Chasing the northern lights is no easy task. Many travellers spend years trying to see the famous green aurora borealis, and yet still don’t find them. If you’re making the journey to see the northern lights, you want to maximise your chances of seeing them. So should you chase the lights yourself, or should you join a northern lights tour? Ultimately, is a Northern Lights Tour Worth It?

Which Northern Lights Tours Should I Go On?

Handpicked Tours

It will totally depend on where you are planning to see the northern lights, but I’ve done my best to segment these by the most popular northern lights destinations. These are the highest quality tours around the world, handpicked by me.

Alaska

• From Fairbanks - Arctic Circle and Northern Lights Tour

• From Fairbanks – Northern Lights Viewing at Murphy Dome

• From Anchorage – Northern Lights Tour and Lifetime Adventure

Finland

• From Rovaniemi – Northern Lights Hunting with Husky Sledding

• From Rovaniemi – Northern Lights with Lappish Barbeque

• From Kemi – Northern Lights Aurora Hunting

• From Levi – Northern Lights Safari by Snowmobile

• From Saariselka – Hunting Northern Lights by Snowbile

Norway

• From Tromso – Northern Lights Big Bus Chase

• From Tromso – Overnight Stay with Reindeer Sledding, Feeding and Northern Lights

• From Tromso – Northern Lights Husky Visit

• From Svolvaer/Lofoten – Northern Lights Chase Tour

• From Alta – Magical Northern Lights Tour from Snowmobile

Sweden

• From Kiruna – Longest Northern Lights Tour with Dinner

• From Abisko – Longest Northern Lights Tour with Dinner

• From Kiruna – Northern Lights from top of Mt Ednamvarri with 360 degee views (highly recommended!)

Iceland

• From Reykjavik – Northern Lights Midnight Adventure (likely to sell out, perfect 5-star reviews)

• From Reykjavik – Golden Circle & Northern Lights Combo Tour

• From Reykjavik – Northern Lights Cruise

• From Akureyri – Northern Lights 4x4 Jeep Tour

• From Vik – Northern Lights Hunt

Canada

• From Whitehorse – Northern Lights and Huskies

What Are the Chances of Seeing the Northern Lights in General?

It totally depends on where you go, and you’ll have to do a little bit of research on your destination. For example, seeing the northern lights in places within or just around the Arctic Circle, such as Levi (Finland), Tromso (Norway), or Abisko (Sweden) mean that it’s pretty likely that you’re going to see the famous lights if you stay at least 3-4 nights at that place. However, other destinations might not have the same likelihood of aurora activity happening due to its location.

From our personal experience, we stayed at the Northern Lights Village in Levi, Finland, in January and were told that our chances of seeing the northern lights were pretty high, but that there was no guarantee. Statistics showed that in Levi, the Aurora Borealis dances about 200 times a year.

Luckily, we saw the lights within 24 hours of getting to the Village, and all we can say is that it was a truly unforgettable experience we will never, ever forget.

Do It Yourself or Join a Northern Lights Tour?

To answer this question, you’ll have to ask yourself a few more questions:

1. What is the likelihood of seeing the northern lights at the destination I’m visiting?

This is the most important question you’ll have to ask yourself. If the chances of seeing the northern lights are really high at the place you’re visiting, then perhaps you can do-it-yourself if you feel confident enough. For destinations anywhere outside the immediate vicinity of the Arctic Circle, I wouldn’t feel so confident, and I would recommend joining a tour.

2. Will I have transport to see the lights?

If you don’t have a car to get around to see the lights, then your job will be made very hard. The lights frequently move around, and can pop up by literally anywhere. You’ll need mobility.

The thing with driving a car, though, is that you’re still limited to roads. Often times, the northern lights will appear somewhere very rural and remote, and you still won’t be able to chase down the lights with a car. In moments like these, a tour would usually come equipped with different modes of transport – whether it be a snowmobile or otherwise.

Tour providers will be able to track down where the lights are, and get you to the best place you need to be to see them.

3. How good am I with aurora borealis radars and other technology?

You’ll be very lucky to wake up and suddenly see the northern lights. Unless you’re staying in an accommodation that is specifically designed for guests to catch the northern lights (such as the Northern Lights Village in Levi), you’ll have to track the auroras down using technology such as aurora activity radars.

Some people can navigate themselves just fine on these apps, but I personally struggled hardcore to understand what was going on! If you’re not confident in using these apps, then I would highly recommend joining a tour instead.

4. How much time do I have in one place?

It’s pretty simple – the less time you have, the less chances you have in seeing the lights. If you don’t have that much time (e.g. less than 3 days), then I would highly recommend maximising your chances of seeing the auroras by joining a tour.

