Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso
4.5
Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso
By Polar Adventures
About
Head out of Tromso with a guide who knows the best places to see the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis. Your guide stays on top of the weather reports, takes you far out into the arctic nature so you can spot the lights, and will even give you photography tips. Along the way, warm up with hot beverages, and add extra layers with provided insulated overalls.
from per adult
$139.35
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 5-99, max of 21 per group
Duration: 6–7 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- Prebook online to snag your spot of this popular Northern Lights tour
- Stay warm with insulated overalls that are provided for you
- Chase the Northern Lights with a guide who knows the best places to see them
- Fuel up for the journey with snacks and hot beverages
- Get photography tips from your guide, as well as a tripod to use
- Local guide
- Driver/guide
- Snacks
- Beverages
- Light vegetable soup
- Pictures, unlimited
- Thermal suit
What's not included- Boots
- Your Northern Lights tour begins with a pickup from the Radisson Blu in Tromso. Once you’ve met your guide and group, you’ll head far away from the city lights into the arctic countryside to some of the best places for seeing Aurora Borealis. Some trips even travel all the way to the Swedish or Finnish borders. Catch sight of the beautiful mountains, fjords, and valleys as you drive. Along the journey, enjoy snacks, dinner, and hot beverages. If there’s a good place to view the lights, your guide usually makes a campfire for everyone to sit by. You can also learn from your guide how to take the best photos of the Northern Lights. If you need a tripod, one will be provided for you. After all the excitement, your tour ends with a drop-off at your hotel in Tromso.
- Departure details
- Polar Adventures Tromso - Northern Lights, Front Pier, Killengreens gate 7-11, 9008 Tromsø, Norway Meet the guide outside the entrance of Radisson Blu Hotel at 19:15
Return details- Tromsø, Norway At your accommodation if it is located in Tromsø area.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 25455P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Most travelers can participate
- You can rent a tripod for the activity at our office
- Spikes for winter boots are recommended during winter time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 21 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- How much is Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso?
- Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso price starts from $138.27. Discover and book Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso on Tripadvisor
- What is the Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso cancellation policy?
- Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso on Tripadvisor
- Which company provides Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso?
- Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso is hosted by Polar Adventures. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact Polar Adventures on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso on Tripadvisor
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 25455P1
Reserve your spot
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- You'll start atPolar Adventures Tromso - Northern LightsFront Pier, Killengreens gate 7-11, 9008 Tromsø, NorwayMeet the guide outside the entrance of Radisson Blu Hotel at 19:15See address & details
- 1TromsoStop: 6 minutesThis is a small-group, outdoor tour tailored especially to explore the Arctic nature while you are hunting for the Northern Lights. The main purpose is to give you the best chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis by traveling away from city light pollution. Position yourselves under cloud free skies to experience the wild Arctic nature. You will be picked up by your local guides in the city center and start the tour by heading towards beautiful mountains, fjords, and valleys. There will be many stops on the way to take photos of the unique and search for the lights. Where your tour goes depends on the weather conditions, sometimes this is as far as to the Finnish and Swedish border to find the right conditions for the lights. Travel in small groups to create a special, cozy atmosphere. This also makes the tour more flexible. You will be provided with insulated overalls, snacks, and hot drinks. Your guide will take photos on the tour and share them with you after the trip.Read more
- You'll end atTromsøTromsø, NorwayAt your accommodation if it is located in Tromsø area.See address & details
+
–
About the operator
Polar Adventures
1,097
Tromso, Norway
Joined in November 2015
#10 of 37 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Tromso
- Apoorva G00Great guidesWe had a great time with Reka and Joseph. They made sure to cater to the whole group while making sure we stopped any time anything interesting was available to view. The marshmallows at the fire were a great treat. I would highly recommend this tour
- Phillina F00Fantastic adventure!Our guide was Hans Erik and Yosef, they were both amazing and wonderful! We were blessed with good weather and saw the auroras twice during the trip! Well planned! Thanks for keeping my “lost” glove too!!
- Johnbelfast12300What an experienceWhat a fantastic adventure! The guide Caterina was totally professional and the driver Chris safely navigated the roads. The experience was so good that I have booked another trip with this company.
- H869QYcarlar00Lovely and very cold!My son loved it, we had a beautiful tour of the fjords, and he had a blast fishing. Very limited bird or aquatic life viewing this time of year of course. My son’s favorite parts of the trip was the fishing and we caught fish. The boat is old and i felt very cold most of the tme, it was however the best opportunity to see prestine fjords, snow capped mountains in all their glory
- Robert S00Great way to see the lights!Bus is a little cramped with everyone’s heavy winter clothes. Simon was an awesome guide and we got to see the lights! Overall great time!
