How We Saw the Northern Lights in Lapland, Finland 🇫🇮 (What Actually Works)

How We Saw the Northern Lights in Lapland, Finland 🇫🇮 (What Actually Works)

Planning a trip to Lapland and hoping to see the Northern Lights?

In this video we show the exact strategy we used to maximize our chances — planning a 3-day trip to Saariselkä in Finnish Lapland around aurora forecasts, clear skies, and last-minute booking.

Most people book their Lapland trip months in advance — and many never see the Northern Lights.

We know, because we made that exact mistake in Iceland.

This time we tried a completely different approach.

Instead of choosing fixed travel dates, we watched aurora forecasts and weather patterns first — and only booked once the conditions looked promising.

Just 10 days later we were in Saariselkä, Finnish Lapland, watching a massive Level 4 aurora dance across the Arctic sky.

Along the way, we experienced husky sledding, reindeer rides, snowshoeing, and life in a glass igloo cabin at −27°C—all while chasing the Northern Lights across the Arctic night.

If you’re planning a winter trip north and don’t want to leave empty-handed, this planning method might change everything.

🔭 Aurora Forecast Tools We Used

Long-Term Aurora Forecast
Geophysical Institute (University of Alaska)
Great for spotting geomagnetic activity (in Europe but also other regions)
https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast

Short-Term Activity & Moon Phase
SpaceWeatherLive
Look for KP4+ and a dark moon
https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/auroral-activity/aurora-forecast.html

Cloud Cover & Local Weather
Finnish Meteorological Institute (Saariselkä)
https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/local-weather/inari/saariselk%C3%A4?forecast=daily

Real-Time Aurora Updates (Once You Arrive)
Finnish Meteorological Institute
https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/auroras-and-space-weather?station=IVA

1-Hour Local Aurora Forecast
Space Weather in Finland

Space weather in Finland

🏨 Where We Stayed in Lapland

We stayed in a glass igloo cabin in Saariselkä.
We’re sharing this purely for reference, since some of you asked where these shots were filmed.

👉 Hotel: Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort
👉 Location: Saariselkä, Finnish Lapland
👉 Website: https://www.kakslauttanen.fi/

(This video is not sponsored. We paid for this stay ourselves.)

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Intro
00:26 – Arrival in Saariselkä, Lapland
00:50 – Snowshoeing
01:30 – Our First Husky Safari
02:57 – The Strategy: How to Predict the Auroras
04:27 – Why We Booked Only 10 Days in Advance
05:19 – Tour of the Glass Igloo Cabin in Saariselkä
06:03 – Snowmobile Safari: Hunting for Lights
07:02 – The Sky Explodes (Level 4 Aurora)
07:45 – Morning Views & Reindeer Sleigh Ride
10:28 – Husky Ride Round 2 (Faster & Rougher!)
10:50 – Hiking the Ridge & Final Thoughts

Lapland travel guide, Aurora Borealis forecasting, Saariselkä, Kakslauttanen, Finland winter travel, and snowmobile safari.

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#kakslauttanen
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#northernlightslapland