Adults Only Aurora Hunt with Wandering Owl

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Tromso, Norway

5 to 8 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Travel into the wilds outside Tromso hunting for the Northern Lights on this small-group evening tour of the Arctic wilderness. Once you find the aurora, your guide will craft a cozy campfire so you can enjoy a warm meal under the stars. Relax in your warm thermals while enjoying hot tea beneath the dancing lights.

Northern Lights-spotting tour of the wilds outside Tromso
Relax by firelight beneath the aurora in comfy thermals
Enjoy a warm meal to warm you up as you enjoy the view
Small-group tour: Enjoy a more intimate setting with only a few other travelers

What's Included

Dinner

A warm meal.
Coffee and/or Tea
Snacks
Thermal suits
Photographs of the activity
Multiple hotel drop-off locations on Tromsø island

Hotel pick up

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Scandic Ishavshotel
Fredrik Langes gate 2, 9008 Tromsø, Norway
Please wait outside the Scandic Ishavhotel.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Kvaloya

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Skibotn

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Kilpisjarvi

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible

Most travelers can participate
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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Lynnely_S

We did this tour with Wandering Owl for 4 nights. It was amazing. Note that they have several options: Standard, Adult Only, and Express (not sure if all options are available on Viator but you can check their website as well). We ended up doing each of the different options as we loved our tour guide so much. Sophie was amazing and so informative. The Standard and Adult Only included a camp fire to stay warm. Difference was standard had a max of 15 people and Adult Only had a max of 8 people. We enjoyed both but the coziness of a smaller group is hard to come by. Both the Standard and Adult only tours take photos of you with the northern lights which are then emailed to you for free. The Express tour starts later in the evening making it a good choice if you have a day activity. It's a shorter tour so you're not going to be driving out far in search of the Green Lady. Also, photos are not free but you can purchase them afterwards. We also went to different locations each night so you will unlikely end up at the same location. Fortunately, we did not have to drive all the way into Finland in search of northern lights during our trip, but it is a possibility. When the weather is not favorable (as on our 2nd night), you will be informed with the opportunity to reschedule. We really enjoyed our tour either way but we loved the small group and amenities included with the Adult Only tour. If you had 1 opportunity, I would consider that, however the Standard tour is cheaper but with a slightly bigger group. Both were great and you'll meet people from around the world.

Reviews

4.8

based on 178 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Evgeni is a great tour guide

Jennifer_S, Mar 2026

Evening, our guide, was definitely very passionate about his job and showing us the light. He took great photos and explained everything really well. The soup was very good! Highly recommend. Have a light dinner before you go.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Hello, Thank you for the lovely review! We'll make sure Evening sees this, his passion for the aurora and for giving guests a truly memorable experience really does shine through, so we're glad that came across on your night out. And great tip about having a light dinner beforehand, much appreciated! Thank you for joining us and we hope to welcome you back under the northern lights again someday!

Long drive, but our guide...

Robert_S, Mar 2026

Long drive, but our guide Bart did not give up. The aurora was not particularly strong, but it was awesome to experience it.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re glad to hear that, despite the long drive and quieter activity, you still found the experience of seeing the aurora awesome. Bart will be happy to know his persistence made a difference, sometimes the lights are subtle, but still truly special to witness. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back for an even stronger display next time!

Amazing everything! Shout out to Sophie, our tour guide!

Lynnely_S, Mar 2026

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Hello, Thank you so much for sharing such a detailed review! We’re delighted to hear you joined us for four nights and had such a great experience. It’s wonderful that you got to try the different tour options and that Sophie made the experience so memorable. We’re glad you enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the small groups, the campfire evenings, and exploring different locations each night. Thank you for recommending the tours and for spending so many nights chasing the Northern Lights with us!

I had a great time with...

DALIA_S, Dec 2025

I had a great time with this experience. The group was small (only 5 people), which made it feel more personal and relaxed. Our tour guide, Bart, was very informative and friendly, and he took us to excellent spots to watch the beautiful Northern Lights. He also took professional photos of us and shared them afterward, which was a really nice bonus. Overall, it was a well-organized and memorable experience, and I highly recommend it ✨

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Hello, Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We’re really happy to hear that you enjoyed the small group atmosphere and felt the experience was personal and relaxed. Bart will be glad to know that his knowledge, friendliness, and choice of viewing spots made the night special for you. Thank you for the recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure!

