For many years, I have been looking at pictures of the northern lights, longing to photograph them one day myself. I read all the information I could find about the phenomenon online: including when and where is best to travel. I came to the conclusion that my best bet was to participate in a northern light tour in Tromso, Norway in either late February or early March. I tell you why.
Best place to see northern lights
Tromso is found within the oval area with the most likely occurance of polar lights. Within this oval, there is hardly another town with such great logistics.
Why do you need a town? For hotels, restaurants and organized programs of course. However, the city is also a drawback for polar lights: in order to enjoy the lights to their fullest, you have to leave town to escape the light pollution. The ideal solution would be to set up camp somewhere in the wilderness, but I’m not that adventurous. Fortunately there are a lot of adventure tour companies in Tromso, who can take you out of town to experience the dark night.
There is also lots to do in Tromso during daytime. Whilst I was still planning this trip, I had a constant fear of dying of boredom, not having anything to do during the day in between the night tours. Well, nothing could be further away from the truth – the problem was not being able to choose from the dozens of possibilities.
Flying to Tromso
You can fly to Tromso with SAS, Widerøe and Norwegian. From the airport you can take public transport into town. While you wait for your luggage to arrive, you can buy your bus tickets from the ticket terminal with your credit card (this way is cheaper than buying tickets on the bus).
What is the weather like in Tromso?
I have two bits of good news regarding the weather. One is that thanks to the Gulf Stream, Tromso isn’t as cold as other towns on this latitude (the average winter temperature is only minus 4 degrees Celsius). The other is that thanks to the islands, fjords and other geographical features, there are many small microclimates here. So even if it’s snowing in Tromso, it is still possible to find polar lights 30-50 kms outside the town. The enthusiasm of the tour operating companies knows no limits: if on the shore it seems impossible to see the lights, they take the road towards Finland.
Best time to see the northern lights in Tromso
Polar light trips are organized from September to April, and the best time to visit depends on what daytime programs you want. If you want to see whales, the best time to spot them would be December and January, although only for a short time as there is barely enough daylight during these months. It can happen that the tour ships sail out to the whales’ favorite places in darkness, have a short hour of dim lights, and then sail back in darkness to the port. Later on, from February whales leave but snow programs start, such as dog and reindeer sleighs, snow mobiles and snow shoe hikes. I visited in February when the sky is still dark at night but it’s easier to organize more daytime programs.
Polar lights are present almost every night around February, but the question is: will you see them? This basically depends on how clear the sky is, and how far you can get from the light pollution. As one of our tour guides said: you need three things for a successful aurora hunt: dark skies, stars and patience. For this reason, the guides usually organize trips to places where there are no street lights and where the moon’s light is the only light you can see. There you can start searching the sky and see the stars. The main question is: are there any clouds? If so, then only a very strong aurora activity can shine through the clouds. If the sky is very cloudy, the tour guide will rely on weather forecasts to decide whether to wait or move on to another location. This is when the co-operating groups are constantly in touch with each other, just like on an African safari, where every guide lets their colleagues know if they have spot a lion.
How long should you stay if you want to be sure to see the northern lights?
This of course, depends on your budget. The night and day programs are expensive (just like hotels and food), but the more times you try, the better your chances of seeing the aurora. Chatting with tour guides and tourists, it turns out that the average Tromso visitor stays for a 2 night trip. Whilst there are some people who can afford only 1 night, it’s not unusual to see a 3-4 night aurora-hunter either. It’s also not a problem if you see beautiful polar lights at the first chance, because then the guides will take you to different places and the lights are very hard to get bored of.
The usual problem is that although hotel prices are horrendous, there is little time to just wander around in the city. During the day one usually goes on a day trip (like dog-sleighing), then at night the polar lights tour starts. It is entirely possible that you only return to your hotel at 4 am from a night trip, before joining the next adventure at 8 am. It was usual to see people exhausted, saying they would rest when they return home.
Tromso hotels
Unfortunately there is no cheap accommodation in town, it’s all expensive or even more expensive. If you make your reservations in time, you may find a few better priced airbnb rooms. I am a huge fan of airbnb, but on this trip – due to the fact that you cannot predict when a night tour will end – I didn’t want to arrive back to the room between 2-4 am and warm myself up with a hot shower, waking my hosts. Of course you can arrange it with the hosts, but this time I felt it would be safer and more peaceful if I booked a hotel room.
I spent the first two nights in a small, family run hotel, the Enter Amalie Hotel. The rooms are relatively simple but comfortable and warm, and the staff are all very nice. From the start, it felt like you were part of the family. The morning buffet is abundant, and what I thought was really neat was that in the afternoon there was free baking. I always took advantage of that. The room prices vary according to size and season and were 895-1495 NOK.
