Arctic Guide Service
Arctic Guide Service
4.5
Night ToursSightseeing ToursPhotography ToursDay Trips
About
We are a travel company based in Tromso and provide guiding services in the Arctic Region. We offer tours in a wide range of languages and help you arrange customized tours according to your wishes and preferences. Get a taste of the Arctic city life or join us for a chase after the northern lights in the beautiful Norwegian landscapes.
Tromso, Norway

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles718 reviews
Excellent
515
Very good
125
Average
30
Poor
21
Terrible
27

Kristian K
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
A difficult night with clouds almost everywhere, but the guides Sara and Yago did their best to find the right spot. We stopped 4 times before finding a place where the sky started to clear up. We ended up driving all the way to the border with Finland.

A bit reluctant to go on tour when the weather forecast reported rain in Tromsø for that night, but these people seem to be very experienced and know what to do.
Written February 29, 2024
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.

ToplissFam
England, UK131 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
We visited Norway with parents at the end of the winter and of course we were all hoping to see the Northern Lights. We joined a Northern Lights Chase but thought the odds were against us, there was a low Kp index and a lot of cloud on the night we had booked.
Fortunately, we all agreed to continue with the trip. The coach arrived promptly, was very clean, comfortable and warm. The guides were friendly and informative and let us know we would be on a long drive that night, out of Tromso and towards the border with Finland. We had a comfort stop and then after some hours, a stop in an icy lay-by.
Against our personal expectations, the sky was clear and the lights were there!! We would not have seen the lights without the support of this tour. The guide helped everyone to adjust their camera/ phone settings to take photographs and also took photographs which have since been emailed to us. Lovely hot chocolate and cookies were available as well as hi viz vests (we were on a road side) People were able to get back on the coach when they were ready or becoming cold, but there was no rush to move on.
We are so grateful that we joined this tour and we’re able to see the Northern Lights on our short visit to Tromso. It’s a long night with a big drive but worthwhile.
Written April 11, 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.

Anne H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
This was a tour of Tromso for passengers on the Hurtigruten. We went to the Polaris Centre and the Cathedral but the peak experience was the view from the platform of the cable car. A magical twilight panorama!
My husband uses an electric wheelchair. Inge from Attic guides made every effort to help us do everything and the driver, Luis , from Tide bus actually pushed my husband uphill to the cable car entrance as the wheels were not engaging well on the snow ( and brought him down again.). It would not have been possible without their help.
Written March 5, 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.

MonkeyFresco
London, UK19 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
We booked the Northern Lights Guided Bus Tour, not the Northern Lights Chase. I make the distinction because there was no chase.

I booked the tour the day before and it was cheaper than other tours and the only one with any availability. I expected a tour like some of the others where reviewers talked about the guides knowing the best spots for active aurora and they then take you on a chase, sometimes even going over the Finnish border to accommodate the clients wishes. No such luck here, we were simply taken to a small beach around 45 minutes from Tromso and basically were told to stand outside from 7.30pm until the tour ended. We were told that the bus would be open for us to go and sit inside to warm up and I think most of us got on the bus at around 8pm and hardly got out as it was way too early to see the lights. I thought we left early to drive for at least two hours further north.

At around 10pm the guide, Lucia I think, came in and sounded surprised that we were all back on the bus. She said she'd been asked why we couldn't move location and she said that we had perfect conditions for viewing so there was little point, especially as the aurora are fickle and can appear for a few seconds and disappear. So we stayed put.

I had several problems with this. Firstly that bus was running for around 4 hours while we simply sat there so no points for fighting the war on climate change.

Secondly, the guide fancied herself as a photographer and planted her tripod and got herself into a ski suit to take pictures. We did not book a photography tour but I think this is what made her happy so we stayed, there was little "guiding" for her to do.

We were told that the hot chocolate provided would have to be drunk outside so the driver doesn't have to clean up. In addition, the high vis jackets (which we actually didn't need, seemed a superfluous perk) had to be left on our seats to make it easier for the driver to clean up. The driver basically sat on that bus for hours watching something on her phone and given the above issues, I'm thinking she just wanted an easy drive with very little to do. She was actually a bit abrupt with the people who brought their hot chocolate onto the bus before we were told not to.

