Tromsø: Northern Lights Safari With Expert Guides And Photos

This was a great experience for the lower end budget. We booked this the day before doing the tour and the instructions for collecting wristbands was very informative and the whole process was straight forward. We drove for 2 hours and managed to find clear skies after driving through thick cloud and rain. We managed to see the northern lights which was an amazing experience but it was quite faint to the naked eye and we needed to rely on our cameras to show up the vivid colours. We did however see it faintly with our own eyes briefly and it was magical to witness and be amongst others but pure silence when the show started. The only recommendation was to be informed more on our drive about where we were heading, and why we needed to change course etc. a little bit of science and knowledge behind the northern lights would have been really great too!

It was professionally organized, the weather was not very good but we ended up seeing beautiful northern lights.

I really loved this, my dream came true. David was really nice and he also showed us a beautifull sunset at Ersfjordbotn. The Lights were amazing, not very crazy but still very visable. Thankyou very much

Great experience with Northern Lights Safari. David our guide was great and very informative.

We went two days after the time change—meaning it was staying lighter longer. We still boarded at 5:45 to leave at 6:00. We took a rest stop break-for 40 minutes which is ideal given how far we maybe needed to travel outside the city. We then had to stop for another 35+ minutes to wait for it to be dark. It was disappointing that so much of my evening was spent waiting for darkness when the start time could have merely been adjusted. Guides were great. Their willingness to try to find lights was good. They did run us over the allotted time trying for us which was nice. It was truly the seeming lack of time adjustment for the time change that was disappointing. Just a caution if you’re traveling around then

The ultimate dedication of the staff to find the northern lights was evidenced. David, our guide was passionate and committed, along with the driver who drive 3hrs out of Tromso to Finland in heavy snow for us. I didn't expect much as we had heavy snow but David and the driver never gave up, and we managed to get a beautiful show of lights. David kept us informed of progress and up to date with excitement. I would highly recommend this company.

We were on the bus. 2 on 21st March 2026, the bus left for the venue on time at 6pm. After a while the bus stopped mid way around 8pm due to some technical glitch. We waited around 3 hrs to get another bus to reach the place. But again we were told by the guide that by then the weather was not clear and we will not be able to continue further. So unfortunately we had to return back without experiencing what we aimed for. The only purpose to visit Tromso was to watch the Northern lights but it was not meant to be, I guess. Refund awaited.

We had an amazing experience with our guides, Elon, Peter, and the third guide whose name I unfortunately forgot. They were all incredibly knowledgeable and made the tour truly enjoyable. Despite the cloudy weather, they went above and beyond to find us a clear spot so we could witness the Northern Lights. A big thank you to them! We highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a great experience.

What an evening of unforgettable moments, shared with our three children (5, 8, 14). Viktor is a fantastic guide who is transparent about the experience from the beginning, and Pete is a wonderful driver who took us safely back through the many weather conditions. We saw the aurora, but also saw them dancing in the sky, and it's truly an indescribable moment.

We didn’t see lights. The guide said there wasn’t a lot of activity but I’m seeing posts from others on the same day that saw lights. This company brags about having a large network of experts to know exactly where to go, etc and we didn’t have any luck after 8 hours driving around. I understand the weather cannot be controlled but if there was no activity as they said then why didn’t they cancel and refund or reschedule the trip? I believe they knew this ahead of time as in the beginning the host was saying it would be a “challenging” trip requiring some luck. A euphemism for “we probably won’t see anything”. There were a few non light activity related issues as well - the bus was packed. We were around 60 people. The bus stops with other buses on the side of the road (the spots are on Google Maps marked as viewing points so maybe go here on your own?). When multiple buses stop in the same area were talking about over 100 people together without a lot of space. They don’t turn off the bus lights which adds to light pollution making it difficult to see the sky as well as the cars on the highway passing with bright lights every 30 seconds. I’d recommend going with a smaller mini-van that may improve your chances as you’d have more agile access to better areas. The bus itself was comfortable and we were safe driving through dark, snowy highway so that’s a plus.

