"Excellent sightseeing tour. As they said, there's a guarantee of seeing the northern lights. The guides are very helpful and take as many photos as you want. Excellent choice. I recommend them. They know exactly where to go. We saw reindeer, visited Sweden, and the Northern Lights appeared over an open field with a church from 1600 in the background. It was magical."
Late August to Early April · Money-Back Guarantee
Rovaniemi Northern Lights Tours
Rovaniemi's aurora tours do not drive to one spot and hope. They read the cloud radar, chase clear sky for up to 200 km, sometimes into Sweden, and refund you if the camera catches nothing.
From
$78
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.8 / 5 2703+ Reviews
- 100% Money-Back Guarantee
- 4-8 h A Typical Chase
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Featured Chase Includes
A guide who is also the photographer, heated vehicles, and Arctic overalls and boots rated to −40°C.
Highlights
- 100% Money-Back Guarantee – No Aurora, No Payment
- Real Aurora Hunting – Not a Fixed Route Tour
- Drive Up to 200 km for Clear Skies
- Professional Northern Lights Photos Included
- Avoid Crowds – No Mass Tourism Locations
What's Included
- Professional, locally based Northern Lights guide & photographer (English; additional languages available on request, subject to availability)
- Unlimited DSLR photos
- Photos delivered digitally via email
- Arctic winter clothing overalls & boots suitable for temperatures down to −40°C included
- Modern heated vehicles designed for long-distance travel
- Professional drivers experienced in Arctic winter conditions
- Meteorological Observations
- Warm drinks & cookies
- All fees and taxes
How an Aurora Chase Night Works
Booked by day, confirmed by afternoon, out in the dark until the sky clears.
Meet at the Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park
Join your guide at the safari office on Joulumaantie 5 inside Santa Claus Village at 08:45, or at the city office on Koskikatu 8 at 09:00 if you're staying in central Rovaniemi.
Drive Your Own Reindeer Sledge
Local herders explain what reindeer herding actually involves in the 21st century. After a short briefing you take the reins yourself for a 500 m run — and collect a Reindeer Sledge Driver's Licence at the end.
Ride With the Alaskan Huskies
Meet the dogs at the husky farm, hear from the mushers who work with them year-round, and take a 500 m husky sleigh ride. Traditional salmon soup — or a vegetarian bowl — is served to warm you up.
Free Time in Santa Claus Village
You're dropped at the village itself, which costs nothing to enter. Cross the painted Arctic Circle line, meet Santa in his office (free — only the official photo is charged), and post a card from the Main Post Office.
Photo Gallery
Lapland Aurora Nights
Aurora nights in Finnish Lapland.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Rovaniemi Aurora Chases Compared
All three refund you if no aurora is captured on camera. They differ in clothing, group size and what happens after a cloudy night.
| Feature | WARMEST KIT Northern Lights Tour, 100% Guarantee | Authentic Northern Lights Tour | Aurora Hunt, Guaranteed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (Oct 2026) | From $78 per person | From $67 per person | From $67 per person |
| Rating | 4.8/5 from 2,703 reviews | 4.9/5 from 589 reviews | 4.8/5 from 1,353 reviews |
| If no aurora | Full refund if none is captured on camera | Full refund if none is captured on camera | Full refund or a free second hunt |
| Warm clothing | Overalls and boots to −40°C included | Not included | Not listed as included |
| Group | Shared heated vehicle | Up to 8 per vehicle, or a heated bus | Bus, or a small-group option of up to 8 with pickup |
| How far they go | Up to 200 km for clear sky | Up to about 120 km, into Sweden when needed | Into the wilderness or across to Sweden |
| Photos | Unlimited, emailed after the tour | Every photo of the night, emailed | Unlimited, included |
| Check Availability | See the Tour | See the Tour |
More Options
Other Aurora Chases From Rovaniemi
Every one carries a money-back guarantee; they differ in group size, clothing and how the refund works.
