Rovaniemi Northern Lights Photography Small-group Tour

Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable! We had a great time and saw amazing auroras! I was so glad we booked a tour so that we could get away from the light pollution.

It was a beautiful experience! Our guide Elja was informative and did his best to make it a memorable evening/morning.

I joined a Northern Lights tour with the guide Finn, and it was simply an amazing experience. Seeing the aurora in person was indescribable—truly magical and something I will always remember. That said, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been the same without Finn. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and you can clearly see his dedication and passion for what he does. Throughout the experience, he shared his enthusiasm and expertise, making the tour even more special. The Arctic organization was also fantastic—everything was well planned and taken care of, from assistance to choosing the best spots to see the aurora. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for something unique and unforgettable!

The Northern lights are not a guarantee to see . It’s up to Mother Nature . But in the 2 trips we booked with Beyond Artic we seen the Northern Lights on both accounts . Very happy and both guides were good . In particular Essy our last guide was exceptional. Highly recommend them

A rather enjoyable photography outing; the professional was kind, available, and in good spirits, 👏… very good logistics ++ Unfortunately, there were almost no Northern Lights… The weather wasn't cooperating… Not entirely his fault, but perhaps he could change the package, increase the starting price, and offer a 25% discount if there are no Northern Lights, for example…? Four hours of driving for nothing in the end, in this case…

It was a great experience, I can offer them to everyone. 🙂 We had a lovely time and we were so lucky to see the Northern lights dancing in the sky.

We had an awesome night and our guide Sanni was very nice and very knowledgeable and also helped us with setting up our cameras with the right settings. Beyond Arctic had a Tippee with a fireplace set up in a remote spot and we were very fortunate that not long after we got there the Auroras made their appearance. We stayed there and were very well looked after with hot drinks and sausages that we roasted on the fire. It was ones of the coolest and in fact coldest nights ( -29 degrees) we've ever experienced. Thank you for a great experience!

Amazing !!!!!! "Chasing the Northern Lights with an amazing photographer Ville was a dream come true! 😍✨ The photos are beyond words - truly magical! The y took us for a BBQ inside teepee in the middle of the forest 🌟 #NorthernLights #Lapland #AuroraBorealis"

My tour guide, Natasa, was incredibly friendly and truly knows how to hunt the aurora. Even though it was rainy and cloudy when I arrived, she still managed to find the perfect spot and ensured we had an amazing view of the northern lights. She also did a great job explaining the science behind the aurora, which made the experience even more interesting. I really enjoyed the trip, and I truly appreciate the beautiful photos she took for me. That's a wonderful and memorable experience overall.

Great experience. Our guide Juho Matais work really hard to chase the lights for our group and found them. He provide expert photography advice on how to best capture the lights. Overall the company was very professional. They were one of the best of the three tours we did!

Guide picked us up from our place. Friendly and very knowledgeable. Very professional. Checked to see if we were dressed for the cold. The company gave us proper attire if we were underdressed. Within 10 mins we got to see the lights. He took plenty of pictures for us. Afterwards we had a mini bbq and enjoyed nature under a starry night. Overall a wonderful experience.

Beyond Arctic was the biggest scammer. We booked the tour for northern lights. It was storming snow and yet despite knowing there would be ZERO sightings they took us out anyway 40 mins from town. They earlier told us we would be going closer to the Swedish border App 2 hrs away. They took us 40 mins away from the city Made a fire in a tippee took some sad fireplace photos like amateurs struggling with the tripod and lighting as consolation. Talked a lot of nonsense gave us some cheap sausages to cook over the fire and after 3.5 hrs were up took us back. It was “guaranteed departure” not sighting. They should have just refunded 50% knowing 100% well that there would be no northern lights that day. Please do not use them ever again!!! Read the “guaranteed” part well. WORST AMATEUR TOUR OPERATOR EVER😡😡😡

Small group Northern Lights with photography included was well worth the money. Marjo drove into Sweden on our cloudy night and wouldn't give up. We saw them in the end and got back after 2pm. Excellent service again by Beyond Arctic.

