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Northern lights in Kemi: which evening to book

A faint green aurora over a flat, calm sea with pale boulders in the shallows and an orange glow on the horizon

Illustration photo: the aurora over a flat coast, not taken on one of the evenings compared here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If a clear sky matters most, book the hunt by car that moves between spots and refunds you in bad weather. If you would rather wait somewhere warm, the fireside hut on high ground in Keminmaa includes drinks, snacks and a photographer. For the shortest evening, the campfire trip is two and a half hours with a sausage by the fire. None of them can promise the lights.

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.

e-Coach: hunt by carSalmon Lodge: fireside hutSea Lapland: campfire
Price €99 – the lowest price per person €99 – the lowest price per person €115
Duration 3–5 h 4 h 2.5 h
How it looks for the sky Drives between spots Waits at one high spot Drives out, may stop in a few places
Where you wait Outside at each stop A hut with a fireplace By a campfire
Included Pickup, app lesson, photos Drinks, snacks, photographer Hot drink, sausage, clothing
Bad weather Money back Not stated Not stated

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

Where these figures come from
  • e-Coach: hunt by car: Collects you and drives to whichever spots look clearest, with a lesson in aurora apps. Money back if the weather is bad, and an evening that can run to five hours.
  • Salmon Lodge: fireside hut: Waits in one place, a hut with a fireplace on what the operator calls the highest and darkest ground around Kemi, with drinks, snacks and a photographer.
  • Sea Lapland: campfire: The shortest evening: out of town to a campfire with a hot drink and a grilled sausage, winter clothing lent when needed.

Kemi is a town on the coast, and its own lights are the first thing an aurora evening has to get away from. The three sold here do that in three ways.

If a clear sky matters most

e-Coach collects you from your hotel or station in Kemi, Tornio or Ylitornio and drives to one spot or several, wherever the sky looks best, teaching you to read the aurora apps on the way. The evening runs three to five hours. The listing offers money back if the weather is bad and says it may advise cancelling for a full refund when the chances are low.

If you would rather wait somewhere warm

Lapland Salmon Lodge takes you to a hut with a fireplace on high ground in Keminmaa, which it describes as the darkest and highest point in the Kemi area. Drinks and light snacks are included, and a photographer is on hand.

For a short evening

Sea Lapland Safaris drives out of town to find open sky, builds a campfire and serves a hot drink and a grilled sausage, in two and a half hours. It lends winter clothing when needed.

Why the hour matters more than the place for the aurora is explained in the Rovaniemi northern lights guide. The night snowmobile ride is listed below, and the rest of the town is on the Kemi destination page.

What each aurora evening costs per hour out, and what the money-back guarantee covers, is worked out in northern lights tour prices in Kemi.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What does the bad-weather refund cover?

The e-Coach listing promises money back in case of bad weather and says it may recommend that customers cancel for a full refund when the chances of seeing the lights are too low. It also says the sighting itself cannot be guaranteed. So the refund protects you against a cloudy night, not against a clear night with no aurora.

Where does the car hunt collect from?

The e-Coach listing picks up from hotels and stations in Kemi, Tornio-Haparanda and Ylitornio-Aavasaksa, and Lapland Salmon Lodge's own site offers pick-up from any hotel in Kemi and Tornio. Sea Lapland Safaris' campfire trip names no pick-up point on the platform, but a Kemi travel agency sells the same evening with collection from your Kemi hotel in the price.

Do we need our own winter clothing?

For the campfire trip, Sea Lapland Safaris lends overalls, shoes, wool socks and gloves when required. The fireside hut in Keminmaa gives you a warm room to wait in. The car hunt's listing does not mention clothing, and a hunt means standing outside at each stop, so dress for 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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