Lapland Welcome — Local services in Rovaniemi sub-region

We went on the aurora photography tour with Lapland Welcome. The experience was a good one, even though the weather did not cooperate. Anyone who books a tour to see aurora HAS to know that no tour can predict or control the Sun’s particle streams or the Earth’s magnetosphere. So I absolutely do not blame them when the weather turned bad and a light snow fell the entire time during the tour. If there were any aurora up there, the clouds obscured them.

Despite not seeing the aurora, I have to admit the experience was unforgettable. We met downtown at their office where they provided outdoor gear for us. Let me be clear: their gear is very warm and functional! A couple basic under layers is all you need to bring, and perhaps your own cap. They have high quality boots and full-body snow suits to keep you warm and dry.

Then the group (about 30 in all for us) boarded a bus for the 45m-60m trip to the base of the viewing hill. There’s a cabin there for final gear prep and toilets to use (there are none at the summit). After the final preparations, there is a walk.

Fair warning: this is a ~500 meter hike, in the snow, uphill, in the dark to get to the viewing site. I’m in my thirties and of moderate health, so this wasn’t a great challenge for me, however it was taxing. Some older members of the group had to rest and take it slow. Be prepared for this.

At the top we sat on some snowy benches (be water-proof!) and listened to the guides explain some things about the aurora. They helped us know what settings to use for our cameras to best capture photos of aurora, should any appear. The guides are knowledgeable in general camera use, but don’t expect them to know everything about your particular camera. Know your own gear, accept their guidance with it. It’s an aurora photography tour, not an “Introduction to Photography” course. These are some basic settings they advise:

Set camera on manual mode Exposure to 15s at least, up to 30s could be necessary Widest possible aperture (lowest F-stop number) High ISO numbers, e.g. for 1.8 aperture at least ISO 800, but with higher apertures you’ll need anywhere from 3000 - 6000

As my luck goes, my Canon Rebel X with its kit lens didn’t support an aperture and ISO flexibility to meet their recommendations. But there were clouds, so that was moot. I hope my parroting of their recommendation helps you choose your gear, as I did not see any of that information on their website.

Now you’re wondering why I enjoyed the tour despite not seeing any aurora. Well, after 30 minutes or so outside watching for a break in the clouds, they moved us all into the kota (a large teepee structure) where there was a hot fire, food, and drinks. You roast your own sausage over the fire, so it’s a whole experience, kind of communal in a way. One guide told of some traditions and history of the region, and about Finland while we cooked and ate. Everyone seemed to loosen up and find comfort together in the shelter as the snow fell outside. One guide remained outside the whole time to keep a lookout for aurora.

The evening ended with a hike back down the hill, then back on the bus, and about an hour back into Rovaniemi. We began at 20:00 and ended at 02:00. I really appreciated the whole experience, even without aurora. Maybe...

For the first time in my life I will leave a comment, it is to tell you how beneficial it seems to me and to you who read it. We arrived to book a snowmobile or quad trip if the snow did not allow it. We were immediately directed towards the snowmobile by telling us that there we would do it there was plenty of snow unlike the center of Rovaniemi. At the time of departure we leave with a half delay so far nothing too serious only after 20 minutes of driving we are told that we have to turn around to pick up a group at their home to then take them to the agency to equip them and finally leave instead of the snowmobiles. This time we leave with more than an hour and a half delay. We are therefore obliged to cancel an activity that we had booked after this one which costs us 90 €. Finally arrived on site we find snowmobiles (I am a biker) almost 20 years old and especially restricted. In any case, the instructor tells us that there will be no point in using the brakes, since we will not exceed 20 km/h. In reality, it was not very serious, since as we thought unfortunately there was no snow, so instead of the planned 10 km (which is already not much) we did 6.5 km on a mixture of dirt and stones. So we return after 2h30, so 45 minutes of activity, including about ten lost drinking instant coffee. Just to not consume too much petrol. Arriving at the store, we ask if it is possible to do something since the conditions as requested were not respected, a mileage, not respected and + 1 delayed departure of + 1h30 which made us lose almost €100. We are told that if we are not happy, we can simply leave a Google comment. the only positive point is that the instructor, (very nice who spent his time apologizing) looks at us with eyes that make us understand that we are not crazy, but that it is them, who are in no way professional. fortunately do not worry, there are absolutely great companies in rovaniemi that we went through afterwards. So please, stay at home go for a walk or whatever, but do not go through...

What an adventure. This tourist trap is all talk but no results. These people claim to be professionals who also claims that they would explain anything about the stars and other topics that are related to the northern lights. However, all we got is a little explanation of reindeers and ear cut markings and how happy the Finnish people are in this country. What a complete joke this organisation. We understand that the Aurora is a natural phenomenon but we were suppose to go hunting for it and move up North? We went more south straying away from the light, going to a place that is owned by the company. How is this “chasing” and “hunting” the light? Complete scam I would say. Also, the guide we got assigned to was also a mute and stayed complete silent about the trip. He didn’t state what the plan was and suddenly we were in the middle of nowhere telling us to get out. We had the impressing that he was about to do something to us. In the end, we wasted 100 euros no refund for some cheap chicken nuggets - hotdogs, blue berry syrop juice and 5 hours of our time. These so called professionals should atleast have some forecast and add a partial refund or anything. We also got a “professional” photoshoot with no aurora in the back, making it seem like this is some sort of consolation price. So sad.

In reply to your message: people have seen more Northern light in the santa clause village that day than your poorly situated location. Winning an award 4 years ago doesnt mean anything today… your standards you are claiming to be the best didn’t show itself on our journey. We paid full price with no refund policy so even when the lights are not showing, we atleast expected more. Your assigned guide was horrible in every way. No actual storytelling or explanation. We had to ask what the actual plan was because we didn’t know. The way your practice works is just...