Can I see the Northern Lights in Autumn?
If you don’t fancy the sub-zero temperatures associated with Northern Scandinavia in winter, consider an autumn tour.
- Northern Lights money-back guarantee available
7 days | Independent tour | Sep-Oct | Ivalo to Kirkenes
Most people assume the Northern Lights demand deep winter cold. September and October in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland tell a different story: long dark nights, skies that clear fast, and temperatures that, while crisp, are a world away from the depths of an Arctic winter. The forests are at their most vivid, birch and rowan burning gold and amber before the first snows arrive. It is, by any measure, one of the finest times of year to be this far north.
This 7-day journey begins at Aurora Village, a family-run glass cabin resort set alone in the birch forest near Ivalo. Days are spent hiking, visiting the Sámi museum Siida, riding with the husky teams and gathering around campfire sites. Evenings are for the aurora, from your glass-roofed cabin or on a guided search by car. The journey then crosses into Norway to Kirkenes, an Arctic frontier town on the Barents Sea, where two nights in the Gamme log cabins and a king crab safari round out the trip.
Northern Lights money-back guarantee
Every departure between 1 September and 27 October comes with our Northern Lights Guarantee. If no northern lights are seen at either Aurora Village or Snow Resort Kirkenes during your trip, a refund applies. Aurora Village sightings are verified via on-site sky cameras; and guests are asked to declare honestly whether the lights were visible in Kirkenes. An Aurora Alert is included: request the code at check-in, install the app, and you will be notified the moment the aurora becomes visible at Aurora Village. If alerted and you choose not to look, the guarantee does not apply.
For two people sharing, the available refund (depending on your payment currency) is AUD 815 / USD 579 / CAD 804 / NZD 993. For solo travellers, the refund is AUD 574 / USD 408 / CAD 567 / NZD 700.
Highlights include
- Stay at Aurora Village in a glass igloo under Arctic skies in Finnish Lapland
- Visit Lake Inari region and the Sámi museum Siida to learn about Sámi culture and Arctic life
- Join a guided Northern Lights chase by car with an Aurora hunter
- Enjoy a husky experience including a traditional wagon ride through the forest
- Hike in Urho Kekkonen National Park, one of Europe’s largest wilderness areas
- Relax in a private sauna, jacuzzi, or panoramic sauna with Northern Lights views
- Travel to Kirkenes, Norway’s Arctic frontier town on the Barents Sea
- Go on a Husky Mountain Hike with your own husky through fjords and mountain landscapes
- Take part in a King Crab Safari by RIB boat, including a freshly prepared king crab feast
- Day 1
- Arrive to Ivalo and transfer to the Aurora Village
- Day 2
- Visit the Sami Siida Museum, Inari Village and in the evening Northern Lights hunting by car
- Day 3
- Husky wagon ride through the Finnish forests and then a fat bike tour or arctic star gazing tour
- Day 4
- Hiking in Urho Kekkonen National Park and later relax in the panorama sauna and outdoor jacuzzi
- Day 5
- Transfer to Kirkenes followed by a King Crab Safari
- Day 6
- Husky mountain hike
- Day 7
- Shuttle Transfer from Snow Resort Kirkenes to Airport
- Start Place
- Ivalo, Lapland, Finland
- End Place
- Kirkenes, Norway
- Destinations Visited
- Finland
- Norway
- Duration
- 7 Days
- Start Date
- Flexible
- Travel Style
- Independent
- Suitability
- Independent holiday with moderately active activities and no luggage handling included
- Code
- 50DN1645
As a Certified B Corporation, 50 Degrees North has designed this itinerary using handpicked local hoteliers and suppliers who share our ethos of delivering services and activities of high social and environmental standards.
Through our Climate Action Plan, we measure our carbon emissions each year and set goals to reduce them. But our responsibility does not end when the journey does. A share of our annual profits goes to our Impact Fund, supporting conservation, restoration and the communities we work in.
