The World's Most Affordable Places to See the Northern Lights
You don't have to break the bank to marvel at nature.
Aurora chasers and northern lights enthusiasts, you'd better listen up. Solar activity is starting to peak this month. Beginning in September 2024 and well into 2025, the sun will go into its "Solar Maximum" phase, which is the peak of solar activity in the sun's 11-year cycle.
What does that have to do with northern lights, you ask? It's directly connected, actually. Higher solar activity means a more regular appearance of auroras across the night sky (they are, in fact, a byproduct of intense geomagnetic storms coming from the sun!), which also means that they'll be more visible at lower latitudes.
In short, get ready for more aurora sightings in more locations worldwide. And according to a study by travel insurance specialists InsureandGo, interest in celestial phenomena has already risen by 234% due to the heightened solar activity.
Due to the increased demand, catching the aurora somewhere has the potential to be more expensive than you were expecting. However, it doesn't have to be like that. If you head to Scotland's Isle of Harris, you can stay in a prime aurora borealis location without breaking the bank. According to InsurancgeandGo's study, the average nightly price for a hotel room is roughly $54, which is much cheaper than many comparable locations (in terms of aurora-watching quality) in Iceland and Norway.
If you don't want to go all the way to Scotland, the same study rounded up the top 10 cheapest locations to see the aurora borealis based on the average nightly hotel room price. Check them out below:
1. Isle of Harris, Scotland—Average hotel cost per night: $54
2. Cairngorms National Park, Scotland—Average hotel cost per night: $71
3. Gjogv, Faroe Islands—Average hotel cost per night: $76
4. Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales—Average hotel cost per night: $95
5. Rovaniemi, Finland—Average hotel cost per night: $105
6. Fort McMurray, Canada—Average hotel cost per night: $105
7. Exmoor National Park, England—Average hotel cost per night: $112
8. Whitehorse, Canada—Average hotel cost per night: $113
9. Northumberland National Park, England—Average hotel cost per night: $122
10. Levi, Finland—Average hotel cost per night: $123
You should remember that darkness is critical regardless of where you stay to witness the northern lights. "Access to a dark sky is really important for viewing auroras," James LaBelle, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College, says. "Even the presence of more than a sliver of moon can make it hard to appreciate anything but the brightest aurora."
With that in mind, you should also avoid using your cell phone while watching. "You want to keep your eyes adjusted to the dark," LaBelle explained. Looking at a phone or turning on a bright light would force you to readjust, losing some precious time watching!"
To find the darkest possible location near you, do some research and look up the nearest Dark Site or a place with very low light pollution.
Ready to go stargazing?
Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in and stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners or easy stargazing road trips from big US cities.