Spotting the Northern Lights? You have to be on this romantic island in Lapland

Last week, my family and I stepped off the plane via my favorite iron staircase. A cold wind hit my face immediately as I looked around. Snow, trees, and actually nothing else; this had to be Lapland. In a week, we checked off all the bucket list items: from snowmobiles to feeding reindeer. And yet, the first question you get as soon as you're back in the Netherlands is: “Did you see the Northern Lights?” Rightly so, because you don't just see that. We spotted the green glow on the horizon from a perfect little island.

This is the spot where even locals go

The trip to Lapland was out of this world: in the morning busy with huskies and snowshoes, in the afternoon relaxing in the sauna and in the evening fully focused on the sky. The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are at the top of everyone's list for a reason. But no matter how many Northern Lights tours are offered: nothing guarantees success.

If everything is indeed right, no artificial light and no trees nearby, then according to a local from Salla there is only one place to be. Cross the bridge at Keselmäjärven uimaranta and you will end up on a small island. Simple, but exactly what you need: two wooden cabins, a covered campfire, and a shed full of firewood. With a bottle of red and some marshmallows, the evening is complete.

That this place is so special is something the Finns know too. Around midnight, the streetlights in the distance go out; ideal for studying the pink and green glow closely. A tip: don't forget your flashlight, because before you know it, you'll end up at the Keselmäjärvi fireplace for an unexpected overnight stay.

This is how you increase your chances of that green glow

An important condition remained unmentioned: clouds. With cloud cover in the sky, you can forget about the Northern Lights immediately. Through the Norwegian website yr.no you can fortunately check exactly how active the Northern Lights are and whether the sky remains clear enough. Essential for anyone who doesn't want to wait for hours in sub-zero temperatures without results. But when it finally is time; point your phone to the northeast, set your camera's shutter speed to ten seconds, and take a photo. What you can't fully see with the naked eye suddenly becomes very visible.

When you return from the most beautiful trip you will ever take, you can at least say with confidence: yes, you saw the Northern Lights. You have a beautiful photo of it and an even better story about this perfect island.