- V7505ICryans00Fjords, eagles, fishing and good times!After an amazing few days this tour really topped it all off! With some amazing scenery, seeing eagles catch fish and is actually catching fish it had it all! But the main highlight was the crew themselves! Hearing their stories and how they live really added to the whole tour and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn and see more about the local area.
- L7462TXnigels00Orcas all overReally great views of loads of orcas, Raul great guide and helpful for everyone on board. All sides of boat had great views coffee and hot chocolate available all time
- 0-jon-000Fantastic tripWe did an evening/night aurora trip and the locations that we were taken to were fantastic. It was made even better by the lights putting in an appearance. Christina was a great guide and constantly on the lookout, at the same time giving useful information. The toasted marshmallows on the beach with an open fire were an extra treat! We had to be back by a given time and they were really helpful in making this happen.
- ahluwalia195600Thanks Christina and RogerWe booked an arctic and wildlife tour on their boat as three couples group. The boat is very comfortable and has views all around and Roger; the captain of the boat was dynamic, knowledgeable and very friendly. Christina is a lady to die for; simply for the reason that the way with actions , she explains about wildlife and is upfront and vocal about maintaining natural surroundings is TREMENDOUS. I may do this tour ONLY FOR HER STORIES. Another lady help on board was a GEM; who ensured we got cookies, chocolate milk and sumptuous soup. Thanks everyone; we will be back in Tromso earlier than we planned…
- one9eighty00Northern Lights bus tourStarted out with the warning that the weather was bad for seeing the Northern Lights but undeterred we set out with Anyetta and Sylvia (sorry if I've spelled your names wrong). We literally hunted the lights going from location to location with Anyetta occasionally jumping out to check the sky with her camera. Things didn't look too good an hour into the trip when the heavens opened up with sideways blowing snow. The didn't affect Sylvia who was driving who could probably have driven through a tornado without being worried and still smiling about it. At the half way point of the trip we stopped to camp a round a fire and eat/drink. We had some vegan tomato soup and hot chocolate which was well needed on a dark and cold night. That's when the Northern lights appeared in the sky. Armed with her camera Anyetta was more than happy to take photos of everybody and instruct people how to capture the sights on phone cameras too. All in all this was a fabulous adventure and the hard work and determination from Anyetta and Sylvia paid off. We couldn't have been happier.
- dineshkE258DW00Wholesome authentic experience for Bird Watching & Wildlife SightingsReal wholesome authentic experience in a traditional boat. The crew particularly knows the ocean surrounding Tromso like a back of their hands and would take you to just the right spots that might be hard to reach by the bigger and flashy boats. Highly recommended.
- andrewpO7929SW00Brilliant crew & trip outWell what a way to spend our last full day in Tromso and my Birthday. About 20 minutes in to our trip we encountered several groups of Orcas which stayed with us for 2 hours and then we spotted our first White Tailed Eagles(3), done a bit of fishing for our dinner of fish soup and some treats for the eagles, on our way back we had another 3 White Tailed Eagles. Big thank you to all
- SadieL_1200Highly recommended!The Polar Adventures team were lovely! We had a great day out with them on their Fishing and Fjords boat tour, seeing some beautiful scenery, eagles and harbour porpoises, along with catching a lot of fish. The team are so friendly and knowledgeable, the boat was well-equipped and comfortable, the 2 family dogs on board were adorable....and it was so heart-warming to watch the owner interact with them and see how much they were obviously loved 😍 We can recommend this team 100%. The weather prevented our Saturday night tour, but they happily swapped us onto our choice of tour the next day, which was our preference instead of a refund. Thank you to the whole team for an amazing experience!
- PatriciaCSF00Amazing!Amazing experience. The night was cloudy and they drove to close to Finland to get a great spot! I strongly recommend the agency.
- Navigator26964900UnprofessionalUnprofessional! I cancelled the tour four days in advance by email ( on the website the cancellation policy specifies a maximum of 48 hours before the tour). I called on Monday to confirm, they assured me they would fix it within the day. They have since disappeared, never responded to my emails and phone calls, and I have not received my refund. Very very very unfair.
