Aurora Hunting Tour

My aurora hunting tour departs from Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland. The tours are organised from end-August until early April on nights when seeing auroras is possible.
I have small groups only with, minimum 2 people, and maximum 8 of people.

In winter the sky is clear in Rovaniemi on only about 10–20% of the nights. This means that most of the times we need to go to other regions to see the northern lights.

Where exactly? This depends on then night. Before each tour I look at many different forecasts to find out which area has the best chance for skies. This means that on some nights we travel 100–200 km away from Rovaniemi, and on other nights up to 450 km away from Rovaniemi (and back), visiting north of Finnish Lapland or Sweden.

With this approach we succeed 95% of the time. Sometimes, even if we do our part and find clear skies, the aurora does not show up. That’s nature. For such nights, I have my aurora guarantee – you only pay for seeing the northern lights. If aurora is there, but it’s faint (barely visible with naked eye), the charge is 50%.

If we can find clear skies within 200 km from Rovaniemi, the tour usually lasts around 5–8 hours. If the drive is longer (300–450 km), the tour may last 10 hours or more. Before the tour, you’ll have my estimate on how far we need to go.  

We usually depart early, and don’t leave until the show is over. We skip the “aurora barbeque”, because seeing the Aurora is the main thing!

When the auroras come, we take aurora pictures and videos together. I will be happy to teach you how to make beautiful aurora photos with your own camera. You can also use my professional tripod. Making aurora photos is fun! We can get really creative with using different led lights or lanterns.

The tour includes all photos & videos, and warm winter clothing – overalls, winter boots, mittens. I can pick you up from Rovaniemi centre + 10 km area.

Sometimes, finding clear skies is not likely even by driving 450 km in Finnish or Swedish Lapland. That can happen on certain winter months, such as November & December. For such occasions, I have a Crazy Hunting Tour, that enables us to go even further, up to 600 km away from Rovaniemi. In one night, we can visit northern Norway, or wander far into Sweden, with the tour lasting around 12–18 hours. The pricing of such tour is different, and is subject to availability.

Keep in mind that on some nights it’s too cloudy everywhere, that even a Crazy tour is not likely to succeed, or the aurora activity is just too small. In such cases the tour is either cancelled, or postponed.

P.S. When planning your trip to Lapland, try to avoid Full Moon, as it can reduce the perceived intensity of aurora. If the aurora is strong, Full Moon is not a problem, but New Moon is usually better. I suggest to check the Moon Phase calendar before booking your trip. Also, the aurora activity varies depending on the month.
Please check my Aurora info to know which months are the best. 

Forecast is short

The span for aurora and weather forecast is extremely short. Once your trip to Rovaniemi is near, we will provide you with the latest forecast, and choose the best night for a tour with you. Sometimes, the decision about the tour is made just a few hours beforehand. If the weather is bad or aurora activity is weak, my advice is usually to stay home. We only do a handful of tours per month and keep our success rate high!

Every tour is unique

We do not have a standard departure time or set location for our tour. Our tours are very flexible, and can start earlier or later, depending on the forecast. We choose our locations depending on the season and weather. If one place is not working, we go search for another one. We try to avoid other groups & mass tourism to have our own privacy. The duration of the tour varies between 5 and 10 hours.