Higher chance of seeing northern lights in the Finland-Sweden border

William_C, Nov 2025

This is a very impressive and intense aurora hunting that Magda and Michael brought to the Finland and Sweden border to light up the campfire and watch the northern light even when the weather is bad in Tromsø. I highly recommend if you can't watch the northern lights yourself in Tromsø and this can secure a higher chance to watch it!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the aurora adventure with Magda and Michael! Our guides aren’t afraid to travel far if that’s where the clearest skies are, giving their all every night to maximize your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. The cozy campfire makes the experience in the wilderness even more magical. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope your Tromsø memories keep shining as bright as the aurora!

Unforgettable!

Anderson_S, Jan 2025

Definitely one of the best experiences of my life. Our guide was very friendly and has a lot of knowledge about the northern lights.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Hello, Thank you for sharing your experience! We're so glad to hear that your Northern Lights adventure was one of the best of your life. Our guides are passionate about sharing their knowledge and making the experience unforgettable. We hope to welcome you back on another exciting tour in the future! Warm regards, Wandering Owl

Awesome adventure in the snow

John_M, Jan 2025

Awesome experience and our guide was great! thanks so much. The snacks, the environment, the stories all top notch!

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Hi John, Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re glad to hear you had such an awesome experience and that your guide made it even more special. We’re glad you enjoyed the snacks, the surroundings, and the stories – it’s always our goal to create a memorable and enriching experience for our guests. Thanks again for choosing us, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you on another adventure soon! Warm regards, Wandering Owl

Amazing experience - Completed a bucket list item - Thank you Bart and Wondering Owl

Navod_S, Oct 2024

We had an amazing experience in this tour. We were incredibly lucky that weather stayed clear, given that the days before and after our tour was filled with rain and cloudy skies around Tromso. The tour party was limited to 8, which was ideal. We can only say good things about our amazing guide Bart, who went above and beyond his way to make sure we had a great experience. He took care of the tour party very well and had great conversations with all of us. Bart was very knowledgeable on Auroras and was very keen to keep us informed on Science behind Auroras. He superbly planned this tour and found a great spot with minimal light pollution. We were treated with an amazing display of aurora borealis. We had the option of wearing thermal outfit to keep ourselves warm. Also there was a wood fire to keep us warm. Bart treated us with warm hot chocolate and tasty vegan soup. Highly recommend this tour with ideal party size. Also, thanks Wondering Owl and Bart for the attempts made to clean the camp site and to make sure only our footsteps are left behind.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such an amazing experience on the tour and were lucky with clear skies. It’s great to know that the small group size made the experience even more enjoyable. We’re especially happy to hear your kind words about Bart. It’s wonderful that his knowledge, careful planning, and attention to detail created such a memorable adventure for your group. We’re also glad you enjoyed the warmth of the thermal outfits, campfire, and the delicious hot chocolate and vegan soup! Thank you for appreciating our efforts to leave the campsite pristine — we believe in preserving the beauty of nature. We truly appreciate your high recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future! Kind regards, Wandering Owl

