Tromsø, Norway is known for its aurora. Located within the Arctic circle, Tromsø experiences long winter nights (and even 24 hour nights during winter), which makes it a northern lights chaser paradise.

Additionally, the strength of display of the auroras depends on the solar cycle. In 2024/2025, the sun entered the phase when the number of sun flares peaked, known as the solar maximum. During this period, the surge in solar particles interacts with Earth’s magnetic field, creating a spectacular display seen only once in every 11 years.

In order to catch this illuminated dance of astronomical scale, I went on an aurora hunt that saw me fly to Tromsø, Norway in the Arctic Circle. From there, I joined 2 northern lights tours to catch the light performance.

Aurora Tours Overview – Managing Expectations

We had planned to sign up for aurora tours for 3 nights:

1. Polar Northern Light Chase from Tromsø by minibus (Polar Adventure)
2. Northern Lights Minibus Chase (Pukka Travels)

Most tour agencies guarantee a make-up tour for free, should we fail to catch the auroras in the original tour. So we left the final night free for such contingencies.

We had booked the tours online; there wasn’t a prominent travel site to source the tours from, so there was plenty of web scouring before these 2 tours were shortlisted. Moreover, tours were mostly open for booking only about 3 months prior. So there was also a need to keep track of the status.

Most tours usually last 6 – 8 hours, depending on the road and weather conditions. Expect to spend about 2 – 3 hours on the road, as the guide hunts for clear skies to catch the auroras. We were also told to bring our passports with us, as we might cross over to Finland to find the northern lights.

During late winter, the tours start at around 8pm. Therefore, on both tours, we returned to our hotels past midnight. And yes, they do send customers to their hotels, except for those of us who stayed within walking distance from their downtown offices.

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Tour Overview

Polar Northern Light Chase from Tromsø by minibus (Polar Adventure)
Duration: 2000hrs – 0200hrs (6 hours)
Cost: NOK 1450 / USD 133
Guide: Hans Eric
Operator: Polar Adventure
https://villmarkssenter.zaui.net/booking/web/?_gl=1*fvm0xb*_ga*MTA4Njg5MTA5Ni4xNjg1MTc1ODI2*_ga_51V6EX7F2R*MTcwNDQ0MzU4MC4zLjEuMTcwNDQ0NDYyOS4wLjAuMA..#/default/activity/367?date=2024-03-25

Northern Lights Minibus Chase (Pukka Travels)
Duration: 1800hrs – 0000hrs (6 – 8 hours)
Cost: NOK 1850 / USD 170
Guide: Jorgen
Operator: Pukka Travels
https://www.pukkatravels.com/product/t/en-us/tours/northern-lights-minibus-chase

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Chasing Lights with Polar Adventure

We reported 30 minutes early at Polar Adventure’s office beside Scandic Ishavshotel. It seemed that there were multiple tours taking place concurrently, so the space outside the office became rather crowded. About 15 minutes before 8pm, the guide took attendance, and led us to the vans waiting by the roadside. After letting us go for a pre-departure toilet break (inside Scandic Ishavshotel), we finally set off for the night’s adventure.

As the sky over Tromsø was overcast, the guide brought us north of Tromsø to the island of Ringvassoya, with the possibility of reaching Dafjord, which had a chance of clearer skies. Even then, we had to contend with the full moon. The light from the moon was glaring in the dead of the night.

Along the way, we stopped several times to check out the skies. When we turned into the road towards Dafjord at Hessfjord, the skies burst into a display of aurora. The guide back tracked to Hessfjord for an empty parking lot so that we could catch the lights.

The aurora was on display for about an hour before the clouds covered the sky. Nearer to the end of the tour, the guide and the driver set up a campfire and entertained us with aurora trivia over hot chocolate and snacks.

It was the first time I had seen an aurora on full display. And it was with naked eyes, not through the camera lens. The illuminated curtain draped across the heavens dancing to the wind. Sometimes it was over the mountains and sometimes across the field.

