Taimyr is also known as the land of rare amazing northern lights. The climate is extremely stiff: in winter it’s from -40 ° C and to -60 ° C. Taimyr is called “the edge of the cold”, because the duration of winter here is from 235 days in the south, up to 285 days in the north of the peninsula. Watch the glow of lights bathe herds of reindeer in subtle greens as they stroll on islands stranded in a frozen sea during the polar night. Only reachable by special permit, this northern archipelago is one of the most extreme locations to view the northern lights. The flight to Naryan-Mar from Moscow takes slightly less than three hours. This natural phenomenon is observed usually with a sharp change of weather. The best time for observation is the season from November to March. The Aurora Borealis in the polar Naryan-Mar is very beautiful, it consists of several colours and is accompanied by a flicker, that turns the night sky into a fairy tale. Enjoy learning myths, legends, and indigenous lore (like not whistling during the northern lights) in a truly unique journey through Russia’s heartland. This forgotten northern outpost lost prominence when easier routes across Siberia opened through the Ural mountains, leaving it a preserved vestige of Nenets culture. The flight from Moscow to Arkhangelsk will take two hours, a journey by train – about 22 h. Well, while waiting for the sky to blossom, you may visit the open-air museum of wooden architecture “Malye Korely”. Aurora borealis lasts here from 10 minutes to several days.

The radiance of the lights here is distinguished by a green shade and specific flicker. Severodvinsk city is where you’d like to go for the Aurora Borealis hunting from mid-September to mid-April. There is a general rule for observing the Northern Lights in Arkhangelsk region – the heart of Russian North – the further from the large populated areas, the brighter the “dance of the sky” is. You can diversify your vacation in the Kola Peninsula by skiing in the Khibiny Mountains or dog sledding in Kirovsk.Ĭheck out this snippet of what to see on a tour in Murmansk, hunting the northern lights: In other words, you have to wait and literally “hunt” it, which means it’s worth a week or more to go. The Northern Lights is a poorly predicted phenomenon and depends on the magnetic activity of the Sun.

You can get to Murmansk by train (30h) or flight (2h) from Moscow or St Petersburg, what makes this region is easiest to get in order to experience the Northern Lights from late August to May, with the condition that the night temperature is below -10 ° C, so plan your trip for mid-September to mid-April. Murmansk, in the extreme north-west near Finland, enjoys over 40 days of uninterrupted night, making it one of the world’s premier destinations for the Aurora Borealis, and with over 300,000 residents you can enjoy all the cosmopolitan comforts of civilisation amidst the serenity of the Arctic.

Northern lights location