Traveling in a bus and the guide was very professional and helpful. We saw the northern lights even the KP was only about 1 to 1.7.

The experience was great! Our guide Claudia was friendly and open to assist us with anything we needed. She shared every step of her decisions of where we would go to see the lights and moved to a better spot because the first wasn't dark enough, even though we had seen the aurora there. We were fortunate to see a great show for the night! And the second location was even better.

A long but rewarding tour. It was approximately 1 1/2 hr drive to Jorvik where we were fortunate to see the Northern Lights. The bus was clean and comfortable and was always open and warm to come back to intermittently. David our guide was very friendly and informative. He took pictures and gave us interesting facts about the aurora borealis around the bonfire. We were given a hot drink. The stars were beautiful as it was a clear sky and we saw a display of the lights in the sky and mirrored in the water of the fjord. It was clearer looking through your phone. We arrived back just before 1.30am so it was a long evening but if you get to see the lights it's definitely worth it!

08/03/26 David our guide was top draw, he was informative and probably even more excited than some of the guests. We also chased the lights into Finland! He promised us nothing but his best.... He also thanked to coach driver jan for his time.

This was a superb trip and our guide David was outstanding. Value for money is excellent but be warned there is a LOT of driving but it it ONE MILLION percent worth it! We got home around 2AM due to the amount of effort the teams put into finding the best spot and it was worth every second! If you are going to book a tour - so this one and don’t be put off by the weather in Tromsø! Also take some snacks and water!

If you’re hesitating about booking this … do ◡̈ … we were so incredibly pleased we did! We stayed in Tromsø for just 4 nights. We went up the Gondala one night and saw the lights really faint, but only really saw the green behind a camera lens. We also saw them briefly outside our apartment… slightly more clearly but again, only in colour behind a lens. This safari took us way up high off the Tromsø archipelago and into rural northern Norway, which in itself was a beautiful sight. The houses warmly lit scattering the roadside and fjords and snowy mountains were good to see. My only mistake was thinking I’d booked the minibus (not the coach 🤦🏻‍♀️), where we thought we’d get insulated suits, and whilst we’d wrapped up the same as we’d used for walking around Tromsø etc, my daughters didn’t take so many warm layers on this trip as me, and were a tad chilly. There’s a lot of time stood waiting (obviously) when you get to the sight the guides decide will be optimum for viewing the Aurora, and the fire-pits do not give any heat in such cold temperatures. (You can of course sit in the warm bus, but that defeats the object of the trip) There is hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies given later into the evening, but we were thankful we’d packed our rechargeable hand warmers, scarfs, beanies and mitts. We were also thankful our guides decided to stay a bit later than other coaches and we not only had good visibility of the green earlier in the evening, we were lucky to see them dancing with green and pink right before we left the parking sight. Oh my word - magnificent! 😍 I’m so pleased I booked this for memories we will all remember forever. The guides were so friendly and knowledgeable and the science (even if you’re maybe not into the science) was super interesting to hear about en route 🙏🙏🙏 Thank you son much Elo and Andrea

Guide and driver were very pleasant, it was nice to see all the landscapes and houses. We were able to see some of the aurora although not as bright and distinctive as we hoped, overall though we enjoyed the trip.

The tour guides were nice and friendly, snacks and hot drinks were offered and they were good. I would recommend it.

Amazing experience. The bus left at 6:30 and first stop was Kvaløya we arrived at 7:30 and there we saw the northern lights. Claudia was very informative. We took loads of photos and had a bonfire and cookies and hot chocolate. A very cold night -12 but you are free to go back on the bus if you are feeling cold. Thanks Tromso northern lights safari we had fun.

