Abisko has a worldwide reputation as probably the best place on earth for consistent sightings of the Northern Lights. Its unique Micro Climate results in many more clear nights than the rest of the region and this translates into +/- 83% of our clients seeing the Northern Lights each season!
Abisko Aurora Breaks
We have market leading breaks to what we call the Northern Lights Capital that bring you not only the best there is in Abisko but also combined with other highlights in Swedish and Norwegian Lapland as well as Iceland.
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We don’t refer to Abisko as being the northern lights capital lightly but with around 80% of nights in a season experiencing some level of aurora activity it ranks as one of the best places for consistent sightings. Being situated in a low precipitation zone Abisko is in an elevated position surrounded by mountains bordering Sweden and Norway. These mountains funnel weather fronts coming off the North Atlantic Ocean and disperse them leaving on average the clearest number of nights in a season.
And as every Northern Lights Holiday hunter will tell you it’s clear nights that make all the difference when looking for the northern lights. Being 300 kilometres above the Arctic Circle you are also situated in an area where even a low KP index will often result in strong northern lights showing. To refresh yourself on the science of the northern lights then read about what are the northern lights and when can the Northern Lights be seen and where are the best times and places to see the Aurora’s.
So having decided that Abisko is where you wish to go in search of the magical aurora borealis you need to plan on how to get there. The best way is flying to Kiruna in Swedish Lapland and we can transfer you to Abisko or you can arrive by train into Abisko.
Abisko is 90 kilometres from Kiruna on a wonderfully scenic road that twists itself around the periphery of Lake Tornetrask, one of Sweden’s largest lakes. In winter when this massive expanse totally freezes it takes on a surreal quality particularly in the mid-winter months when the soft shades of the Kaamos light reflect over the lake.
You know you are entering Abisko when the evocative Laporten Mountain appears in view.
We use Abisko Mountain Lodge as our base in Abisko. Run by the effervescent Mina and Dick Johansson, who have run the lodge for the past 15 years, this is the perfect base for your northern lights break. Attracting an international clientele who have come in search of the northern lights the lodge provides 18 standard rooms (3 star) and 4 deluxe rooms( 4 star) in a separate annexe. There is an open lounge bar and connected dining room where the most amazing meals are dished up by the skilled chefs.
The beauty of being based in Abisko is that you do not need to do any aurora chasing for if the northern lights are out just walk away from the lodge to a good viewing position and admire one of nature’s most amazing phenomenon.
Having got to Abisko what kind of northern lights holiday should you consider? We believe that 4 nights is the optimum number of nights to spend in Abisko, balancing out having an active programme with maximising your chances of seeing the northern lights.
Our ever popular Complete Abisko break is designed to make the most of your time. This 4 night break combines 3 days of arctic experiences with 2 special nights of aurora hunting. Snowmobiling and husky adventures in Abisko National park are special ways of spending your day time and we include these in the Complete Abisko Itinerary. As far as the nights are concerned Abisko has two stand-out northern lights experiences. Firstly you have the aurora sky station, accessible by chairlift, widely regarded as one of the best places on earth to see the northern lights from. With its commanding vistas and position towards the northern sky line we have personally witnessed some awe inspiring displays from this location.
As Abisko is very near to the Norwegian Fjords in Narvik it is possible to do day train trips (weather dependent). This old railroad is still used to take iron ore from the mine in Kiruna down to the coast and has an interesting history.
Photographers have swarmed to Abisko and provide great ‘photograph the aurora’ evenings. We work exclusively with Chad Blakely and his team on a tour that runs from outside the front door at Abisko Mountain Lodge. Spend an evening in a wilderness location with guide and cameras set for northern lights photography and with a bit of luck capture images you will treasure.
As mentioned, Abisko is near the border with Norway and increasingly we get requests from clients wishing to combine Sweden and Norway in one epic northern lights holiday. We designed our Aurora Addicts break to combine the wilderness and beauty of Abisko with the fun and energy of Tromso, the world’s most northern city. This 6 night trip gives you the opportunity of searching for the northern lights by land, sky and sea!
The Adventure Tour Company has extensive contacts throughout Swedish Lapland and over time have developed a range of market leading holidays to the region. Many of these journeys combine with Abisko to create longer and varied northern lights holidays.