5. How prepared am I with Northern Lights photography? The value of Northern Lights Photography Tours

Taking a photograph of the northern lights is not just a matter of setting your camera to ‘Automatic’ mode and pressing the shutter button. It’s very unlikely that your photo will turn out well. In fact, your photo might end up too blurry, too dark or too grainy.

We studied for weeks beforehand and were able to learn how to take photos of the lights, but it wasn’t easy. Tour companies will often offer photography tours to help you take better photos of the auroras. This is such good value for money and is so important, as, let’s be real – if you didn’t take a good photo of the lights, did you really go?

Not to mention, even if you go on a standard northern lights tour, your tour guide will most likely have great knowledge about how to take photos of the northern lights. Our tour guide knew all the tips and tracks on how to take the best photos, and helped us out so much by directing us on how to pose, which settings to use on the camera and more. Truly - just priceless and essential knowledge.

There are countless of amazing northern lights photography tours out there – some even come with a professional photographer to take your photos - but here are just some of the best-reviewed ones you can check out:

• From Rovaniemi, Finland - Northern Lights Photography Hunting Tour 

• From Levi, Finland – Northern Lights Hunting Photo Tour

• From Anchorage, Alaska – Northern Lights Photography Tour

• From Tromso, Norway – Small Group Photography Tour

• From Lofoten Islands, Norway – Northern Lights Photography Tour

• From Reykjavik, Iceland – Small Group Northern Lights Photography Tour

• From Kiruna, Sweden – Northern Lights Tour with Photographer

If you don’t see a tour listed that’s suitable for you, just use the search bar in Viator and type in your destination, plus the search term ‘northern lights photography tour’.

Also, if you’re looking to do some learning before you actually get to see the northern lights, you can take this affordable Northern Lights Photography Online Workshop, which has 5-star reviews. Very suitable for beginners, if you have no idea where to start.

6. How equipped am I to handle the cold?

Going out to see the northern lights means that it’s likely you’ll be in sub-zero temperatures. When I went on my northern lights tour in Finland, the temperature was -27 degrees Celsius (-16.6 Fahrenheit)!

Had I gone out in my usual equipment and clothing, it wouldn’t have been safe for me and I might have suffered from frostbite or other illnesses. Luckily, my tour provider supplied snow suits, beanies, boots and everything else that was needed to be safe on the tour. Keep this in mind when choosing to do-it-yourself to see the lights.

7. Am I happy just seeing a glimpse of the northern lights, or do I want to see more?

While you might be able to catch a glimpse of the northern lights by yourself, a tour usually seeks out spots where the lights are shining the brightest. When the light show ends, they can also move to a different spot and chase the lights, meaning you would get to see more of the lights.

8. How much budget do I have to spare for a northern lights tour?

Lastly, you should think about your budget. While it’s true that some northern lights tours can be pricey (some, not all!), if you’ve come all the way to a destination to see the aurora borealis, are you really prepared to skip out on maximizing your chances to see the lights?

To me, it would be a massive disappointment if I would have spent all this money on transport and accommodation to see the Auroras, only to not join in on a tour and not end up actually seeing the lights.

So although you can save money by choosing to chase the lights yourself (although, to be honest, car rental prices often end up being more expensive than tour costs), going on a northern lights tour is an expense that’s well worth it to guarantee you have the best experience and chance to see the Auroras.

RELATED: Things to do in Helsinki in 1 Day, Catching the Northern Lights at Northern Lights Village, Levi, The Best Activities and Experiences To Do While in Levi, Finland

Final Verdict - Is A Northern Lights Tour Worth It?

Absolutely, yes. While we did ponder this question a little bit before going to see the northern lights, we decided that such an important milestone in our travel journey would be best left handled by the experts, who hunt the beautiful northern lights on a nightly basis. Their expertise, knowledge and experience is irreplaceable, no matter how much research or time you put in to seeing the Auroras.

Additionally, weather is often unpredictable and always changing. Even if you think you’ve done everything you can to maximize your likelihood of seeing the lights, it doesn’t always go to plan. It’s times like these that an expert from your tour can redirect, optimise and change plans to suit the weather conditions.

A lot of tours also actually provide you a free additional chance the next night if you don’t see the lights on your first tour! They don’t have to do this, but most highly rated tour companies are super passionate about what they do and want to give you the best experience you can under the northern lights.

My final thought is that – to me – seeing the northern lights is something that almost every traveller has on their bucket list. For some, it’s a lifelong dream to see them. With this in mind, I wouldn’t short change or spare my expenses in this regard. I would do everything I could to see the northern lights, and it paid off for me!

Although I was able to see the northern lights from my igloo cabin at the Northern Lights Village, I was able to see them even better on my Aurora Hunting by Heighted Sleigh tour. Food, blankets, winter clothes and other snacks were also provided on my tour.

Thinking about chasing the Northern Lights? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments below!

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