When can I see the Northern Lights?
At our location the Northern Lights can be seen during Autumn and Winter, from the end of August until mid-April.
To be able to see the Northern Lights it needs to be dark, or at least dim. Too much daylight prevents us from seeing the Northern Lights. It also needs to be a clear sky since the Northern Lights appear 100 – 200km above ground, above the clouds. So, too thick layer of clouds would block the view. During summer there is too much sunlight to be able to see the Northern Lights even though they are there. The Northern Lights are caused by solar winds, so the sun must have been active recently to form the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.
There are very accurate short-term Aurora forecasts available at Aurora Village and on the internet. The Northern Lights are formed above the clouds at 100-200km above ground, so the sky needs to be clear or half-cloudy for you to be able to see the Northern Lights from the ground. Some times if it’s cloudy with strong overcast you might still see the Northern lights shining through the clouds, but it looks like green fog behind the clouds. The most optimal time to see the bright and crisp Northern lights is a clear night without too much moonlight. We’ve seen Northern Lights even at 2pm, but in general, you will spot them mainly between 8pm and 2am. These are very approximate times and the Northern Lights may be seen also at other times of day. Since seeing the Northern Lights is depending on the sun’s activity AND the cloud situation, we can’t guarantee them. Our staff gives you valuable information and will advise you on the the visibility of the Northern Lights every day on the spot at Aurora Village.
We recommend booking 3-5 nights to maximize your opportunity to witness the Northern Lights.
What causes the Northern Lights?
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Do you have any traditional stories about the Aurora?
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Restaurant services
Where can I have breakfast/lunch/dinner?
All meals are served at our Restaurant Loimu, right here in Aurora Village.
Breakfast is served from 8am until 10am.
Lunch is available during the day.
Dinner is served from 6pm until 9pm.
Is there a shower in my room?
Do I have privacy in my room?
Is there hot water in my room?
Are the rooms warm enough for cold winter?
Is there free WIFI in the room?
Theoritical maximum speed is 100Mbps, normal variation is from 5Mbps to 80Mbps. It should never go under 10Mbps, though.
The operator’s base station and transmitter are located only 1,1km away from us, so we have a very good coverage in the area.
Do you have snow?
In Finnish language we have about 50 names for snow. Snow changes its structure with the weather. There’s dry snow, powder snow, wet snow, icy snow, slush snow, soft snow, hard snow, fluffy snow etc. Many many different forms of snow. In general, the fluffy and soft snow is available from mid-December until mid-February, during the Polar Night season.
After mid-February we are getting more and more daylight again which makes the snow also harder towards the Spring. At the end of March and during April the snow is so hard that you can easily walk on deep snow or even drive a car on it! The hard, icy surfice to the snow is formed by sun melting the top snow during the day, and the freezing night temperatures hardening the snow surface again to pure ice. In March and April the early mornings are best for a walk in the forest since the snow carries heavy loads before the sun softens it again during the day.
What's the temperature outside?
During December the temperature is usually between -1°C and -20°C (30°F and -4°F), sometimes even colder.
During January and February the temperatures are the coldest, on average from -10°C to -35°C (14°F to -31F).
During March and April the weather gets warmer again and after mid-April we expect the snow to melt with outside temperatures like +5°C (41°F) or even +15°C (51°F).
These are approximates and the weather may change quickly!
Summer temperatures vary from 0°C to +30°C (32°F to 86°F).
Where can I follow the weather forecast?
- https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/weather/inari/ivalo
- https://www.foreca.com/Finland/Ivalo?lang=en