Experience The Midnight Sun
Image credits: Tromsø Adventure, Iceland Pro Travel, Radek Okienczuk
Midnight Sun – the light that never dies
The tilt of the Earth’s axis towards the sun during the summer months causes the 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle that is known as the Midnight Sun. Essentially, if you are standing on the Arctic Circle (66°30ʹN) the sun does not drop below the horizon from 12 June until 01 July.
As you go further north that period extends. For example, in Northern Norway, the sun doesn’t set on Tromsø from 20 May until 22 July and in the far-flung wilds of Svalbard, the residents have 24 hours of midnight sun from 20 April until 22 August.
It’s a remarkable thing to be awake at midnight and find oneself in broad daylight. Even stranger for those of us who live in more southerly locations is the sight of the Sun still in the northern sky at 2 am. When you are used to our star rising in the east and dutifully descending into the western horizon, you could almost imagine yourself on another planet with a differently positioned sun.
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the Midnight Sun can be seen from Northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Canada, Greenland and Iceland. We offer summer month holidays in all these countries so there’s an excellent range from which to choose.
About Experience The Midnight Sun
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Midnight Sun - The Never-Ending Day
North of the Arctic Circle, you will encounter some of the cleanest air in the world and with it comes a stunning clarity of light. What’s more, in the height of summer, you’ll have 24 hours of daylight to hike with sled dogs in Swedish Lapland, explore Norway’s northern fjords and marvel at Iceland’s remarkable geology.
The Midnight Sun can be a tad disorientating at first.
If you live somewhere with guaranteed darkness then full daylight in the early hours of the morning can seem a bit odd at first. However, all this daylight is terribly energising and you’ll find plenty in Northern Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland to fill the never-ending day.
Read moreIt doesn’t have to be bucket list items that fill your time either. If you are struggling to get some shut-eye then how about a wilderness walk at midnight or a freshwater swim in one of Scandinavia’s numerous lakes? You can do these things whenever you want because there is always daylight.
Where can I see the Midnight Sun?
The Midnight Sun is visible across the Northern regions of Scandinavia, Iceland, North America and Canada either side of the summer solstice.
You do not, however, have to restrict yourself to these few short weeks to enjoy the experience of 24-hour daylight. Whilst the sun may dip beneath the horizon outside of these periods, this does not mean that you experience darkness. In pretty much all of the destinations mentioned above excluding Iceland, you can enjoy 24-hour daylight between (approximately) the first weeks of May through to the end of July/beginning of August.
There is effectively no night during this period and we reckon the locals must yearn for a full sunset at times!
In Iceland, you can experience this period of 24-hour daylight even though the sun dips beneath the horizon (for around 28 minutes), from the beginning of June until the beginning of July; so if you need your sunshine fix we are sure to have the trip to suit you. In the area around Akureyri, you can explore the remote north on one of our cruises which circumnavigate the entire island during the same period.
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