Rovaniemi Northern Lights Photography Small-Group Tour
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rovaniemi, Finland
- 5 to 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Spotting the northern lights is just half of the challenge for travelers to Rovaniemi—capturing nature’s lightshow on camera can be just as tricky. On this tour, increase your chances of seeing the lights by visiting multiple viewpoints away from light pollution, guided by a professional night photographer. Learn expert tips and techniques for photographing the aurora, even on a smartphone, and make the most of the provided tripods.
- Take your own photos and receive professional photos taken by your guide
- Visit several viewpoints chosen according to weather and aurora forecasts
- Stay warm with included thermal suits, hot drinks, and snacks
- Enjoy a hassle-free experience with pickup and drop-off at Rovaniemi hotels
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off within a 6.2-mile (10-kilometer) range of Rovaniemi
- Transport by minivan
- Professional photography guide
- Warm clothing and winter boots
- Headlamps, backpack, and BBQ gear
- Hot drinks and snacks
- tripod for your camera / mount for a Smart phone
- Collection of edited photos after the tour
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
Beyond Arctic (Pass By)
1
Lapland
6 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- A maximum of 8 people per booking
- You can bring your own DSLR camera for photography
- Minimum age for this tour 10 years
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 411 reviews
Adam_P, Feb 2026
The Northern lights are not a guarantee to see . It’s up to Mother Nature . But in the 2 trips we booked with Beyond Artic we seen the Northern Lights on both accounts . Very happy and both guides were good . In particular Essy our last guide was exceptional.
Highly recommend them
VuongKhoi_N, Dec 2025
My tour guide, Natasa, was incredibly friendly and truly knows how to hunt the aurora. Even though it was rainy and cloudy when I arrived, she still managed to find the perfect spot and ensured we had an amazing view of the northern lights. She also did a great job explaining the science behind the aurora, which made the experience even more interesting. I really enjoyed the trip, and I truly appreciate the beautiful photos she took for me. That's a wonderful and memorable experience overall.
Rachel_B, Dec 2025
Small group Northern Lights with photography included was well worth the money. Marjo drove into Sweden on our cloudy night and wouldn't give up. We saw them in the end and got back after 2pm. Excellent service again by Beyond Arctic.
Anirban_C, Apr 2025
On March 10th, we joined this Northern Lights Photography tour, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of our trip! We were a group of 8, and our guide Andi was nothing short of amazing. She was incredibly enthusiastic, well-prepared, and full of energy – even in the freezing -20°C weather!
What really set this tour apart was Andi’s passion and professionalism. Unlike our previous experience with another company, Andi's energy kept the whole group excited throughout the night. Her excellent photography skills ensured that we not only saw the Northern Lights but also went home with stunning photos to cherish. She made spontaneous (yet careful and safe) stops at the best spots to capture the lights, and guided us patiently through the entire process.
The tour started with a stop at their office where we picked up all the necessary gear – snow overalls, a professional DSLR camera with tripod, mobile tripod, etc. Based on real-time predictions, we headed north of Rovaniemi, toward the Levi region, to chase the lights – and we were not disappointed. The skies came alive with magical displays, and Andi made sure every moment was captured beautifully.
This tour was well-organized, exciting, and led by a guide who truly loves what she does. If you're in Rovaniemi and want a memorable Northern Lights experience, this is the one to go for – and if you're lucky, you'll have Andi as your guide!
Rebeca_R, Mar 2025
It was amazing! The barbacue and the northen lights were the perfect combination!! Our guide went above and beyond, kind and thorough.
Juliana_C, Mar 2025
It was a great tour, very memorable! Our guide Guillaume was super! We lucked out in seeing a wonderful display of the Aurora Borealis! It was a highlight of our Lapland Trip!
Martin_L, Mar 2025
Our guide, Soizic was a wonderful host. In route to our viewing loathe spotted the northern lights and we made an unexpected but rewarding stop to take photos and and observe the beautiful night sky. Soizic was very accommodating and knowledgeable.
Alberto_P, Feb 2025
The Rovaniemi Northern Lights Photography Small-Group Tour with Beyond Arctic was absolutely fantastic! We witnessed the northern lights at their best, and the guide (Juhani) was incredibly knowledgeable about both the lights and Finnish culture. The delicious dinner and the overall experience went above and beyond expectations. Highly recommended!
