Visiting Lapland to see the Northern Lights: What you need to know as a Muslim traveller
The Aurora Borealis, known in Finnish as revontulet (literally ‘fires of the fox’), or the Northern Lights, were once believed by some, to be signs from God. Others perceived in them the dancing spirits of their ancestors, shining ever brighter according to the level of their happiness. Although in our own day and age these beliefs have largely subsided, partly due to a greater scientific knowledge of the naturally occurring phenomena (click here to find out how/why the Northern Lights appear), for myself at least, seeing the Lights still left me awestruck at the sheer majesty of God’s creation. It was a real reminder that even in our technology-driven world, nothing still compares with the wonders of nature and the deep, lasting effect they can have on you.
If you are interested in seeing the Northern Lights, here is my guide explaining everything you need to know, especially as a Muslim traveller.
Where to go and when
Best viewed from high latitude regions, I travelled to Finnish Lapland (northern Finland), which lies within the Arctic Circle. Finland is the least densely populated EU country with just over 5 million inhabitants, and Lapland, which covers nearly half the country and is home to the indigenous Sami people, has more reindeers than humans! I found, during my visit, that almost everyone I spoke to had good conversational English skills, which needless to say was helpful!
The Lights are best seen in rural areas on clear nights between February and March, and September to October. My visit, however, was in January and the views were still spectacular. At that time of year, sunrise was technically at around 9am and sunset at around 1pm. However, in reality it was light earlier than sunrise and only got dark around 3pm. Also, daylight hours extend at a fast rate, so even within a few days the day was considerably longer than at the beginning of my trip.
Where to stay
1. Glass Igloo in Levi
Once of the best ways to experience the Northern Lights is by staying in a glass igloo; as you cannot always predict when the Lights will appear (or when the sky will clear up if it’s overcast), glass igloos allow you to keep an eye on the sky from the comfort of your bed. Plus you stay warm!
There are currently three resorts in Finland that offer glass igloo accommodation; I chose Golden Crown, located 10km from the town of Levi, primarily because it came with its own bathroom (the other sites only had shared bathrooms). The site also has the distinct advantage of being located on the hills of Utsuvaara, at an altitude of 340m, and since the surrounding area is not built up, there is little light pollution, making it an ideal spot from which to view the lights, as well as stargaze.
There were however, some down sides. There is nowhere you can eat on site (aside from a private dinner you can book with the owners, but since as Muslims our diet was restricted, this wasn’t really an option for us). A very simple breakfast of bread, cheese, yoghurt, apples, jam, milk and juice is provided, but for every other meal you have to head towards Levi centre (approximately 15 minute drive). Again with a restricted Muslim diet, there were limited options for us, but we did find a pizza place (I will discuss food further below). The premium igloos do however, have their own kitchen, so buying eggs, bread and a few other essentials is also an option.
Another downside was a slight lack of privacy; although the igloos have frosted windows for the bathroom and some of the lower window panes have curtains, it still didn’t feel totally private, particularly as there is not a huge gap between you and the neighbouring igloo. Eventually I got used to it and made sure I kept my hijab on when the lights were on, and turned them off when getting dressed.
Although the igloos are a unique way to view the lights, they do come with a hefty price tag. If however, you are willing to pay the price, I strongly recommend going for the premium igloos as they are located in the best spot from which to view the Lights; it is not worth paying all that money and ending up in an igloo in the second row as your view will be compromised. I spent two nights in a glass igloo, and was very fortunate to have seen the Lights on both nights; many visitors miss out due to overcast conditions, which unfortunately, is a risk you have to take.
In spite of the downsides, I still completely recommend staying in a glass igloo if you can- they really are a unique and beautiful way to spend a night under the stars.
2. Rent a cabin/villa in Saariselkä
Having spent two nights in a glass igloo in Levi, I then headed further north to the mountainous village of Saariselkä, deeper within the Arctic Circle. Locals and other tourists (primarily Finnish tourists from the south of the country from what I experienced), all head up to high ground in their cars for the best spot from which to view the Aurora.
We rented a villa in the village and found that despite being situated on lower ground, still provided a good view of the Lights from its front upstairs windows.
There were numerous benefits in renting the villa; it was immaculate inside, with all the comforts you could possibly need, including its own sauna. With five double bedrooms, it would be ideal for a group booking, and works out relatively cheap also (especially compared to the glass igloos!). We were told its not uncommon to see reindeers wondering around in the garden (although I didn’t see any during my stay). I will discuss food in more detail below, but suffice to say having a kitchen turned out to be a real benefit also.
We rented this villa through booking.com; it was completely hassle-free and the owners were easy to communicate with via email.
