Reindeer Feeding And Sami Culture Including Lunch From Tromso

Beautiful experience with the reindeer near Tromso. We had ample time to wander freely amongst the reindeer and feed them. Afterwards we had a traditional meal by an open fire to warm us up, and then learnt all about the reindeer and their importance to the Sami people. If you’re visiting Tromso, we would highly recommend this trip.

We had a wonderful time on this experience with our 2 kids - they loved meeting the reindeer, but it was great to learn more about Sami culture and Joiking!

Snow was melting already, the ground was slippery and covered with mud. Shoes and clothes got very dirty from this trip, the kids did not enjoy walking around in the mud. The bus drop off was at the side of the road and that was also a muddy trek getting to the camp. The reindeer were very pushy trying to get fed from the buckets, which was overwhelming for my youngest child. The Sami cultural talk was very informative and we were happy to be able to support them. Early spring is probably not the best time for this excursion.

The main activity of the tour is feeding the reindeer (there are more than 300, by the way) but apart from that, you will have the opportunity to learn the importance of this animal for the Sami people, the oldest indigenous people in Europe. The tour is hosted by a Sami couple that owns the farm and will teach you everything about their culture. The tour is very well organized and the tour guides are thoughtful.

Really nice activity for a family with young children

Enjoyable experience feeding the reindeer and meeting the local people. Was a bit expensive and slightly too long but nonetheless a great experience.

What a Brilliant experience learning about Sami culture. They took us in bus very comfortable and look after very well throughout the trip. We have been briefed about safety of feeding Reindeers and what a brilliant experience feeding them. We have been fed with delicious reindeer soup or vegetarian soup in the afternoon. Throughout the trip in the hut coffee,tea and cookies were served. Highlight was the wooden camp fire to keep us warm. Must visit place for unforgettable experience .

Such an incredible experience, we came for the reindeer feeding and to pet and take some nice photos but what made this so amazing was the Sami culture, we learnt so much about them with a fantastic guide and we even sang some Sami Songs. We were really impressed with the Sami guides presentation skills and how he spoke and told stories about his culture and way of life. This is a must do experience for anyone in Tromso!

This was the best experience from our hole trip peaceful with the reindeer’s lovely story’s from the Sami man

Wonderful! Reindeers are cute. What really highlighted the tour is our Sami guide. He is passionate and you can feel the deep connection between him and his culture. Yoik (juoigan) singings are touching.

It was so interesting learning about Sami culture and we had such a wonderful time

Very interesting to hear about the Sami, and get all my questions answered about the reindeers, who were very sweet. We fed them before our lunch, which was reindeer stew! It tasted vaguely of lamb, and was very tender. Very enjoyable day.

I appreciate how there was no reindeer sledding offered and they emphasized that reindeers are meant to be free creatures that roam the mountains. The animals looked health, well cared for. Daniel’s explanation of reindeer herding allowed us to appreciate the Sami culture. Hot drinks during the activity were much appreciated

We checked in for the approximately 4 hour experience at the bus station right across from our hotel. The check in process was very smooth, they divided the groups into 2 - depending on how long of a reindeer sleigh ride you signed up for. We signed up for the shorter ride, about 10 minutes, which was perfect for us. Otherwise, the experiences for both groups were identical, reindeer feeding with helpful and informative information on the reindeer and their raising, lunch that offered reindeer stew or a vegetable stew and an introduction to the Sami people and their culture. If you were cold or just wanted to rest, the heated huts offered hot chocolate and cookies before lunch. Our Sami hosts were lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience - we are glad we went!

This was a last minute "add on experience" and I am so glad we did it. Learning about the reindeer was fascinating and feeding them, no limit to the feeding pellets, was a really fun experience. Talking with the Sami on the premise and learning about the Sami culture was very informative. I learned so much on this trip. I cannot wait to buy a book on the Sami culture. I hope to visit a Sami camp again someday.

Great experience! The reindeer were awesome and the presentation about the Sami culture was fantastic. Highly recommended.

We booked a reindeer feeding with a Sami reindeer owner through BestArtic. He picked us up and took us to his farm. Along the way, we received information about the area and stopped at beautiful viewpoints. There was a herd of reindeer at his house that we were allowed to feed. After a while, we sat down with him in the lavvu, where he told us about the history of Sami culture: their life in nature, the reindeer, there clouding and so on. Very interesting. After this visit, we drove on to the sea through beautiful scenery. There, we were offered lunch. Very delicious. And we still had time to walk around. Afterward, we drove back to Tromso along a different route. It was a beautiful and very interesting day.