Rebecca_H, Feb 2025
Very disappointing. Although we appreciate the northern lights aren’t guaranteed, on this tour the guide would pull off onto the side of the road and check the sky himself and no one else would be allowed to get out the van so we never even got chance to have a look for the lights ourselves. One side of the van got a glimpse through the window as he was driving but we weren’t given the opportunity at this point to get out for all to see. We were at the other side of the van with frozen windows so did not see a thing. The journey was 5 hours and he drove us all the way to the Russian border with literally one minute off the van where we begged to stretch our legs. We did not get given any of the snacks promised that we had paid for and were told were included, and could not even sit next to each other. So instead we spent 5 hours being driven with no direction, no proper sight or viewing points in mind, not being able to talk to each other, no food or drink, not being able to see anything out the frozen windows and leaving the van for 1 minute in total during this time. A waste of time and money. The thermal boots and jackets definitely are not needed as you spend the whole time with them worn around your waist as you don’t actually leave the van! There was no explanation of the lights and no pre planned idea of what time we were likely to see them so we could set up a viewing point. This is literally just a LONG and EXPENSIVE drive in silence. Well, other than the man snoring next to me. Not the experience we paid A LOT of money for. There’s was also no prior communication before the trip. We had to go into the ticket office ourselves to check our meeting time as no one replied to our message or bothered to confirm timings with us like with the other trips we have booked with other tour operators. Don’t waste your money!!!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hello Rebecca, thank for taking the time to write this review. We have reviewed the tour with your guide. Given the challenging weather conditions, a decision was made to drive as far as possible to find clear skies. During every tour, we do everything we can to provide our guests with the best opportunities to see the Northern Lights.
As a result, we sometimes prioritize driving over a campfire experience if we truly believe this can be worthwhile.
We failed to communicate this decision to you, and we are truly sorry about this. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, as we take customer satisfaction seriously and are committed to maintaining high quality in all our services.
We apologize that the experience did not meet your expectations. We always welcome the feedback and are grateful for the opportunity to improve our services.
Ilias_M, Feb 2025
Highly recommend this activity! Charlotte picked us from our hotel, offered us equipment and dropped us at the best location in the forest. Best view, best photos, sausages at the fire, hot juice in thermos and ofcourse the best chance to see arctic lights. The best experience!
Carolyn_T, Feb 2025
Nice guides very helpful in teaching me camera settings for low light photography, nice Bbq sausages over open fire
alicia_c, Feb 2025
Pack for the warm! Very cold but worth it, out tour guide was very informative and catered to our needs.
Dana_M, Jan 2025
The problem was not that we didn’t see the lights. It was that they KNEW we wouldn’t because of the cloudy cover, but despite that, they offered no refund (not even a partial one) and no option to cancel. Just before we left the office, the guide said that the chance was low, but again, offered no alternative. Making a fire and having some snacks was not what I signed up for.
Also, despite advertising a hotel pick up, I was asked to come to their office. It wasn’t far, but still, not very professional.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear guest, thank you for the feedback. On cloudy nights (cloudy in Rovaniemi) our team uses many hours throughout the day to study the weather forecast and determine which directions offer the best chance to find a clear sky. Many times the weather improves, or auroras can even be seen through some clouds. We also mention that on cloudy nights, we will take our guests to a nature location, make a fire, and focus on night photography. The information about a meeting point in Rovaniemi is also mentioned in our tour description. Thank you for the feedback.
Joanne_C, Jan 2025
Spontaneously booked this night tour on the morning due to the guide being so great. Started at 8pm meeting point where rucksack was given with hot drinks, head torches & other essentials for the evening. Clothing was given to those who needed it as it’s a cold evening ahead. Then it’s a drive out to first viewing point. Juhani was great at telling us how to set out camera settings correctly to get best photos & also explained exactly what the Auroras are and conditions needed to see them. We travelled on to next location a frozen lake where we set up and was very fortunate enough to see the Northen Lights. A fire was then made by the guide and we heated sausages & chatted which was lovely & peaceful. Finally headed back around midnight for the drive back to Rovaniemi.
Ritu_S, Dec 2024
Thank you so much Leevi. It was an amazing trip. We experienced the aurora lighting while travelling itself, like in first 10 mins. Our guide,Leevi, took us to final destination and voila we got to see the aurora dancing for hours, low n high, red n green.
Photographs- more than us our guide was excited to get best clicks of us n aurora, which ai personally appreciate as I am not the one who likes to get photographed
Fire n snacks- A-ma-Zingggg. Love the snacks n hot drinks. The way we all strangers got along to build fire was incredible. Had the most fun loving group from literally every continent.
Story Time- I specifically asked Leevi to tell us about the stores behind the aurora. He was very well versed with the local lores which were damn interesting and then followed by science.
I had the best time of my life. Thanks again Leevi and Beyond Artic for making our trip most remarkable.
Karla_D, Dec 2024
Neva was a fabulous and very knowledge guide, she went about and beyond which was fantastic, we booked the same tour again
ChingJung_H, Dec 2024
The leader is caring. They always checked how we feel. Though we didn’t see the light but the star sky was marvelous, They also help taking good pictures for us. It’s a pleasant journey.
Joelle_A, Nov 2024
Your is very professional, you can come with your outfit or get very good ones there, from the gloves to the shoes and all.. Elijah was amazing very laid back nice and thoughtful he took care of the group needs and got us amazing photos! We were very lucky had an aurora storm that night which made leaving very hard despite the cold! I will certainly recommend this tour company and Elijah!
Ami_K, Nov 2024
I had amazing night my booking this tour! It was with only a few people and the Aurora was so beautiful! I’m so glad I booked tour here
Arlene_D, Oct 2024
There were 8 of us in the group - good size for this activity. our guide Markus was extremely knowledgeable about the northern lights . His knowledge of programs capturing us and the lights was exceptional.We appreciated the availability of equipment (both for cold weather&the campfire with sausages and hot drinks) . The northern lights were especially outstanding on our trip . Would highly recommend this tour to anyone as. The knowledge and dedicated the guides to try to find the best spot to see the lights is worth it !
