Our pick
Small-Group Guided Northern Lights Tour, Alta Adventure
Alta Adventure is a local company that keeps its northern lights evenings small: a minibus and up to thirteen guests. It picks you up in town, or at Alta Havn if you arrive by cruise ship. From there the guide sets the route by the weather maps and the strength of the solar wind.
Some nights the lights are over the next hill. On others the minibus drives a long way inland to get under a clear patch. On long drives the crew builds a camp with a fire, while a short night means hot chocolate and snacks at quick roadside halts. You are normally back in Alta just after midnight.
- Price
- from ~$257 per person, often shown lower
- Duration
- About 4 hours
- Back in town
- Usually just after midnight
- Group
- Up to 13 guests in a minibus
- Pickup
- In Alta, or at Alta Havn for cruise guests
- Food
- Snacks, cakes, sandwiches, hot chocolate
- Ages
- 12 and over
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours; reserve now, pay later
How the night runs, step by step
No two evenings follow the same road, because the guide goes where the clouds are not. This is the outline the listing gives:
Out of Alta
- Pickup at your hotel, or at the blue Alta Havn building for cruise guests
- The guide checks the cloud cover and the Kp value and picks a direction
- A short hop or a long drive, depending on where the sky is open
Under the sky
- A campfire camp on long drives, or hot chocolate at short stops on near ones
- Stories about Sami reindeer herding and about life in Finnmark through the war years while you wait
- Back in central Alta, normally just after midnight
What the price covers
Most of what you need on a cold roadside is in the fare. What it leaves out is the stuff no guide can sell.
Included
- Pickup and drop-off in Alta
- Warm suits and boots to borrow
- Snacks, cakes, sandwiches, hot chocolate
- A camera tripod (Viator lists a small rental fee)
Not included
- Dinner, so eat before you go
- Your own wool layers under the suit
- A free second night if it stays cloudy
- A guarantee of the lights
Between us, before you go
The listing is frank about two things. The trip runs whatever the weather and is cancelled only when the roads get dangerous, with a full refund then. And photos often show the colors stronger than your eyes will; a faint grey-green arc is still the aurora.
Children under twelve cannot come. Wool under the borrowed suit decides how long you enjoy a stop. Our guide to dressing for Finnmark covers the rest.
Why it beats the big bus
Thirteen people fit around one fire, and the guide has time to help you find the lights in your camera screen. A minibus can also take smaller roads and turn around fast when a cloud bank moves in. You pay about twice the big-bus fare for that. Small-group aurora hunts weighs the two in detail.
Who we would not send on it
Families with children under twelve, who are outside the listing's limits. Travelers who want speed and noise, who will have more fun on the snowmobile night. And anyone on a tight budget, who should look at Karlsøy's big bus first.
Book it if
You want the best odds of a clear sky in one evening, without driving yourself. You like a small group and a guide who explains what you are looking at. It suits couples and friends, and families with teenagers.
Skip it if
- Watching every krone? Try Karlsøy's bus, from ~$129
- Want an adventure too? Check the snowmobile night
- Travelling with young kids? Look at the horse sleigh
- Coming off a cruise ship? Read the cruise guide first
Ready to chase the clear sky?
The hunt is on GetYourGuide and on Viator. GetYourGuide shows more reviews and the slightly better score. Free cancellation there runs until 24 hours before the start, which leaves time to watch the cloud forecast before you commit.
