Chapter 1 - The Beginning

Well, the journey began from a photo. Yes… I don’t remember when I watched a small video clip of northern lights on some TV channel. First I thought it’s a graphical animation. Then later realize this is real. Since that day its on my mind as a travel dream and that I am going to experience on this trip. But this trip is costly and need to face may challenges with nature of the freezing Arctic Circle, on the northern side of Scandinavia. So I was accompanied by 3 other friends Mr Sajith Kumar, our very own South Indian who has travelled 7 Continents and 7 world wonders; his friend Lajin, Also and my close friend Shani . It is essentially important to have the right travel company to share your experiences and expenses. Though the main aim of our trip was to head to the northern lights, we didn't miss to see the snow-covered forests, rivers, and mountains of Lapland and we also managed to drive to " The land of Midnight sun " - Tromso, Norway.

Planning plays a major role when we seek such adventures, and of course, a lot depends on luck as well cause nature is unpredictable. However, I would like to share some tips based on my experience and research that I believe would be useful for my readers. Firstly, the intensity of the Aurora is not always the same - it varies based on the Solar Cycle Year. Solar Cycle Year can be related to the sun's heartbeat, which beats in every 10-12 years. It is measured by the number of sunspots visible on the sun. The more sunspots, more is the solar flare energy that is released into space and that means more Aurora activity

As per predictions, the next peak time of the solar cycle will be during 2024-2025.

The best times to visit Aurora is during the months of January and February, cause these cold months to offer more visible sky. Also, cold months offer lesser daytime (from 9am to 3pm) and that would mean we get more time to view the northern lights. Checking weather forecasts before planning could help in avoiding cloudy, snowy and full-moon days. The Aurora lights are not visible clearly with the moonlight or with the clouds and our pictures are not gonna be perfect. The hunting spot or the spot you choose to view the lights are also very important. While choosing a place, consider the KP index of the place. This planetary 3-hour range index KP is the standard from 13 geomagnetic observatories between 44 degrees and 60 degrees north or south geomagnetic latitude. The best places would lie in between KP0 and KP3 (refer KP map). Our travel plan from Dubai to Helinski to Rovaniemi(Lapland), and our return from Rovaniemi to Oslo - Tromso to Dubai was made after days of discussions, studies and inquiries. On these days we are going to do some crazy things. Magical ride through Lapland Arctic circle including Visit to the Santa clause home, explore the least explored Arctic region, Travel through the Atlantic ocean, Climbing a frozen waterfall inside the Arctic forest. Climb up a small mountain on this worst weather and to Experience the miracle of our mother nature… The Northern Lights... follow my future articles for more interesting stories of this amazing lifetime experience. .