The aurora belt · NORTHERN LIGHTS BUS TOURS
The coach is the cheapest seat under the aurora and the least flexible one. These 15 are compared on pickup points, on how far the driver is willing to go and on what happens if the sky stays shut, all priced per person.
Leave Reykjavik by bus with guides such as Barbara, Darren, Kristi, or Pierre, then follow the weather toward darker skies. Expect a four-hour search with several outdoor stops, aurora facts, photo help, and hot cocoa. If the lights stay hidden, you can join one free retry tour.
“Mesmerising! Very informative tour guide. We were very lucky to see such a brilliant show of the lights.”
Leave Tromsø by minibus with an English-speaking guide such as Aram, Mansoor, or Jan, chasing clear skies across borders. Expect weather checks, several viewing stops, photography help, warm suits, blackcurrant juice, lefse, a campfire, marshmallows, and a free aurora portrait.
“Incredible experience! Saw the lights as soon as we arrived at the viewing point. Our guide Mansoor was funny, kind and very knowledgeable, and his enthusiasm for the lights was infectious. The camp fire and snacks under the lights was a lovely perk. Just an incredible experience all round.”
Leave Reykjavik by bus with guides such as Darren, Simon, Eva, or Barbara, then chase clear skies around Thingvellir and nearby countryside. Expect about four hours, several possible stops, hot chocolate when conditions allow, and one free return trip if the aurora stays hidden.
“Although I didn’t get to see a lot of northern lights, the experience was amazing and the guide was lovely and very entertaining.”
Meet Snow-travels at Scandic Ishavshotel and chase the aurora by minibus through Tromsø’s fjords, valleys, and mountains. Guides such as Kamil, Marius, Hassan, and Yeray provide thermal suits, hot drinks, a campfire meal, tripods, and free photos. Expect five to eight hours, depending on conditions.
“This tour was unforgettable, mainly because of our guide, HASSAN. I’ve done other Northern Lights tours, but this one was incomparable. He was incredibly charismatic, friendly, and always looking out for everyone. You could tell he was truly committed to giving us the best experience possible. He kept searching for the right spot until we found amazing auroras, the most incredible we’ve ever seen, moving strongly across the sky. He made our dream come true. Highly recommended.”
Search the fjords outside Tromsø with guides such as Ailen, Eneas, Laura, and José, using weather reports and GPS to choose viewing points. The six-hour bus tour includes hot drinks, snacks, campfires, camera advice, and free edited photos delivered in several days.
“the guides Ailen and Lucas were fantastic: good hunting and intersting explanations. very customer oriented”
Leave Tromsø at 5:20 pm with Chasing Lights guides such as Soraia, Alex, Bailey, or Taylor. Your large-group bus may travel into Finland or switch to a minibus while the team searches for clear skies. Expect 5 to 9 hours, hot drinks, fires, astronomy stories, and free aurora photos.
“Your led down a path in the pitch dark with the tour guide racing ahead But did experience the northern lights”
Leave central Tromsø with an English-speaking guide such as Kristian, Nick, or Spiros and chase clear skies toward Norway or Finland. Expect an 8 to 10-hour night with thermal suits, campfire sausages, marshmallows, hot drinks, and free aurora photos.
“Great Tour. The very nice guides cannot switch on the northern light, but they make all what its possible to drive you to a place where you have clear skys and you can sea the northern lights when they appear. I can highly recommend this tour and would do it again.”
Chase the Northern Lights from Tromsø in a minibus for 5 to 9 hours, guided by photographers such as Jonas, Felix, Renaud, and Karolina. You’ll follow clear skies, cross into Finland if needed, use warm suits and tripods, enjoy a hot meal by the fire, and receive aurora photos.
“We did the minibus tour with Felix and it was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and friendly. Felix really helped me with my camera and what settings to put it on to get the best results. We stopped in a little open cabin with a campfire and the lights gave us an amazing show! Thank you so much, it was an unforgettable experience!”
