The Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway is one of the most spectacular sights to witness. However, it is not as easy as travelling to Norway and seeing the Northern Lights like going to a theatre and watch a movie. You need to know where to find them. Here are the top 5 places to photograph the Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway.
The key is to find a place quiet and very dark.
Hillesoy
Tucked away on the island of Sommaroy, this place is especially dark facing the Norwegian sea in the west and endless horizon. Go through Sommaroy, straight on Hillesoyvegen, then turn left at the end of the road to Sorvegen. Go to the end, park discreetly at the side of the road and climb into the backyard of someone’s private land. Yes, there is a backyard which belongs to some owner, but it’s ok if there are no tourist buses camping there.
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Brensholmen
If Hillesoy fails then drive back down nearby there is an area called Brensholmen. Dark skies, no street lamps, no houses and rarely cars go by this road in the night. Most aurora hunters go the other way eastward toward Kaldfjord. In fact, this route from Kaldfjord to Sommaroya is a popular aurora hunting route run by many tourist buses.
Vagbotn
This fjord is along the way to Tromvik. From Kaldfjord, go up to Ersfjordbotn, then turn right and all the way towards Tromvik. Bonus scene along the way is a lake Storvatnet (along road Fv57). The drive down towards Grotfjord is a bird’s eye view revealing the valley of Grotfjord below. Wonderful place to drone if you have no fear of the winds.
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Skarsfjord
The other side of Tromso on the island of Ringvassoya, northbound quite straightforward to reach with a GPS. Go to the end. There is a water pump station providing some background light for your aurora photographs. The opening of the valley provides an outlet for the northern lights to flow through the skies and stretch away into the far starry skies.
Oldervik
East side of Tromso island. Across the sea, you can see the mountain ranges of Lygen Alps. Relatively quiet neighbourhood with small amounts of street lamps. It is actually a fishing village. Not too far from Tromso main island which would help when staying out late because the tiring drive back in the dark can be taxing on the mind.
Also read: Hiking Routes in Norway
Lewis Lai is an author on Trevellers and an experienced treveller. He has been around the world and you can follow him on YouTube.
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