Northern lights tours in Abisko

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Abisko lies on Torneträsk, by area the sixth-largest lake in Sweden. SMHI, the Swedish weather service, gives the village a normal of 347 millimetres of precipitation a year for 1991–2020, the lowest of any station in Sweden. The reason is a rain shadow: for most wind directions the mountains to the west take the moisture first. The Swedish Tourist Association, which runs the Aurora Sky Station, calls the local result the "blue hole", a patch of clear sky that often stays open above Abisko while it is cloudy around it.

That is the reason so many people come here for the aurora. It is a tendency, though, and not a promise. We found no count of clear nights from SMHI. The operator of the Aurora Sky Station states that in previous seasons the station was open for 90 percent of the scheduled time and the aurora was visible on 70 percent of those nights. The northern lights themselves also depend on solar activity, so a clear night can still stay dark.

When the sky is dark enough

The Swedish Tourist Association gives late August to April as the aurora season, with the best chances from mid-November to mid-March. Kiruna Lapland, the official tourist board for the municipality, puts the main season at September to March and notes that September, October and March often bring strong displays. From roughly mid-May to early August the sky never gets dark enough, and from 25 May to 19 July 2027 the sun does not set at all.

In the middle of winter it is the other way round. The sun stays below the horizon from 6 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, and on 21 December there is only twilight, from about 09:09 to 14:16. The aurora is most often active between 21:00 and 23:00, but in December and January it can appear from about 16:00. Kiruna Lapland adds that the brightest part of a display often lasts less than ten minutes, which is why most tours stay out for three hours or more.

Chasing by van

A van tour is the most flexible way to search. The guide checks the cloud forecast and drives to where the sky looks clearest. Experience Abisko keeps its vans to eight guests and says plainly that the tour time depends on how far it has to drive. One reviewer describes a night when the group went past Kiruna to find a gap in the clouds. Warm clothing costs extra on this tour, so ask in advance if you need it.

Explore Arctic runs a car tour with a photographer, who takes pictures of you under the aurora and sends all the photos afterwards in digital form. It picks up in Abisko only, not in Kiruna. Lights Over Lapland runs a chase with up to 100 kilometres of driving, and its reviewers often mention a big bus and stops at lay-bys along the main road. In October and November the same company runs an autumn version, with stops on the shore of Torneträsk or in the mountains near Björkliden. One reviewer felt it started too early in the evening.

Some van tours add a theme. A tour led by Firesky Guiding explains Arctic ecology on the way, how snow insulates life underneath and how the climate system works, and it meets at Lapportsvägen 32 instead of collecting you. Another travels up to 200 kilometres in a night and includes a thermal overall and photos. From January to March it may use a snowmobile and sled instead of the 4x4.

Photo tours and cameras

The photo tour by Lights Over Lapland suits people who want proper aurora pictures without owning the gear. Each guest gets a DSLR camera and lens, set up in advance, and groups are kept to eight. Depending on the weather, the evening is spent at a teepee within walking distance, in a 4x4 van or in a sled pulled behind a snowmobile, with at least three hours of searching and photographing. A memory card is not included, and children under 10 cannot join. Reviewers mention cloudy nights spent in one place by the fire and, on one occasion, not enough cameras for the group. Our page on northern lights photography covers settings and tripods.

By snowmobile or sled

Snowmobile tours combine the search with a ride. On the aurora tour by Experience Abisko you can drive your own machine, share one or sit in the sled behind the guide, and the route runs through the Abisko valley towards Abiskojaure or out on the frozen lake. To drive you must be 18 and hold a driving licence valid in the EU. Reviewers point out that much of the evening can be spent waiting at one spot, and that the tour moves to a car when the ice makes the trails unsafe.

Outback Abisko drives guests up the mountain above the village to a fire, with two people sharing each snowmobile, from December to March; it also runs an evening tour on electric snowmobiles. Activities in Abisko seats you on reindeer skins in a sled behind the guide's snowmobile and stops at a campfire. That tour starts at 20:30 and returns around 23:00. With little snow, one reviewer found the sled ride very bumpy. All of these are covered in more detail on our page on snowmobile tours.

On foot, with dogs or with dinner

Several evening tours keep you outside and moving. An aurora snowshoe walk crosses the birch forest at night, with warm berry juice on the way and a view towards Lapporten when the moon is full. AKKA Nature runs a shorter snowshoe evening for up to six guests that ends with Swedish glögg by a fire. Abisko.net Hostel & Huskies leads a walk of about four kilometres with Alaskan huskies to a lávvu, where cinnamon buns are warmed over the fire.

Some tours are built around a meal. Experience Abisko starts its evening in a barbecue hut with a view over Torneträsk, where souvas, lightly smoked reindeer meat, is cooked over the fire before the minibuses go looking for the aurora. In Björkliden, west of Abisko, a dinner tour serves three courses in a traditional-style cabin from 18 November to 15 March, followed by a short walk under the sky; it accepts guests from 12 years. The same organiser drives up into the mountains above Björkliden in a snowcat from 1 December to 15 March. Another evening begins with about an hour of joik, traditional Sámi song, performed in a lávvu by a reindeer herder, before a 4x4 chase. Filming during the concert is not allowed.

The Aurora Sky Station

The Aurora Sky Station stands at about 900 metres on Njullá (Nuolja), inside the national park, and is reached by an open chairlift that takes 20 to 40 minutes. It is run by the Swedish Tourist Association, opens in the evening from 19 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, and must be booked in advance; cards are accepted, cash is not. The guided Night Visit has 40 places and includes warm overalls and boots. If the weather stops the lift, the evening moves to a wood-heated lávvu in the park and there is no refund. Opening times and tickets are on the STF Aurora Sky Station page, and our page on the Aurora Sky Station explains the visit.

Before you go out

Clouds lie lower than the aurora, so even a small gap is enough to see it. Kiruna Lapland suggests checking both the weather forecast and the aurora forecast (the Kp index) and watching the live cameras at the Aurora Sky Station and the IRF all-sky camera in Kiruna. Dress in layers, bring a hat and insulated gloves of your own, and take a head torch with a red light. The Aurora Sky Station also advises against water-based face creams in strong cold. Our page on the best time to visit sets out the season month by month.