Two Paper Boats
  • Guides
    • Guides

      Summer Trip to Svalbard – Everything You Need…

      Guides

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Guides

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Guides

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      Guides

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      Guides

      Exploring Quito

      Guides

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Guides

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Guides

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Guides

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Guides

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

      Guides

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Guides

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Itineraries
    • Itineraries

      One Year Around the World

      Itineraries

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      Itineraries

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      Itineraries

      Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary

  • South America
    • South America

      Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

      South America

      San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

      South America

      How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa…

      South America

      A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

      South America

      Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

      South America

      3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

      South America

      One Week Medellin Travel Guide

      South America

      3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

      South America

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      South America

      Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

      South America

      Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto…

      South America

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      South America

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      South America

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      South America

      Witnessing the Worst Protests in Chile in 3…

  • Europe
    • Europe

      A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

      Europe

      We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

      Europe

      How Much It Cost Us to See the…

      Europe

      Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

      Europe

      Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on…

      Europe

      Finnish Lapland in October

      Europe

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Europe

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Europe

      Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in…

      Europe

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Europe

      Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

      Europe

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Europe

      A Winter Weekend in Andorra

  • Middle East
    • Middle East

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Middle East

      Honest Thoughts on Traveling in Egypt

      Middle East

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Middle East

      Finding the Best Hummus in Israel

      Middle East

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

  • Asia
    • Asia

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Asia

      My Search for Lamprais or “Lump Rice” in…

      Asia

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Nomad Life
    • Nomad Life

      2020 – Travel Interrupted

      Nomad Life

      Packing Super Light for a Trip Around the…

      Nomad Life

      How We Afford to Travel Full-Time

      Nomad Life

      The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part…

      Nomad Life

      Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World

Northern Lights on Lake Inari
EuropeFinland

Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on Our First Try in Finland

by Lu April 25, 2022
April 25, 2022 755 views

In early October we traveled to Finnish Lapland to try our luck at spotting the Northern Lights on the banks of Lake Inari, a tiny town under the aurora belt. We flew into Helsinki in the morning. The view from my window seat was so beautiful – rows and rows of evergreens splashed through with yellow.

We paid to store our bags at the train station, visited the National Library and Helsinki Cathedral, enjoyed a hot bowl of pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, and boarded our sleeper train to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland.

We booked a private upstairs cabin for two people with en suite bathroom and shower. The cabin was 45 sq. ft with bunk beds, fresh linens and towels for two. If you book in advance, you can get a pretty great deal, especially considering you save a night on accommodations in Helsinki.

The train arrived early in the morning. We rented a car from Alamo at the train station and hit the road by 8 AM for our drive to Inari, a town in the far north of Finland. We didn’t know if there would be a good grocery store there, so we stopped at Lidl on the way to pick up snacks and fruit, but there turned out to be a really nice supermarket called K Market in Inari with fresh produce, hot food, and reasonable prices (the same as in the rest of Finland).

You can also fly from Helsinki to Ivalo, but the rental car was cheaper from Rovaniemi and the highway in perfect condition, so it was a pleasure to drive. Without stopping, it took four hours, and we saw wild reindeer along the way.

We stayed at Wilderness Hotel Inari, one of the top accommodations in the area. They offer aurora cabins by the lakefront – these are individual domes with glass windows that face north, so you can lay awake in bed and keep an eye on the night sky without having to venture outside. Splurge on the aurora cabins if you’re on vacation, but since we travel for months on end, we stayed in one of the regular hotel rooms instead, for half the price and only a one minute walk to the lake.

Northern Lights Lake Inari-2
Aurora Cabins at Wilderness Hotel Inari

Our windows didn’t face north, so we had to go outside to check the sky, but this is where the All-sky camera came in handy. It’s a live webcam that shows the sky above Kevo, a town just north of Inari. If you see Northern Lights activity in Kevo, chances are high they’ll be visible in Inari too. The website also predicts the probability of auroras – a yellow dot is enough to see them on a clear night. I refreshed it religiously the entire time I was in Finland.

Our forecast actually started out pretty abysmal. Out of a four night stay, three days were rainy or cloudy, but on our second to last night, after pouring relentlessly all day, the sky suddenly cleared at 8 PM. We walked outside, saw a faint green glow in the sky, and suddenly realized we were looking at the Northern Lights! 

Northern Lights Lake Inari
ISO 1600, f/2.8, 15 sec

They were pretty amorphous at first, but their glow grew stronger as the sky darkened, and closer to midnight, they “danced” a bit more. Our hotel turned off all the outdoor lights for us, and the lake provided a vast black mirror perfect for reflections.

It was so cold we could only stay outside for fifteen minutes at a time before running inside to warm up. Each time we went out again the lights would be somewhere new, and their shape would be different. The show lasted at least four hours until we went to sleep at midnight.

I was able to capture some decent photos on my Sony A7II with a Samyang 18mm F2.8 lens. It’s not my favorite lens, but it’s the widest angle one I have and I wanted to capture the entire sky. I didn’t have a tripod, so I placed my camera on boulders, an upside down boat, or the deck, and tilted it up towards the sky using a soft camera bag for support underneath.

