Are Northern Lights Tours Worth The Money?
While booking a guided aurora hunting tour to see the aurora borealis in Tromso is not strictly necessary, I highly recommend it.
I understand that some of you are not big fans of organized tours.
However, you can easily miss the aurora display if you do not know how to read the weather and aurora forecasts.
I have met many people looking at a weak aurora and thinking it is just a clouded sky.
If you join a northern lights excursion, the guides will recognize the aurora and show you what camera settings you need to take a great picture, even if it is not visible to the naked eye.
8 Reasons to Book a Northern Lights Tour in Tromso
You do not need to drive. The ice may be slippery and dangerous. Unless you have experience driving on snow and ice in the darkness, we would not recommend renting a car.
You do not need to follow the weather and aurora forecast. It takes time and experience to understand all the different northern lights and weather apps.
You do not know where to go. The guides know all the places in the surroundings of Tromsø where it is possible to park the car/minibus/bus and walk to a place with an open horizon for the best photo compositions.
You do not know what to look for. Sometimes, the northern lights are weak, and it is hard to tell the difference from the clouds. Your guide will know.
You do not know how to set up your camera. Taking pictures of northern lights is not easy. You have to have the right equipment and set the camera correctly.
You want to have nice pictures of yourself and the northern lights. Taking pictures of people and the northern lights is challenging. The photographer needs to use an external light source (headlamp) to lighten the person in the picture for a few seconds while the person can not move. It requires practice to get the picture right.
You will get warm clothes from the tour company. You will be outside for several hours while waiting for the northern lights to show up. And unless you watch them from a jacuzzi (our favorite activity), you will get cold. When going on a tour, you can skip investing money into heavy winter boots and a thick down jacket since most companies will offer you a thermal suit. Some companies also offer shoes.
You want to know more about the northern lights. Did you know that the Sami people used to hide when the lights were dancing in the sky?
Wondering what to pack for a winter trip to northern Norway? Have a look at our Winter Packing Guide and get a free packing check list!
![Best northern lights tours in Tromso](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-78.webp)
![Best northern lights tours in Tromso](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-43.webp)
Northern Lights Tours Boom In Tromsø
Nowadays, tourists are flocking to Tromsø to see the northern lights in thousands, and February and March mark the high season in Tromsø. However, it was not always so.
Before 2010, there was almost no winter tourism in Tromsø, and the local companies hoped not to lose too much money over the long winter. Hurtigruten sailed with almost empty ships, and the hotels tried to stay afloat by adapting to the course and conference market. The Northern Lights were only a bonus to other activities. No one had faith that it could be a product in itself.
However, with the rapid development of digital cameras, phones, and social media, it became easier to photograph the northern lights and share the images. That and a lot of clever advertising caused that the winter tourism to northern Norway took off.
As a result, the season got even extended – instead of November 1, most Tromsø based companies start their northern lights tours already on September 15, or even September 1.
Tromso or Alta for Northern Lights Watching?
Tromsø is often the first Norwegian city that comes to mind when thinking of the Northern Lights. However, Alta used to be the capital of early Northern Lights research.
In 1898, Kristian Birkeland established northern lights observatories on mountain peaks outside the center of Alta and researched his way to the current understanding of the northern lights.
The proud history of the early Northern Lights research made Alta call itself “the city of the Northern Lights.” While Tromsø has its famous landmark in the Arctic Cathedral, Alta has built the Northern Lights Cathedral, the Northern Lights Hotel, and the Borealis Hotel.
Alta is an amazing place to experience the Northern Lights, and a lot of this reason is because of its stable climate. However, when BBC journalist Joanna Lumley came to Tromsø and made a fantastic Northern Lights documentary, it was pure Tromsø advertising, and Alta lost the battle for the large masses of Northern Lights tourists.
In general, Tromso and Alta provide a similar type of activities, however, being a bigger town, Tromso has much bigger selection of tour providers, accommodations, restaurants and cafes.
So the choice is ultimately yours. Northern lights wise, you wouldn´t make a mistake visiting either of these cities.
![Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/02.webp)
Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø
![Northern Lights Cathedral Alta Norway](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/01.webp)
The Northern Lights Cathedral in Alta
What Are the Differences Between the Northern Lights Tours in Tromso?
In 2005, five companies sold Northern Lights products in Tromsø. Nowadays, more than 100 tour providers have northern lights tours in their portfolio, which does make it challenging to choose the best northern lights tour.
However, there are few significant differences between northern light tours from different providers. For example, they all operate with the same weather and aurora forecast, and the guides from other companies share information with each. Therefore, the success between companies might be less than you think. However, some companies have more experienced guides than others, and are willing to go the extra mile to make sure you are left happy at the end of a long night!
Debunking: “Aurora Chasing”
Since the aurora borealis generally extend from 80 kilometers (50 miles) to 640 kilometers (400 miles) above the Earth’s surface, you will not be chasing the northern lights but rather searching for a clear sky. So, if the weather around Tromsø doesn’t look very promising and only a few places might have a clearance in cloud coverage, you can bump into other tours that went for the same spot.
What to Expect From a Northern Lights Tour in Tromso?
Here is what you can expect if you book basically any aurora-chasing tour in Tromsø:
You will meet your guide and driver at the pick-up point, and they will brief you about the current aurora and weather conditions. You will also be offered to wear a warm thermal suit and winter boots unless you have your own.
If you are lucky, you might see the northern lights already in Tromsø or on the way to the chosen location.
If not, you will arrive at the selected area, and your guide will make a campfire and tell you stories and legends about the northern lights while you wait for them to show up.
On nights with challenging weather conditions, the guide will need to check other options and contact other guides to decide whether you should stay in the selected location or continue your search for better conditions.
The Guides Do Their Best!
In any case, there will be stories, perhaps a campfire, and the guides will do anything they can to find a spot where you can spot the northern lights. They will make sure that you are staying warm and having a good time while you are waiting for them.
However, it would be best if you had the right expectations. It might be cold, there might be a lot of waiting, and it can happen that you will not see the northern lights.
If seeing the northern lights is your biggest dream and once-in-a-lifetime experience, I recommend booking tours on multiple nights.
How to Choose the Best Aurora Chasing Tour in Tromso?
I recommend looking into these criteria when choosing the best tromso northern lights tour. I will discuss each point a bit more in the following paragraphs.
▶️ Does the tour include only northern lights chasing?
▶️ What is the group size?
▶️ What is the price of the tour, and what does it include?
▶️ Are the guides professional photographers?
▶️ Are the guides locals?
▶️ What do the reviews say?
![northern lights - aurora borealis - in Tromsø, Norway](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-55.webp)
Does the tours include only northern lights chasing?
Most people who take northern lights tours from Tromsø go for a (mini)bus tour. However, some may perceive the northern lights hunt as dull since it may involve a lot of driving in search of a clear sky or long hours of sitting by a bonfire waiting for the lights to show up.
If that is your case, you can combine the northern lights hunt with other activities like reindeer sledding & traditional Sami dinner, snowmobiling or sailing.
The downside of these combinations is that you are chained to a specific location regarding dog sledding and reindeer sledding. If that particular spot has a cloudy sky on the night of your tour, you won’t be able to see the aurora.
On sailing trips, the boats cover a more extensive area, but it still can’t be compared with the bus tours, where you can go all the way to Finland if needed.
Do you want to know what other activities you can do in Tromsø? Where to stay or what are the best restaurants and bars? Check our Interactive Map of Tromsø!
Debunking: driving to Finland
There is a common misconception about the northern lights tours going to Finland. It is not given that you will go to Finland on your aurora borealis tour. The first option will always be some location close to Tromsø.
It is a really long drive from Tromsø to Finland (3 hours one way), which means that out of 7 hours long tour, you would spend 6 hours driving! Therefore, Finland is always the last option when the weather forecast in the near and far surroundings of Tromsø does not look promising.