I’m not sure how easy/difficult it would be to experience a living authentic Sami community as a tourist, but if this is Plan B, then it’s a worthwhile experience. Feeding the reindeers may sound too touristy for some, but it was a first for me…and I found it interesting how small in height these reindeer actually are. The reindeer ride that followed was literally very laid-back, set against a multi coloured sky…during the ride, a Norwegian King Eagle glided directly overhead at close range…what an experience in itself. The afternoon concluded, around an indoor fire, with a Sami native giving us the history, challenges, etc faced by the Sami people…her English, delivery, etc was perfect. Highly recommended trip.

Friendly reindeers, amazing story telling guy named Daniel, good lunch, had lots of fun, great adventure, learned so much about the reindeers

This was a well organized adventure. We really enjoyed feeding the reindeer! The talk about sami lifestyle and reindeer herder was so informative. Loved this adventure

This experience is absolutely worth every penny, especially for anyone wanting to learn more about Sami culture. The young Sami woman who guided us was incredibly interesting, energetic, and warm. She shared her knowledge with genuine passion and authenticity. The team was very helpful, the hot lunch was delicious, and the place was clean and well maintained. The reindeer were gentle and friendly, which made the experience even more special. Spécial thanks to the French guide she was very nice and helpful. A truly enriching and authentic experience that I highly recommend.

Interesting cultural submersion into Sami way of life. Feeding the herd of reindeers is just the pretext to find out how Sami community is living their life in the Arctic region.

Was really lovely to feed the reindeer, they were free not in pens. The views were spectacular.

Such a great experience! Learnt so much about Sami culture! And the reindeers were so wonderful to meet (and feed)!

As a traveler, I've visited several nomadic tribes. Where there were always full communities and families of natives. This place is a rip-off, it totally looks like it was built for a show. There were no families or company, it was only one man dressed up as a native the tour guides were the ones serving the meals and attending the travelers. It looks to me that they just made it up to make some cash from the travelers. For the price we paid, we Should've gone to a real sami community. We wanted to see the community just like I'm other countries. I really don't recommend it. Go and do something else. We paid $200 a pop... What a rip-off. The reindeer 🦌 were nice tho.

after a nice busy ride we got to the Sami encampment where we were given a short talk..a bucket of feed and began our hike up the hillside. after about 10 minutes we were met by the herd and spent the next 30 minutes feeding amongst the reindeer. the views were wonderful of the fjord and the animals. after 30 minutes or so we returned to the cabin to have some rei deer stew and then to have a talk by a Sami herder around a big fire. all told a terrific day

Don’t miss this experience while you’re in Tromsø. The tour began when we boarded the bus in the bus terminal at 10 am and ended when they dropped us back off at the same spot around 3 pm. The camp where the reindeer were at was about a 40 min drive away. Once we got there we were welcomed by our lead Sámi guide, Johan, who briefed us on what to expect for the tour. First we were going to feed the reindeer, then have lunch, and then learn about the Sámi people around a warm fire to end the tour. Overall, we loved the whole experience and a big thank you to Johan and all the other guides for making sure our experience was an amazing one! Definitely consider booking this for your Tromsø trip! Feeding the reindeer is an experience everyone will love and you’ll love learning about the Sámi people, the indigenous people of the northernmost parts of Europe. - Nolan

Fun experience hanging out with the reindeer. Good to have lunch included and hear stories of the Sami culture.

Watching and feeding the reindeer was a great experience plus meeting the Sami people and knowing about their history and tradions was also great

This was fantastic. An authentic experience with a Sami reindeer herder who shared personal details of his life, let us feed and pet his reindeer, and took our small group around to the most beautiful spots to enjoy the fjord views. Not “touristy” at all. So glad I did this. Thank you Wondering Reindeer!!

Great day out feeding reindeer and listening a real Sami person talk of his culture. Good facilities and lovely reindeer stew, with lots of hot drinks.

Well organised and informative. I wanted to be close to animals and also hear some of the experiences of the Sami people. I got both wishes met. The reindeer were pretty calm and a little bit assertive. Both good qualities in well cared for animals. The Sami speaker was eloquent and had no problem answering the questions posed by many who attended the speaker session, as we sat around a blazing log fire. The surrounding scenery was beautiful and impressive, and the visit a wonderful introduction to our first day in Tromso. Thank you!

