THE VERY BEST ROVANIEMI NORTHERN LIGHTS TOURS: A COMPLETE GUIDE!
DREAMING OF A MOMENT LIKE THIS IN ROVANIEMI? 👇🏼
Well, if you’re visiting between September to March, you’re in luck! Rovaniemi, snuggled in the heart of Finnish Lapland, is a brilliant spot to see the swirling northern lights.
Though FYI, it’s quite rare to see them above Rovaniemi city centre because its light pollution is just too strong. In accommodation outside the city, there’s a slightly higher chance, but it’s totally dependant on luck and happenstance.
OUR RECOMMENDATION?
BOOK AT LEAST ONE GUIDED TOUR!
Joining a guided Rovaniemi northern lights tour will seriously maximise your chances of spotting the Aurora, which is exactly what we did on our 5 days in Rovaniemi trip.
We’re not going to waste your time listing dozens of semi-similar tours for no reason (cause let’s face it, analysis paralysis is just stressful and unnecessary).
The best of the best Rovaniemi northern lights tour is this 5* Northern Lights Rovaniemi: Guaranteed Viewing & Unlimited Mileage tour, available from early August to mid April.
It’s run by premium tour company Arctic GM “The Original Aurora Hunters™”, with one of the owners proudly representing the 20th generation of their Lapland ancestry, with roots stretching back to the 1600s!
WHY IT’S THE VERY BEST: SMALL GROUP, GUARANTEED VIEWING & UNLIMITED MILEAGE
Like “sugar, spice and everything nice”, this Northern Lights Rovaniemi: Guaranteed Viewing & Unlimited Mileage tour has the ideal mix to make an ideal Rovaniemi northern lights tour, which is—
→ ✅ Smallest group size. Much more personal and intimate (no more than 8 people)
→ ✅ Experience. Arctic GM is a tour operator who lives, breathes and dreams northern lights, being so attuned to to-the-minute forecasts that they can pinpoint them even when conditions aren’t looking too favourable.
→ ✅ Professional photos included. No scrambling around in cold trying to focus your iPhone if you don’t want to. Let the professionals capture your once in a lifetime photos, letting you be in the moment and to watch them with your EYES, not through a screen.
→ ✅ Unlimited mileage, no locational or time constraints. No limits, just one goal: to chase and find the northern lights.
→ ✅ No gimmicks or unnecessary time wasting, like a classic “barbecue sausage campfire” stop. A lot of Rovaniemi tours have this!! Thankfully, this one doesn’t.
Amassing 1200+ 5* raving reviews, this Northern Lights Rovaniemi: Guaranteed Viewing & Unlimited Mileage tour doesn’t mess around.
Every night their core mission is to chase northern lights, wherever they are, even to the Swedish border!!
It’s also a small group tour, with maximum 8 people. This creates a more intimate, special and personalised experience.
They proudly “eat, sleep, and breathe the northern lights”, constantly monitoring to-the-minute weather systems to track the best locations for solar activity.
💡 QUICK PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS— LONG EXPOSURE, WARM PHONE, STURDY TRIPOD & BACK-UP BATTERY
On the tour, your guide will take lots of professional photos and give access to them online afterwards. But of course you’ll probably want a stab at taking your own too, right?
If you’re like us and rely on your mobile phones, here’s a few top tips to get the best possible shots—
- Ideal camera settings: Flash off, “Night Mode” enabled with the exposure set between 10-15 seconds. Strong Aurora needs less exposure time, while weak Aurora may even need up to 30 seconds if it’s slow moving.
- Bring a retractable tripod with a Bluetooth remote control (this is the one we have and love). This’ll hold your phone perfectly still for those long exposure shots, plus the Bluetooth remote means you can easily get your own epic selfies!
- A phone battery completely drops from 100% to 10% in minutes if exposed to extreme cold. Keep your phone warm in inner pockets (against your body warmth) in between taking photos to prevent this from happening.
- JUST IN CASE the battery does drop, absolutely bring a portable power bank with you for back-up.
AN ALTERNATIVE UNIQUE TOUR TO SEE NORTHERN LIGHTS
Thinking about the most unique way to see northern lights, it’s fair to say this Aurora Arctic Ice Floating in Rovaniemi tour we personally did has got to take 1st prize!! 🥇👇🏼
Take a bright red thermal wetsuit, frozen lake and a bunch of brave travellers and what do you get? This: 🦞
Quick funny story -
I accidentally dunked my head fully in the -20°c water 🫠 It was caught on camera. Go on, click here for a giggle!