We booked a tour with Beyond Arctic although the weather forecast was not ideal (heavy clouds with much rain and snow). So our expectation was rather low to see the northern lights. Even so, we wanted to have a try before we went back to our home country. Our guide Will(e) was very passionate and made a huge effort to find the northern lights. We are very thankful because of that. We even drove from Helsinki city center to Sweden (near border) to hunt the northern lights. We saw them at least but only very, very feeble. Thank you for the wonderful experience and the very friendly guide, talented profi photographer! We will do it again next time, when we have more time in Rovaniemi and when its less cloudy….

Amazing tour. Aurelien was an excellent guide. Very experienced. Eventhough it was an overcasted night, he managed to drive us up north to a perfect spot. We were able to see a lot of nothern light activities on a perfect clear and starry sky. The lights were very bright and also moving (dancing) along the sky. Awesome job Aurelien! 👏🏻👏🏻

We are so blessed with a good clear sky so we enjoy the whole bunch of Auroras, Coronas, moonlight and even raindeer appearance. All this is only possible because we had a fantastic enthusiastic super knowledgeable lead in Finn who took a chance to take us to uncharted territory that he himself never go before and found magic everywhere in the sky. He took amazing pictures with his camera and of course he has tripod for our phone. Another plus point, pick up is right on time😊. The whole experience is super wonderful, one I will never forget. So grateful for the full gear provided to get us adjusted to the frozing winter. A group of 8 ppl is just a nice numbers. Definitely I will recommend Beyond Arctic to anyone hunting for northern lights.

On March 10th, we joined this Northern Lights Photography tour, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of our trip! We were a group of 8, and our guide Andi was nothing short of amazing. She was incredibly enthusiastic, well-prepared, and full of energy – even in the freezing -20°C weather! What really set this tour apart was Andi’s passion and professionalism. Unlike our previous experience with another company, Andi's energy kept the whole group excited throughout the night. Her excellent photography skills ensured that we not only saw the Northern Lights but also went home with stunning photos to cherish. She made spontaneous (yet careful and safe) stops at the best spots to capture the lights, and guided us patiently through the entire process. The tour started with a stop at their office where we picked up all the necessary gear – snow overalls, a professional DSLR camera with tripod, mobile tripod, etc. Based on real-time predictions, we headed north of Rovaniemi, toward the Levi region, to chase the lights – and we were not disappointed. The skies came alive with magical displays, and Andi made sure every moment was captured beautifully. This tour was well-organized, exciting, and led by a guide who truly loves what she does. If you're in Rovaniemi and want a memorable Northern Lights experience, this is the one to go for – and if you're lucky, you'll have Andi as your guide!

We joined the Northern Lights Photography Small-Group Tour by Beyond Arctic, and it was absolutely fantastic! Our guide, Natasha, was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. She made sure we understood the fascinating science behind the Northern Lights and guided us in capturing stunning photographs of the spectacle. It was freezing cold, but huddling inside a cozy teepee around a crackling wood fire, cooking hot dogs, and sharing stories made it a memorable and fun experience. Highly recommend this tour—especially with Natasha as your guide!

Ryan was awesome! He was so knowledgeable and clearly excited to look for the lights which in turn increased our excitement. Due to the weather it was a bit difficult to catch the lights with the naked eye, but we did see glimpses and the lights were definitely visible in the pictures we took. Ryan was very kind, and helped us set up our own camera settings, even in -6°C weather- my frozen fingers could never. We didn't have time to campfire and snack, but the warm juice on the way back finished the trip perfectly. We were so cozy and sleepy in the van after a busy night of driving around.

Was very delighted by the Northern Lights Tour by Beyond Arctic. It was a cloudy sky in Rovaniemi and the tour guide didn’t shy away from driving far from the clouds and as a result we found clear skies east of the city and luckily after waiting for about 2 hours, we saw not just the Aurora Borealis but a full-on dance performance, thanks to the patience of our tour guide. Thank you, Beyond Arctic for once a lifetime opportunity.

This experience was awesome. In Rovaneimi the weather was cloudy and snowing in the morning. We thought the trip would be cancelled but were assured that there was going to be a clearing near the Swedish border later that evening. We would have a bit of a drive but would see them. They were absolutely correct. Our guide gave us a few pointers but also took photos of us with the lights in the background. They are great photos. We have seen Northern lights a couple of times since but haven't been able to get the long exposure photos again I got the night we did this trip. Another bonus was the loan of a good tripod. I highly recommend this experience to anyone wanting awesome Northern lights photos.