More to explore in Tromso
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
316 reviews
Excellent
241
Very good
28
Average
18
Poor
11
Terrible
18
Charles H
Sydney, Australia5 contributions
We did 2 separate mini bus night tours with PA hoping to catch a glimpse of green light in the sky. But had 2 strikeouts due to relentless cloud cover.
I cannot blame PA for the weather, however i feel disappointed at travelling so far, for nothing.
After 2:trips out past 2am i realised the same script was being followed, even though there was very little chance of seeing the north lights.
Next time i would check the weather before booking or else you could be in for a late night cramped mini bus tour around Norway.
I got the feeling this was a bit of a scam, sucking in tourist $s, even if the weather is bad and your chances of viewing the aurora are virtually zero.
I felt really sorry for the people who went out several nights in a row and were also unsuccessful.
The guides are friendly and knowledgeable, julia, Oliver and terje went out of their way to make the best of 2 pretty miserable nights.
The views of the mountains evrn at night are still amazing but you can easily see these without a tour and cost.
Wouldn't book in advance again. Wait and check weather/aurora forecast.. then book the tour/operator. There are dozens who all basically do the same drill.
I cannot blame PA for the weather, however i feel disappointed at travelling so far, for nothing.
After 2:trips out past 2am i realised the same script was being followed, even though there was very little chance of seeing the north lights.
Next time i would check the weather before booking or else you could be in for a late night cramped mini bus tour around Norway.
I got the feeling this was a bit of a scam, sucking in tourist $s, even if the weather is bad and your chances of viewing the aurora are virtually zero.
I felt really sorry for the people who went out several nights in a row and were also unsuccessful.
The guides are friendly and knowledgeable, julia, Oliver and terje went out of their way to make the best of 2 pretty miserable nights.
The views of the mountains evrn at night are still amazing but you can easily see these without a tour and cost.
Wouldn't book in advance again. Wait and check weather/aurora forecast.. then book the tour/operator. There are dozens who all basically do the same drill.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polardventures
Dear guest, Chasing the Northern Lights is a challenging business. Some evenings, we simply have to rely on technology and local knowledge and experience, some evenings we can only rely on luck. Forecasts can be completely wrong, our guides do their very best checking the sky, communicating with other companies to find possible gaps in the clouds. If there is any Aurora activity in the Northern hemisphere, we will see it all across the region, as long as we find the gaps in the clouds. The Aurora activity is about 80km above our biosphere.
It is not possible to guarantee Northern Lights and there will be some evenings throughout the season when even as we are trying our best, we are not successful at chasing the gaps in the sky. For this reason, tour operators recommend that you try on multiple evenings.
Thank you for your feedback and welcome back.
Kind regards
Marlene and the team
Written January 28, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alexandra
Rio de Janeiro, RJ7 contributions
Horrible from beginning to end!!!
1) Very disorganised departure: one person to look for names in a big list with a large crowd around. And they arrived late!!!
2) Guide had no interest to look for lights in the sky
3) Guide slept in the minivan as much as possible
4) Guide didn’t wear seatbelt, despite driver asking everyone
5) We didn’t go to dark places (basics for lights chase). We had a neighbourhood with lights as background for our fire pit
6) Location for stop is their favourite: full of old fire pit marks (coincidence?)
7) We were only served one small hot dog each
8) Albeit being an English speaking tour, guide decided to abandon all guests, but one and spoke in his mother tongue during the whole fire pit time
9) Guide never searched the sky during fire pit time
10) Driver offered to stop and woke up guide several times, but guide always said “too cloudy”
11) Guide didn’t know how many passengers were on board. Before leaving fire pit location, without never looking back or speaking to passengers in the minibus, he went outside with a torchlight to look for “missing” passengers that were actually inside. Upon returning to the bus, he continued to ignore passengers and slept all the way back.
11) Guide was a smoker and the minibus had a bad smell
12) No space in minibus for personal belongings in such a long tour.
All after all of that, a complaint was completely ignored. Shame on you! This is a money making machine, not a Norwegian tour operation!!
1) Very disorganised departure: one person to look for names in a big list with a large crowd around. And they arrived late!!!
2) Guide had no interest to look for lights in the sky
3) Guide slept in the minivan as much as possible
4) Guide didn’t wear seatbelt, despite driver asking everyone
5) We didn’t go to dark places (basics for lights chase). We had a neighbourhood with lights as background for our fire pit
6) Location for stop is their favourite: full of old fire pit marks (coincidence?)
