October and November: The Aurora Awakens
This is the shoulder season, and quietly one of the best times to come. The days are shortening fast, the first snows dust the Lyngen Alps across the water, and the darkness returns. Which means the Northern Lights return too.
October and November guests often have the landscape to themselves. The roads are clear, Tromsø's restaurants and cultural life are fully open, and the aurora season is underway. At Sommarbukt, the north-facing position over the fjord means you can watch from the sofa or the terrace without leaving the property.
Temperatures range from around -2°C to 8°C. Pack layers, waterproofs, and a sense of adventure.
December to February: Peak Aurora Season
This is the deep Arctic winter, and it's extraordinary. At this latitude, the sun barely grazes the horizon for a few hours each day, leaving long blue twilights and pitch-dark nights ideal for aurora hunting. Snowfall transforms the landscape into something out of a fairy tale: the dark timber of the cabins, the white mountains, the frozen stillness of the fjord.
The Northern Lights are at their most active and most frequently visible during these months. Guests at Nordlys in particular, sitting right on the water's edge, often spot the aurora reflecting across the fjord surface. Dog sledding, reindeer experiences with Sámi guides, and snowmobile tours are all available nearby through Tromsø Lapland and other operators.
Book well in advance. December and January fill quickly.
March and April: Light Returns, Snow Stays
March is a favourite for many guests. The polar night has ended, the days are lengthening rapidly, and the snow is still reliably deep. But you're gaining back the light. By late March, golden-hour light stretches across the Lyngen Alps for hours in the morning and evening.
The Northern Lights are still visible in March on clear nights, though the window shortens as the month progresses. April marks the tail end of the aurora season, but hiking and skiing open up as conditions firm. The combination of snow-covered mountains, long spring days, and far fewer crowds makes March one of the most underrated times to visit Arctic Norway.
May to August: Midnight Sun
The sun does not set at Sommarbukt from around late May to mid-July. What sounds like a novelty becomes something deeply disorienting and beautiful: warmth at midnight, birdsong at 2 AM, the Lyngen Alps painted in a constant soft gold.
Summer in the Arctic is short, intense, and green. Wildflowers cover the hillsides. The fjord is calm enough for kayaking. Tromsø comes alive with outdoor festivals and long evenings on the waterfront. Both Tind and Nordlys are available with their own motorboat, letting guests explore the Ulsfjord at their own pace, at midnight if they choose.
This is the season for those who want warmth, activity, and the strange joy of losing track of time entirely.
September: The Season Turns
September is brief, dramatic, and underappreciated. The birch trees turn gold against the dark mountains. The first aurora of the new season can appear as early as mid-September. Temperatures drop but the days are still long enough for hiking and outdoor activity.
It's also the quietest month. If you want Sommarbukt almost entirely to yourself, with the landscape mid-transformation and the first hints of winter on the air, September is the moment.