Disappointing Experience with Wondering Owl via Viator

Hacer_O, Feb 2024

We recently booked a trip via Viator with high hopes of experiencing the Aurora with Wondering Owl as our guide. Unfortunately, we can't help but express our disappointment with this experience. The advertisement promised a magical evening, where we would be taken to one of the three designated spots, (see advertisement description below) entirely dependent on weather conditions. However, this was not the case at all. It was specifically for these locations that we booked our trip. Instead of being taken to any of these places, the guides drove us to a parking lot along a random road, effectively ruining our evening. The tour was supposed to be organized for a small group of 8 adults, but we arrived to find a group of 16 people. It was chaotically organized; two large bowls were hastily placed on the ground to start a fire, the suits were distributed hurriedly, and everyone was left to sit on the parking lot next to the buses. There were absolutely no clouds in sight, clear stars in the sky, a perfect moment to witness the Aurora. It turns out, retrospectively, this was indeed the case, but not with our tour. The same tour operator MAX posted exceptional Aurora photos on the same day. The photos taken during our tour were completely photoshopped. As a designer myself, I could easily tell. While there was indeed a faint Aurora in the sky, the photos taken at that moment are not the same ones we received via email!!! I've been deceived in my life before, but these two guys, Anthony and Maciej, shamelessly deceived the entire group. Anthony has a smooth talk and can blabber nonsense all night, making you believe that what he's photographing is the Aurora, but we actually got to witness the Aurora for real. It looks completely different from what he described during the tour. The Aurora dances in the sky, which is totally different from what we saw that evening. Of course, it's never a guarantee that the Aurora will be visible, but photoshopping pictures and nonsensically boosting morale in a parking lot is the epitome of deceiving people. This also completely contradicts the vision of the organization "Wondering Owl". We've read wonderful reviews about "Wondering Owl", but these two guys have ruined it all!! We experienced 100% scam, and this is totally unacceptable! Below is the description of the advertisement, showing how it could have been: Kvaloya: Some nights the clear skies are on the coast so we will chase the gaps here. On location, your guide will set up a cozy campfire and serve a homemade meal. Your guide will share stories about the region and explain the aurora borealis phenomenon as well as take professional photos of landscapes and portraits of our guests. 3 hours • Admission Ticket Free Skibotn: Some nights the gaps in the clouds are inland and we might chase the gaps here. On location, your guide will set up a cozy campfire and serve a homemade meal. Your guide will share stories about the region and explain the aurora borealis phenomenon as well as take professional photos of landscapes and portraits of our guests. 2 hours • Admission Ticket Free Kilpisjarvi: On occasion, when it is too cloudy to have gaps in Norway, we might cross the border to Finland. This will only be done when there are substantially higher chances of seeing gaps in the clouds in Finland than in Norway. On location, your guide will set up a cozy campfire and serve a homemade meal. Your guide will share stories about the region and explain the aurora borealis phenomenon as well as take professional photos of landscapes and portraits of our guests.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hello future guests, The tour we executed was as desrcibed. All guests are fully informed that there are always chances we will not see activity. We don't expect guests to know what the Northern Lights are or how the activity works. We are the local experts in this and to help guests understand better we have created a blog with ample information on the topic, so if you wish to educate yourself on the challenges, limitations, and decision-making behind route selection you can. The northern light activity occurs more than 80km above us, if there is visible activity in the region, you will see it literally across the entire region. The difference between the coast (Kvaløya) and inland like Dividalen, Skibotn or even Finland is nothing, if the sky is clear and there is activity, you will see it across the entire latitude at the same time. In 2015 Wandering Owl founded a group called Gaps Hunters. It's where all the guides and drivers in the area can communicate what conditions they are experiencing. Your guide successfully found clear skies and according to Gaps hunters, he was one of the only ones who did. This group has over 200 members. The rest is up to nature. I back his decision to go to Dividalen and to wait there in that micro climate. It remained cloudy on Kvaløya, so going there was pointless. According to gap hunters, no group saw more than you. Sadly, these guests chose to bully our team members and behave inappropriately towards other guests. My employees have the right to feel safe at work and to have a safe working environment. Just because you are paying for a tour does not give you the right to be rude to my team and this behaviour is unacceptable. Your comments to your guide have left him with feelings of humiliation and embarrassment and the other guests have said their evening chasing was a disappointment, not because of the conditions, but because of your actions towards my team. It is never okay to be unkind to other people or to use shame or rudeness as a tool to lash out and express frustration. These guests also expressed neo nazi conspiracy theories, among other inappropriate and frightening behavour and statements. This goes against Wandering Owl's values and of course we are taking the next steps to ensure the correct authorities are informed. In addition, these people have chosen to film our employees and other by standers without their permission - which of course we do not accept and are taking all necessary legal action. We hope to never encounter "guests" with this behaviour on tour again and can ensure future guests that we have tightened our procedure for ensuring physical and emotional safety on our tours. Wandering Owl management have provided guides and drivers with additional training with cancelling unsafe persons from our tours. Guests must also take responsibility for their own behaviour. Bullying, shaming and dangerous idealogy will not be tolerated on tours with Wandering Owl. Guests joining our activities can expect to be safe and should be happy to support a company that trusts and cares deeply in their own employees. In 10 years of operation we have never encountered or experienced such unpleasant and dangerous behaviour from guests. Wandering Owl Management

What a wonderful experience…

Kristen, Jan 2024

I had a wonderful time and experience. Our guide Max was very knowledgeable and took us exactly where we needed to be to see the northern lights. The landscape is spectacular! It was wonderful to have a fire and some soup along with some homemade hot chocolate! We got our photos, professionally taken with the Aurora. Very happy with my excursion.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful experience with us. We're delighted to hear that you had a fantastic time and enjoyed the Aurora Hunt Tour with us. Max, our guide, will be pleased to know that his knowledge and guidance enhanced your experience. We're glad you enjoyed the cosy atmosphere with a fire, soup, and homemade hot chocolate – those moments by the fire can truly add to the magic of the Northern Lights experience. Thank you again for the feedback and we hope to welcome you to Tromsø again!

Viator great professionals

CRISTINA_P, Oct 2025

Book an aurora tour through Viator with a guide in Spanish. Enterprise doing the tour was wandering Owl. The surprise was that when the day of the tour arrives the guide is in English and we spend 5 hours listening to explanations that we did not understand. I place the claim and wandering Owl is disengaged, then I contact Viator and everything is facilities and apologies and refund the full amount of the excursion. I have no doubt that I will continue to hire excursions with Viator as they have proven to be professionals

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