No aurora over Abisko tonight: plan B
Some nights the sky over Abisko stays grey from dusk to midnight, and some nights it is clear and still shows nothing. Neither means the trip has failed. A little planning before you book turns one blank evening into a pause rather than the end of the hunt.
Why a night stays dark
The aurora is never guaranteed on any tour or in any month. A blank night almost always comes down to one of a few causes, and only one of them can be worked around.
- Cloud: the most common reason, since the aurora shines far above the weather and a layer of cloud hides even a strong display
- A quiet sun: on some nights the solar wind brings little energy and the sky stays empty even when it is perfectly clear
- A bright moon: near full moon the snow glows and a faint aurora can fade into the moonlit sky, though a strong one still shows
Cloud is the cause a guide can fight, by driving to a gap. Abisko's rain shadow helps, as our page on the blue hole explains, but it raises the odds rather than promising a clear sky.
What the listings say if you see nothing
Each of the five tours we compare can be cancelled for free until 24 hours before it begins. That lets you drop a booking if the forecast looks hopeless the day before, though the weather can change a lot between afternoon and evening.
None of the listings in our notes promises a free second tour after a night without aurora. Operators may have their own policies, so read the small print on the listing or ask before you pay, rather than counting on a rebooking.
On GetYourGuide you can also reserve now and pay later. That keeps your money free while you watch the weather, but the 24-hour cancellation deadline still applies.
Pick a tour that can move
A tour that stays in one place depends on the sky over that place. A chase can drive to a break in the clouds, which is the most useful thing a guide can do on a grey night.
Lights Over Lapland's Abisko Aurora Chase from ~$100 makes a round trip of up to 100 km (60 miles), aiming for the clearest of several spots. It holds 4.5 from 350+ reviews on GetYourGuide, though you share the bus in a group of up to 28.
Explore Arctic's car chase works the same way on a smaller scale, with a maximum of 8 guests. Our guide to the ways out sets out how far each style of tour can travel in an evening.
The snowmobile tour sits in between. Its routes can climb above valley fog or head out onto Torneträsk, but it stays on the trails, so it cannot cover the distance of a bus or a car.
A chase by car, with a photographer along
On Explore Arctic's car chase, a professional photographer leads the group and takes your portrait under the aurora. The digital photos follow after the tour. The trip lasts 3.5 hours by car with warm drinks, from ~$146, with no pickups from Kiruna.
It holds 4.9 from 80+ reviews on GetYourGuide, a smaller count than the larger operators have. The listing does not say what the photos look like on a night with no aurora, so treat them as a bonus rather than a promise.
A fire for the cloudy evenings
Some tours are pleasant even with nothing overhead. AbiskoHikes' husky hike from ~$140 walks about 4 km (2.5 miles) round trip with retired Alaskan huskies to a lávvu, the Sámi-style tent.
Inside, a fire warms the cinnamon buns and there is a hot drink. With 5.0 from 30+ reviews on GetYourGuide it has the fewest reviews of our five, and it has no vehicle to chase clear sky.
That makes it a good choice for a night when you want an evening out more than a long drive. Families like it too, and our guide for kids explains why it is the gentlest of the five.
The photo tour has its own comforts in hot lingonberry juice with snacks, and on some nights a walk to a teepee. Neither tour can create an aurora, but both make a cloudy evening feel less like a loss.
Plan the trip so one night can fail
Book your aurora tour for the first evening of your stay. If the sky closes, you still have later nights to book another tour or to walk out of the village after dark on your own.
Three or four nights give you several tries, and a look at the cloud forecast each afternoon shows which evening looks most open. Our guide to reading a Kp forecast explains why cloud matters more than solar activity.
The months and the moon matter as well, and the season guide covers both. To budget for a second evening out, our price guide lays out what each tour costs.
Daytime plans that need no dark sky
Abisko earns its place on a trip by day as well. The trails of Abisko National Park start at the edge of the village, and the river canyon is a short walk away.
When the ice is safe and others are already out on it, a walk on frozen Torneträsk gives a long view west toward Lapporten, the U-shaped valley. Never go onto the ice alone or where you have not seen anyone walk.
Rest in the afternoon too, because the aurora tours start in the evening and run until around midnight. A tired traveler who skips the next clear night has lost more than one cloudy evening ever could.