Norway · Europe · northern hemisphere
Svalbard is at its best for northern lights in November to February. Good but not prime in March and October.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights | 91 | 91 | 64 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 42 | 70 | 90 | 89 |
| Wildlife | 15 | 15 | 15 | 42 | 67 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 67 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
No reliable monthly crowd data for this destination — the proxy used elsewhere did not pass its checks here, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.
Far enough north that the aurora appears at midday — the dark season runs from late October to mid-February and for much of it the sun does not rise. That also puts it poleward of the auroral oval rather than under it, so activity here behaves differently from Tromsø
Nothing is straightforwardly bad, but pick a lane. May is neither — the light has returned so there is no aurora, and the summer cruises have not started.
June to September for the wildlife cruises, and the March sunrise weeks
Polar bear protocols are not a formality — outside the settlements you need a rifle, unless you are on an organised tour with a guide. Most operators set a minimum age of eight or higher and some considerably more.
Almost everything is in Longyearbyen and it is small, so book the activities before the bed — guided trips and cruise berths are the scarce thing, not rooms.
Polar night runs late October to mid-February. Travel outside Longyearbyen requires a guide and polar-bear protection year-round.Jan · Feb · Mar · Oct · Nov · Dec
Kept out of the score on purpose. Averaging a rare catastrophe into a monthly number would tell you something false; the warning is the honest form.
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