![Tromsø in winter snowy weather](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-73.webp)
Even though it is cloudy and snowy in Tromsø
![](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-57.webp)
You can have clear skies and beautiful aurora in Finland
What Is The Group Size of your aurora borealis tour?
You can choose a private tour, a small group of up to 8 people, tours by minibusses that take up to 15 people, or tours by coaches (big buses) for up to 40 people.
If being in a small group is very important to you, I recommend this Small Group Northern Lights Photography Tour in a custom-built 4×4 tour van. This tour allows you to discover remote scenery and reach more calm and peaceful places.
The advantage of traveling by big bus is, of course, the price and certain comfort. The bus is heated, so you can wait for the northern lights inside the bus. Plus, there is a toilet on board the coaches, which might be handy when nature calls.
On the other hand, it is challenging for those big buses to find parking spaces, so they are limited to resting areas where you often have other cars coming and flashing their lights. Moreover, you will be together with up to 40 other people, so you can´t expect much of a quiet, spiritual experience.
Private Tour Might Not Be So Private
Mind that even though you choose a private tour, you might still end up in the same spot as a tour with two big coaches.
![Northern lights in Tromso, Norway](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-61.webp)
![](https://guidetolofoten.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/best-northern-lights-tours-tromso-59.webp)
What Is the Price, and what does it include?
The price of the northern lights tour in Tromsø varies. But, of course, if you want to go on a cheap aurora borealis tour, you will need to join a big coach. So, if you are looking for a cheap yet great tour with professional photographers, I recommend this Northern Lights Photography Bus Tour.
- The cheapest aurora borealis tours in big couch buses start at 990 NOK (97 USD, 94 EUR).
- The minibus tours for up to 15 people cost 1650 – 2500 NOK.
I have a couple of friends who are professional photographers and work as guides for this company, so you can be assured of having beautiful pictures of yourself under the northern lights.
However, you should always check what is included in the price of the tour. For example, in the above-mentioned tour, the photos are not included in the price, and you will have to pay extra for each image.
Are the Guides Professional Photographers?
If you are a photographer, I imagine you would like to join a tour with guides who choose the locations with a pleasing composition so that you can get some fantastic shots of aurora.
If you are not into photography, then having a tour guide who is a skillful photographer is even more critical so that you can get a picture of yourself and the northern lights.
All northern lights guides are somewhat trained in photography, but some are better than others.
The best photographers, in my opinion, are in Greenlander (small tours by 4WD vehicles), Wandering Owl (medium-sized tours by minibus), and Northern Shots (tours by big couches.)
Are the Guides Locals?
You can see the northern lights from the end of August/beginning of September until the beginning of April. Therefore, being a northern lights guide is a seasonal job, and you will find few locals who would do that for a living. Most of the guides in the big travel agencies in Tromsø are foreigners.
If it is important for you to have a local guide, I can recommend Gunnar from Guide Gunnar, or Vidar from Creative Vacations.
What do The reviews say?
I always recommend checking the tour reviews and sorting them from the lowest to know what people were unhappy about. For example, sometimes people leave a negative review because they did not see the northern lights on the tour – which is irrelevant. However, it is helpful to learn how the company deals with other problems like overbooking the tour, cancellations due to bad weather, etc.
Debunking: Cancellation Because of Bad Weather
When I worked for a travel agency in Tromsø, many guests asked if the tour would be canceled when it was windy/cloudy/stormy in Tromsø.
Tromsø is such a popular location for northern lights watching because there are different microclimates in the surroundings of the city. It is possible to find a clear sky within a 1-3 hour drive from Tromsø, even though the weather does not look very promising in the city.
Do not give up your hopes when the forecast for Tromsø doesn’t show a clear sky. Our guides had many successful hunts on the days when the guests were doubtful. The tours will get canceled/rescheduled only in the case of extremely bad/hazardous weather.
One Response
We’re interested to book Tours for the Northern lights in Tromso.
And other tours you are offering.
We’re arriving in Tromso November 6, 2023. Departing November 11, 2023.
Thanks