Lucia ended the tour early, which was fair enough as there were no lights visible no the naked eye. She mentioned, several times, that we still had a beautiful night as we had seen the Milky Way. The Milky Way is indeed beautiful, but I can see it from my back garden, albeit later in the day, so I don't need a tour to see it.

I'm not sure we would have seen the Northern Lights that evening wherever we were, but it would have been good to be with a driver and a guide who actually tried harder to show it to us. I thought they took a very lazy approach with no thought for customer service.

Written October 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.

Andrea
4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Couples
I can't recommend the Northern lights chase. The guide and assistant were not knowledgeable. The bus driver appeared to choose the destination. Once we stopped there was no discussion about moving to a different location. Hence not really a chase. We stopped at a beach below a light house, close to residences causing a significant amount of light pollution which is an issue when you're looking for slight changes of coloring in the night sky.
The same night other providers were able to find locations were the Aurora was visible!!
The bus driver did not allow any eating on board the bus. He also did not clean the steps of ice and snow which made them quite slippery by the end of the night.
Choose wisely who you go with! Other providers have 5 starts for a reason. Greenlander is definitely worth it!
Written December 27, 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.
Dear traveller, We are sorry to read that you were disappointed with the experience. The night of your tour, the solar activity was low during the night and the Northern Lights seen on the tour were not so intense as forecast by the different forecasts. The guide assigned to that tour is an experienced guide with many years of experience as a Northern Lights guide and as a tourist guide. She has a very good knowledge of the climate in the region and how the Northern Lights perform in Northern Norway. The decision to go to the small beach of Sommarøy on that night was taken based on the weather forecast. The best option in terms of cloud coverage was in that part of the island. The spot chosen was a parking lot nearby this small beach where we have darker conditions and less light pollution. As you said, it is not possible to eat food inside the bus. This is done in order to keep the conditions of the bus clean and tidy. It is also a gesture for the rest of travellers not to be annoyed by the smell of the food eaten inside the bus. Regarding the slippery conditions when getting on the bus, we will speak with the bus company to be sure the bus drivers solve it in future. We are happy to see that you enjoyed your experience with Greenlander. As you probably have noticed, their Northern Lights tours are designed very differently from a regular chase by bus and the price as well.
Written January 3, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kirill G
Waterloo, Canada85 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Friends
I took paddle tour with this company in Stamsund, Lofoten. In the advertisement they promise you shower , neoprene suits and professional guide. In fact they have suits only for children, showers are far away and for extra costs. I’m disappointed and expected more comfort for that price, I definitely not recommend this company and will never use their services again.
Written August 3, 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.

kjames3
Chelmsford, UK56 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
I booked the In the Footsteps of Amundsen tour and was very disappointed. The guide did not seem very knowledgeable on the topic and we felt the tour was very poorly planned. We did not do the tour in the sequence mentioned on the website and visited the Ølhallen at the beginning and it was closed (opens at 12), the guide only noticed when he tried to open the door! The guide added little to the museum visits. Overall a very poor experience.
The company does not seem to care about the customer experience as I sent an email of complaint and received no reply.
Written December 30, 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.
Dear traveller, We are sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience in your tour. As it is described in your review, it seems that you joined a citywalk of another company. On that specific date, we did not run any tour with this name, and in Tromsø there are many guide companies offering citywalks and even some of them use the same name of the tour. Additionally, in our daily citywalk there is no visit to Ølhallen. We normally walk near to the oldest pub in town, but we do not enter as they open only in the afternoon. Moreover, we visit the Polar museum and the exhibitions about Sami culture and Northern Lights to be found at Full Steam. The rest of the tour consists in a guided walk to discover the main historical spots of Tromsø. Regarding your comment about the order of the visits, in our case, it depends on the opening hours of the Polar museum and Full Steam, so there is not a set itinerary and timings for the visits.
Written January 13, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

InHere
Australia159 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2012 • Friends
Overall - 2nd best tour I went on while in Tromso.
If limited possibility of seeing the lights near Tromso, get a tour with a small group. They can travel further distances compared to this tour to chase the lights. If high liklihood of seeing lights around Tromso, then can book this tour.