MOST REVIEWEDRovaniemi: Northern Lights Tour with Guaranteed Sightings
SMALL GROUPRovaniemi: Authentic - Northern Lights Tour 100% guarantee
Small-group aurora chase from Rovaniemi with a photographer guide and a 100% guarantee on the listing.
REFUND OR RE-HUNTRovaniemi: Aurora Hunt - 100% Guaranteed, Free Photos
Aurora hunt with local guides and free photos, sold with a guarantee: no lights, and you join again.
Before You Book
Rovaniemi Northern Lights Tours, Read Properly
What a 100% guarantee covers, what it does not, and how to choose between tours that look the same.
Rovaniemi is a good base for the northern lights. It sits on the Arctic Circle, under the auroral zone, and its tours run every night from late August to early April when the forecast gives a real chance. What decides your night is cloud, not latitude, and that is what the tours sell: a guide who reads the cloud radar and the space-weather data, and a heated vehicle that drives to wherever the sky is clear.
All four of the most-booked chases below promise your money back if they do not see the aurora. That promise is real, but read the wording. Each one refunds you if no northern lights are captured on camera. A camera sees a faint aurora as clear green when your eyes see a pale grey arc, so a night the camera counts as a success can look modest in person. The photographs you are sent afterwards are the honest record of what was there.
Which chase to book
Warmest kit
Northern Lights Tour, 100% Guarantee
Arctic overalls and boots to −40°C included, up to 200 km of driving for clear sky, unlimited photos.
Check dates →Small group
Authentic Northern Lights Tour
Local guides, groups of up to 8 per vehicle or a heated bus. Warm clothing is not included, so dress for it.
See the tour →Refund or re-hunt
Aurora Hunt, Guaranteed
If the camera catches nothing, you choose a full refund or a free second hunt. Small-group option with pickup.
See the tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check; aurora tours price by date, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The fourth big seller, the Arctic GM chase ($78, 4.7 from 4,516 reviews), is the most-reviewed tour in Rovaniemi and offers a small-group option of up to 8 guests that crosses into Sweden when the weather is better there.
What the night is actually like
Expect four to eight hours, depending entirely on the sky. Departures are usually between 18:00 and 21:00, and the operator confirms your exact meeting time by email in the afternoon, once the guides have looked at the forecast. Meeting points are offices in central Rovaniemi; the Lapland Explorers small-group option adds pickup from your accommodation.
Most of the time is spent driving and waiting in the dark, then standing outside once the guide finds a gap in the cloud. The guides double as photographers and shoot you in front of the aurora with professional cameras, and the photos arrive by email afterwards at no extra cost. Warm drinks and snacks are included on all four.
What to wear
Dress for standing still at −15°C to −30°C. Two of these tours lend you Arctic overalls and boots; the small-group “Authentic” tour says warm clothing is not included. Either way, wear thermal base layers (wool, not cotton), a hat, thick gloves with liners you can work a phone in, and warm socks. Cold hands are what end most people’s nights early, not the overall temperature.
When to go
The season runs from late August to early April. Autumn (September and October) has milder nights and reflections on unfrozen lakes; December has the longest darkness, with only about two hours of daylight around the solstice, but more cloud; February and March bring colder, clearer nights and longer days for everything else. No month guarantees a sighting, which is exactly why the guarantee matters. See Rovaniemi in December if you are coming for Christmas.
Booking it
Book the first night of your trip if you can. If the camera catches nothing, the refund or re-hunt leaves you time for a second attempt later in the stay. The booking calendar on this page shows the featured chase’s open nights.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say
4.8/5
from 2703 verified guests
"Best fucking experience I’ve ever had in my life!!!!"
"Both Tony and Hernán were good guides who gave us wonderful tips surrounding the beautiful star filled night sky as well as nice suggestions for poses for our pictures with the aurora in the background. Hernan has an impressive grasp of multiple languages so i think most people will understand without any grasp of the English language."