7) We were only served one small hot dog each
8) Albeit being an English speaking tour, guide decided to abandon all guests, but one and spoke in his mother tongue during the whole fire pit time
9) Guide never searched the sky during fire pit time
10) Driver offered to stop and woke up guide several times, but guide always said “too cloudy”
11) Guide didn’t know how many passengers were on board. Before leaving fire pit location, without never looking back or speaking to passengers in the minibus, he went outside with a torchlight to look for “missing” passengers that were actually inside. Upon returning to the bus, he continued to ignore passengers and slept all the way back.
11) Guide was a smoker and the minibus had a bad smell
12) No space in minibus for personal belongings in such a long tour.
All after all of that, a complaint was completely ignored. Shame on you! This is a money making machine, not a Norwegian tour operation!!
Written February 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polardventures
Dear Guest,
Thank you for sharing about your experience coming with us on tour.
When we go out on tour the weather itself here in Tromsø is what we face. And also, the unpredictable nature of the Northern Lights themselves! Both can change on a dime, and it can be rough and wild. So, sometimes, you may not understand what the guide is doing but trust us, he is doing his best!
So, for that, we respect our guides and we expect our guests to do the same. So even if you didn’t feel the excitement to look for the Northern Lights from him, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t look for and did his best.
There are nights when all forecasts are completely wrong, our guides do their best to read them, check sky cameras and be in close contact with our other buses on road, other partner companies to communicate possible gaps in the clouds and maybe you didn't see when he was doing it.
Sometimes, we use to stop the bus in one place, maybe not the best, but maybe one where we have our chance to see something at This moment!
Of course, some of them is our favourites where you can find our previous fires. But why changing if the spot is efficient with an amazing landscape to see not only the Aurora but also our bewitching surroundings?
Regarding ‘small hot dog each’, we offered also hot soup, hot drinks, cookies, fruits… and other hot dogs if you want more.
Be sure that even if at one moment he had a doubt on how many you were, he took the time necessary, as you said, to not miss anyone! No one lost right?!
Finally, as you knew before the departure, and since your booking, we chase with minibuses. We don’t know how much space you expect to have, but you can understand you can’t find the same as in a big bus or a personal car.
We are not a money machine; we try every night to give our best and we are truly sorry if you disagree with the way which conduct our tour.
Welcome back for a better experience next time.
The Polar Adventures' Team
Written March 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Matt Steadman
Wolverhampton, UK1 contribution
Polar adventures are responsible for the best week of my life. Thanks to Thomas, my partner and myself witnessed the northern lights, cruised the fjords, had Sami experience including feeding reindeer, dog sledding and got to see orcas and humpback whales. Originally I wanted to do these activities in a specific order, but Thomas changed it to suit the weather and for this I'll be eternally grateful. The northern lights were bright and amazing. The dog sledding was the first day that they had run in 2 months due to lack of snow, so on both occasions he got this spot on. All of the trips ran smoothly from pick up to drop off. Most had meals included (vegetarian option for my partner) which were walm and filling. The added bonus of booking all trips together is receiving 30% discount through their website. If looking for their shop, it's by Radisson blue hotel.( do not use Google maps- sends to wrong place) Overall I would recommend this travel agent to all, with Thomas being the main reason.
Written December 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polardventures
Thank you so much for the kind words! It really brings a smile to my face :) We are all very glad that you had a wonderful time in Tromsø.
Have a happy new year!
Best regards
Thomas
Polar Adventures
Written December 27, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andrea M
Philadelphia, PA32 contributions
I was going back and forth between rating this 3 or 4 stars. I will also start by saying that the actual guides showed up in Get Your Guide coats, but since I booked this directly through Polar Adventures, I'm leaving the review here. I genuinely have no idea who the actual operator of this tour was.
I'm rating this with a 4 because we saw some amazing northern lights due to an unexpected solar flare. I honestly think this was just total luck, but I do have some constructive feedback for the tour overall.
We had this tour booked on our first night in Tromsø, and our last night in Tromsø. On the first night, we did not have great weather. We still arrived to the Polar Adventures office, which was listed as the meeting point in the confirmation. A woman opened the door and not even a "hello", she just looked at us and said "low chances tonight", and went back inside. Eventually she came back out and said there were low chances and I could get refunded, but I had to wait for someone else to get there. There were others waiting that were still going on the tour & she was still bringing stuff outside to pack into the bus, but we were pretty irritated and just requested a refund. The weather isn't her fault, but her attitude definitely is.