Bookings - no need to pre-book with this tour. You can book on the same day at the lobby of the Rica Ishavshotel. The night I went, the forecast was for high northern light activity. Had 2 buses on the tour due to the volume of people who booked to go. The buses go to different places, but if one bus load sees the northern lights, the other bus will go to the same location.

Tour guide - He gave advice on how to use camera to get pictures on the drive in the bus. It is expected that you know enough about your camera in order to take his advice - so novice photographers may have difficulties. Tour guide was a keen photographer so was also spending time trying to get good shots. Tour guide will take photos of you with the northern lights. Photos were uploaded the next day on facebook so you can download.

Chase - This tour is targeted for all types. Therefore, are limited to areas closer to the Tromso. Tour went back to city to drop off familes at midnight. Extended tour for about 1 hour for the people who were still keen. Even if only one person was keen, they would still go.

Food / bus - chocolate biscuits were provided once. So everyone got one biscuit at least. Bus was open and heated so if got cold, could stay in the bus instead.

Tips - tour guide recommended to bring a torch light for the serious photographers, as helps to get better photos.
Be prepared that the northern lights looks better via camera lens compared to the naked eye.
Written March 27, 2012
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.

Doc Idries AR
Chicago, IL324 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2012
I did the Northern lights chase with Arctic Guide Service in March of 2012. I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical by this time because I came specifically to Tromso to see the Northern Lights (for a total of three nights) and this was my last night to see the Northern Lights. The first two nights I went out with two other services and only caught a very quick and faint glimpse of the lights on the first of the two nights. Now of course, nobody can guarantee that you will see the Northern Lights but what I liked about Arctic Guide Service was that we spent the entire 8 hours actually hunting the lights. With other groups, we spent a good deal of the night sitting in a specific location in a tent eating a "traditional" meal and just waiting for the lights and hoping they would appear. They did not.

Our guide (Francisco Damm) was GREAT!!! Not only did he take us to multiple locations (great distances apart) based upon the current weather and Aurora predictions but he also went past the scheduled time if we as a group were willing to (which we were!) Francisco also used his camera to take pictures of those of us who did not have expensive cameras so that we would have nice keepsakes once we returned home (see my avitar picture).

On my third and last night in Tromso (the night I used Arctic Guide Service), we did not see as much of the lights as I was hoping for, BUT it was not for lack of trying on their part and we DID see the lights in multiple locations (including my avitar picture).

Of the three services I used, this was the least expensive and the best in terms of time spent and locations scouted! When I return to Tromso, I will absolutely contact Arctic Guide Service first and if I had it to do all over again, I think I would have used them all three nights!

If you don't have a private guide TRUST ME, use Arctic Guide Service!
Written March 10, 2012
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.

californiadreamer204
Shropshire4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2012 • Couples
Having spent 7 nights on a Hurtigruten Cruise in December without seeing the Northern Lights once, we decided to return to Tromso for another try. I saw the company advertised in an in-flight magazine as 'See the Northern Lights tonight!' so we decided to put them to the test! Although we booked ahead online we could have booked on the day of the trip as they will accommodate any number of 'chasers'. We left a wet & cloudy Tromso behind, travelling in a comfortable coach to drive an hour & 40 minutes to our destination inland. Using radar & weather reports, Arctic Guides found us starry skies away from light pollution. On the way we were given advice on Camera settings for photography (you will need a tripod & decent camera!) and a laymans explanation on what exactly causes the phenomenon. Almost on cue as we arrived, the show started.....and was.....amazing! We spent a good 2 hours watching as the green light swirled and gracefully danced across the sky. As the show faded we were back on the coach for hot chocolate & cookies, and a trip onwards to the Finnish border where we saw the lights again & had our photos taken in deep snow by the sign for Finland. We returned to Tromso about 2.30am, exhausted but HAPPY! I cannot recommend this tour highly enough,The guides we had were knowledgable and attentive, we even went back the next night as we had such a good time & if anything the display was better! You also get a discount if you go again, & more discount on you 3rd trip!
Written March 3, 2012
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.

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