Aurora Hunting Tour

September to April from Rovaniemi

I am Alex and aurora has been my passion since 2012. A few years later, in 2016, I’ve started organising aurora hunting tours — mostly for fun, but also to show the market that there is a different way of doing things. I was first in Rovaniemi to begin real aurora hunts, and inspired many to do the same.

Over the years, I’ve been exploring different paths and have discovered many amazing areas to show the magic of aurora to my guests. In my opinion, mass tourism tours are not the best way to make aurora hunts — they kill the magic and often rely just on luck.

But luck is not often enough. In winter, the sky is usually clear on only about 10–20% of the nights — the rest of the time it’s cloudy. The area with clear skies changes, and before each tour, I check various weather forecast models to understand where we should go to for our tour.

My tours depart from Rovaniemi from end-August until early April. We can be headed to just about any corner of Finnish Lapland, travelling anywhere between 100–450 km away from the capital of Finnish Lapland. We often visit Swedish Lapland and on very long hunts — Norway. We depart early, and don’t leave until the aurora show has showed its best moments.

With this approach, we succeed on over 95% of the tours to see the auroras.

Small groups

Each tour is limited to just 8 guests, with me as your personal aurora guide. We travel together in a single van — there is no fleet of tourist buses following us. We avoid busy areas near Rovaniemi favoured by the basic. Instead, we drive deep into the wild, towards the places without light pollution, where auroras can show their magic.

When aurora is out, we do photos with you and the auroras together — without limit. You can also practice your photography skills with your camera, or just with a phone.

Schedule & duration

My aurora tours don’t have a fixed schedule. The timing depends on the night’s weather forecast & aurora activity. Here are some facts:

• Tour duration: 6 to 14 hours

• Departure: Between 14:30–19:30, exact departure time decided on the day

• Return: Usually between 01:00–6:00

• Including: professional aurora photos, warm overalls & boots

• To join, you must arrive to Rovaniemi by 13:00 to have enough time to check-in, rest, and eat before the tour. It takes at least 1 hour from landing to get your luggage and reach your accommodation. It’s better to have a safe margin of time, also considering that the flight might be late. If you are arriving after 13.00, or have an all-day excursion, it’s best to book your tour on the next night.

• In Early September, end-March & early April darkness comes later, and it is safe to arrive by 16.30 and still be able to join the tour on the same night.

⚠️ If you have an early flight or excursion in the morning, I advice to schedule the tour for another night.

Who is this tour for?

This tour isn’t for those seeking convenience or comfort. Nature rarely offers us easy nights. My adventures are for those who are willing to make the maximum effort to see the lights. It means long drives to clear skies and waiting for a long time out in the cold. I provide warm overalls & boots for my guests, and we can warm up in the van, however, the cold needs to be treated seriously. This is why I do not recommend the tour for families with small children under 10 years old, elderly, people with mobility restrictions, pregnant individuals. The tours can be shorter and easier in September and early April. Please read the tour FAQ for more details.

Money back if auroras are not seen

Since the very beginning of my tours in 2016, I felt that is is only appropriate to charge my clients if they do experience the aurora with me. Hence — you only pay if you see the lights — I call this “customer satisfaction”.

Nowadays, you might see the “aurora guarantee” term on some booking sites. What does this mean? How can anyone guarantee the auroras? I do not offer such guarantees. It’s nature! However, I provide 100% if we do not manage to see auroras with the naked eye, or if the tour is cancelled.

We consider it a success if the aurora is visible to the naked eye — not just in camera. Of course, the duration and strength of auroras vary night to night. Sometimes, even if we find clear skies, the aurora activity stays low, and auroras are only seen in camera. In such cases the refund is 50%. See Terms & Conditions for more info.

Pickup

I can pick you up if you are staying in Rovaniemi centre + 10 km area.

Pickup is not available from Apukka, Arctic Snowhotel, Aito Resort, Halo, Hotel Boreas, Lakelodge Kiehinen, Nova Galaxy, Vaattunki Resort, Yurt District etc. If you are staying outside 10km area in Rovaniemi we can meet in Rovaniemi centre.