On our last night, we arrived again and were hoping she wasn't our guide. Even though the email lists the Polar Adventures office as the meeting point, they had us move to the Raddison Blu across the street anyway. There was a massive group of people waiting for this tour and the pickup was a little chaotic. They split us into 2 buses (luckily that same woman was the guide for the other bus & not ours). The bus was packed full, and there is no overhead space to put your belongings.
The guide did his best, although it seemed like he was newer at doing them. We did see absolutely incredible northern lights, but I believe this was just luck since it seemed that rather than going to different spots to look for them, they have a specific spot they go to. The quality of the pictures wasn't that great, I have better ones on my phone. I wish when he was taking pictures of us with the lights he would have reigned some of the other people in the group in, as they were all just in the background of everyone else's pictures.
Overall, I would not book this tour again. We also had 2 tours the 2 nights before this with a different company where we had such incredible experiences that this tour just fell totally flat in comparison.
I'm rating this with a 4 because we saw some amazing northern lights due to an unexpected solar flare. I honestly think this was just total luck, but I do have some constructive feedback for the tour overall.
We had this tour booked on our first night in Tromsø, and our last night in Tromsø. On the first night, we did not have great weather. We still arrived to the Polar Adventures office, which was listed as the meeting point in the confirmation. A woman opened the door and not even a "hello", she just looked at us and said "low chances tonight", and went back inside. Eventually she came back out and said there were low chances and I could get refunded, but I had to wait for someone else to get there. There were others waiting that were still going on the tour & she was still bringing stuff outside to pack into the bus, but we were pretty irritated and just requested a refund. The weather isn't her fault, but her attitude definitely is.
On our last night, we arrived again and were hoping she wasn't our guide. Even though the email lists the Polar Adventures office as the meeting point, they had us move to the Raddison Blu across the street anyway. There was a massive group of people waiting for this tour and the pickup was a little chaotic. They split us into 2 buses (luckily that same woman was the guide for the other bus & not ours). The bus was packed full, and there is no overhead space to put your belongings.
The guide did his best, although it seemed like he was newer at doing them. We did see absolutely incredible northern lights, but I believe this was just luck since it seemed that rather than going to different spots to look for them, they have a specific spot they go to. The quality of the pictures wasn't that great, I have better ones on my phone. I wish when he was taking pictures of us with the lights he would have reigned some of the other people in the group in, as they were all just in the background of everyone else's pictures.
Overall, I would not book this tour again. We also had 2 tours the 2 nights before this with a different company where we had such incredible experiences that this tour just fell totally flat in comparison.
Written November 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tammo G
19 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
The northern lights small group chase is an absolute ripoff. Not the fact that we didn’t see the lights. The company sells it as a small group with a max of 15 participants. 18 people joined. The chase consisted of sitting in a bus for three and a half hour to go. Stop at ONE place, and then leave again to return back to tromso. Dinner: a lousy hotdog in a bun, or a vegetable soup. And yes a cup of coffee or hot chocolote. The guide was more interested in making the hotdogs and the fire, while the sky was opening and he could have easily been more active to show he really wanted to be successful. Also mentioning there would be more stops, however it was just straight back. No thermal suits available, even though it wasn’t that cold. The driver of the bus was also driving unsafely on the way back, with over speeding as the time to return would be 2:00 Am. All in all NOT RECOMMENDED!!
Written January 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear guest, thank you for your time.
I’m sorry you did not see the light with us this time.
But you must be mistaken because we only have 15 seats in the bus for guests not 18.
We offer insulated bodysuits if you need one, as you mentioned that night was not to cold and you didn’t ask.
Some nights are very difficult and we have to stay in one place all night. This because of the cloud movement, I understand your frustration.
I understand that everything seems bad when you don’t see the light, but it’s nature and we can’t control her.
Hope we can take you out a better night next time.
Thank you and welcome back.
Kind regards
Marlene and the team
Written January 20, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sandra K
Paris, France3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
First the organisation at thd redison blue is bad. There are many people and many buses and their buses do not have a company sign or something.
We ask a bus and he said that he has to wait. Finally someone arrived and we could go in our bus. Because they had many warm suits there was zero space for your belongings.
Then we had to wait 15 minutes in the bus. Nobody talked to us, nobody explained what is happening...
Finally the guide came and told us we will get a new guide, he has to stay there to arrange some stuff. So we got a new guide.
She was nice and good, the driver as well! She should have judt explained a bit better what happens next.
