, I scanned the sky. Again, I didn’t see anything. We waited for quite some time, an hour or so. It was cold, and there’s nothing much we could do except wait for the aurora to appear. I almost fell asleep out of boredom. At the same time, I was anxious. Would I be lucky twice? 

And yes, I got lucky again. Slowly, the aurora showed itself. Only that tonight it didn’t wave around. It didn’t dance across the sky like the night before.

The aurora we saw that night was kinda passive cos mostly, it looked like a straight line.

Nevertheless, Alhamdulillah for another lucky day. It is still beautiful, straight or whatever shape it formed.

We made bonfire and was served hot chocolate and biscuits. Oh that’s why I preferred the trip with The Green Adventure cos we got more value for the same amount that we paid. Plus, that first night was the most beautiful aurora show among the 3 nights that I managed to witness it. But Hans was nice though, cos he took a lot of photos for me hahahaha.

Tromso, Norway. 14 February 2018

OK la.. finally it got some shapes.

Another happy day