Northern Lights Tour in Kiruna

About This Tour

Begin your evening with a convenient pickup from your accommodation in Kiruna. Meet your local guide, who speaks Swedish and Russian fluently and can communicate in practical English during the tour.

This is a flexible Northern Lights hunt, not a fixed sightseeing route. The guide follows the weather, cloud movement, road conditions, and local experience to choose the best possible direction for the evening. The tour usually drives outside Kiruna, away from city lights, towards quiet forest areas and Arctic landscapes where the sky is darker and visibility may be better.

If a good viewing location is found, the group will stop and wait there while enjoying warm drinks and light snacks. During the evening, your guide may share local perspectives, regional stories, and simple explanations about the Northern Lights and the Arctic environment.

If the Northern Lights appear, the guide can help with basic phone settings when possible. Photos may also be taken by phone and sent to guests after the tour. Please note that this is not a professional photography tour, and Northern Lights sightings or photos cannot be guaranteed. Visibility depends on weather and sky conditions, and if there is heavy cloud cover, snowfall, or other conditions that block the sky, the aurora may not be visible even if activity is present.

Group sizes are kept small to create a calm and flexible experience. If conditions change during the night, the group may relocate to another place to improve the chances of seeing the lights.

Tour Highlights

Small Group, Flexible Chase

We take a maximum of 16 guests per night, in 2 comfortable heated vans. We keep the group small so the evening feels calm, personal, and flexible. Aurora chasing is about adapting to the conditions: if clouds move in or visibility changes, smaller vehicles make it easier to change direction or relocate when road and weather conditions allow.

Pickup and drop-off are included from accommodation within Kiruna city. Your guide contacts you on phone or WhatsApp before pickup, so you can wait in the warmth of your hotel lobby instead of standing outside.

What Happens If We Don't See the Northern Lights?

We are honest about this: no one can guarantee the Northern Lights. They are a natural phenomenon, and visibility depends on both aurora activity and clear sky. Heavy cloud cover, snowfall, fog, or other sky-blocking conditions can make the aurora invisible even when activity is present.

What we can promise is that we plan the evening around the best available conditions, follow the weather and cloud situation, and drive away from city lights when it is safe and possible. The tour is still an Arctic night experience with warm drinks, light snacks, local stories, and a chance to enjoy the winter landscape.

If the tour runs as planned and no aurora appears at all, we offer a 50% discount on your next tour with us (subject to availability) — see our terms. There is no refund for lack of aurora; the lights are nature's part of the deal.

What to Wear

Winter nights here range from −5 °C to −30 °C. Dress very warmly, in layers:

• Thermal base layer (wool or synthetic — not cotton)
• Wool or fleece mid-layer
• Insulated winter jacket and warm trousers
• Warm winter boots with room for thick socks
• Warm hat, insulated gloves and a scarf or neck warmer

Please note: winter clothing is not included — we do not rent or provide it, so bring your own warm gear. You can step into the heated van to warm up at any time, but the tour is not suitable for guests who cannot spend time outdoors in cold winter conditions. For a full packing list, read our guide on what to wear on a Northern Lights tour.

Guided Chase vs Going Alone

You can hunt the aurora yourself — if you rent a car, are confident driving on ice at −25 °C, can read KP and cloud forecasts in real time, and know which roads lead to dark sky. A guided tour replaces all of that with a local guide: route decisions based on live conditions, dark-sky spots away from streetlights, heated transport, and basic phone photo help when possible. We compare both options honestly in "Is a Northern Lights tour worth it?".

Before Booking, Know This

• The aurora is a natural phenomenon — sightings are never guaranteed. Heavy cloud cover, snowfall, fog, or other sky-blocking conditions may prevent visibility even when aurora activity is present.
• Routes and timing adapt to weather, clouds and road conditions; the tour is a hunt, not a fixed itinerary.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start. Cancellations and refunds are processed through our booking system (Bokun) and its payment provider — the exact policy shown at checkout applies.
• If we cancel a tour for safety reasons (extreme weather or dangerous roads), you choose a full refund or a free rebooking.
• Winter clothing is not included or rented — dress very warmly.
• No-shows are non-refundable, and there is no refund for lack of aurora — instead you get 50% off your next tour with us.
• Children under 6 are not bookable online for this tour — please contact us before booking, as the tour can be cold, late, and weather-dependent.
• Not suitable for guests who cannot spend time outdoors in cold winter conditions, or guests who cannot sit in a vehicle for longer stretches.