Chasing Lights — Local services in Tromsø

We did 2 minibus chases on the 21st (Marius and Stan) and 22nd March (Jonas and Stan). We actually arrived in Tromso on Saturday the 16th March 2024 and because we landed at 21:00 there were no tours available so we decided to rent a car, however, as the forecast was really bad snow we ended up just going to our hotel (and in hindsight we wouldn’t know what to look for anyways, and I did ask Chasing Lights team and they did manage to see the Northern Lights that day). We then travelled to Kirkenes for a few days and then got on the Havila cruise and cruise from Kirkenes back down to Tromso. The 5 days we were in Tromso, Kirkenes and out at sea (16-21st) we did not see the northern lights as it was very very cloudy and snowing every night. We then decided to extend our trip and stay in Tromso for 2 extra nights (until 23rd) and booked Chasing Lights minibus chase for the 21/03/24 and 22/03/24.

For both chases, we travelled north and went to the same location both days (about 300m apart). On Thursday 21st we had a great northern lights show. We arrived at 19:30 and the northern lights started at 20:00 and was on and off until we left at 23:40. Thank you to Marius and Stan!

On Friday 22nd we only saw a really faint one that can only be seen through the camera, which we considered an unsuccessful chase. We were out in the wilderness waiting from around 19:30 to 00:30. Jonas was a great guide and really kept us entertained the whole time. Thank you to Jonas and Stan!

My advice to future travelers is to book the mini bus chase over the big bus. This is because the mini bus chase can go to smaller roads that the big bus cannot go or park. Additionally, the mini bus provides you with snow boots and suit whereas the big bus does not. I was wearing 3 layers of Uniqlo heattech (their thickest one) and then my long ankle length Canada Goose coat and I still had to ask for a snow suit on the Friday night. You basically want to be able to sit out in the wilderness for 5 hours in the cold (around a camp fire) as the northern lights can come and go really quickly. If you were on the big bus and you didn’t have enough layers, then you’ll be waiting inside the bus. By the time someone comes and get you (most likely after they finish taking their own photos) and you put your coat on and get out, most likely the lights are gone and you just have to wait until/if it comes back. The Thursday night that we did see the northern lights, it was off and on throughout the night and you can’t really predict it, at around 23:00 my mum went back into the minibus and then the northern lights appeared where it was so strong we can see the green and pink colours with our eyes (weak northern lights will appear white like clouds to the eye and will be green through camera lens), however it was gone 30seconds later so we didn’t have time to notify the people in the bus.

The minibus chase has a maximum number of 14 guests with 1 guide and the time does go by quickly. The guide does their best to entertain us around the fire and even though ough we were sitting in the wilderness for 5 hours it does not feel like it and it was very fun to sit around the camp fire.

My other advice is to go on at least 3 chases. My last advice is if you can afford it, just go on these tours rather than renting your own car, it is highly likely you don’t know where to drive to to find clear sky and what to look for as the weak northern lights will look white like clouds and will only be green through your camera. Chasing lights look at least 3 different weather forecasts to predict the cloud movements and location to avoid them. Plus it is a game if patience, you have to be outside the whole night as you never know when it would appear, I think people’s biggest mistake is to give up early and going on these tours forces you to be out there the whole night.

Thank you to Chasing Lights for an...

My experience with Chasing Lights was absolutely fantastic!! Marius and Justyna were our tour guides and Pawel our driver. They all are simply brilliant and magnificent!! Very charismatic and funny too!! I 100% recommend joining the Big Bus Chase!! At the beginning of the tour Marius explained the weather conditions and the plan they came up with for the night. Pawel drove us for over half an hour Southeast to leave behind the city lights and the cloudy skies. We got to a dark open field where some very dim Northern Lights were shining through some clouds. After only 15 min there the magic began and lasted for about 2 hours!! It was beautiful! We even got to see some "dancing" Lights. As the sky above us suddenly got covered by some very dense clouds I thought we were done for the night, and to be honest I was ok with it. I had seeing beautiful Northern Lights for longer that I thought I would! But I was very wrong! The night had just started!! The guides quickly asked us to get on the bus and Pawel drove us away from the cloudy skies for another half an hour. Marius picked an astonishing place by a beach to set up a bonfire were Justyna shared folkloric stories about the Northern Lights and he explained the physics behind the lights. The entire time we stayed there, strong Northern Lights were above us!! Marius and Justyna took as many portrait pictures of all of us as we wanted, during the entire trip, that they sent to us by Dropbox (at no charge) the next morning! They have professional equipment and are highly experienced photographers so we didn't have to worry about trying to figure out how to make things work with our own phones and could enjoy the show!! We had cookies and hot chocolate, and could also get on the bus anytime to stay warm. When we were ready to get back to Tromsø and already buckled up, the guides quickly asked us to jump out of the bus to witness the most beautiful display of the night! Green Northern Lights were stronger than ever and traces of pink could be spotted while they danced above us!! What I felt is indescribable. All I can say is: make sure you book your tour with Chasing Lights. Marius, Justyna and Pawel not only deeply love what they do but also are very knowledgeable, and that combination can only translate to a great experience!! Although there is no guarantee to see the lights due to their unpredictability, if someone can make it possible is them, and regardless of the outcome you will have an amazing time with these guys. They're all absolutely fantastic!! I'll be forever grateful for the amazing experience I had with them!! Thank you Marius, Justyna and Pawel!! Thank you...

We booked this trip to Norway last September for our 30 year anniversary and came across Chasing Lights in a travel blog. We decided to maximise our chances by booking the small group tour in a minibus. Fast forward to January and cue us frantically checking every weather app known to man because the forecast deteriorated with each passing day. Especially the evening that we wanted to go on the Aurora hunt looked like a complete desaster. 100% cloud cover, rain, sleet and snow basically everywhere in what seemed like a 500km radius. Chances looked slim to nonexistent that we would be able to see anything and had pretty much given up on the idea as we headed to the pick up place. Our guide David was more optimistic and told us that tonight would definitely be challenging but that there should hopefully be a gap in the clouds towards the Southwest coast on the island of Senja, which is a 3.5 hour drive.

So that's where our driver Vassilis took us. Road conditions were terrible. Heavy snow and lots of ice but he drove like a champ. If even my super critical husband says that he felt safe, it means something.

Top marks also for the vehicle. It still smelled brand-new and had luxurious leather seats and even USB plugs for every passenger.

We stopped by the sea and indeed, the stars came out and it didn't take long for the first pale Aurora glow to appear. To the untrained human eye it looks more like whispy clouds but the camera shows the green hue quite clearly and we managed some decent shots.

Sadly there was no breathtaking Aurora dance and the strong westerly wind nearly blew us away. It was so fierce that we had to ditch the idea of a camp fire and unfortunately more clouds moved in so the group went back inside the bus to warm up.

David just stayed in the cold, monitoring the sky and notified us as conditions improved again. Outside we were treated to hot blackcurrant juice and cookies while learning about the physics behind the Northern Lights.

After some hot food we headed back to Tromsø around midnight. It had started to snow again and conditions deteriorated further as time went on.

So, unfortunately no spectacular sights and no campfire but going with these guys is worth every single penny. They really try super hard to find a good spot. In the end we were out there more than 10 hours. Another big plus: they take everybody home directly to their respective hotels. So nobody had to walk home through snow and rain at 3am.

The next morning we had an email with a Dropbox link to the professional photos.

I can highly recommend Chasing Lights and would certainly book a tour...