"Luca was our guide and put in a lot of effort. He also took good care of the ladies who were traveling with us and who did not understand English. We went to 2 spots. At the second one, Luca built a fire, and we waited for the lights to appear. With a little patience, we were then able to see them. We also saw various shooting stars. It was a great experience, and Luca was an excellent guide."
"A heartfelt thank you to Sara and Tuomo for making our Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) tour such a wonderful and unforgettable experience! 🌌✨ Your patience, dedication, and excellent organization made the trip truly special. We especially appreciate the time and effort you took to capture so many beautiful photographs of us under the magical Northern Lights. Your kindness and willingness to help at every moment made the experience even more memorable. Thank you both for your passion, patience, and for helping us create memories that we will cherish forever. Highly recommended to anyone dreaming of witnessing the magical Aurora Borealis! 💚📸"
"We were initially hesitant about the success of the excursion and the visibility of the northern lights, but it was wonderful. Special thanks to Atte and Sara for their patience in taking photos of everyone. Sara was knowledgeable and gave us information about the northern lights. I highly recommend it."
"A very good experience with Atte and Sara. Good explanations about the aurora phenomenon, and good transportation. We were lucky enough to see them because we had a clear night. It's one of nature's phenomena that you have to see once in your lifetime, and one of the ideal places to do so is Rovaniemi."
"Awesome tour. We only had to drive 45 minutes away. Returned back around 11:45. The tea and cookies were a nice touch. I wouldn’t say this was a small group as it was a full coach bus. Very warm and had USB chargers. Photos they took are also amazing."
Read all 2703 verified reviews
See All ReviewsChase the Aurora With a Money-Back Guarantee
Guide and photographer, heated vehicle, Arctic overalls and boots, and a full refund if no northern lights are captured on camera. From $78 per person (checked October 2026), free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from $78 per person.
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Rovaniemi Northern Lights FAQ
The questions people ask before booking an aurora chase from Rovaniemi.
Yes. Rovaniemi sits on the Arctic Circle under the auroral zone, so on clear dark nights between late August and early April there is a real chance of seeing them. What usually stops you is cloud, not the aurora itself, which is why the tours drive to wherever the sky is clear, sometimes 100 to 200 km away or across the border into Sweden.
On the four most-booked Rovaniemi chases it means a full refund if no northern lights are captured on camera during the tour. One of them, the Lapland Explorers hunt, lets you choose a free second hunt instead. Note the wording: a camera picks up faint aurora that looks pale grey to the eye, so a night that counts as a sighting can look modest in person. The photos you receive are the honest record.
You can. December has the longest darkness of the year, with only about two hours of daylight around the solstice, so the window is long. It also tends to be cloudier than late winter. Booking a chase that drives for clear sky, early in your trip, gives you the best odds and a second chance if the first night is cloudy.
Usually four to eight hours, depending on how far the guides have to drive to find clear sky. Most depart between 18:00 and 21:00, and the exact meeting time is confirmed by email in the afternoon of the tour.
Dress for standing still at −15°C to −30°C: wool base layers, a warm mid layer, a hat, thick gloves with thin liners, and warm socks and boots. Some tours lend Arctic overalls and boots rated to −40°C; the Polar Lapland small-group tour says warm clothing is not included, so check the listing before you pack.
The season runs from late August to early April. September and October bring milder nights and reflections on unfrozen lakes; December gives the longest darkness; February and March often bring colder, clearer nights. No month is guaranteed, which is why the money-back promise is worth having.
Book a few days ahead in December and around Christmas, when Rovaniemi is at its busiest. All four tours here offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs nothing if your plans change.
Without a car and local knowledge, usually yes. The lights over Rovaniemi itself are washed out by street lighting and often hidden by local cloud. The tours earn their price by reading the forecasts and driving to clear sky, and by photographing you in front of the aurora, which a phone rarely manages.
Still have questions? Email us at info@santaclausvillagerovaniemi.com