There were two highlights from our Tromso trip this year: the first one was the arctic day tour where we got to explore the fjords, see some arctic wildlife and admire the landscape; and the second one was chasing the Northern Lights tour that we booked through Spirit in the Sky. Seeing the Northern Lights was the reason we had Tromso as the first leg of our Norway itinerary after all. Coming from the Philippines, we don’t get to experience winter ever. And while in the Philippines we get to see dramatic sunsets on a regular basis, seeing this spectacular show in the night sky can only be achieved by flying to the places where they’re seen.

We were lucky to see “the green lady” on our first night in Tromso, from the patio of the Airbnb that we rented. Our host was kind enough to send me a text message saying that the Northern Lights were on the sky that night, which coincided with the notification I got from the AuroraReach app that I downloaded on my phone. The app would show the likelihood of the Northern Lights being seen every hour, and at the time they were highest from 10PM to 1AM.

After our first night in Tromso, I had to check AuroraReach app daily to see when the next big chance of seeing the green lady once again. Unfortunately, the next couple of days’ chances were very low, and it even had a heavy snowfall during those days. On Saturday morning, the app forecasted high probability of seeing the Northern Lights so I hastily checked for any available slots for tours for that night. My hope diminished as the tour groups I reached out to said that they were already fully booked, so I resorted to checking Google Maps for other tour group options. Thankfully I found Spirit in the Sky’s listing and they confirmed they still had four slots left for their minivan tour for that night. This was exactly what I was looking for – a small tour group so the experience can be more personalized. Our guide provided the details of where and when we would meet up, and what we should bring and expect.

At 6:45PM, D and I met our guide and the rest of the group at the Tromso city center. Our guide, Spiro, explained to us what the itinerary for that night would be. We drove off to Sommaroy island where we would be setting camp at a location where it was not cloudy.

When we got to the location where we would wait for the Northern Lights, Spiro set up a bonfire and provided us our thermal suits. Though we were fully clothed for the night out in the arctic landscape, the thermal suits were indeed necessary because it was windy that night and it was quite cold. Everyone huddled around the bonfire as we enjoyed a hot drink and cookie. Later, we ate a hearty fish soup, roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. I was limiting my food and drink intake because I knew we would be there for a long time and there were no toilets nearby.

Chasing the Northern Lights entailed patience. We waited quite a long time, and at times I felt hopeless that we would not see it anymore because the clouds started to build up. Spiro also received a call from another tour group who drove two hours farther away from us saying that though they had clear skies on their end there was no Northern Lights at all. We cannot predict nature, and so I accepted that there was nothing we could do. Yet we still waited, just in case…

Until, finally around 10:30PM we started seeing the Northern Lights. It was like looking at a rainbow in the night sky, we saw mostly green with a hint of purple rays. Though my hands were freezing, I had to take photos. Spiro was kind enough to take our photo too. The group stayed for another hour before we drove off to another location with a different vantage point. We got back to Tromso at around 2AM and were surprised to see the streets alive with energetic crowds. I guess they all came from their Northern Lights chase adventures too.

Looking back, if I were to describe this experience, I would recall how everyone in our group was lost in our own thoughts, simply marveling as we gazed up at the night sky. It was a twice in a lifetime spectacle for me and D, truly worth the wait (and the freeze) to see this natural wonder.