Details
Transportation
Local transfers from airport
Included
- 4 nights in a glass-roofed Aurora Cabin set alone in the birch forest, Ivalo
- 2 nights in Gamme log cabins, Snow Resort Kirkenes
- Northern Lights money-back guarantee for the entire trip
- Aurora hunting by car with a local guide
- Visit to the Sámi museum Siida and Inari Village
- Husky wagon ride through the autumn forest
- Fat bike tour in autumn colour, or Arctic stargazing with a telescope
- Guided hike in Urho Kekkonen National Park
- Panorama sauna and outdoor jacuzzi
- King crab safari, Kirkenes
- Husky mountain hike, Kirkenes
Not Included
Flights, meals other than specified, items of personal nature, beverages, and additional activities.
There is no porterage included to your cabins - you use a sled to drag your bags to your cabin.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive to Ivalo and transfer to the Aurora Village
Fly to Ivalo and transfer to Aurora Village. Upon arrival, you will receive your program schedule before dinner. Depending on your arrival time, cold weather gear is given to you either upon arrival or the next day.
Meals
1 DinnerDay 2 - Visit the Sami Siida Museum, Inari Village and in the evening Northern Lights hunting by car
After breakfast, join your guide for a cultural day. Drive along the beautiful landscapes formed by several small lakes and the great Lake Inari. Your guide will tell you stories about Lapland as you approach the Lapp museum Siida where you’ll see a DVD of the Northern Lights. The guide will walk with you through the museum and will be there for you in case of questions. You can have also your own time in the museum of many international awards. The museum displays the original way of living of Sámi people and the Lappish wilderness with its eight seasons of the year. This is an exciting morning to see and hear about the Lappish way of living.
Return for lunch and free time before your evening Northern Lights search by car. After some research on the weather forecast, with a professional Aurora Hunter, you will drive it to places where the sky is most clear and the probability of seeing the Northern Lights is highest.
A hot drink and snack is included. You can get access to the photographs taken during the trip.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Day 3 - Husky wagon ride through the Finnish forests and then a fat bike tour or arctic star gazing tour
This morning, meet your husky musher at the reception and then be taken to the husky farm nearby. You will get to greet the dogs and you’ll get to know details of the life of Alaskan Husky dogs. A team of huskies will take you on a 20-minute ride on a customized summer wagon. You’ll be served coffee in a traditional wooden Kota-building at the husky farm.
After lunch, enjoy a 2-3 fat bike tour through the forest, brilliant in autumn colours or take part in an Arctic Stargazing tour with the use of a 9.25” powerful telescope guided by an experienced astronomy guide.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Day 4 - Hiking in Urho Kekkonen National Park and later relax in the panorama sauna and outdoor jacuzzi
This morning, drive to Saariselkä by minibus. Together with a guide, hike up to the fell region of Urho Kekkonen National Park. It is Finland’s second largest national park, comprising the fell regions of Saariselkä, as well as the forest regions of the northern sections of the municipalities of Savukoski and Salla. This area named Koilliskaira is one of the last wilderness regions of Western Europe. The task of the National Park is the preservation of the native forest, bog and fell countryside. Good outdoor clothes and sturdy footwear are recommended.
Return to Aurora village and relax with a private sauna booking. Watch for Northern Lights from the jacuzzi or panoramic sauna. Perfect for your last night in Finland.
Activities can be changed if needed.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Day 5 - Transfer to Kirkenes followed by a King Crab Safari
This morning, travel by bus to Kirkenes, Norway’s easternmost town, located on the shores of the Barents Sea near the borders of Finland and Russia. Known for its rich fishing heritage, Arctic landscapes, and unique cultural influences, Kirkenes serves as the gateway to some of Northern Norway’s most authentic coastal experiences.
When arrived, set out on a memorable King Crab Safari in the Arctic fjords surrounding Kirkenes. After meeting your guide and gearing up for the adventure, board a RIB boat and cruise across the scenic fjord, passing historic WWII sites while learning about the region’s fishing traditions. Watch as king crab pots are hauled from the Barents Sea and discover how one of Norway’s most prized seafood delicacies is sustainably harvested. Back on shore, enjoy a freshly prepared king crab feast served Northern Norwegian style with bread, butter, mayonnaise, and lemon. After this authentic taste of the Arctic, return to Kirkenes with a deeper appreciation for the region’s coastal culture and spectacular natural surroundings.
