Things to Consider When Booking a Northern Lights Tour
This winter I have been taking groups up to the Arctic to help them try and find the northern lights. While it is possible to see the northern lights in the towns, I’ve been encouraging them to book tours so they can get out of the towns and be in complete darkness.
In this article...
Fixed location vs. flexible tours
I noticed a lot of companies have northern lights tours where they take you out to their camp or campground. This is great because it is an indoor place where you can sit inside and relax while waiting for the lights to come out. However, there are some disadvantages.
If the tour is going out to the one spot, there’s no flexibility. The northern lights may not be visible from their camp due to clouds, but it may be clear another 45 minutes away from the camp. For the tours that mention their cabin or camping area, you are stuck going to that one spot.
I always recommend tours where the bus is driving wherever the northern lights have been seen.
Big bus vs. minibus
There aren’t too many differences between going on a big bus tour versus going with a mini-buss. In most situations, both buses will fit at any spot suitable for observing the northern lights.
The big difference comes down to people, of course. Do you want to be sharing the same observation spot with 40 other people or 16 other people? More people means more time to get on/off the bus, more people setting up tripods, and more people potentially spoiling your photos by using flash (yes, it happens).
You are basically paying a little bit more for a little bit more exclusivity. I would always pick a minibus tour over a big bus tour.
Should I just do a bus tour or should I do an experience along with it?
There are northern lights tour that just drive you around looking for northern lights, while there are other experiences that combine northern lights with activities. I see advantages and disadvantages of both.
Say you want to combine the northern lights tour with a snowmobile safari. You head out, ride the snowmobile safari for two hours but see no northern lights. It’s a shame, but at least you had fun on the snowmobile?
However, say you go on a snowmobile and get incredible lights. You can’t stop driving to set up your tripod and take pictures; you just get to experience the lights as you drive. It’s not a bad thing, but you miss out on photo opportunities. Also, experiences tend to be shorter than bus tours (2 hours vs 6 hours, for example), so you’re much more limited in how much you can see the northern lights.
I’d say it comes down to personal preference. For me, I’d always pick a basic northern lights tour. If I want to see the northern lights, I want that to be the main focus of the night. Save the fun activities for the daytime when you can actually see around you!
How long should the tour be?
Ideally you want to book a tour that will go for at least 6 hours. Most tours start at 6pm and will have you back by midnight. While the northern lights can be seen early in the evening, sometimes they like to wait until the middle of the night or even early morning. The northern lights are at their best between 10pm and 1am, so you don’t want a four-hour tour sending you home at 10pm.
Flexible policies
Always try to find companies that offer good northern lights policies, like “if you don’t see the northern lights, you can come the next night for free!”
I don’t like companies that say “northern lights guarantee”. The northern lights are a natural attraction and are never guaranteed.
Does the company I book with matter?
Yes and no. Let’s look at Tromsø, which has an overwhelming number of companies offering northern lights tours. I always try to look for companies that are well established. I check their website, their reviews, and look at how well they promote the northern lights. For example, Guide Gunnar is famous in Tromsø for northern lights, and his website looks well established and like a safe choice. Same goes for companies like Chasing Lights, Pukka Travels, and Norwegian.travel. I also look at how quickly they are selling out and how far in advance they are selling out. I never go for the cheapest tour or the only one available at the last minute.
Always book directly with the company and not through a third party agent.
Have any tips?
If you have any extra tips you want to add, share them in the comments below.
My Northern Lights Guides
Click here for my guide to seeing the northern lights.
Click here for my northern lights log.