Join Arctic Explorers for a 7 to 9 hour Northern Lights chase from Tromsø. Guides such as Petra, Magdalena, Jessica, and Georgi track cloud breaks while you travel by minibus, use thermal suits and boots, eat beside a campfire, and pose for aurora photos.
“We will well taken care of right from the start. Instructions given via Viator platform was clear and helpful. The clothings lent to us were very sufficient and had many sizes to choose from. Our guides Georgie, Alberto and Dimitri were awesome. Very friendly, casual and obviously very well informed and knowledgeable about all things Aurora. The campfire, food and photograph were tip of the iceberg. Thankful to be able to catch this natural phenomenon. Looking forward to receiving the rest of the photos from the trip.”
Leave Reykjavik by bus in search of the aurora with a local English-speaking guide. You’ll learn the science behind the lights, use Wi-Fi on board, and stop at a weather-selected viewing site. Tours run from September to April, last about 3 to 5 hours, and include free rebooking if poor weather cancels the outing.
“It was canceled by company and I’ve continued to write for a refund and I still have no response please”
Leave Tromsø with Northern Soul Adventures and follow the clearest skies toward the fjords or Finland. Guides such as Filip, Lucas, Joaquin, Bogdan, and Thomas provide camera tips, tripods, thermal suits, hot soup, campfire warmth, and professional aurora photos. The trip lasts about 6 to 9 hours.
“+: thermosuits, good professional driver, great spot chosen with good fire going -: tour is too long in my opinion. There was northern lights going while we were driving, other tours stopped on the side of the road we didn’t as it was a clear night with a bit of activity with good chances of seeing something. We ended up seeing nothing and came back at around 1am (start 5.30pm). Guide decided around 11pm to drive around and try to find another stop, we ended up taking picture in front of the fjord and go back to Tromso. Nature is nature, we can’t control it but other groups saw them…”
Meet at Tromsø’s Radisson Blu at 7 PM, learn how weather and aurora forecasts shape the chase, then ride with up to eight people toward clear skies. Guides such as Nico, Mateusz, Alex, and Aron may drive as far as Finland, with warm suits, boots, coffee, muffins, tripods, and photos included.
“Jan and Alex were great guides, really knowledgeable and chatty. Turned the vans on so people could warm up if necessary. The tea and muffin was much appreciated and they took great photos. Really enjoyed the experience.”
Chase the Northern Lights from Tromsø in a small-group minibus with guides such as Hans Eric, Dimi, Jasmine, or Sokratis. You may drive toward Hansnes, Sommarøy, Bardufoss, or Kilpisjärvi, stopping under darker skies for photos, hot chocolate, snacks, and sometimes a campfire.
“We went on Christmas Day. Our guide gave us the option to leave with a full refund since it was cloudy and stormy, but we stayed. Even though we didn't see the lights, spending Christmas in the forests of Norway during a polar storm was really magical, and the guides built us a fire and taught us about the science and legends of the auroras while we roasted marshmallows, ate cookies, and drank cocoa. They even dropped us off at our accommodations! Truly an experience my family and I will cherish forever.”
Ride from central Tromsø with Arctic guides such as Angel, Dimitar, Miguel, and Magdalena, who follow weather and solar data toward clear skies. Expect a 7 to 9 hour chase, hot drinks, a campfire when possible, an onboard toilet, and free aurora portraits within 48 hours.
“We were upgraded to the minibus tour, which was good but it wasn’t communicated at any point (even after we got there, we guessed when they said to get suits and boots!) which caused a bit of confusion. Other than that, the guide Angel was great, full of information, and always happy to take more photos! The NL activity wasn’t great on the night we went, but Angel kept our spirits up and helped us recognise them when they came”
Join Blue Puffin AS for a seven-hour small-group aurora chase from Tromsø. Guides such as Linda, Victor, Joan, and Martin combine local weather know-how with photography help, thermal suits, tripods, campfire soup, hot drinks, pastries, and free portrait photos.
“beautiful Spot, awesome Aurora activity, very Kind and entertaining Guides. We felt Safe during the whole Tour.”
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