We saw incredible polar lights.
Then we drove to another place and our guide made a fire a we receved one hot dog. (Some got two)
About two days later we receved to wrong link for the photos then (after asking) we receved the right photos. The photos were good but we had a big watersign of their company at the top of the picture (in the sky). I saw now that others (in ghe reviews) have that too, but much smaller. Other companies dont have that.
We asked if they can remove it (expecially because photos are included in the price) and they said yes for an extra 250 Nok per picture. So no thanks.
They also mention various times in their description that they can provide tripods. Just once they say that you have to get that in advanced in the office for an other 50 nok. That should be more clear.
We ask a bus and he said that he has to wait. Finally someone arrived and we could go in our bus. Because they had many warm suits there was zero space for your belongings.
Then we had to wait 15 minutes in the bus. Nobody talked to us, nobody explained what is happening...
Finally the guide came and told us we will get a new guide, he has to stay there to arrange some stuff. So we got a new guide.
She was nice and good, the driver as well! She should have judt explained a bit better what happens next.
We saw incredible polar lights.
Then we drove to another place and our guide made a fire a we receved one hot dog. (Some got two)
About two days later we receved to wrong link for the photos then (after asking) we receved the right photos. The photos were good but we had a big watersign of their company at the top of the picture (in the sky). I saw now that others (in ghe reviews) have that too, but much smaller. Other companies dont have that.
We asked if they can remove it (expecially because photos are included in the price) and they said yes for an extra 250 Nok per picture. So no thanks.
They also mention various times in their description that they can provide tripods. Just once they say that you have to get that in advanced in the office for an other 50 nok. That should be more clear.
Written February 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polardventures
Dear Guest,
Thank you for sharing about your experience coming with us on tour.
After reading all your feedback, we are sad to see you only rate us one star even if you had a good driver, a good guide, good pictures and obviously The Green Lady with you. Nevertheless, you saw the Northern Lights which is not something that happen every night, so we gave you the main important thing of our service.
Besides, below, for all your bad feelings, we would try to give you our point of view. We hope you will understand them.
First of all, our departure’s organization is not bad, but you can feel a little bit lost in the middle of all our guests in this same meeting point. That’s why we try as fast as possible to welcome you and show you the bus you will take for the night with your own guide. But sometimes, some customers are not joining us, so we have less guests, and we optimize our organization with less minibuses. That’s why thing can a little bit change before the departure…
Otherwise, as it is written into our offer, we provide minibuses and warm suits, so we can’t have unfortunately lots of space for your belongings. Sorry for you, if you didn’t realize that when you booked the tour. In the same way, hot dogs and hot soup are served, if you want two hot dogs, you had just to ask, we were here for you!
Into our offer also, it is written that we send 2 pictures of you and 1 landscape (minimum) 48h after your tour, the time for us to edit them at its best. Sorry if at the beginning you received not the good link, but we have checked that quickly after the correction of the link was done. Regarding the logo, our pictures are protected because they are taken by our company, not by guests, so we have to mention it in a way, and watersign is the most elegant way to do it and lots of companies now do the same…
Finally, we would like to suggest you a tip. When you book a tour, you always have a space to mention special request. For next time, don’t hesitate to use it to ask for a tripod, like that, you will be sure to have it.
Our kind regards,
The Polar Adventures’ Team
Written March 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Trudy26
Southampton, UK132 contributions
The night we had booked to go on this tour, there was a snow storm. Fair enough to the company, they offered either to continue on the trip that night, a refund or to go out on another evening. We choose to go out a couple of days later. The guide was enthusiastic and tried to keep spirits up, despite there being a low chance of seeing the lights.
However, it felt that there was no ‘chase’. We stopped off at one point and had a look, with no luck. The second stop was in a lay by surrounded by light pollution. The driver and guide were more interested in setting up the food and drinks, than they were trying to find a cloud opening nearby. They offered meat and soy hotdogs, however both cooked on the same grill. The driver who was doing the cooking was touching the meat hotdogs and the soy ones - so much cross contamination. 4 out of 6 of our group were vegetarian and did not eat anything, due to the cooking practice, so be aware if you have dietary requirements to bring your own snacks. The driver also spent most of the time talking about himself. Good to hear a few stories, but we’re all on the trip to hear and (hopefully) see the northern lights, so it got a bit boring after 3 hours. Once everyone had finished eating, that was it and we were on our way back to Tromsø.