Sun 8 Feb 2026: Tour started at 6pm (returned at 1am) and it's a full coach of 30+ people. Be prepared for a lot of driving and intermittent stopping (and waiting) as spotting the Lights is a matter of luck in the cloud cover. Bring your own water/snacks to keep you going! Wear layers as the coach is warm but outside it was -10 degrees! We eventually did find some Lights on the Finnish border around 10pm. Hot drinks and cookies were served here. Antonia, and her team, were awesome and made the trip more exciting! She made sure she set up her camera so everyone could have a picture in front of the display - but you need to be quick! I could not see the Lights with the naked eye but they are more visible through a camera. All travellers are allowed a free picture from Antonia's professional camera because my iPhone 16 was not much good in picking up the Light activity. However, two days later, I have not yet received a link to the pictures taken despite giving my email address to the tour company. I hope I get them!

What an amazing one, we kept searching until we saw the northern lights, thank you so much and big thanks to the guide who was with us.

Exceeded expectations. Great staff (guide and assistant); got personal attention even in large group. Guide (Viktor) outstanding knowledge and interaction with guests; his assistant was attentive to ensure we were included in photos. Only negative: not well communicated that each person gets only 1 "included" photo' purchased required for more).

We did this as weather stopped the dog sledding and I thought my young adult kids would enjoy it- they did. Instead of through the forest we went rounds a couple of fields and a few trees. Well organised, nice folks, not particularly my thing, but kids liked it. Remember if you’re on your own you will be asked to share with a stranger. I found this a bit of a challenge as we were all new to knowing how to drive the snowmobiles so it was unsettling being on the back, and then when I was driving I was worried about the passenger would think!

I contacted the agency the day before to ask if the weather conditions were suitable for the tour and they repeatedly assured me everything was fine. ​A few hours before departure, it was clear to all participants that a thick cloud cover was blanketing the whole of scandinavia, not a single star was visible. Despite this, they confirmed the tour, with the predictable result: complete overcast all night. The guides kept giving us false hope, telling the driver to head towards Finland,only to retract minutes later because it's no sense. ​While trying to turn around, the bus went offroad, and we genuinely feared for our safety. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere until 1:30 AM and didn't get back to Tromsø until 4:00 AM. When we asked for at least a discount to reschedule, they offered us tonight (Dec 27th), even though the cloud cover is even worse than yesterday. We were lured in by positive reviews, but it's easy to look good when everything goes right. Avoid them.

Amazing experience! David was so well informed and really passionate about what he does. Northern lights are hard to predict but he tries his best to increase the odds. Lucky the stars aligned for us and got to see an incredible sighting :) One free photo included!

overpriced and unprofessional. Stay away from this company and chose any of the other providers in the city and at least you will get your moneys worth.

Amazing trip- our guide David was friendly and informative, and took some amazing photos for us would definitely recommend (and take warm clothes!!)

We set out on a pretty cloudy evening and I didn't hold out much hope of seeing the lights, to be honest. But Victor and Blandinne were fantastic! They found a patch of clear sky and within half an hour, we were surrounding by beautiful, green, dancing lights. Victor and Blandinne are also fun, friendly, knowledgeable and super-enthusiasic and though they've seen the lights hundreds of time, they really appreciate people's reactions when it's their first time. Highly recommend!

The coach was comfortable and kept warm and open while we were watching the lights. The guides were knowledgeable of the area and the aurora, photographer was helpful to guests who needed help photographing the lights. Hot drinks were provided, but own snacks are a must. Be prepared for very cold conditions while watching the lights (3+ hours) lots of layers are necessary and good footwear is needed for walking through/on the snow.

Unfortunately, this Northern Lights excursion was far below expectations. Instead of guiding the group and making sure everyone could fully enjoy the aurora, the guides seemed far more focused on selling their paid photo packages. There was no effort to prepare a proper viewing area; we were left standing in deep snow, with no cleared space from which to comfortably admire the lights. The so-called “campfire experience” was also very misleading. It was basically a fake campfire set up in a snow mound, and only the first 10 people could sit anywhere near it. The rest of the group—almost 50 people—had to stand around in 50 cm of snow, cold and uncomfortable. For the price paid, I expected a well-organized tour that prioritized guests’ comfort and the actual Northern Lights experience, not an upsell session and poor planning. I wouldn’t recommend this tour.

