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Northern lights in Ivalo: which evening to book

A white camper van parked on flat ground under a broad band of green aurora across a starry sky

Illustration photo: a van under the aurora, not from one of the tours compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If the sky is the point, book one of the three that drive to clear weather: the Arctic Guides hunt is the cheapest and adds a short photography lesson, the Trafinari chase adds professional photos and a campfire meal, and the Hotel Ivalo minibus leaves from the hotel. If you want a full evening whatever the sky does, Ivalo Safaris' sleigh ride to Lake Inari adds reindeer and a home-made dinner.

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.

Arctic Guides: hunt by carTrafinari: chase with campfireHotel Ivalo: minibusIvalo Safaris: Lake Inari evening
Price €132 – the lowest price per person €135 €145 €165
How it looks for the sky Drives to clear skies Drives to clear skies North or east by the forecast One place on Lake Inari
Duration 4 h 3.5 h 3 h 4 h
Added Photography lesson Professional photos, campfire meal Snacks Sleigh ride, reindeer, dinner
Winter clothing Not stated Not stated Not stated Included
Starts from Not stated Hotel pickup Hotel Ivalo Hotel pickup in Ivalo centre

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. All four price per person and can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Only the price is marked: none can promise the aurora.

Where these figures come from
  • Arctic Guides: hunt by car: Four hours driving to wherever the sky is clearest, with warm drinks and a short photography lesson. The cheapest of the four.
  • Trafinari: chase with campfire: A chase in a hybrid van with professional photos taken for you, a campfire and a traditional Finnish meal. Three and a half hours, collected from your hotel.
  • Hotel Ivalo: minibus: Three hours by minibus from Hotel Ivalo, north or east depending on the forecast, with snacks. Simple, and convenient if you are staying there.
  • Ivalo Safaris: Lake Inari evening: Not a chase: a sleigh ride from the village of Koppelo onto Lake Inari, reindeer to feed and a home-made dinner, thermal clothing included.

Ivalo’s aurora evenings are sold in two shapes: tours that drive to wherever the sky looks clearest, and one evening that goes to a single place and fills the time with reindeer and dinner.

If the sky is the point

Three tours drive after the weather. Arctic Guides’ hunt lasts four hours, serves warm drinks and includes a short lesson in photographing the aurora. Trafinari’s chase is shorter, three and a half hours in a hybrid van, but adds professional photos, a campfire and a traditional Finnish meal. Hotel Ivalo’s minibus leaves from the hotel, and its guide picks north or east from the forecast.

If you want a full evening

Ivalo Safaris takes you to the village of Koppelo, away from the lights, and by sleigh onto Lake Inari, where you feed reindeer and eat a home-made dinner of fish or reindeer. Thermal clothing is lent. It cannot chase a clear patch of sky, but it is a good evening even if the sky stays shut.

Why the hour matters more than the place for the aurora is explained in the Rovaniemi northern lights guide. The reindeer evening is listed below, and the rest of the village is on the Ivalo destination page.

What an hour and a kilometre cost on each trip, and what a machine to yourself adds, is worked out in snowmobile safari prices in Ivalo.

What each aurora evening costs per hour, and what the dinner evening puts in its extra thirty euros, is worked out in northern lights tour prices in Ivalo.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Is there a private aurora tour for just our group?

Yes, but it is not compared here. Our survey of the platforms on 21 September 2026 listed a private tour with photos by Arctic Tours at 230 euros per person for four and a half hours. For a couple the shared tours above cost far less; a private tour makes more sense for a family that wants to choose the pace and the stops.

Is there an evening with reindeer that is not a sleigh ride?

Yes. Ivalo Experiences sells a two-hour evening with reindeer, sausages and a hot drink by the fire, at 120 euros per person, for groups of up to eight. It is listed below the table and compared with the other reindeer outings on the reindeer page.

Do we need our own winter clothing?

On Ivalo Safaris' Lake Inari evening, thermal clothing and shoes are lent. The three driving tours do not list clothing, and a hunt means standing outside at each stop, so dress in wool layers, a warm hat and boots. Trafinari's campfire helps, but only while you stand by it.

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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