The Original ICEHOTEL is based near Kiruna ( little over an hour away from Abisko) and the Iconic Ice Hotel & Abisko Explorer provides a wonderful combination for clients who wish to experience one of the world’s most unusual hotels with some northern lights hunting.
A visit to Abisko can be combined with a stay at the intimate 7 bed Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge for a fabulous twin centre break, or be included in our Aurora Grand Slam break that also includes a night in a wilderness cabin and the ICEHOTEL.
If you want to see as much of Swedish Lapland as possible then our Best of Lapland break combines northern lights hunting in Abisko with stays at the ICEHOTEL and Sweden’s more recent Icon- the Tree Hotel. This journey takes you from the coastal region in Eastern Sweden through the Arctic Circle by train to the ICEHOTEL and then on to Abisko where you finish your northern lights holiday.
Whether you base yourselves in Abisko for the duration of your northern lights or use it as a platform to spring off to explore other parts of Sweden, Norway or Iceland you know you are in for a special northern lights holiday experience.
See what our clients say
Brilliant short break. Hotel Ranga was lovely, excellent food. Managed to see the Northern Lights as well! Iceland on the whole was quite expensive but a lovely place to visit, the people were very friendly.
We had the most fabulous time and everything worked like clockwork. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and extremely competent. The food was excellent and the experiences, especially Husky Homes, were brilliant. We saw the aurora lights at the mountain top in Abisko where the photography tour will be an enduring memory of a wonderful time. I would very much recommend Weekend a la Carte as a proficient tour operator.
Thank you for arranging a fabulous holiday, we had a really enjoyable time and would love to return in the future. Hotel Ranga is a lovely place to stay and the owner greeted guests in the restaurant, which was an unexpected welcoming touch. We didn’t see the Northern Lights due to the weather and the trip to the Eyjafjallajokull glacier and volcano was substituted by an excursion to Thorsmork, also due to the weather, which we thoroughly enjoyed; the brochure description doesn’t do it justice. We found Iceland and the people there really charismatic. Although the wind and snow cut short the amount of travelling we could do, we still covered a reasonable amount of what we wanted to see and our appetites are whetted for a return, perhaps in Spring or Summer. We found a couple of great places to eat near the Hotel in Reykjavik. Messin does tasty fish dishes and the Icelandic Street Food restaurant was excellent, offering simple but hearty soups with refills included in the price – great value.
Hotel Ranga was perfect, with amazing food. It is in the middle of nowhere, very quiet and with the weather being bad there wasn’t the possibility of leaving the hotel in the evening so mightn’t suit all for that reason. Super Jeep tour we thoroughly enjoyed with 2 lovely guides.
Hotel Borg was in the perfect location. For us, one night in Reykjavik would be ample.
Blue Lagoon was a wonderful experience only heightened by the appearance of the northern lights on our walk home from dinner. All in all we had the best holiday and we plan to return to Iceland hopefully sooner rather than later.
Fantastic service, with every detail taken care of and communicated to your agencies and hotels. Would definitely recommend and will be using again.
We had five fantastic days in beautiful Iceland, as we had never been before Aurora Nights helped with everything and made the holiday so easy and stress free. We stayed at Hotel Ranga which was amazing, we very much enjoyed the tours and the guides were brilliant, very knowledgable and friendly. We will certainly be returning to Iceland and wouldn’t hesitate to book through Aurora Nights again, special thanks to Abigail as her experience and reccommendations made the trip even better.
A fantastic short break which fulfilled all expectations. Well organised with a polished delivery, we could not have asked for more. The accommodation was perfect for us and the guides knowledgeable and helpful. Every day was packed with adventure, each lasting longer than scheduled but we were never rushed; the guides took pride in showing and explaining their beautiful country. We would certainly use Weekend a la carte again and recommend them to others.
Overall very good. Staff excellent and helpful. Accomodation basic but was what we expected. Tour guides very good (nature walks, snow mobiles, dog sleighs). Sky station disappointing as we never got to go up due to the weather and this seem to be a recurring feature.The alternative walk at night and meal was a let down as a result.Overall would recommend to others.
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