Each display would last from a few seconds to a few minutes, before appearing at another location in the sky. Eric told us that if not for the full moon, the aurora would have been much clearer and brighter. However, on hindsight, I thought the moon was a nice touch to the experience. Its light helped my mobile phone camera is capturing the aurora with its lighting. At times, it lit up the snowy mountains and made up for the lack of adjustable shutter speed. I would say the full moon was a great helper of those with dummy cameras!

Eventually, the tour ended and we reached our hotel before 1am.

Aurora Hunting with Pukka Travels

We reached Pukka Travel’s office 15 minutes before the official check in time. This tour’s starting time was earlier than that of Polar Adventure’s. In fact, the sun was still up when we reported to the office! Pukka Travel’s office was spacious, with ample comfortable seating for the entire tour’s participants. There were also toilets (convenient for last minute, pre-departure bio-breaks) and drinks provided.

After taking our attendance, our guide Jorgen started a very corporate-like briefing. He gave us an overview of how auroras formed, and explained the importance of clear skies for aurora hunting. However, he was confident that the location he would bring us to would have clear skies for a good view of the northern lights.

Following the briefing, Jorgen led us to try on the thermal suits for sizing, which was at one corner of their office That said, we would only be wearing them when we reach the viewing spot. We then proceeded to load the gear (everyone carried our own thermal suit) onto the van and off we went for our aurora hunt.

Camping by the Waters

Jorgen brought us to a beach in Rakkenes in north Kvaloya, an island north of Tromsø. It was on the other side of the mountain from the full moon that made a brilliant appearance in my aurora hunt the previous night. Jorgen set up a base by the waters, building a campfire and creating a place for us to sit around the fire. Jorgen did his best to set up a cosy corner that could accommodate everyone. He served the food (made from outdoor ration) and taught us how to set up a campfire with a fire starter.

The night was awesome as the lights kept popping up in the 3.5 hours that we were there. Different types of aurora of various intensities appeared at all parts of the sky. Sometimes, the lights even stretched across the entire sky. When the lights appeared above the opposite island, it would also create a reflection on the waters. Yes, we saw double auroras!

Even with the thermal suits and the campfire, it still became chilly as we were out in the open for such a long time. It was then I wished we brought some heat packs… But oh well… We huddled around the campfire for warmth. Truth be told, the fire was hardly helping in the piercing cold. In fact, most of us were almost touching the fire to get as far from the cold as possible!

The night ended just as the auroras died down. After packing up, we returned to Pukka Travel’s office, helped with unloading the gear, and returned to the hotel well before 12am.

Afterthoughts of Aurora Chasing

From both experiences, I found that it was easier to take photos of the auroras when there was still some light. On the first night, the full moon was bright and lightened up the sky. It also lit up the landscape, so my auroras didn’t just dance above dark gloomy mountains.

On the second night, the moon was obscured by the mountain. However, the best pictures were taken at dusk – when the earth was still bathing in the afterglow of sunset. It was probable that the light helped the camera’s autofocus. As the night darkened, the camera couldn’t focus well and thus generated blurry images.

One thing common that the tour guides told us was that the aurora is there almost all the time. What’s stopping us from seeing the lights would be the sun (during the day) and the clouds. Therefore, it helped that the weather was very forgiving when we were chasing the northern lights in Tromsø. Well, I spent more time in Iceland but I couldn’t see much of the aurora due to the rainy season!

Iceland and Tromø are both in the Arctic Circle and by the sea, so both are susceptible to cloudy weather. Of course, Tromsø was further north and hence less humid. Worse come to worst, the aurora tours could drive inland towards Finland; the mountainous landscape shields the mainland interior from the moisture from the sea and hence would be less humid and has less clouds. Over there, the chances of seeing the northern lights would be exponentially higher than that in Iceland.