We booked two evening Northern Lights Tours and a Husky Dog Tour during our short visit to Rovaniemi. The first night we had a snow storm and cloudy skies which didn’t bode well for viewing Northern Lights but our guide Natasha was able to find our group a clearing to see the sky, we were not disappointed. We decided to book a second night with Andi and took us to another secluded spot, with clear skies and good fortune/luck, we had the most spectacular light show! At one part of the night, it was so bright, it was almost as bright at daytime!! I feel booking two nights significantly increased our chances of seeing Northern Lights. We also booked a Husky Sled tour. Around 90 mins of ride time. The course is roughly 40 mins away from Rovaniemi, well worth the journey there. Both excursion offered included in the price insulated Jump Suits, boots, etc so your Adventure and Experience is warm and toasty So if you find yourself looking for tour guides/excursions in Rovaniemi, call Beyond Artic!

It was amazing! The barbacue and the northen lights were the perfect combination!! Our guide went above and beyond, kind and thorough.

It was a great tour, very memorable! Our guide Guillaume was super! We lucked out in seeing a wonderful display of the Aurora Borealis! It was a highlight of our Lapland Trip!

I went with my friends to see the northern lights. We did catch the northern lights, but the main reason I wanted to join them was because they claimed to be good at photographing the northern lights. However, the picture turned out to be a disappointment. But you should still give it a go because it might just be that one night when the guide didn’t take a nice picture. We did enjoy the BBQ around the campfire, though. still a lovely night

Our guide, Soizic was a wonderful host. In route to our viewing loathe spotted the northern lights and we made an unexpected but rewarding stop to take photos and and observe the beautiful night sky. Soizic was very accommodating and knowledgeable.

The Rovaniemi Northern Lights Photography Small-Group Tour with Beyond Arctic was absolutely fantastic! We witnessed the northern lights at their best, and the guide (Juhani) was incredibly knowledgeable about both the lights and Finnish culture. The delicious dinner and the overall experience went above and beyond expectations. Highly recommended!

Avoid Jorge / this tour like a plague. Completely unprofessional, no toilet break for 6 hours, no sausages cooked on a fire, just relentless chasing the lights and getting angry at his apps. Stuck on motorways trying to hope over fences to avoid the traffic. Saw a 2 second glimpse of the lights but that's fine, they aren't guaranteed. What they needed to do (and 100% failed on) was basic hospitality and creating an experience outside of the lights to make sure everyone had a nice time. I came away with bladder pains, anxiety etc and I was made to feel like a problem. Save your money. Terrible experience, totally unprofessional guide that should be fired.

Very disappointing. Although we appreciate the northern lights aren’t guaranteed, on this tour the guide would pull off onto the side of the road and check the sky himself and no one else would be allowed to get out the van so we never even got chance to have a look for the lights ourselves. One side of the van got a glimpse through the window as he was driving but we weren’t given the opportunity at this point to get out for all to see. We were at the other side of the van with frozen windows so did not see a thing. The journey was 5 hours and he drove us all the way to the Russian border with literally one minute off the van where we begged to stretch our legs. We did not get given any of the snacks promised that we had paid for and were told were included, and could not even sit next to each other. So instead we spent 5 hours being driven with no direction, no proper sight or viewing points in mind, not being able to talk to each other, no food or drink, not being able to see anything out the frozen windows and leaving the van for 1 minute in total during this time. A waste of time and money. The thermal boots and jackets definitely are not needed as you spend the whole time with them worn around your waist as you don’t actually leave the van! There was no explanation of the lights and no pre planned idea of what time we were likely to see them so we could set up a viewing point. This is literally just a LONG and EXPENSIVE drive in silence. Well, other than the man snoring next to me. Not the experience we paid A LOT of money for. There’s was also no prior communication before the trip. We had to go into the ticket office ourselves to check our meeting time as no one replied to our message or bothered to confirm timings with us like with the other trips we have booked with other tour operators. Don’t waste your money!!!

Highly recommend this activity! Charlotte picked us from our hotel, offered us equipment and dropped us at the best location in the forest. Best view, best photos, sausages at the fire, hot juice in thermos and ofcourse the best chance to see arctic lights. The best experience!

Nice guides very helpful in teaching me camera settings for low light photography, nice Bbq sausages over open fire

Pack for the warm! Very cold but worth it, out tour guide was very informative and catered to our needs.

