Tromso Northern Lights Minibus Tour with Professional Portraits

Professional portraits of you beneath the aurora, not just the sky alone.

You board a small minibus in Tromso and spend 7–10 hours chasing the Northern Lights with a guide who adjusts the route in real time based on weather and aurora activity. You wear a thermal suit and boots (included), eat a hot meal, and get professional portraits taken beneath the lights. The 93% success rate means the odds are genuinely in your favor, and the guide's knowledge since 2012 means you're not just driving around hoping.

Step-by-step itinerary

Northern Lights minibus chase tour

• Check confirmation for departure time
• Wear warm clothes under thermal suit
• Receive warm thermal suit and boots
• Join small group minibus tour
• Chase Northern Lights with expert guide
• Enjoy hot meal and hot drinks
• Get professional portraits under aurora

The experience

The van pulls up to the hotel and the driver is already on his phone: weather's shifted again, so the route changes. That's the first thing you notice: this isn't a fixed itinerary. You're chasing the aurora, not a schedule, and the guide has been tracking cloud cover and solar activity all afternoon. The thermal suit they hand you is heavier than expected, lined with something that actually works, and by the time you're rolling out of Tromso toward the dark, you're genuinely warm. Seven to ten hours ahead, depending on where the lights show up.

The minibus stays small: never more than fifteen people, which means you're not crammed in with forty others all pointing phones at the same patch of sky. Your guide has been doing this since 2012, and it shows in the way they read the weather radar on the dashboard and the casual confidence when they pull over at a spot that looks like nothing until the aurora actually starts moving. The van stops, you step out into the Arctic quiet, and then the guide sets up a camera on a tripod. They're not just narrating. They're taking proper portraits of you under the lights, the kind you'd normally pay a photographer for. Those images get sent to you afterward: part of the package, not an upsell.

Hot food and hot drinks come in a thermos: soup, usually, and coffee that tastes better when you're standing outside at two in the morning than it ever will at home. The headlamp clips to your thermal suit so your hands stay free. If the lights don't show, there's a flexible reroute built in. The 93% success rate for the 2024–2025 season isn't luck, it's real-time tracking and the willingness to drive somewhere else if the clouds move. You're not sitting in one spot hoping.

Bring your own warm layers to wear under the suit (thermal underwear, a hat, mittens), because the suit is the outer shell, not the whole system. The boots are included, and they're the kind that don't make your feet go numb. If you're traveling with kids, they come along (someone has to keep them warm), but infants don't get a meal included, so plan accordingly. Public transport runs near the hotel if you need it, but the tour pickup is part of the deal.

What’s included

Your 7–10 hour tour includes hotel pickup and transport in a small minibus, a thermal expedition suit and winter boots, a warm meal and hot drinks throughout the night, a headlamp, a professional guide with aurora expertise, and professional portrait photos taken beneath the lights. You'll need to bring your own warm layers (thermal underwear, hat, mittens) to wear under the suit.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day8 departure times: the first at 16:55, the last at 18:30

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Arctic Explorers

Is this one for you?Right for travelers in Tromso who want a genuine shot at the Northern Lights without arranging their own transport or worrying about where to look: the real-time weather tracking and flexible routing are what make the 93% success rate possible. Expect to be out for 7–10 hours in the Arctic cold, which is exactly what it takes to follow the lights when they move.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the success rate for seeing the Northern Lights on this tour?

93.44% for the 2024–2025 season, based on real-time weather tracking and flexible routing that moves the group if conditions shift.

How long is the tour?

7–10 hours, depending on where the aurora appears and how long you stay out chasing it.

What's included in the price?

Guide, transport, thermal suit, boots, hot meal, hot drinks, headlamp, and professional portrait photos taken under the lights.

How many people are in the group?

2–15 people on a standard tour. Larger private groups can be arranged.

Do I need to bring anything?

Yes, warm clothes to wear under the thermal suit (thermal underwear, hat, mittens). The suit and boots are provided.

Are children allowed?

Yes, children must be accompanied by an adult. Infant meals are not included.

What if we don't see the lights?

The tour reroutes in real time based on weather and cloud cover. The high success rate reflects this flexibility, not a guarantee, but the guide will keep moving to find clear skies.

Is this suitable for people who aren't very fit?

Yes, it's rated easy. You're mostly in the van or standing still watching the sky, not hiking or climbing.