Searching for the Northern Lights in Tromsø

During a work trip to Tromsø, Norway in November and December 2024, I decided to join one of the organised tours in search of the northern lights.

I soon discovered that finding the aurora can be a serious challenge. Special tours take full buses of hopeful travellers from one location to another, sometimes for half the night, looking for a place where the sky is clear and there is at least a chance of seeing it.

At first, the experience felt exciting. Then doubts gradually began to appear.

The bus drove for a long time, although none of us really knew where we were going. At each stop, the guides went outside, studied the sky, exchanged a few words, and announced that we should continue.

Finally, we were allowed to leave the bus.

There was nothing.

We stood somewhere in the Norwegian night, staring at a completely dark sky. At first, everyone looked up with optimism. After a while, that optimism turned into visible irritation. It was, after all, an ordinary dark sky, something most of us had seen many times without paying for a special tour.

The situation became even more frustrating when friends who had stayed in Tromsø started calling.

“What can you see?”

Before waiting for an answer, they happily explained that they were looking at a mysterious white patch in the sky and were certain that it was the northern lights. They were seeing it for free.

Meanwhile, I was standing in complete darkness after paying for the experience, trying to photograph the black sky as though the camera might reveal something invisible to the human eye.

At that point, I began thinking about the familiar stages that are supposed to end with acceptance. Acceptance, however, still felt very far away.

The organisers remained calm and behaved as though everything was proceeding exactly as planned. It became clear that no one was preparing to apologise or offer a refund. Starting an argument in the middle of the Norwegian night also seemed unlikely to improve the situation.

An hour passed. Clouds began to cover the sky, and the general mood became increasingly gloomy.

No one needed to persuade us to return to the bus. Most people were already sitting inside, trying to warm up and avoid making eye contact with one another. There was a shared sense that perhaps we had all been equally naive.

After another half-hour on the road, we arrived at the next location.

Again, there was only the dark Norwegian sky.

Then something began to change.

At first, faint green traces appeared above us. They were uncertain and easy to miss. Gradually, the colour became stronger, and more green lights began to move across the sky.

When the first unmistakable aurora appeared, the entire group reacted in the same way. Everyone applauded.

At that moment, I could almost feel the organisers breathing a collective sigh of relief.

The atmosphere changed completely. Frustration disappeared, and the dark roadside became the setting for an international photography session. I photographed Pedro from Mexico beneath the northern lights, while other travellers helped one another capture the moment.

Despite the temperature of minus seven degrees, it no longer felt particularly cold. No one wanted to return to the bus.

What stayed with me was not only the beauty of the aurora, but also the sequence of emotions that preceded it: expectation, suspicion, disappointment, resignation, and finally shared wonder.

The northern lights cannot be ordered or guaranteed. They appear according to their own logic. Perhaps the uncertainty and the long wait are part of what makes the moment of their appearance so memorable.