Amazing experience! Everyone was very friendly and helpful, from the tour guides to the Sami hosts. Just the right amount of time for each activity!

Well looked after little reindeer herd. Everything organised efficiently. Reindeer are so sweet. Veggies can have veggie soup at lunch if preferred. Good little gift shop. Face cream and lip balm excellent. Sami story time is very interesting with good time set aside for Q&A Would highly recommend.

We booked this tour even though we knew a lot of people will be there, and we didn't have high expectations for being able to feed too many reindeers. Well, it was a wrong expectation, we were received in a huge tent where our guide told us about the Sami culture, we received enough food for the reindeers (they didn't even finished the food we had), and the reindeer stew was delicious. Also, on the premise there were so many reindeers, we got the chance to feed so many of them, and they are such nice creatures, curious and friendly. It was clear they are so much cared for! We recommend this tour wholeheartedly!

The reindeers were beautiful. The Sami guide was very knowledgeable with his culture (obviously) as well as his area of expertise, the reindeers.

Well organized pickup by buses, with enough time for sledding as well as feeding the reindeer. It felt a tad bit uncomfortable going in two loops over chunks of ice 😅 as it had rained just the day before; and I’m sure it is comparatively easier even for the reindeer to pull the sleds over snow. We were told a lot about Sami culture and the reindeer, in front of a warm fire with hot drinks, cookies and bidos!

It was a very very nice experience, I Loved feeding the reindeers and the storytelling. It was really entertaining and even the reindeer soup was kind of good.

We loved it and had so much fun! Definitely reconsidering to other people looking for a fun tour!!!!

First of the coach took us along the shoreline as the sun was rising we got some pretty views over the mountains. Then as soon as we got there we dropped our bags off and fed the reindeers for about an hour. This was a lot of fun and the reindeers were very hungry. After feeding we then headed into the wooden camp where there was a big fire, had some hot chocolate and some stew After an hour we then headed to the Sami tent and heard all about the Sami people, learnt how to yoik and kept warm.

The reindeer were surprisingly tame anf fun to feed. I was disappointed that there wasn't much evidence of Sami culture. The Sami stories were great but he was the only one dressed in traditional dress and there was no singing or dancing. The lunch was very poor. We are coeliacs so had to have the vegetarian option which was just a soup. Would have loved to try reindeer meat but they added flour to thicken it.

Didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to!! We were left sitting for about two hours inside with nothing to do, and it was soooo colddddddd. My only complaint is the pace of the activities. Otherwise, everyone was kind and helpful! Other people seemed to be having a great time - so perhaps this was just not for me. PS. You will leave smelling like reindeer and firewood so don’t wear clothes you can’t easily wash!

Great experience, everything went smoothly good explanation by the company, friendly stuff, comfortable bus. Feeding the reindeer was great experience and we did see northern lights at the end of the trip

We truly enjoyed this family-friendly experience. This would be very memorable for children to be up close with such magnificent creatures. Just a warning though: those antlers are long and sharp and could poke hard when they bend down to eat. I also enjoyed the story of the Sami. Our Sami host, Danel, was very funny and honest. I would enjoy hearing his stories again.

We went to feed the reindeer, had a delicious lunch, and listened to stories about Sámi culture and reindeer. The entire experience was magnificent. The reindeer were so sweet, and all the camp personnel were very friendly.

It was a nice experience but not the trip highlight. Very relaxed. Storytelling was in a big tent but it was cold inside, ice on the floor. It was not well ventiladed and left with the cloth smelling of smoke.

Really great experience meeting and feeding the reindeer. Lots of reindeer there and given ample food and time to interact. Aftwrwards given a hot soup meal followed by an interesting talk by a Sami. One of the most memorable experiences in Tromso.

We had the most amazing time and would highly recommend! The trip was so well organised. Picked up from the bus station in Tromsø, drove a short distance outside the city, welcomed by the Sami culture, listened to songs and stories, fee the beautiful reindeer and interacted with them, gorgeous lunch - what more could you want!

Myself and my husband absolutely loved this experience. It was so well organised. Meeting at the bus station in Tromsø, a short drive outside of the city. We were so welcomed and learned about the Sami Culture, heard stories and tradition songs, fed the gorgeous reindeer and got a lovely meal cosied up by the fire!