Temperature/Conditions
During my visit, the temperature in Lapland fell to below -30 degrees celsius, at which point it was difficult to be outside for extended periods of time. I found however, that as long as you are appropriately dressed, when the temperature is between -15 and -25, being outdoors and doing activities is still reasonably comfortable.
As an added note, I found that below -15 degrees my iPhone would get confused and switch off due to the cold; the only way to bring it back to life was to put it on charge for a few minutes.
What to wear
The trip took a lot of preparation in terms of dress; if you are not used to travelling in very cold climates, you will find, as I did, that you end up spending quite a bit on clothes and other gear. It can get quite expensive, depending on the brands you go for, however, although quality is important, there are good cheaper alternatives available also, and if you can get things on sale (as I did during the January sales), all the better.
As a minimum, below is my list of what to wear when outside (for minus 10 degree celsius and below):
- Thermal top and trousers.
- Snow boots/boots for minus 20 degree conditions.
- Thermal socks (if you have good boots however, I found you can get away with normal socks if the temperature is not below -15 degrees celsius).
- Waterproof trousers.
- Jumper or fleece (Some days I wore both!).
- Overcoat- waterproof and with a hood (and fur for extra warmth and comfort!). You want something that zips up high, at least over your chin.
- Woolly scarf- when its very cold, good to have to pull over your nose and mouth
- Woolly hat with lining. As I wear hijab, I ended up leaving my usual scarf on underneath for added warmth!
- Gloves- when it was very cold, I wore two sets. Ideally woolly gloves with waterproof gloves over the top.
Food
Ok so for most Muslims, this may be the biggest put off. Aside from Helsinki, where a few restaurants serve imported halal meat (the halal slaughter method is prohibited in Finland), you will not find halal meat anywhere in Lapland. Reindeer burgers are on the menu pretty much everywhere. Fish is readily available, however, I found that often dishes were cooked with alcohol, and although restaurant staff were helpful and accommodating, a lot of the time we were told that the dish cannot be cooked without it (often already having been partially prepared with the alcohol). I ate a lot of chips. And bread. And little else.
Restaurant food was by no means cheap- it was surprisingly expensive. In Levi, as mentioned above, we managed to find a good pizza place, but in Saariselkä however, we only found a cafe that served sandwiches and salads, so as I mentioned above, having a kitchen in our rented villa came in very useful. We found the only supermarket in the village and cooked our own meals for the next two days (the supermarket had pretty much everything we needed).
Prayers
Praying in Lapland was an interesting experience; as a traveller, I took the option of combining prayers, so after fajr, which I prayed around 8am, I combined dhuhr and asr once the sun was past its zenith at around 12 noon. As it was not always clear when maghrib had come in, I delayed it and prayed it alongside isha once it was dark.
Transport
To get to Finnish Lapland, you have to get an internal flight in Helsinki. If you are travelling to Levi alone (i.e. staying in glass igloos), you can fly to Kittilä Airport (KTT), which is only 15 minutes away from the Golden Crown igloos in Levi (click here for map). However, as I had planned to travel to Saariselkä after spending a few days in Levi, I decided to fly into Ivalo airport as this was closer to Saariselkä (click here for map).
To travel around Lapland, we rented a car in Ivalo airport (which we had booked in advance). As the cars are all winter prepared, driving is not as scary as it first seems. The roads, although icy, are generally in good condition, but needless to say, caution and good sense are still required. Having our own vehicle was pretty much essential, as public transport is not easily accessible, and taxis, where available, are generally expensive to use. It also gave us the freedom to go out whenever we wanted.
Go with the right attitude
If you are interested in such a trip, you must go knowing that certain compromises will have to be made. Food is probably the biggest compromise as a Muslim, but you also have to bear in mind that small things such as going outside require added effort- you cannot just walk outside in your usual clothing, you have to ensure you are properly covered up- and for me putting my snow boots on and off was hard work! I also travelled with my two year old daughter, which in itself required a lot of extra preparation (a separate article about travelling in Arctic conditions with young children will be posted soon).
However, as long as you go with the right attitude, you will hopefully find the trip immensely rewarding. One of my favourite moments was reciting the Wird al-Latif (pre-dawn litanies) out on a hill at fajr time; being so remote, the landscape with its frozen trees and untouched blankets of snow, is truly magical to experience.
Just as a side note, I must mention that I did get stared at a lot during the trip, most likely due to the colour of my skin rather than hijab (I had a hat on so it was not always visible anyway). However, I don’t think the stares were necessarily ill-natured, but rather down to the fact that there just are not many non-white people around. Aside from a group of Japanese travellers, the only other tourists I encountered were white European or American/Canadian. Often people would smile reassuringly after having stared which helped me feel more at ease, and anyone I approached was always polite and helpful.
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