Some of my photos came out blurry, or a bit crooked, but they’re all treasured, because whenever I look at them, I remember how much fun I was having.

Trip Planning Tips

Go north. Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, is not ideal for a short trip because it’s a fairly sizeable city with lights on at night. As you go farther north, the towns get smaller and smaller until they’re just a blew blocks across, so there’s very little light pollution. You can also try a ski resort like Ylläs that turns off all the lights at night for aurora viewing.

Give yourself enough time. The Northern Lights are visible every other clear night, and not every night is clear. October, when we went, was pretty rainy, so I’m glad we stayed four nights. Snow in the winter can also cloud the skies, so I would recommend a minimum of three nights.

Aaron on the shore of Lake Inari
ISO 1600, f/2.8, 10 sec

Stay near a lake if you can. A lake reduces light pollution because it’s pitch black at night, and also serves as a reflection pool. When the lights are bright enough, this creates a beautiful otherworldly effect.

If you have flexibility and can head to Lapland at a moment’s notice, you can monitor the weather and solar activity. I reccommend the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website for local weather forecasts and SpaceWeatherLive’s Twitter feed for updates on solar flares. Right after heightened solar activity, you have high chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

Photo Tips

Don’t forget to remove your polarizer, or any other filter for that matter. You want to let in as much light as possible, and polarizers block light.

Make sure your battery is fully charged. This may seem obvious, but batteries drain faster in subfreezing temperatures, especially when you’re frequently previewing photos on your screen.

Use a wide-angle lens so you can capture as much of the sky and landscape as possible. Anything between 14-20mm is good. I used an 18mm prime. Also choose a lens with a wide maximum aperture, like f/1.4, f/1.8 or f/2 and set it at the widest aperture possible. I could only go as low as 2.8 and it worked, but maybe my photos have more noise. With a wider aperture, you can use a faster shutter speed and have the best possible chance of freezing the motion of the Northern Lights.

If you don’t have something solid to balance your camera on, bring a tripod, even a mini one, and instead of pressing the shutter button, turn on self-timer mode so the camera doesn’t shake at all.

A successful selfie using a boulder as a tripod 🙂
ISO 1600, f/2.8, 10 sec

What if You Don’t See the Northern Lights?

Don’t despair. Lapland by day is stunning too. There is so much calm water with wonderful reflections and peaceful walking trails through evergreen forests. If you want to see fall foliage, go in September. Everything will be golden yellow. We just missed it in the first week of October. However, we caught the first snow on our last morning in Finland, so that was quite special.

More Posts on Finland

Finnish Lapland in October

Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

How Much It Cost Us to See the Northern Lights

Lu

previous post
Finnish Lapland in October
next post
Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

You may also like

A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

July 31, 2022

We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

June 30, 2022

How Much It Cost Us to See the Northern Lights

May 13, 2022

Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

May 4, 2022

Finnish Lapland in October

April 25, 2022

Day Trips from Yerevan

August 15, 2019

Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

August 14, 2019

Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in the World

June 22, 2019

13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

June 21, 2019

Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

May 12, 2019

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Travelgrams

Popular Posts

  • The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part Later” Option

    June 23, 2019
  • Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto Williams

    January 26, 2020
  • Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

    January 31, 2019
  • Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World

    June 15, 2018
  • Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

    January 28, 2020
  • Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

    February 10, 2019
  • 17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

    November 1, 2018
  • Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

    August 14, 2019

  • Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT © 2022 TWO PAPER BOATS


Back To Top
Two Paper Boats
  • Guides
    • Guides

      Summer Trip to Svalbard – Everything You Need…

      Guides

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Guides

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Guides

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      Guides

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      Guides

      Exploring Quito

      Guides

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Guides

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Guides

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Guides

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Guides

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

      Guides

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Guides

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Itineraries
    • Itineraries

      One Year Around the World

      Itineraries

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      Itineraries

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      Itineraries

      Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary

  • South America
    • South America

      Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

      South America

      San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

      South America

      How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa…

      South America

      A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

      South America

      Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

      South America

      3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

      South America

      One Week Medellin Travel Guide

      South America

      3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

      South America

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      South America

      Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

      South America

      Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto…

      South America

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      South America

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      South America

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      South America

      Witnessing the Worst Protests in Chile in 3…

  • Europe
    • Europe

      A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

      Europe

      We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

      Europe

      How Much It Cost Us to See the…

      Europe

      Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

      Europe

      Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on…

      Europe

      Finnish Lapland in October

      Europe

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Europe

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Europe

      Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in…

      Europe

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Europe

      Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

      Europe

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Europe

      A Winter Weekend in Andorra

  • Middle East
    • Middle East

      Visiting the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Middle East

      Honest Thoughts on Traveling in Egypt

      Middle East

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Middle East

      Finding the Best Hummus in Israel

      Middle East

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

  • Asia
    • Asia

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Asia

      My Search for Lamprais or “Lump Rice” in…

      Asia

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Nomad Life
    • Nomad Life

      2020 – Travel Interrupted

      Nomad Life

      Packing Super Light for a Trip Around the…

      Nomad Life

      How We Afford to Travel Full-Time

      Nomad Life

      The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part…

      Nomad Life

      Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World