Meals
1 BreakfastAccommodation
Gamme Cabins at KirkenesDay 6 - Husky mountain hike
Experience the Arctic summer at the Snow Resort in Sandnesdalen. Meet reindeer and feed them tundra lichen, then visit a husky farm with 180 friendly huskies and playful puppies. After choosing a husky companion, set off on a guided mountain hike above the Snow Resort camp. The terrain is gentle and suitable for all, with the huskies eager to lend a helping pull if needed.
At the mountain plateau, enjoy a break by a WWII plane wreck, where reindeer sausages are grilled over a fire, Northern Norwegian style. Take in stunning views before descending back to the Snow Resort, followed by a return to the Snow Resort Kirkenes.
Meals
1 BreakfastDay 7 - Shuttle Transfer from Snow Resort Kirkenes to Airport
After breakfast take the shuttle back to the airport to conclude your trip.
Meals
1 BreakfastDates & Prices
This journey is available with our Northern Lights Guarantee, valid for all departures between 1 September and 27 October.
If no northern lights are seen at either Aurora Village or Snow Resort Kirkenes during your trip, a refund applies. Aurora Village sightings are verified via on-site sky cameras; and guests are asked to declare honestly whether the lights were visible in Kirkenes.
For two people sharing, the available refund (depending on your payment currency) is AUD 815 / USD 579 / CAD 804 / NZD 993.
For solo travellers, the available refund is AUD 574 / USD 408 / CAD 567 / NZD 700.
Dates
Start Date
End Date
From Price
Status
Accommodation
1 Sep 2026
27 Oct 2026
27 Oct 2026
1 Sep 2026
27 Oct 2026
USD 4,125
On request
Northern Lights Guarantee
1 Sep 2026
27 Oct 2026
27 Oct 2026
1 Sep 2026
27 Oct 2026
USD 1,237
On request
Extra for Single
Important Information
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
The order and timing of activities is confirmed locally on arrival at Aurora Village. Weather conditions may occasionally affect certain activities; any that cannot be rescheduled or replaced with another activity will be refunded by the activity provider as standard practice.
Minimum age is 12 years.
EXTEND YOUR JOURNEY:
Add a night or two in Helsinki before flying north to Ivalo, a natural gateway to Finnish Lapland. After Kirkenes, board a Havila coastal voyage southbound along Norway's dramatic coastline, arriving in Bergen after five nights at sea. From Bergen, continue to Oslo by train on the Bergen Line, with an optional detour on the Flåm Railway down to the fjords, or fly if time is short.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL:
Your glass igloo hosts in Ivalo were the first accommodation in Northern Lapland to receive the Green Key award, the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Some examples of how they carry this out include offering recycling facilities in all cabins and no longer offering plastic bottles in accommodations, along with protecting the diversity of the surrounding nature, i.e., bird house and insect hotels. Hiking, biking, and skiing tracks are direct from the hotel and as such they encourage low carbon activities such as snowshoeing and toboggans.
ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY:
At 50 Degrees North, animal welfare is a top priority during all our tours and packages. We carefully select suppliers who adhere to strict animal welfare standards, ensuring that wildlife interactions are respectful and comply with local, national, and international regulations. We avoid offering excursions that involve captive wildlife, except where they are properly regulated, and all activities are designed to minimise disturbance to natural ecosystems. Our travellers are educated on responsible, including responsible animal interactions, through our 'Responsible Travel Tips' for travellers, and our guides are trained to lead by example, promoting ethical conduct towards both wild and domesticated animals. By prioritising animal welfare in every aspect of our tours, we ensure that your travel experience is both enjoyable and ethically sound. Read our article on Animal Welfare to learn more.
Gallery
Interactive Tour Map
Inspiration
Lapland Holidays in the Autumn Months
Experience the quiet magic of ruska season in Lapland - glowing autumn forests, crisp Arctic air, and the chance to see the Northern Lights — through a curated selection of immersive wilderness, culture and aurora-focused journeys across Finland and Norway.
Autumn northern lights in Lapland: why September and October deserve your attention
The aurora season is longer than most people think. And with solar activity expected to remain elevated through 2026 and into 2027, the window is wider than usual. Here is why autumn in Lapland deserves a second look.