Five ways to hunt Alta's northern lights
Alta's aurora tours come in five shapes, and the vehicle decides more of your night than the operator does. A minibus can chase a clear sky, while the activity tours give you a ride in one fixed place. This guide sets the five side by side.
Two ways to spend the evening
Every aurora tour in Alta fits one of two ideas. Either the vehicle exists to find a clear sky and the stops are short, or the ride itself is the activity and the sky is the backdrop.
The first group covers the minibus and the big buses. The second covers the three activity tours, which stay in one area all night, and that difference is the main trade-off in this guide.
The minibus hunt
Alta Adventure's small-group hunt from ~$257 uses a minibus of up to 13 guests and drives wherever the weather data and the Kp value point. Some nights that means a long trip inland; on others the clear sky sits close to town.
On a long drive the guide sets up a camp with a fire. On shorter nights you get hot chocolate and snacks at roadside stops, and everyone borrows a warm suit and boots before leaving.
The stories are part of the night too. Between stops the guide talks about the region's history, from the Stone Age to the Second World War, and about Sami reindeer herding.
The catch is the hours. You are normally back in Alta just after midnight, and nobody under 12 can come. Our guide to group sizes explains why 13 people at a stop feels so different from 45.
The big buses
Karlsøy's fire-and-photos tour from ~$129 runs a big bus with a toilet on board for up to 45 guests and two guides. The night can last up to six hours, with marshmallows over a campfire and free professional photos of each guest.
Finnmark Adventure also runs a heated bus for up to 53 guests, which our price guide covers. Both buses can move toward clearer skies, but they may not go as far off the main roads as a minibus.
Karlsøy asks guests to bring a passport or ID card, and to say in advance if they must be back by a set time. With a route that changes by the night, the end time is never fixed.
Getting a big group on and off at each stop also takes longer. In return, the fare is roughly half that of the small-group tour, as the price guide shows line by line.
Snowmobile to the edge of the plateau
Æventyr's snowmobile night from ~$284 lasts 4 hours, of which about two are spent riding. You follow the old postal road to the edge of Finnmarksvidda, a plateau the listing calls Europe's largest, up to a mountain area called Beskardes.
Two people share each machine and swap between driver and passenger during the trip. Norwegian law keeps you in a convoy behind the guide, so this is a steady line through the snow rather than free riding.
Drivers need a valid car licence and must show it before the ride, while passengers without one can join from 12. The listing rules out guests over 70, anyone over 130 kg (287 lbs) and people with back problems.
It scores 4.7 from 76 reviews on GetYourGuide and 4.9 from 45 on Viator. You borrow a thermal suit and shoes plus gloves and a helmet. Hot drinks and snacks wait at the stop.
Drive your own snowmobile toward the aurora
Æventyr's four-hour evening puts you on a machine for about two hours, in a guided convoy onto the plateau. Bring your car licence if you want to drive.
Quad along the coast
Finnmark Adventure's quad hunt from ~$235 drives you about 30 minutes to the village of Kviby, then out along the coastline in small groups of up to 16. A safety briefing and driving instructions come first.
Two guests share each quad and the driver needs a car licence. Children can join from 9, younger than on the snowmobile. A Viator reviewer stopped by the fjord to photograph the lights with coffee and cookies in hand.
The downside is the wind. You sit behind handlebars on an open machine, so the cold reaches you faster than inside a vehicle. Read the clothing guide before you book this one.
Horse sleigh with dinner
Flatmoen Natur's sleigh ride from ~$332 is the slow option. A Norwegian Fjord horse pulls the sleigh through the forest and along the Alta River while you sit under blankets to the sound of sleigh bells.
The night ends with a three-course meal by the fire in a wilderness shelter or the farm's fire house, depending on the weather. Without snow a carriage replaces the sleigh, so the tour runs before winter sets in too.
A reviewer warns that the campfire smoke clings to your clothes. The lights are a bonus here rather than the point, which suits anyone who would rather sit and eat than drive.
One fixed area, or the open road
The activity tours share one limit. They run in a fixed area, so if a cloud bank sits over it, the guide cannot drive an hour to the next valley the way a minibus can.
On a doubtful forecast, that points to a tour that moves. On a clear one the ride becomes the extra. The snowmobile or the sleigh then gives you a night to remember even if the aurora stays faint.
The forecast guide shows how to tell the two kinds of night apart, and the cloudy-night page covers what happens when the sky stays shut. For snow on the ground, see the season guide.