Northern Lights tops list of UK travellers’ dream bucket list sights

Travelling on the Orient Express and going on an African safari were the next most-coveted trips

The Northern Lights in Mount Kirkjufell, in the west of Iceland (Getty)

Viewing the Northern Lights is the most popular travel adventure on thousands of people’s bucket lists, a poll suggests.

A total of 2,088 British adults were asked about the activity they would most like to do abroad during their lifetime.

Most people said the ultimate experience would be to travel north to see the Northern Lights – also known as aurora borealis.

The colourful natural light show is typically visible on winter nights in places near the Arctic Circle, such as Greenland, Iceland, North America and Scandinavia.

On occasion, it can be seen in Scotland and parts of northern England.

The poll was commissioned by Audley Travel, which offers its customers tailor-made trips.

Alex Bentley, the company’s head of product, said: “Viewing the natural wonder of the Northern Lights is truly unforgettable, so it is no surprise to see it voted as the top bucket list experience.

“Seeing this amazing sight is an extremely popular experience for Audley travellers visiting Iceland but – for something a little different – it’s also possible to witness this natural spectacle in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska.”

The second-most popular experience among the survey respondents was travelling on the Orient Express – an opulent train service that currently runs between London, Paris, and Venice.

It was made famous by a number of books and films, most notably Agatha Christie’s detective novel Murder on the Orient Express – set in a time when the route had extended all the way to Istanbul.

The third most-coveted activity is going on safari in Africa to see the “big five” – the lion, leopard, black rhino, African bush elephant, and the African buffalo.

Speeding down Route 66 – a historic highway extending from Chicago to Los Angeles that has been immortalised in at least a dozen Hollywood films – came in fourth place.

In fifth place was a trip to Canada to take a train through the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.

The next five most-favoured trips, according to the poll, are visiting the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, walking along the Great Wall of China, staying in an over-water bungalow in the Maldives, seeing bears in Canada, and swimming with sea turtles in Hawaii.