Great experience Great guides Great diver Beautiful trip Good company Everything was perfect …………………

We weren't so lucky with the weather because it was really cloudy and snowy, but still our guides managed to bring us to a place where we were able to see the lights. Enea and Simone were really fantastic, we really enjoyed the all experience. They also give you snacks, hot drinks and thermic clothes.

Very disappointing experience – unprofessional behavior ⭐☆☆☆☆ We booked a Northern Lights tour in Tromsø with this company. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we didn’t get to see the aurora – which is totally understandable. They told us, however, that we could join another tour on a different day for free, which sounded fair. When we emailed them to arrange the new date, they insisted that we first leave a review before they would respond or check availability. This basically forced us to write a positive review we didn’t really want to write, just to get an answer. We did it, and after that… they never replied again. We had already booked another date in advance to go again with them, but they refused to let us join for free as promised. In the end, they just ignored us and found a way to avoid giving what they had offered. Overall, very unprofessional and disappointing service. Do not book with them under any circumstances.

Coraline, Roberta and Simon where very fun and attentionated. We enjoyed the trip very much and saw the northern Lights

Professional, Caring and Talented. He knows his tricks, gadgets and all the right satellites to track and chase the Norther Lights for the best chance of viewing. Highly Recommend.

Brought my mom on this tour last moment and beyond a memorable night. Our local guide (NOT some phony call-it-in big bus tour person) Ruben, is as great as they come. Went out of his way to make it a special night. The fire, hot chocolate and photos were extra perks... we had a nice group chatting as we waited for our green gold. Highly recommend this tour to see the lights.

We had a fantastic time on the Northern Lights tour. Our guide was Isak, and he did everything possible to ensure we had a great experience - helping take photos, set up cameras, even keep warm with a fire, thermal suits and hot chocolate. We had an initial sighting of the lights at one location but then moved to a better sight where we saw an incredible display over several hours. Great tour and recommended.-

We only have 2 days in Tromso, people said it was to short because sometimes we have to try several times before see Aurora. I booked Northern Light Safari online after read the review and I think I have made a good decision. Even the weather is not so Good because of snow rain and cloudy, Iselin and her father Drive us to a perfect place when we have an open fire to wait for the Aurora coming. They provided hot dogs and hot chocolate and thermal suit. And feel so lucky that night we can see amazingly beautiful Aurora, it’s a breathtaking view and Lucky we go with a perfect tour because our camera can’t capture it so Iselin take pictures of us and each person of the group. Thank you Northern Light Safari for the unforgettable night.

We chose to go on this mini bus tour as it was less busy than a coach trip. Our local guide Reuben was very knowledgeable and took us to Whale island up the coast as he thought this would be the best place to see the lights. The tour was very friendly and we all roasted sausages around the fire and drank hot chocolate. I was worried about getting too cold but wore one of the tour’s thermal suits which were in the mini bus. It kept me warm! Luckily we did get to see the lights it was amazing to see and luckily Reuben took quality photos for everyone which showed the colours. Would highly recommend this tour. We did the tour on Sat 15 Feb 2020.

my daughter and I originally went on a tour that we found online but the weather was very bad so we didn't see the northern lights and were sad to leave Tromso without seeing them. last minute, we booked northern lights safari and we're grateful we did. Ruben was the best guide and took amazing photographs for us which we can't wait to get! he even dropped us off at our hotel, we are very thankful for northern lights safari and we hope to come back to Tromso to see the northern lights with them again and to recommend to all our families and friends. recommend!

