Aurora-ing success

Hanna Geissler finds there's so much more to Swedish Lapland than the Northern Lights

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Standing on a frozen lake, my neck craned to the sky, I watched curtains of light dance overhead in an otherworldly, ethereal display. It was a moment I had waited years to witness.

To the naked eye, the Northern Lights appear in muted shades of grey with occasional tinges of green. When viewed through a camera lens, they come to life in vibrant green, turquoise, pink and purple.

It was my third day in Swedish Lapland and the aurora borealis was putting on one of the most spectacular shows of the season, according to our hosts. Flying into Lulea airport, I had kept my expectations low - the lights had eluded me on previous trips to Finland and Iceland.

And at Aurora Safari Camp, owner Jonas Gejke was reluctant to get our hopes up as we pressed him for an aurora forecast. My optimistic group was undaunted, however, as we took turns slipping away from the dinner table to scan the night sky every few minutes. Our vigilance was rewarded just before 10pm. Pulling on winter coats and hats, we stumbled down the steps to the frozen waters of Lake Degerselet, part of the Rane River — where we remained, entranced, for the best part of two hours.

Inspired by Jonas and his wife Naila's past life running safari camps in Kenya, Aurora Safari Camp offers the world's first Arctic winter glamping experience.

A network of tipi-style cabins with a homely lounge and dining room at its heart is accessed by a short snowmobile sleigh ride across the lake. For those who dream of sleeping under the aurora, there are also two coneshaped cabins with windows looking out at the stars.

It is glamping in the loosest sense of the word. The only home comfort I missed was an adjoining shower room, with slots for showers instead available in a shared sauna block (often under the watchful eye of the site's curious resident squirrel, Coco).