Tromso Aurora Hunt with Bonfire, Meal, Winter Suit & Photos

Amazing Northern Lights experience!

An unforgettable evening in Tromsø! The Aurora Hunt was very well organized, and the bonfire made the experience even more special. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and did their best to find the best spot to see the Northern Lights. Highly recommended for a magical Arctic experience!

via Tripadvisor

Wonderful experience with...

Wonderful experience with our tour guide, Jordan, who was positive, upbeat & engaging plus he took wonderful photos of our experience & we saw the Northern Lights on our 1st try in Tromso. Vitek, our driver, did a great job driving safely & maneuvering thru the mountains.

via Viator

Unforgettable ride to Chase Northern Lights

It was wonderful to have Issac as the guide, informed and cheerful even when we did not see the Lights- kept us going. He was so positive we shall definite vier the Lights.

Response from the operator: Thank you very much for your kind review. We’re so glad to hear that Isaac kept the experience positive and enjoyable, even when the Aurora didn’t make an appearance. His enthusiasm and optimism are a big part of what makes an Aurora hunt special, and we’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. Thank you for joining us, and we hope you’ll return one day for the chance to see the Northern Lights in all their glory.

via Tripadvisor

This was our first aurora...

This was our first aurora hunt and we saw so many lights!!! Despite this, we were so cold during this trip that we were quite miserable. The staff were scattered and the meal was very light and not enough to sustain us after being out for so long. We loved having pictures taken for us and be able to get away from light pollution, but it took all our willpower to stand out in the cold without a way to warm up. Highly recommend going with snacks, water, warmers, and all the things to make yourself comfortable so you can enjoy since this is a longer tour with tons of outside time after dark.

Response from the operator: Hello Ruth, Thank you for sharing your experience! We are so happy to hear that your first aurora hunt was successful and that you got to see so many northern lights throughout the night thanks to our experienced and knowledgeable guides, who are also professional photographers. As this is a true outdoor winter experience with extended periods spent outside, we always remind guests before the tour to dress properly for Arctic conditions and to bring anything extra that helps them stay comfortable, such as additional layers, woollen socks and hand warmers. Everyone handles the cold differently, and having the right clothing makes a big difference during a tour like this. This is also why we offer our thermal suits. Our focus is on giving guests the best possible chances of seeing the aurora, which often means spending a lot of time outdoors when conditions are good. We're glad the tour delivered on that and that you were able to experience such an amazing northern lights display! Thank you again for your feedback!

via Viator

Nothing like the listing, unsafe driving, and a "meal" bought on sale at a grocery store

I booked this expecting the experience described on Wandering Owl's own website. Almost none of it matched what we got, and the gap was wide enough that I'm still in disbelief and working through it. Our guide turned up 15 to 20 minutes late with no apology of any kind. She then made the rest of us sit and wait another 20 to 30 minutes for one final passenger. Before we had even left, close to an hour of the evening was gone. Irritating as that was, the driving was the part that frightened me. Once we set off, the vehicle drifted back and forth across the lane markings on both sides of the road, again and again. This was late at night, on cold and icy roads, well outside town, with a van full of people who had no choice but to sit there and hope we made it back to civilization in one piece. The guiding was close to nonexistent. No stories, no facts about Tromso, no context about Norway, the landscape, the culture, the Sami, or the northern lights themselves. At one point she announced to the van that she had a Spotify playlist of Sami music, then played it loudly for the rest of the drive as a substitute for any real commentary. The single piece of "local content" she managed was a small reindeer farm we blew past in about three seconds, barely long enough to register that it existed. I had come prepared with questions about the aurora, the region, and the culture. After one short, dismissive answer to my very first question, it was obvious the rest would go nowhere, so I gave up asking. When another guest asked, reasonably, what our chances were of seeing the aurora that night, the answer set the tone for everything that followed. She brushed it off and said she does not believe in probabilities or percentages and simply reads the colors in her app (which was not even the same app as the one listed on Wandering Owl's website). That kind of shrug might pass for someone heading out alone, but she was responsible for a vanload of paying customers, hauling them deep into the Norwegian wilderness in the middle of the night in extreme and changeable cold. Looking back at how she dodged that question and how far she drove us into the middle of nowhere, I suspect she already knew the odds that night were dismal and was stretching the distance to make the price feel justified. It never was justified. We saw nothing but a cloudy sky, mountains, trees, rocks, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpse of a reindeer farm, and a great deal of snow. Then the meal, advertised on the booking page as a homecooked meal with cookies. Here's what actually landed in our hands: a few off-brand Norwegian Oreo lookalikes, hot chocolate that was the most watered down and worst tasting I have ever had the misfortune to drink, and one small pouch of instant just-add-water, army-ration style tomato soup. The guide told us herself, openly, that she had grabbed the packets of soup on sale at a local grocery store. Nothing handed to us was homecooked or homemade in any sense of those words or required any special recipe (like those advertised on the Wandering Owl website). The others on my tour were visibly let down by this and by everything else, and the disappointment hung over the entire drive back to Tromso. To sum it up: a guide who arrived late and kept us waiting, drove in a way that was unsafe, offered no real guiding, completely dismissed multiple fair questions, and served a plastic grocery store soup pouch in place of an advertised homecooked meal. For what this tour costs, the chasm between the listing and the reality is the whole reason I am writing this. Anyone considering Wandering Owl should know exactly what they are handing their money over for before they book.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. At Wandering Owl, safety is our highest priority. All of our guides are highly experienced drivers who spend many hours each season navigating Northern Norway’s winter roads and changing weather conditions. We understand that driving on icy and snowy roads can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable for guests, particularly in Arctic winter conditions. Our guides work in these conditions throughout the winter season and are trained to handle changing road conditions safely and responsibly. That said, we take comments regarding driving very seriously and will review your feedback internally to better understand the circumstances of the tour. Our goal is to provide an engaging experience that combines Aurora hunting with insights into Northern Norway’s nature, culture, and daily life. In more demanding driving conditions, the guide needs to focus fully on the road, which means there may be less commentary during those parts of the drive. In these situations, guiding and storytelling are instead shared when we are stopped and setting up camp. We will also review your comments regarding the guiding and the information shared throughout the evening, as guest interaction and storytelling are important parts of our tours. Regarding the refreshments, our tours include a warm meal, hot drinks, and snacks as part of the experience, as clearly stated in the tour description. Homemade meals are no longer part of our offering, and the food served are designed to provide a simple and warm outdoor meal in Arctic conditions. As for the Northern Lights themselves, all route decisions are based on the latest weather and aurora forecasts available throughout the evening. Our guides continuously assess conditions and travel to the areas that offer the best potential for clear skies and sightings. The distances covered during a tour are determined by these conditions and are never to extend the duration of the experience. While we work hard to maximize the chances of seeing the Aurora, it remains a natural phenomenon that depends on weather and solar activity beyond anyone's control. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, as it helps us continuously review and improve our operations. If you would like to provide any further information about your experience, you are very welcome to contact us directly.

via Tripadvisor