Comparing Tours – Styles

Speaking of tours, I thought I was lucky to have booked 2 tours of different styles. Polar Adventure’s felt like a typical site tour. Though it felt bland, it nevertheless was more comfortable. Our sighting spots were always beside the warmed van, so we could snug in whenever the cold became too much for us to take. The tour also meant to take us to different viewing spots, which increased our chances to seeing the aurora. Whenever the lights appeared, we could appreciate them against different landscapes.

Pukka Travels, on the other hand, provided a rugged, but more intimate experience. Jorgen displayed his love and experience in outdoor adventure to the max. He also did his best to make everyone comfortable. One of our thermal suits had a zipper malfunction, but we were already 1 hour from the office. Jorgen offered to switch his thermal suit (he said he was used to the cold). He also made sure the kids in the group were always kept warm and cosy.

We also had the entire beach to ourselves. There was plenty of space for us to explore and admire the light display. The beach overlooked the waters, with houses on the opposite bank. That, with the mountains, made for a unique backdrop to all of our aurora gs.sightings.

Comparing Tours – Service

When it came to administration, Polar Adventure was less organised. Its confirmation email stated that the meeting point would be at Radisson Blu Hotel, but in a trip update sent a few days before the tour, the meet up point was stated as Polar Adventure’s office, which was beside Scandic Ishavshotel. There wasn’t a note to inform me that the meet up point had changed, which many people would miss out on in the 2nd email.

Pukka Travels has a large office with a spacious waiting area. Unlike Polar Adventures where we waited outside the office, we got to wait in the comfort of Pukka Travel’s office. That was great for people like me who like to report early for tours! Pukka Travels also offered thermal wear, which we could try on in their office prior to setting off. On the downside, our tour with Pukka Travels was handled solely by Jogen; managing nearly 20 customers alone in a harsh and cold environment was challenging. He had to set up a campfire, make food, arrange for photos to be taken etc. while taking care of 2 kids who obviously weren’t aware of what their parents got them into! 

The rugged nature of Pukka Travels’ tour made it challenging for folks who can’t take the cold. There was an elderly (who accompanied her daughter on the trip) who was struggling with the cold and looked like she would prefer the tour by Polar Adventures instead. However, there would be people like us who enjoyed the private open space. At times, we even just laid on the ground to take in the entire display of aurora – vista to vista. It was like what we did at the Northern Norwegian Science Center, except that we were out in the open and not lying in a chair!

Given their unique services, it was difficult to say for sure which tour operator was better. However, if anybody asked, I would tell them to choose based on the travel style mentioned above.

Parting Words

I had embarked on a 2 week long tour to chase the northern lights. Unfortunately, my first week at Iceland was plagued by an overcast sky. Despite all the aurora alerts informing that strong aurora was on display right above Iceland for many days of the week, I couldn’t catch any. I was getting worried that I would miss out seeing the northern lights in my life, ever.

Tromsø being the aurora capital, didn’t disappoint. There was no shortage of aurora tours, with promises to catch the northern lights. If not, they would put us on a tour the next day – free of charge.

I booked 2 tours to catch the aurora and the northern lights put up a splendid display each night. Polar Adventures and Pukka Travels are intimate tours, with up to 18 pax per tour. That comfortable size was conducive for the guides to share their stories and understanding of the auroras. The experienced guides also took good care of us and prepared hot drinks and snacks to make for an ever memorable tour.

Following my failed attempt in Iceland to catch the aurora due to the rainy weather, it was really satisfying to finally catch the northern lights with my own eyes. The sun had thrown out strong solar flares during my time in Tromsø, which made for a wonderful display of the dance of lights. It wasn’t a failed trip after all. No regrets.

That being said, my week-long tour in Iceland brought me close to nature and the rugged geological formation in the land of ice and fire. Do check out my trip reports on all 7 days of my tour. I had also spent a full day exploring Tromsø, and also visited spots in the Arctic town in between the aurora tours, which I hope can be good references for folks who are planning for their trip up north. Till then, stay wanderlust!

All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.

Aurora Sightings in Tromsø

Here are the photos of the aurora I saw in Tromsø.

Aurora Seen with Polar Adventure

Aurora Seen with Pukka Travels