Well led by Isak. You need 3 things to have a good tour... 1. Clear skies (or broken cloud). 2. A good enough aurora forecast. And 3. A good guide. The skies on the evening were. Not the best, but god enough. The solar activity was a "2" forecast on a scale of 0 to 4 max. Isak our guide drove us to a good location, about an hour from Tromsø (my partner and I were staying at the Airbnb run by Isaks mum and we were picked up and dropped directly there, a big plus) The minibus was for up to 15 but just 10 booked, so a nice size group. Extra suits and importantly warm boots provided. (Dress yourself for the cold then you can always add one of the suits if you need to, most did as you are relatively inactive watching and waiting). A braizier was set up, stools provided hot dogs to "cook", hot chocolate, no veggie option though... Isak found the aurora via camera early and guided us to it. Afterwards he shared pictures to supplement our own, and had taken pictures with all of use individually or in couples with the aurora behind. No charge. I'd have liked a bit more advice on settings for taking my own photos, and a veggie option for my partner but these are small points. Thanks Isak.

Amazing tour had a wonderful experience. Ruben was a great guide and very knowledgeable. Would definitely do it.

Wonderfull experience. We really enjoyed every minute. Even if we didn't get to see the Nother lights, which we were lucky enough to witness, it would be a memory of a lifetime. We have never before roasted sausages on camping chairs on snowy beach in thermal suits :-D Travel guide was extremly friendly and kind and entertained us with stories to make the wait for the lights go by faster. He also took wonderful photos. We would like to thank him very much. Would definitely recomend. Family from Slovakia

My husband and I went on the tour on Feb 12th and we had an amazing experience! The conditions were not great, all day it was snowing and cloudy, it was almos 10:30 or 11 when my husband and I gave up and were convinced we were not going so see the lights so we went back to the bus. Ruben came back for us and told us he was seeing something. From that moment it was magical, it was fast but we feel so lucky that we got to see them on our very first try!! An unforgettable experience. Thank you Ruben for being so positive, hardworking and not giving up !

We used Northern Lights Safar for our tour because my wife had been in contact before we left the UK and they seemed to know their stuff. We weren't disappointed. We were picked up in the centre of Tromso about 6pm and Isak our guide and driver took us about 60km North to a fjord where we stopped and set up a small camp fire. The chance of seeing the lights that night was quite low due to cloud cover but Isak had been in touch with colleagues and the most likely location to see them was where he had taken us. After about 1 hour, the clouds cleared and we were given a spectacular display which lasted about 1 hour. Camera tripod and thermal suits were on offer if needed as was hot chocolate and marshmallows. It was a great evening and we got to see some amazing lights.

Unfortunately not much northern light, but the tourguide was friendly, there was a fire, hot chocolate and a snack.

Had a brilliant time with the Northern Light Safari. The whole experience was one I will not forget. Great value tour and experience all round.

A terrible experience... Firstly, we were lucky enough to see a short burst of the lights, which was great! But apart from that, the tour was terrible. The smaller group and van should mean there is more flexibility as to where you stop, but we stopped in the same places as the big coaches. The van was also very cramped at the back, so with both of these factors combined it's better to be on the big coach. We stopped twice by the side of the road to try and spot the lights, with many cars passing by with bright lights, making photography difficult. The guide could have taken us down closer to the water but did not, instead we just stood next to the van. The bonfire was an embarrassment... A tiny metal grate with petrol poured over in a carpark, with two other big coaches parked who kept their engines running the entire time. We were each given one small hot dog at 10pm, 4 hours after leaving, to cook on the fire, not enough for a 7 hour excursion. The guide game very little information on the lights and even the basics were poorly explained. I totally understand that the lights and weather are not guaranteed, but there are things that should definitely be done to give a good experience, and almost everything was missing. There are plenty of other tour operators in Tromsø...

One of my biggest dreams was to see the northern lights thats why I have decided to come to Tromso. Northen lights Safari made my dream come true. It was already said that it might be hard to see some nothern lights but it was perfect. We saw them, had a campfire and some hot chocolate and just enjoyed the magic moment of the night. I would always recommend this tour. The team is lovely and it was a magical night.