We all totally understood that you are not guaranteed to see the lights and you take a chance on booking these tours. However, I wish we had chosen another company that spent more time actually chasing the lights.
However, it felt that there was no ‘chase’. We stopped off at one point and had a look, with no luck. The second stop was in a lay by surrounded by light pollution. The driver and guide were more interested in setting up the food and drinks, than they were trying to find a cloud opening nearby. They offered meat and soy hotdogs, however both cooked on the same grill. The driver who was doing the cooking was touching the meat hotdogs and the soy ones - so much cross contamination. 4 out of 6 of our group were vegetarian and did not eat anything, due to the cooking practice, so be aware if you have dietary requirements to bring your own snacks. The driver also spent most of the time talking about himself. Good to hear a few stories, but we’re all on the trip to hear and (hopefully) see the northern lights, so it got a bit boring after 3 hours. Once everyone had finished eating, that was it and we were on our way back to Tromsø.
We all totally understood that you are not guaranteed to see the lights and you take a chance on booking these tours. However, I wish we had chosen another company that spent more time actually chasing the lights.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polardventures
Dear Trudy,
We are sad to read your review.
Thank you to recognize that we offered the choice to postpone or to refund the tour when the weather was bad.
All our apologizes for the bad cooking regarding hotdogs. You will understand that if we are offering the possibility to eat a vegetarian meal, this is to respect your dietary requirements. We are truly sorry if the "cooker" didn't follow the rule to separate them.
For the other subjects, we would like to clarify -our point of view.
First of all, two spots during one night can be a part a Chase and you did it. We are not "acting" the chase, we are doing it. This is not because you didn't feel the guide looking for, that he was not doing it. The skills of our Guide since now several months, and for some of them, several years is not a fantasy. Every night they are doing all the bests to find the Green Lady. The spots chosen were the best regarding the weather and the Northern Lights activity.
But after, if the chance was not with you for that night, this is not a lack of services.
Otherwise, each team provide not only the Chasing service, but share also our Norwegian's culture and lifestyle. For us, it seems to be better like you said to be "enthusiastic and tried to keep spirits up".
If we know now the activity is over, we can't push any button, this is Nature unfortunately. We decide to go back, when it is time to. To be in the city center at 2:00 AM.
We hope you will have more chance one day to see the Northern Lights on an easier way.
The Polar Adventures' Team
Written March 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mark a
Harlow, UK8 contributions
Jan 2023
We had a great driver and tour guide, I think he said his name was Alfonso, he was an Italian from Verona, the driver was from Somalia but did a good job of careful driving on the snowy roads. At the start of the trip the guide explained that as it was a bit cloudy the chances of seeing the lights were low possibly only about 10% and we were offered a full refund if we didn't want to risk it. As this was the main reason for our trip to Norway we decided to stay on the bus and hope for it to clear a bit and for good luck with the lights. We were driven for about an hour to a spot where we did see some faint lights and were given hot drinks but then the guide pointed out that as the cloud was coming over we would drive to another spot. This took about an hour and a half, but it was less cloudy and we did see the lights! The guide took some photos of the lights and everyone in the group and shared them later. The guide also gave us the option of hot food and drinks, made a fire to sit round and gave out biscuits and marshmallows for toasting. After watching the lights for an hour or so they faded and we were all dropped off at our hotels as it was after 1am when we got back. It was a great trip, we thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it, thanks to the team at Polar Adventures.. we saw the lights on 18th January..
Written January 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paloma
Copenhagen, Denmark3 contributions
Jan 2020
We did a northern lights tour with 3 different agencies. This one was very disappointing.
We drove more than 3 hours towards Finland to find the clearest skies as they told us.
From the start the guide was telling us that the activity is 0. He was constantly checking his application and repeating that there was no activity (I mean why do the trip if you want to believe this application while other tours tell you the apps are not accurate and comparable to weather apps?)
We arrived at the location, the guide was hurrying to feed us and take the picture we paid for. He was not even trying to check the clouds. He said he was waiting for his phone to beep!(notifications from colleagues or app notification I'm not sure..).
Less than an hour later he told us we wanted to change location to find clearer skies(although the skies were very clear).
He did not say a word in the bus, and we went straight back home.
The tour was 6 hours total driving and 1 hour of fire camp.
Very bad tour, commercial, we almost forgot we were going to see the lights.
We drove more than 3 hours towards Finland to find the clearest skies as they told us.
