Best Places to See the Northern and Southern Lights

Our curated database of 46 aurora viewing locations worldwide, ranked by minimum KP index, typical cloud cover, and dark sky quality. Most are Northern Hemisphere aurora borealis destinations; the Southern Hemisphere section covers aurora australis viewing in Australia and New Zealand.

Viewing Locations

Countries

Regions

Sep-Mar

N. Hemisphere Peak Season

Scandinavia

Norway, Sweden, and Finland offer the most accessible and popular aurora destinations in the world.

Location	Country	Min KP	Best Months	Cloud Cover	Dark Sky	Guide
AbiskoSweden	Sweden	KP 2+	Oct to Mar	35%	Bortle 2	View Guide
KirunaSweden	Sweden	KP 2+	Oct to Mar	45%	Bortle 3	View Guide
AltaNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	50%	Bortle 2	View Guide
NarvikNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	50%	Bortle 3	View Guide
Lofoten IslandsNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 2	View Guide
Senja IslandNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 2	View Guide
InariFinland	Finland	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 2	View Guide
KakslauttanenFinland	Finland	KP 2+	Sep to Apr	55%	Bortle 2	View Guide
BodoNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 4	View Guide
Kvaloya IslandNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	60%	Bortle 2	View Guide
TromsoNorway	Norway	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	65%	Bortle 4	View Guide
SallaFinland	Finland	KP 3+	Sep to Mar	50%	Bortle 1	View Guide
LuostoFinland	Finland	KP 3+	Sep to Mar	50%	Bortle 2	View Guide
SodankylaFinland	Finland	KP 3+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 2	View Guide
RovaniemiFinland	Finland	KP 3+	Sep to Mar	60%	Bortle 4	View Guide

Nordic (Iceland)

Iceland sits directly under the auroral oval, with volcanic landscapes creating unforgettable backdrops.

Location	Country	Min KP	Best Months	Cloud Cover	Dark Sky	Guide
HusavikIceland	Iceland	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 2	View Guide
AkureyriIceland	Iceland	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	55%	Bortle 3	View Guide
KirkjufellIceland	Iceland	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	60%	Bortle 2	View Guide
South Coast IcelandIceland	Iceland	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	65%	Bortle 2	View Guide
ReykjavikIceland	Iceland	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	70%	Bortle 5	View Guide
Faroe IslandsDenmark	Denmark	KP 3+	Oct to Mar	75%	Bortle 2	View Guide

North America

Alaska, Yukon, and the Canadian Arctic provide clear skies and wilderness solitude.

Location	Country	Min KP	Best Months	Cloud Cover	Dark Sky	Guide
InuvikCanada	Canada	KP 0+	Sep to Mar	40%	Bortle 2	View Guide
IqaluitCanada	Canada	KP 0+	Sep to Apr	50%	Bortle 3	View Guide
YellowknifeCanada	Canada	KP 1+	Sep to Apr	35%	Bortle 3	View Guide
ChurchillCanada	Canada	KP 1+	Jan to Mar and Oct to Nov	40%	Bortle 2	View Guide
FairbanksUnited States	United States	KP 1+	Sep to Mar	40%	Bortle 3	View Guide
Dawson CityCanada	Canada	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	35%	Bortle 2	View Guide
WhitehorseCanada	Canada	KP 2+	Sep to Mar	40%	Bortle 3	View Guide
Denali National ParkUnited States	United States	KP 2+	Sep to Oct and Feb to Mar	45%	Bortle 1	View Guide
JasperCanada	Canada	KP 4+	Oct to Mar	45%	Bortle 2	View Guide
Voyageurs National ParkUnited States	United States	KP 4+	Sep to Nov and Mar to Apr	45%	Bortle 2	View Guide
BanffCanada	Canada	KP 4+	Oct to Mar	45%	Bortle 3	View Guide
Thunder BayCanada	Canada	KP 4+	Sep to Nov and Mar to Apr	50%	Bortle 4	View Guide
AnchorageUnited States	United States	KP 4+	Sep to Mar	50%	Bortle 6	View Guide
JuneauUnited States	United States	KP 4+	Sep to Oct and Mar	70%	Bortle 4	View Guide
DuluthUnited States	United States	KP 5+	Sep to Nov and Mar to Apr	50%	Bortle 4	View Guide
MarquetteUnited States	United States	KP 5+	Sep to Nov and Mar to Apr	55%	Bortle 4	View Guide

Arctic

Svalbard, Greenland, and high-Arctic locations.

Location	Country	Min KP	Best Months	Cloud Cover	Dark Sky	Guide
IlulissatGreenland	Greenland	KP 0+	Sep to Mar	45%	Bortle 1	View Guide
SvalbardNorway	Norway	KP 0+	Oct to Feb	50%	Bortle 1	View Guide
MurmanskRussia	Russia	KP 2+	Oct to Mar	60%	Bortle 5	View Guide

British Isles

Scotland, Shetland, and Orkney offer aurora viewing without leaving the UK.

Location	Country	Min KP	Best Months	Cloud Cover	Dark Sky	Guide
Shetland IslandsUnited Kingdom	United Kingdom	KP 3+	Sep to Mar	70%	Bortle 2	View Guide
Orkney IslandsUnited Kingdom	United Kingdom	KP 4+	Oct to Mar	68%	Bortle 2	View Guide
Scottish HighlandsUnited Kingdom	United Kingdom	KP 4+	Oct to Mar	70%	Bortle 3	View Guide

Southern Hemisphere

Tasmania and New Zealand for the aurora australis (southern lights).

Location	Country	Min KP	Best Months	Cloud Cover	Dark Sky	Guide
TasmaniaAustralia	Australia	KP 4+	Mar to Sep	55%	Bortle 3	View Guide
Stewart IslandNew Zealand	New Zealand	KP 4+	Mar to Sep	60%	Bortle 1	View Guide
QueenstownNew Zealand	New Zealand	KP 5+	Mar to Sep	50%	Bortle 3	View Guide

Location

Min KP

Guide

AbiskoSweden

KP 2+