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The best northern lights tour in Pyhä-Luosto for your kind of night

A band of green aurora low over the black silhouettes of pines under a starry sky

Illustration photo: the aurora over a forest, not in Pyhä-Luosto.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If seeing the aurora is the whole point of your trip, book the hunt by car: it is the only tour here that plans its route by the cloud forecast and moves to find clear sky. If you would rather have a good evening whatever the sky does, take the snowmobile ride from the ranch by Lake Pyhäjärvi. For a quiet walk, or for someone who cannot walk far, the two cheaper evenings suit better.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

Hunt by carSnowmobile eveningSnowshoe walkAurora talk
Goes looking for clear sky Yes – moves to where the sky is clearest No No No
Adult price €149 From €170 €99 – lowest adult price €99 – lowest adult price
Length 3.5 h 2.5 to 3.5 h 2 h 2 h
Transport Included Not included Not included Not included

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: moves to where the sky is clearest and lowest adult price. The snowmobile evening's price is its lowest and rises with the dinner option. None of these tours can promise the aurora; the hunt by car only improves the odds of clear sky.

Where these figures come from
  • Hunt by car: Three and a half hours, driving up to 100 km to the clearest sky, with a fire and hot drinks there.
  • Snowmobile evening: A guided snowmobile ride from the ranch at night, with a three-course dinner by a fire as an option.
  • Snowshoe walk: Two hours on snowshoes to a chosen spot in the forest near Luosto, for anyone aged eight or more.
  • Aurora talk: Two hours of stories and sky-watching over hot drinks, suitable for people who cannot walk far.

The aurora evenings around Pyhä and Luosto differ most in what they do when the sky is cloudy.

To chase the sky

Kairankutsu plans its hunt by car on the cloud and space-weather forecasts and drives up to 100 kilometres to the most promising spot, where it lights a fire.1

To have the evening anyway

LuckyRanch’s snowmobile evening is a ride through the forest at night, with a three-course dinner by a fire for those who choose it.2 Kairankutsu’s snowshoe walk goes ahead even when it snows,3 and its aurora talk is built for cloudy nights and for guests who cannot walk far.4

The other shared evenings, including the Monday talk in Luosto and the zipline course, are compared on the northern lights in Pyhä.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Will someone photograph the aurora for us?

On the hunt by car, yes: the guide teaches the basics of photographing the aurora and, if it appears, takes pictures of the moment for the group. The other listings do not promise photographs, so bring a phone that can take a long exposure and a way to keep it steady.

What if the forecast turns bad a few days before?

The ranch's snowmobile evening is sold through a booking platform with free cancellation until a day before. The three evenings booked in the operator's own shop charge the full price if you cancel within seven days, so book those once the week's weather looks settled rather than weeks ahead.

Do we need our own winter clothing?

On the snowmobile evening, overalls, a helmet and boots are included. On the other three, warm clothes and shoes are not included. For the aurora talk the operator asks for rental clothing to be reserved in advance and collected from its office in Pyhätunturi; ask whether the same applies to the other two.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

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