This was our spur-of-the-moment trip — albeit one we had been planning for several years.
It all started during our 2019 Camino de Santiago walk, when Bina and I became friends with Alex, a fellow pilgrim from Norway. When we mentioned that viewing the Northern Lights was a “bucket list” item for us, he suggested we consider his home city of Tromsø, which is situated within the Arctic Circle at latitude 69 degrees North.
That’s important because the lights are typically seen at latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees North, putting Tromsø nearly in the middle of that range. Although situated 350 km (217 miles) further north than Iceland, the port city of Tromsø is actually warmer, since it benefits from a warming current that runs up the coast of Norway all the way from the Gulf of Mexico. Its average winter temperature is -4 C. (25 F.), although that can plunge much lower as you move inland. Bottom line: the odds of seeing the Northern Lights in Tromsø are good and you don’t have to endure true Arctic conditions.
We came close to going in 2021 and 2022, even stocking up on the necessary winter clothes. But each winter, life intervened and we kept putting off the trip.
Finally, toward the end of October 2023, Bina noticed that the KP Index, which forecasts global geomagnetic activity, including the Northern Lights, appeared favorable for November 9 and 10. What the heck, we decided: let’s just do it. After all, if not now, when?
We flew from Faro to London Gatwick on the 6th, arriving in Tromsø the next day via Norwegian Air.
Two Clines Traveling 