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Best northern lights tour in Utsjoki: which evening to book

A bright green aurora curving across a deep blue night sky

Illustration photo: the aurora over Karasjok in Norway, not on the evenings described here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For the best chance of clear sky, book the village company's minivan evening, which chases the weather and is the cheapest. With children under twelve, book the holiday village's evening, the only one with a printed child fare, and ask for the sleigh. If you are staying in Karigasniemi or want a long evening outdoors, take the hotel's snowmobile sled to the fell-top hut.

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.

Travel UtsjokiHoliday Village ValleHotel Guossi
Adult price €115 – the lowest adult price €150 €120
Child price 30% off under 12, by its terms €80 (under 12) Not stated
Length Up to 3 h 2–3 h About 4 h
Getting about Minivan Sleigh, car or snowshoes Snowmobile sled
Starts from Pick-up within 8 km of the village Holiday village, Utsjoki Hotel, Karigasniemi
Season Not stated Not stated 15 Dec to 20 Mar

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest adult price. The village company's price is its own shop's figure; the same evening on a booking platform costs the same, per person, with a pick-up radius of ten kilometres. The holiday village and the hotel print per-adult and per-person prices.

Where these figures come from
  • Travel Utsjoki: Up to three hours by minivan between seven in the evening and one at night, going where the sky is clearest, with warm drinks, snacks and spare clothing.
  • Holiday Village Valle: Two to three hours by snowmobile sleigh, car or snowshoes as the weather allows, with the Sámi stories of the aurora told on every evening.
  • Hotel Guossi: About four hours by snowmobile sled from Karigasniemi towards the Ailigas fell, with a hut, a fire and hot drinks on the way.

Three aurora evenings are sold in Utsjoki, and the choice between them is less about price than about how you want to spend the dark hours.

To chase clear sky

The village company’s minivan evening goes where the sky is clearest, for up to three hours between seven and one, with warm drinks, snacks and spare clothing in the van.1 Of the three, it is the one least tied to a single place, which is what matters on a night of patchy cloud.

For children, and for the stories

The holiday village chooses its transport on the night: a sleigh behind a snowmobile up to the fells, a car further away, or snowshoes close by. On every evening the guide tells what the aurora meant to the Sámi in the old days.2 With a printed fare for children under twelve, it is also the evening a family can price in advance.

For a long night on the fell

From Karigasniemi, the hotel takes a snowmobile sled towards the Ailigas fell, stops at the top to watch, and warms up at a hut with a fire.3 It is the longest of the three and the most exposed.

What the village company’s evening involves in detail, including its lávvu by the Teno, is on northern lights in Utsjoki.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Which evening keeps us outside the least?

Probably the minivan evening, because a van travels with you all night and the company carries spare clothing in it. The holiday village's evening can be the same if the guide takes the car, or longer outdoors on a sleigh or snowshoes. The Karigasniemi evening is the one to dress hardest for, since the hotel itself warns there is little exercise on it.

What happens on a cloudy night?

None of the three companies promises a refund or a second evening when the aurora stays away. The village company and the holiday village both say they follow forecasts and may move the start time, which is the practical protection: stay flexible for a night or two and let the guide choose. The Karigasniemi trip is called off only for cold below minus 25.

Can we book the same evening?

The holiday village takes bookings until six the evening before. The village company books its aurora evenings on request and confirms within two days on its own shop, or through the booking platform, whose listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The Karigasniemi hotel takes bookings by phone or through its website contact form.

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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