After the first two nights I moved next door to the Radisson Blu and spent the rest of my time there. This is the most practical place to stay as most tours start from here and it feels so good when they bring you back and all you have to do is walk up to your warm room. Here the price of a room is between 1245 and 4845 NOK. The breakfast choice is phenomenal, which counts a lot when everything is this expensive. I loved their sauna too, it was great to treat myself to it after the cold programs and enjoy the fantastic view.
Check out accommodation and prices in Tromso:
Winter programs in Tromso
There are a few museums in Tromso, there is also a pretty cathedral (which is better looking from the outside than the inside), but the main attraction is the Polaria. Here the two main things are seal feeding and a projection room, where they continuously play two short films – one of the polar lights and one of Spitzbergen, both of which are beautiful. Seal feeding can be seen twice a day, so it’s worth planning your visit around it because they are really cute.
What should I pack when going polar light hunting?
I have a universal packing list, but I bought a few special items for this trip. Since I can feel very cold, especially in my hands and feet, I concentrated on these.
My best purchase was a pair of North Face boots, which they say is good down to minus 32 degrees Celsius, so these kept my feet warm at all times. I didn’t have the opportunity to test them in extreme conditions, because it was never colder than minus 5-6 degrees Celsius. But there were times when we stood for hours in snow during the night, and even then my feet were nice and warm and dry.
With gloves, the important thing to remember is that you need two pairs: one lighter pai which are always on your hands and which you can take photos with, and another pair of mittens (with only “two fingers”) which you can wear over the other when warming your hands.
It’s also worth buying disposable or reusable hand and feet warmers, which give off heat for 8-10 hours. Mittens (two finger gloves) are practical even with these – the warmers fit inside the palm of the glove. I would also recommend packing snow goggles or snow masks even if you have no plan to ski, as they can come handy in a snowstorm or during your dog-sleigh ride. And of course you need a few pairs of thermal underwear, wool socks and ski pants, plus a hooded jacket, warm scarf and wooly hat!
Northern light tours Tromso – solo or organized trips?
Polar lights can be seen almost every night during the season, both in Tromso and around it, you just have to find them. Since it’s harder to find them alone, more and more tour agencies specialize in finding them for you – only time and money will be your limits. Of course if you want, you can drive out on your own on snowy nights – although car rentals aren’t cheap and you do need quite a lot of driving experience and proper tyres for the icy, skiddy roads.
Being the cautious person that I am, I left it to the professionals, which did have some perks:
- They have a good field knowledge and know exactly where to go, because it really does matter where you look for your polar lights and what backdrop you have for them. The photos turn out more scenic if you have a mountain or a body of water in the forefront, rather than just the night sky.
- Guides know the local weather and aurora forecast websites and apps, and set out into the night with uptodate information from these.
- The guides are a close knit group, so during the night they continuously inform each other about cloudy or clear skies. If you’re alone, you probably only go in one direction. With experts, more people are looking for the perfect spot.
- Most companies lend you warm gear (coat, shoes etc.) and give you warm drinks.
- The tour guides are well prepared and skilled in photographing polar lights – they give you advice, take photos, and some even send you professional photos after the trip.
Big bus or small group northern light tour?
There are a few dozen tour agencies in Tromso dealing with different types of night trips. There are tours which connect light hunting with other adventures, such as dog-sleighing or riding a snowmobile – however, these trips are expensive. Also, as the program is tied to an activity, the tours are not as flexible as dedicated light hunting tours.
I thought it would be better to divide these activities – I kept the dogs and other programs for daytime, and concentrated on the northern lights at night. Now, the question was: big bus or minivans?
Advantages of big bus tours
- no advance reservation is necessary
- toilet on the bus
- very often they head to a “base station”, where you can have hot drinks and buy dinner
- lower price (around 1000 NOK)
Advantages of minivans (small group tours)
- smaller vehicles that can drive on roads where large buses cannot
- they provide thermal suits
- guides can help with your camera settings in a more personal way
- they usually provide tripods
- they often set up a bonfire and prices include a warm meal
- although tours are more expensive, they usually last longer
Review of three tours that I tried
Big bus northern light tour
At first, I signed on for a big bus tour because I did not know how irritating 40 people can be on a snow covered plateau. Although our tour guide promised to help everyone with their photos, this was not possible with such a large group. Since this was my first time photographing polar lights, I could have used some advice, without which my photos turned out a little unfocused and too yellow (this was the result of too much light pollution reflecting off the snow covered mountain).