From the start the guide was telling us that the activity is 0. He was constantly checking his application and repeating that there was no activity (I mean why do the trip if you want to believe this application while other tours tell you the apps are not accurate and comparable to weather apps?)
We arrived at the location, the guide was hurrying to feed us and take the picture we paid for. He was not even trying to check the clouds. He said he was waiting for his phone to beep!(notifications from colleagues or app notification I'm not sure..).
Less than an hour later he told us we wanted to change location to find clearer skies(although the skies were very clear).
He did not say a word in the bus, and we went straight back home.
The tour was 6 hours total driving and 1 hour of fire camp.
Very bad tour, commercial, we almost forgot we were going to see the lights.
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear guest, first of all thank you for reaching out to us. As you may understand we are not in power to change the weather conditions, I wish could.
I totally understand you are disappointed you did not see the lights.
Difficult nights we always offer full refund or to reschedule, you choose to go.
When we have guests like you, guests that still want to try their chances we do our very best to find a clear sky and give you a wonderful wildlife experience.
We can’t say to anyone that we won’t see the light if there is the smallest chance that we might, if so for a couple minutes.
But we do not recommend to go out certain evenings because it’s simply to hard to find the light and guests become exhausted by sitting in the bus for such a long time. So I highly recommend you to listen to our local advice next time you join, we know what we are doing🌞
Thank you and welcome back.
Kind regards
Marlene and the team
Written January 20, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Büni Debütant
5 contributions
Mar 2020
Our tour's schedule worked as planned from the very beginning on. After we've been on the bus on time our guide, Thomas (the King of the Northern Lights), explained us the phenomenon of Northern Lights and that the forecasts and wether conditions are very bad (cloudy + snowy - low Activity Index 2) and offered the whole group to rebook for the day after. Thankfully we stayed on the bus and had an amazing tour and night with Thomas. Thomas was fully committed, very experienced and just a great personality to make this night to an unforgotten night. With all his experience and efforts he found a perfect spot, so we could see the Northern Lights - outstanding experience. Thank you Northern Lights God and Thomas!
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
polardventures
Dear Guest,
Thank you for this perfect explanation of what is a Northern Lights Chase with Polar Adventures and how is our passion for the experience of chasing with our nice guests!
Cross finger the Northern Light activity will be better!
Best regards,
The Polar Adventures' Team
Written March 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Guido G
Lesa, Italy
Is this a small group tour?
Cristian M
Domodossola, Italy5,448 contributions
Si.. il mio gruppo era di 15 persone
Francesca44442
Cambridge, UK1 contribution
Hello, what time does this depart?
Elisabeth S
1 contribution
We departed at 7 pm
Hi there.. I plan to book the tour for today or tomorrow. How the weather so far? Were they any aurora in the couple days back?
Thank
Hi, Can we get drop off to the airbnb house after the tour?
AdrianaT
3 contributions
Hello Fei! they took everyone to their hotels or airbnbs after the tour. (=
Diana Oviedo C
1 contribution
Good day,
I cancel my tour due to I booked twice. I did that more than a month ago and I´m still waiting for the refund. Could someone provide the guidelines or the procedure that I need to follow to get back the money for that booking?
Thanks,
Diana
Nirica
Cambridge3 contributions
Is that possible to see the northern lights in October? Those whose already been there in October really appreciate your help. Many thanks before.
LidiaMarinka, Atlanta,
11 contributions
We were told that best time is end of. November - end of February. I would recommend you follow reports on geomagnetic activity. Even during these months there is no guarantee. We were told our experience was pure luck as they have not have so much activity in 4 years. On the same token there was a couple with us for the second night because the first night they only saw a sliver of lights! I guess pray for magic!
Anamika Mukhopadhyay
New Delhi, India3 contributions
Hey,
I would like to know if these guys are the best tours in Tromso for Northern Lights Chasing in September and how reliable are they?
Thanks.
LidiaMarinka, Atlanta,
11 contributions
We loved the professional approach with a touch of local hospitality (the driver’s wife mede soup for us❤️) and their enthusiasm. I would definitely recommend!
volevo sapere se ci sono viaggi per vedere l'aurora boreale con guida per il periodo di Novembre. siamo una famiglia di 4 persone adulte . se potete inviarmi info in merito . grazie
Buy it with
Top rated
Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso provided by Polar Adventures
Product Overview: Small Group Northern Lights Chase from Tromso
Prices From | $138 |
|---|---|
Number of Reviews | 314 |
Number of Photos | 225 |