ANYWAY. Free aqua-botox session aside, we did love this small-group ice floating tour. It ended up being one of our favourite experiences in Rovaniemi Finland – once my face had dried off!!
Imagine relaxing your entire body, gently floating in icy water and staring up at millions of stars, shooting stars and – if you’re lucky – northern lights. It’s pretty amazing tbh.
>>> See if this Aurora Arctic Ice Floating in Rovaniemi is available on your dates
We sadly didn’t see the northern lights BUT, many people on this tour do! Here’s a photo of what it can look like:
Bringing me nicely to a crucial point. This tour is not designed to specifically “chase” northern lights. It is a nighttime activity, held in one location, with the added bonus of spotting the northern lights — if — they happen to appear during your experience.
If solar activity is present, I imagine there’s a pretty great chance here because it’s an idyllic woodland spot way outside of the city, with little to no light pollution. But of course, it’s not guaranteed.
This tour is available from start of November – early April.
SEPTEMBER AND MARCH ARE THE BEST MONTHS FOR ROVANIEMI’S NORTHERN LIGHTS
Yes, you read that right! Our northern lights tour guide told us when we were there that September and March are the BEST months to see the Aurora in Rovaniemi because of the Spring / Autumn Equinoxes.
The Equinoxes basically mean more solar wind, which creates beautifully bright and strong displays, especially with different ruska colours like pink and oranges!!
Plus the fact, these months tend to have less snowfall. Less snowfall = less cloud cover, allowing for more nights with clear skies ideal for optimal northern lights viewing (if solar activity is also good).
Of course, prolonged dark Winter nights from September all the way through to March bring possible Aurora sightings. Colder temperatures bring more snow, aka more cloud cover, too – so we strongly suggest booking a guided tour. Particularly the “northern lights chase” kind.
BONUS SECTION—
YOU CAN SEE NORTHERN LIGHTS FROM BED!
Guess what? It’s possible to watch northern lights WHILST snuggling in a comfy bed – cocooned by a warm, crunchy duvet. Even cradle a warm cup of tea while you’re at it!
This is how:
As we mentioned earlier, while it’s still not guaranteed, there’s a better chance of seeing northern lights on your own if you stay outside of Rovaniemi city.
Maximise that chance even more by staying in a glass igloo. It’s a bucket-list accommodation type with a transparent “glass roof” to experience the night sky from bed – from stars, the milky way or northern lights.
WRAP UP WARM! ROVANIEMI AT NIGHT IS (BELOW) FREEZING
Brace yourself. Deep in the thick of Winter, Rovaniemi’s night temperatures can drop to as low as -15°c/-20°c. 🥶
Almost every northern lights tour does provide complimentary thermal overalls, boots, accessories etc making you fully equipped for those kind of temperatures – but help yourself out and layer up in breathable layers too!
FINAL WORDS— ROVANIEMI NORTHERN LIGHTS
Wrapping up, Rovaniemi is not just Santa Claus’s hometown – it’s also a fantastic spot to see the spiralling northern lights magic – as long as you know where to look! You may get lucky and see them yourself (if you stay out of the city), but definitely book at least one dedicated tour to head out and “chase” them!
Not just any tour either. As a reminder, the ideal Rovaniemi northern lights tour is small group, with unlimited mileage / time policy. AND NO BBQ’S! 🤣 Just like our top pick, this 5* Northern Lights Rovaniemi: Guaranteed Viewing & Unlimited Mileage tour with Arctic GM, who will search every inch of the sky possible that evening to search for the Northern Lights for you.
For a more unique activity, we reckon you’ll really enjoy getting out of your comfort zone on this Aurora Arctic Ice Floating in Rovaniemi tour. If you’re lucky enough to get an Aurora show too, wow, what an experience that would be!! This ones much down to luck though.
This blog post was written by Jordie Flain!
Founder of TheFlainsTravel.com
A travel-obsessed Sagittarius creating honest, easy-to-follow guides. Powered by tea, chocolate and a slightly concerning amount of tomato ketchup.
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