FAQ

Due to its location in a low precipitation micro-climate Abisko has a high number of clear nights and is very often located within the auroral oval which means that the likelihood of spotting an aurora in Abisko is very high. The northern lights is  however a natural phenomenon and there is currently no way to tell exactly when it will appear.

The aurora can be seen from the end of August until mid-April, but our recommendation is to visit from October until the end of March as the nights will be rather short at the extremes of the season and there are more guided activities available during these months.

With their many years of experience our partners at Lights Over Lapland have concluded that if you stay for three nights during the aurora season you will have an 80% chance of seeing the northern lights. Stay for four nights or more and you are almost certain to see them.

If you only have one or two nights in Abisko the chances of seeing the aurora are still very good but in order to maximize the likelihood of a successful night make sure to follow our simple but effective tips below:

• Spend as much time outside during the night as possible – aurora watching sometimes requires a lot of patience
• Dress with plenty of warm clothing that allows you to stand still in the cold for long periods at a time – click here for an arctic dressing guide!
• Keep away from street lights. Once your eyes have adapted to the darkness you will be able to pick up on even faint auroras, which can sometimes be mistaken for clouds (or vice versa!)
• Use your camera. It can show you if there’s an aurora before you see it with your bare eyes. If you don’t have a camera, a great option is to check the aurora webcam which updats every 5 minutes.

To heighten the experience we recommend joining an aurora tour with one of Visit Abisko’s trusted suppliers. Depending on which tour you choose you will be taken to one of several locations great for northern lights watching. All tours available through Visit Abisko include hot beverages and many will also give you access to a heated space like a teepee, small hut or similar.

Winter clothing is included on a number of the activities we offer. If included this will be stated in the tour description.

Clothing rental

If you need to rent winter clothing contact your accommodation or the rental shop at the STF Abisko Turiststation.

Proper clothing is very important when visiting the arctic during winter time. Click here for a great guide on Keeping warm in the Arctic

Unfortunately when an activity is fully booked we are not able to add any more spaces or people to the tour. This includes children. In order to participate in the activity please choose another date or time slot with enough availability. If you can’t find an available date or time that fits your schedule we recommend taking a look at one of our other tours or activities an alternative.

Since the northern lights is a natural phenomenon Visit Abisko cannot guarantee that they will appear. Therefore we do not offer refunds in case there are no sightings during your tour. If you would like to give it another try, we may be able to offer you a discount to join on a second night. Such requests need to be sent to info@visitabisko.com but will be at the discretion of Visit Abisko and thus cannot be guaranteed.

To see what tours and activities are available during your stay, take a look at our Activities page.

No. The nearest is in Kiruna city where you will find several banks and ATM’s. Visa and Mastercard is however widely accepted in Abisko.

Visit Abisko’s phone number is +46(0)980-26 83 90.

You can contact our suppliers directly if you have urgent questions about their activities.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE CHECKED YOUR BOOKING CONFORMATION BEFORE CALLING. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR CALL DURING BUSY PERIODS.

Please check your booking confirmation to ensure you are contacting the most relevant supplier

LIGHTS OVER LAPLAND: +46 (0)980 33 08 92

ACTIVITIES IN ABISKO: +46 (0)980 33 01 11

KIRUNA DOGSLED: +46 (0)73 385 01 40

OUTBACK ABISKO: +46 (0)70 338 86 29

For less urgent questions you can also contact us via e-mail at: info@visitabisko.com

Visit Abisko is a centralized online booking portal for many activities in Abisko but we are not the official tourist information office. Although you will find useful information about Abisko and accommodation tips on our website, we do recommend contacting Kiruna Lapland for general travel information. Kiruna Lapland is the the official tourist information agency for the municipality of Kiruna.

Cancellations of activities made at least 14 days before the scheduled date of the activity will be fully refunded.

Cancellations of transfers made at least 7 days before the scheduled date of the activity will be fully refunded.

Orders cancelled within this time frame will not be refunded.

Any changes to booking details must be made by clients by email directly with Visit Abisko at info@visitabisko.com, at least 3 days prior to the date of outbound travel. All changes are subject to availability and may be subject to an administration charge. Any modifications are made at the discretion of Visit Abisko.

Visit Abisko does not offer any packages but if you would like to book a package tour to the area we suggest contacting our partners Lights Over Lapland who will be happy to help you with this.

For questions related to hiking and skiing Kungsleden (The King’s trail) we highly recommend contacting the Swedish Tourist Association who established the route and operate the huts along the trail.

For general questions related to hiking and skiing we recommend contacting the regional tourist information Kiruna Lapland.

Yes we do. Please contact us at info@visitabisko.com for more information, and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.