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I'm planning a visit to Rovaniemi in January with my girlfriend. The main idea is to see the northern lights which we understand is not always possible. Since we want to maximize our possibilities, all the tours we found to go aurora-hunting last up to 3 hours, we were thinking to rent a car and go to the spots that these tours usually take you so we can stay as long as we want.

My main question is, is it really safe for 2 foreigners visiting Finland for the first time to do this on their own?

Edit: By safe I mean, getting lost, easyness to manage yourself in the surroundings due the weather, unforseen events, wildlife, etc.

Nighthunter22
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2 Answers2

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As a Finn, I'm mildly amused by this thread. A couple of misconceptions:

  • Aurora are extremely high up: the usual band is 100-600 km, at least 10x higher than a commercial airplane and extending far out into space. The consequence is that "aurora hunting" doesn't really mean "looking for auroras", since if you drive for an hour at 100 km/h, you'll barely shift your position relative to them. It really just means driving to a quiet, dark place where you can see them better if there are any to be seen above you, and this depends on solar weather, cloud coverage, etc. Sadly, even in season, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to see them.

  • Rovaniemi is the largest city in Lapland and well equipped with well-maintained and signposted roads, mobile phone coverage, and similar modern conveniences. One easy spot to watch the aurora is the riverbank next to the Arktikum museum, which is for all practical purposes within the city itself, while another top spot is Sky Hotel at Ounasvaara, a 5-min drive away.

All that said, winter driving is definitely an art, but the main things to watch out for are reindeer and black ice. If the weather is really bad, don't venture out, you're not going to see any auroras anyway. And if you leave your car, don't go too far and keep your mobile phone in a warm place within your jacket, so the batteries don't die.

lambshaanxy
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Finland is quite safe in general. If you are not used to driving in ice, snow and darkness, that might pose some risk. Drive carefully and carry warm clothes in case you get stranded in more remote areas (e.g. the car breaks down or you run out of gas).

People do get lost when hiking, especially during darkness. Make sure you can navigate. Have warm clothes with you and a functioning cell phone. Note that batteries can die quickly if it gets really cold.

Jussi Nurminen
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