The experience was good, but we were unlucky, and we couldn't see the northern lights due to cloudy weather. If your aim is to see it, then you should book another tour, which guarantees this (they will drive you to Sweden to find the light if necessary). The weather around Rovaniemi is quite cloudy, so it is very likely that you will miss the northern lights with this tour.

The problem was not that we didn’t see the lights. It was that they KNEW we wouldn’t because of the cloudy cover, but despite that, they offered no refund (not even a partial one) and no option to cancel. Just before we left the office, the guide said that the chance was low, but again, offered no alternative. Making a fire and having some snacks was not what I signed up for. Also, despite advertising a hotel pick up, I was asked to come to their office. It wasn’t far, but still, not very professional.

Spontaneously booked this night tour on the morning due to the guide being so great. Started at 8pm meeting point where rucksack was given with hot drinks, head torches & other essentials for the evening. Clothing was given to those who needed it as it’s a cold evening ahead. Then it’s a drive out to first viewing point. Juhani was great at telling us how to set out camera settings correctly to get best photos & also explained exactly what the Auroras are and conditions needed to see them. We travelled on to next location a frozen lake where we set up and was very fortunate enough to see the Northen Lights. A fire was then made by the guide and we heated sausages & chatted which was lovely & peaceful. Finally headed back around midnight for the drive back to Rovaniemi.

This was AMAZING! I went on tours with two different companies while I was in Lapland, and this operation felt much more organized, thoughtful and professional We met in town at the office, they offered us everything we needed as part of the tour (Camera Tripod, extra warm Jumpsuit, Boots, thick socks, etc.) I took everything they offered in the car incase I got cold, and was glad I used their boots, we were walking through snow. We drove 40 mins north to a private area on a hill with a fire pit and a hut, took photos of the most gorgeous lights display, our guide helped advise us on camera settings / any issues people were having, took pictures of us with his camera, and cooked sausages for the group (including a veggie option for those who wanted). Be prepared for a cold and long night, and definitely check the forecast to make sure the lights are going to be out. But if you're prepared, highly recommend!

We had an amazing evening! Our guide AJ was great and very friendly, he was a photographer so took some cool photos for us with light art etc. He was determined that we would see the northern lights, and despite not a great forecast he advised we persisted and stayed out later, and was exactly right with his prediction of around midnight when they appeared! So we were very fortunate to see them thanks to him. We also enjoyed a campfire with sausages, and were given a backpack with hot juice, headlamps, seat pads and a tripod for our camera, as well as very warm overalls and boots (-25 degrees on our evening, but we were kept warm with all the layers). The location was beautiful too, a lovely snowy forest. Thank you for a fantastic trip!

We had an unforgettable experience on the Rovaniemi Northern Lights Photography Small-Group Tour with our family! From start to finish, the entire experience was well-organized, and the guides were incredibly knowledgeable. The small-group setting made it feel personalized, and we were able to ask questions and get one-on-one tips on capturing the perfect photo of the Northern Lights. The tour took us to beautiful, remote spots away from the city lights, where we had an excellent view of the Aurora Borealis. The guide not only helped us with our cameras but also shared fascinating insights about the science and mythology behind the Northern Lights. The landscape, with its snow-covered trees and peaceful atmosphere, made it feel like a true winter wonderland. The photography advice we received was spot on, and we were able to capture some stunning shots of the lights dancing across the sky. It was also nice that the tour provided warm drinks to keep us cozy during the cold night out in the wilderness. The whole experience was magical, and the kids loved it as much as we did. It was a family-friendly, once-in-a-lifetime adventure that we would highly recommend to anyone visiting Rovaniemi!

First let’s talk about the good things about this tour. The guide was very good and knowledgeable. The car transport was very comfortable. The tour operator contacted me after I failed to show up on time and took the time and effort to get our family ready for the tour. However, the tour went ahead on a day with a very low forecast of Aurora sighting based on relevant publicly available Aurora tracking resources ( it was a cloudy day with snowfall) and, unsurprisingly, we did not see any Aurora. Instead we had some family photos taken on the snow and a bonfire with marshmallows and sausages. All these activities were great but the point of the trip was to see the Aurora and, therefore, the tour failed to deliver. Also, we went only to one location and, therefore, the was no Aurora hunting as promised in the description of the tour (the description says that two or three locations will be chosen to get the optimal spot for Aurora sighting). My main disappointment is that we went on a day that was clearly forecasted as suboptimal for Aurora sighting and despite this fact we were forced to go ahead with the trip without any option to change the date of the tour, as it is offered by other Aurora sighting tours. In the end we got a nighttime family outing with a bonfire for over $700 euros. I would recommend using other companies which offer the option to rebook the tour or give you a refund if your tour is to take place on a day with a very low forecast of Aurora sighting.