Company: Arctic Guide Service
Price: 950 NOK
Length of tour: 18:30-1:30am (5 hours)
When to book: October 15 – March 31
Number of participants: 40 people
Pros: comfortable bus with toilet, participants are usually back in bed by 2am
Cons: big group, the bus can only park in specific places which limits where you can go, no warm gear given
Minibus northern light tour
The second time I set out with a smaller team, which suited me much more, but unfortunatelly we got into a huge snowstorm. The clouds opened up only for a few minutes when I could take a few photos, but our luck didn’t last. However, the tour was a really nice experience with the campfire, dinner, a cheerful international company of people. The advantage of this firm is that they operate on full scale in high season, meaning they run six minibuses. So they can start out in six different directions with the drivers in constant communication with each other, informing the others of clear sky spots. Each tour has a campfire and a warm dinner which although made of powder, tastes quite nice. They work with a young, international team and are a very sympathetic group.
Company: Arctic Explorer
Price: 1450 NOK
Length of tour: starts around 17:00-18:30, ends between midnight-3am (around 6-9 hours)
When to book: September 15 to April 15
Number of participants: 8 people
Pros: small group, very good knowledge of surroundings, warm clothing (a coverall, shoes, wool socks, gloves), dinner
Best northern light tour in Tromso: photography tour
Since the first two nights brought only partial success, I tried again for a third time. This was my favorite group. It was a relatively young, smaller company using 2 minibuses, meaning 14 passengers in total between two guides. They were sympathetic right from the start as they told us, quite honestly, that there was a very slight chance of clear skies that night, so if anyone wanted to cancel their place on the tour, they would get the money back and could re-book for another date.
The other reason I liked them was that both drivers were expert photographers and did all they could to get the best photos possible. It wasn’t their fault that the dream photos couldn’t be done – there was a thick blanket of clouds covering the entire region that night. Although we left at 6pm and got back into town at 4am, we only had a few minutes of photo worthy moments. The aurora was quite strong that night, otherwise not even this much light would have passed through the grey clouds.
The tour starts with a one hour course in a studio where the guides help you with the settings on your camera, so you don’t have to deal with that in the cold and dark night. Although I bought a small, lightweight tripod especially for this trip, they lent me and everyone else a much more stable version. This group was much more attentive to group members, as they stopped once during the night at a gas station so we could go to the bathroom in warmer surroundings. They also drove all night, scanned the sky, called the other tour guides, browsed phone apps and checked weather forecasts – it was obvious that their passion is to show us the polar lights.
Firm: Creative Vacations
Price: 1350 korones
Length of tour: 7-10 hours
When to book: September – March 31
Number of participants: 7 people
Pros: small group, photo course, they lend you a tripod, warm clothing, soup
Advice for photographing polar lights
I know it seems funny to give advice when I have such poor photos, but in theory I already know what needs to be done to shoot great photos – I just need more luck with my “model” 🙂
Gear
- If you have a choice, take a lens that has as large a viewing angle and luminance as possible (possibly a fixed lens, not a zoom)
- Tripods are a necessity – the sturdier the better
- At least two fully charged batteries (keep the spare one in your pocket, to keep it as warm as possible)
- Take all filters off the lens
- Leave on any lens hood – it comes in handy against snow and freezing temperatures
- It’s best to have a clean wiping cloth to dry up any fogging
Camera settings
- Your focus should be set to infinity, but that’s hard to set at night. Many lenses have the infinity symbol, but not always in the right place. The safest solution is to set the exact infinity focus during the day, then fix the lens with electrical tape and switch to manual focus.
- Set the white-balance to the flourescent lamp sign
- Set ISO to 1600
- You’ll need manual settings. Start with 15 seconds and set the aperture as wide as possible (f1.8 or f2.8).
- Use a remote control or a self-timer
- Turn off or at least dim the light of the back display
- Shoot on RAW
- Try to find a location where there can be mountains or a body of water in the photo
- Since in pitch dark the display shows our photos lighter than they really are, check the histogram
- Try more than one way – if you set your ISO too high, your photos will become grainy; if you set the time too long, you’ll have tiny lines instead of stars. You need to have some kind of compromise, the best is to take multiple kinds of photos and then check at home which ones are best.
- Oh, and the most important thing: don’t mess around with your camera all the time, don’t forget to enjoy the lights!
Day winter programs in Tromso – what to do between two aurora trips?
Boat excursion among the fiords with surprise whales
I took a beautiful boat trip winding between the fiords and islands. The firm’s’ tour guide Luis – a marine biologist – picked up the passengers with a minibus from the different hotels, before heading to a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Here we received warm overalls which keep you afloat in case you need it and warm, waterproof boots with wool socks, fur gloves and if someone did not have one, they got a warm hat too. Then we went to the bay where our small boat was already waiting for us.
It was quite windy out at sea, but the ship had a closed part where you could escape from the cold. A warm lunch with tea and coffee were also included in the price, as well as the tour guide sending you photos later on.