Ilora_G, Apr 2024
The effort the guide (forgot name sorry!!) put in was amazing! For about 20 minutes the sky was clear enough for us capture the Northern Lights then we had to venture further as the clouds had formed again. A very fun trip that finished with a nice log fire where we sat and cooked sausages and drank hot berry juice!
Vaishnavi_s, Apr 2024
The location, our guide and the experience camping in the woods was great. I would love to go again at some point
Emilie_D, Mar 2024
It was unfortunately too cloudy to see any northern lights but our tour guide was amazing and very enthusiastic. We cooked some sausages and marshmallows over a fire in a teepee and also played around with basic night time and light painting photography
Ashlee_K, Mar 2024
Altough we did not see the lights because of how cloudy it was. Our guide Sarah was amazing and tried everything she could to take us all around to chase an opening in the sky.
Ashley_O, Mar 2024
Our guide Viller was an Amazing guide, very kind and thoughtful. However, there were a number of things that made me select 3 stars for this experience
1. The weather the night of the hunt was VERY cloudy, even hours before the hunt started. It was pretty much guaranteed that the northern lights would not be seen that night. I was even told that it would be extremely difficult by the guide as I was gearing up inside their facility. I think it would’ve been fair to cancel or postpone the tour because after all, that it the main reason why we all showed up. We grilled and took photos that night. I think it would be FAIR for the company to refund a portion for the lights not being seen or attempted. I understand that nature is unpredictable but weather was obviously terrible and there wasn’t really any effort being put into driving. We just visited 1 campsite to grill and take photos when the description states 2-3 locations.
2. Hotel pick-up was supposed to be included and wasn’t. My accommodation was close to the meeting point but I explained to the advisor that my phone would not have service and I could possibly get disconnected and lost which did end up happening, resulting in me being the last person to show up at the meeting point.
3. Photos from the experience have still not been sent. I was told it would be 5-7 days and it’s now almost been 2 weeks and I haven’t received pictures from the aurora hunt and the reindeer sled.
I did not want to make this review because I did have a wonderful time with this company for another experience( reindeer sled). However, this experience was just disappointing and unfair to me. I hope we can rectify something.
Gerald_B, Mar 2024
The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable on the Northern Lights. We beleive he did everything he could to find them. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy, as it had been all week, and we did not see them. It felt a bit like they knew we wouldn’t see them but would not cancel the excursion.
Tugcenur_I, Mar 2024
We did not see the northern lights and it was known in advance because of the forecast. They could just have refunded the money or cancel the tour. But they did not.. We have paid a lot of money 137 $ just to sit near the campfire and eat sausages.
KADR_G, Feb 2024
It was a very nice experience. everything was perfect. It was an unforgettable day. we had so much fun. We were very lucky and saw the northern lights.
Chastity_F, Feb 2024
We went out 2/16 with Natasha and had a wonderful time. She’s great and we were able to briefly see some Northern Lights. We had a total of 3 stops for looking-each spot in itself is very pretty. Overall, just a pretty experience.
The tour company is centrally located in Rovaniemi. They gave us all snow suits, boots, gloves. It’s great, however, we were both actually still cold, and we are never cold. So wear more more layers than you think.
We walked about 5-6 minutes out into an open field with a teepee for coverage. Beautiful spot. Yummy hot juice and sausages. Natasha did a beautiful job sharing the countryside with us. We are still waiting for an email to receive our photos, but she volunteered to take some shots of us and captured some lovely images!
Muhammad_N, Feb 2024
1. It was almost certain that Northern lights can't be seen on trip day but they didn't cancel as opposed to almost all other professional companies in Rovaniemi do. I have booked with 2 other companies on different dates and both offer cancellation or rescheduling options in low visibility days rather than wasting time and money.
2. The guide was not at all a professional photographer. Very casual approach and in entire 5 hours trip only took photos on 2 spots. The tour is supposed to be a Photography tour?
3. On return, surprisingly guide struggled to find way back (did multiple U-turns) and although Cellular signals were clearly available and it was a simple single road coming back but he took another long route adding 15-20 minutes time.
4. Hardly 5-6 pics (only in 2 spots) that were taken during the 5-hour-long trip and promised to be shared next day. Next day on inquiry was told that it will be shared in 5-7 days (Completely unacceptable as other tour companies shared pictures with me in less than 24 hours)
5. I hope they be more honest with customers, in case of very low probability of northern lights, give option to the customer to cancel or reschedule rather than do a tour where the guide interest was to complete the 5-hour journey somehow.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you for taking the time to review your tour. We do not rely only on the local weather in Rovaniemi, and we frequently travel over 100 km in search of a clear sky. We promise 2-3 locations for photos, and a few edited photos delivered to you after the tour. The tours are focused on photography, and we invite anyone interested in night photography or photographers with their own cameras to join our adventures. The selection and editing process is normally 5-7 days - we apologise that you have received incorrect information about the delivery and are sorry to hear you were not satisfied with the experience. Thank you for your feedback!
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