Fantastic tour! Ryan was an excellent guide and did a great job navigating the uncertainty of the northern lights. Our hunt was a success! The small group made it feel very personal and the focus on photography was also an added bonus! Warm gear included, would highly recommend!

There are many tour operators that offer this type of excursion but I picked this particular tour company because it was a small group and because the company apparently 'specialises in photography'. The small minivan with 6 guests was ideal and Jorge was friendly. We were offered a hot drink and visited a wooden Kota for a sausage cooked on the fire. Unfortunately the weather conditions and aurora forecast were not in our favour and we only saw a very slight haze of green behind the clouds - nothing spectacular. The focus was then on creating light painting photos by waving a bright green light to recreate the northern lights (not great for those of us who were hoping for darkness to take photos of the sky!) It was an unfortunate night but I appreciate that Mother Nature is unpredictable. Would I book this tour again? Maybe not. I already have a basic understanding of the aurora and how to photograph it with my own camera. I would, instead, keep an eye on aurora and weather apps and pay a taxi to drive me somewhere with darker skies and scenic views.

Thank you so much Leevi. It was an amazing trip. We experienced the aurora lighting while travelling itself, like in first 10 mins. Our guide,Leevi, took us to final destination and voila we got to see the aurora dancing for hours, low n high, red n green. Photographs- more than us our guide was excited to get best clicks of us n aurora, which ai personally appreciate as I am not the one who likes to get photographed Fire n snacks- A-ma-Zingggg. Love the snacks n hot drinks. The way we all strangers got along to build fire was incredible. Had the most fun loving group from literally every continent. Story Time- I specifically asked Leevi to tell us about the stores behind the aurora. He was very well versed with the local lores which were damn interesting and then followed by science. I had the best time of my life. Thanks again Leevi and Beyond Artic for making our trip most remarkable.

Neva was a fabulous and very knowledge guide, she went about and beyond which was fantastic, we booked the same tour again

I found this tour to be half-hearted. I understand completely that the auroras being present is out of the guides control, however, I feel that with more dedication we definitely would have seen them. All passengers were picked up after the start time of the tour, despite it being stated this would be conducted prior to the tour, wasting 1 hour. This would have been fine, had we maintained the minimum expected time frame (4-5 hours). Whist our guide was lovely and professional, from the beginning we had the impression that the guides were not expecting to see the lights and the tour somewhat felt like we were killing time. We drove for around 50 minutes to two different locations, having a small fire and bbq. At the end of the tour, on the way back to the office, we had alerts for the auroras nearby (within 15 minutes drive), confirmed by the Apukka live cam. We arrived back at the office after 3.5 hours, seeing no northern lights, despite them being visible nearby. I really wanted to try and be positive about this experience, however it turned out to be a very expensive bbq and a missed opportunity.

The leader is caring. They always checked how we feel. Though we didn’t see the light but the star sky was marvelous, They also help taking good pictures for us. It’s a pleasant journey.

Our guide, Elja was excellent! He communicated well and pulled over quickly when there was something promising! We got to see stars, reindeer, and the northern lights! He took great photos too! I was grateful for the pickup and drop off! It was a lovely time and I enjoyed the people I met while experiencing something so cool! Would absolutely recommend!

Unfortunately, we couldn't see the lights because it was cloudy, but our guide Guillaume was nice enough to capture some photos of us out in the dark and make a fire, and we had some sausages.

They don't care if it's cloudy or snowing, they just drive you a few kilometers to "fulfill" their service, it doesn't matter if it's impossible to see the northern lights that night. Luckily we found a great guide from another company the next night and we were able to see the Northern Lights in all their splendor.

The whole experience was nice and personalized. Our guide Juho was great and told us a lot about the lights and Rovaniemi itself. It was great to see the lights and get photos taken of us as well as trying to take photos ourselves! We were equipped with everything we needed for a lovely evening.