This same boat goes on whale watching tours from November 10 – January 20, (you can’t book the fjord tours then) which meant that on paper, we were already out of season as the whales should have moved on by now. Imagine our surprise and joy when a couple of them showed up in the bay, quite close to our ship almost seeming to perform stunts for the photographers. For lunch we moved into a quiet port and walked around a little on the streets that had turned into iceways. It was a fantastic day, the million shades of blue of the sky and the sea are sights that never bore.
Company: Arctic Explorers
Time: 5-6 hours
When to book: all year round, except November 10 to January 20
Number of participants: maximum 10
Price: 1800 NOK
Dog-sleighing
I have always loved dogs and wanted to try dog-sleighing, so it was never in doubt that once in northern Norway, where it’s one of the most popular programs, I would go for it.
Just like on the polar lights tour, we received warm coveralls and special boots before the trip. Before taking on the snowfields, we received a short instruction on sled-driving and could play a little with the dogs.
We were in pairs, switching the standing position of controlling the sled from its back halfway through the trip to the sitting position in the front. The person standing had to control and stear – holding onto the sled, leaning left and right – luckily the dogs knew what they were doing. But we had to be very careful on the downhill parts to brake heavily, otherwise the sled would have gone too fast. When going uphill, one leg had to be on the sled, and the other had to help push the sled forward. If we didn’t, the dogs simply stopped and looked back at us reproachingly, as if to say “Come on, let’s go!”. I thought this would be a relaxing program, but I had quite a bit of muscle ache the next day.
Shooting photos was hindered a bit by the huge snowflakes, but I had my waterproof camera with me – originally bought for underwater diving (Olympus Tough). I also had the foresight to take snow goggles with me and small, hand warmer pads – they came in really handy!
The landscape was miraculous – wherever you looked, there were snowed in forests and mountains, and you could almost bite into the air it was so clean. Since the snow hindered us a little, we shortened the usual 15 km route, but for starters this was the perfect trip.
Company: Lyngsfjord Adventure
Time: 7 hours (including two 75 minute bus rides to Lyngsfiord and back)
When to book: Nov 15 – March 31
Price: 1695 NOK
Lapps and reindeer
Lapps live in three countries besides Norway (Sweden, Finland and Russia), but their number is highest here: 40,000. In Karasjok, a small town in northern Norway they even have their own parliament. I saw a photo of the members and it was surprising how many women there are among them.
Today Lapps live in regular houses but like to wear their traditional clothing made from nice and warm fur and leather – pants and gloves plus colorful, handmade dresses. Often they put grass into the furry gloves and shoes because it insulates really well. The making of clothing and other hand made objects (duodji) had always been an important part of Lapp education.
Reindeer are the iconic animal of the area, so I decided to visit a reindeer farm. In Norway, every reindeer has an owner, and the owner is always a Lapp person – according to Norwegian law regarding reindeer keeping, only Lapps can engage in taking care of these animals. It’s interesting that even the use of snowmobiles in everyday life is only allowed for Lapps, because they are virtually indispensable for their job. I think it’s a great thing that the use of snowmobiles is limited as the clean and quiet forests don’t need snowmobile traffic – so even though it’s a popular tourist program, I skipped it.
Lapps receive a lot of help from the state, other than the above mentioned exclusive rights – for example the King provides them with a warship for when they have to move the animals from their winter territory to their summer territory.
Reindeer farm visit
The farm I visited was less than 20 minutes from Tromso, where a nice and warm Lapp tent (lavvu), many dozen reindeer and three Lapp farmers were waiting for us. The program started with feeding – we all received a small plastic bucket and could go inside the fold. We were very popular, and only had to watch out for the reindeer not to pluck our eyes out with their antlers. Otherwise they are peaceful, kind creatures, although later on they weren’t as well behaved as the dogs when put in front of a sleigh: their owners had to pay attention to make them go in the right direction as they are quite stubborn.
After the feeding and the sleigh ride, our hosts talked about their everyday lives, and even sang for us (I joik you a joik), but did not allow us to film them saying they did not want to see themselves on Youtube. We found out that Lapps living in northern Norway can understand what Lapps in North Sweden say, but there can be misunderstandings with Lapps living in the middle of Norway as the language is somewhat different there. The same word a few hundred kms south can mean a totally different thing which can lead to interesting situations. For example, when a girl living further south says to a northern living boy, come and take a look at my tits, he goes along and is very much disappointed when he meets her mother in law.
The kind Lapp storyteller told us that when the weather is nice, he feels like the luckiest guy in the world to be out in the forest all day. In a snowstorm and harsh colds it is hard work – but still he could not see himself in an office or doing any other job.
A few hours were not enough of course to get to know their lifestyle well but it was good to catch a glimpse of the interesting life of the Lapps.
Company: Tromso Arctic Reindeer
Time: 3-4 hours
When to book: December 1 to March 31
Price: 895 NOK (1150 NOK with the sleigh ride)
Further readings:
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