The northern lights could appear anywhere on the sky in the area Tromsø is located in. There are three main concerns to think about when looking for the northern lights:
-First of all, the sky should be clear. The northern lights are above the clouds, so if it’s completely cloudy, it will block the view to the northern lights. If it’s cloudy in Tromsø, we recommend booking a northern lights tour, since they cover a much larger area around Tromsø. It’s often clearer weather in the inland areas if it’s cloudy by the coast, and opposite. If you’re comfortable with driving on winter roads and have access to a car during your stay, you could either check yr.no for the weather forecast, or we could help you suggest locations to drive to at the reception.
-The Aurora Forecast is also worth checking before looking for the northern lights. The forecast measures the northern lights activity in the atmosphere, and spends from 0-10, where 10 is the highest. An example of a northern lights forecast could be find here. There are also several apps available for predicting the chances of seeing the northern lights during your stay.
-Lastly, the area you are in when looking for the northern lights should be as dark as possible. Street lights and lights from houses block the view to the sky, and there’s therefore a lot of light pollution in and around town. The camping is located a bit away from the main population of the city, so there are areas both on and around the camp site which could be used as good locations for seeing the aurora. There is also a walking trail going up the valley behind the camping where you can get away from most street lights. The path itself is lit up but please make sure you have a light on your own if you’re staying out late, as these lights aren’t on all night. If you walk for about 30-40 minutes up the path, you will arrive at a lavvu/hut where you could sit inside and/or light a fire.
A good rule of thumb is that if you can see the stars, then it is possible to see the northern lights.