The northern lights, done properly
For a first aurora, we choose Finnish Lapland over Iceland or the Norwegian coast. Inland Lapland has steadier, drier skies, so the odds are simply better. We base guests at Octola, a private wilderness lodge 20 minutes from Rovaniemi airport with ten bedrooms, its own chefs and a reserve no one else uses. For the glass-igloo night everyone asks about, we add Kakslauttanen in Saariselkä, at the edge of Urho Kekkonen National Park. The days belong to husky trails, reindeer, ice-fishing and the sauna. The nights are for watching the sky.
A private wilderness lodge with dedicated chefs and guides, where the forest, the lake and the sky are yours alone.
One night under glass at Kakslauttanen, in the forest where the idea began — warm in bed while the lights move overhead.
No one can promise the aurora. We give it four or five nights, two locations and a guide who chases clear skies by car.
Best time to goLate August to September for the first aurora over unfrozen lakes; December for snow and the deep blue polar light; late January to March for the best mix of snow, daylight and clear skies.
A starting point, not a package — every day is shaped around you.
Finnair flies non-stop from Delhi to Helsinki; one short connection north to Rovaniemi, then twenty minutes by road to Octola.
A morning husky run through the spruce, lunch over an open fire in a laavu shelter, and a guided aurora watch after dark.
A morning with a reindeer herding family, a smoke sauna, and dinner by the lodge's chefs.
Fly or drive north to Kakslauttanen for a night in a glass igloo beside Urho Kekkonen National Park.
Nothing is guaranteed, but inland Finnish Lapland has some of the steadiest skies in the Arctic. With four or five nights and a guide who drives to clear skies, the odds are strongly in your favour.
January can reach -25°C or colder. The lodges supply full Arctic clothing, and the days are built around warmth: short outings, fire shelters, the sauna. Children from about five years old love it.
Finnair flies non-stop from Delhi to Helsinki, with an easy connection to Rovaniemi or Ivalo. From Mumbai and Bengaluru, we route through Helsinki or a Gulf hub.
Yes. Finland is in the Schengen area, so Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa. Appointments fill quickly before Christmas and spring; we advise applying as soon as dates are set.