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Northern lights in Ruka: four ways to look for them

Green, pink and red aurora filling the night sky above the black tops of a few spruces

Illustration photo: the aurora above spruces, not from one of the evenings described here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a first evening, book the guided walk from Ruka Safaris: it is the cheapest, it goes into the forest from the safari house, and it asks only for ordinary fitness. For children who would rather sit than walk, take the same company's sledge ride behind a snowmobile. The ski resort's snowshoe evening suits a family with children from five, and the small-group drive with photos is the one to book if you would rather be driven than walk.

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.

Ruka Safaris: forest walkRuka Safaris: sledgeRuka Guides: snowshoesSoulvia: drive with photos
Price €75 €96 €89 €246
Priced per Person Person Person Person
Length 3 h 3 h Not stated 4–5 h
How you move On foot, 3–4 km Sledge behind a snowmobile Snowshoes By car
Youngest listed Not stated Not stated From 5 No minimum age
Runs if Not stated At least 4 book Not stated Not stated
Group size Not stated Not stated Not stated Up to 8

No row is ranked: the four move you in different ways, and the two lowest prices buy an evening on foot rather than a ride.

Where these figures come from
  • Ruka Safaris: forest walk: A guided walk of three to four kilometres through dense forest, starting from the company's safari house or with pick-up.
  • Ruka Safaris: sledge: A sledge pulled by a snowmobile into the dark, with transfers from pick-up points in Ruka, run when four or more book.
  • Ruka Guides: snowshoes: An evening on snowshoes from the ski resort's centre in Ruka Valley, with a thermal suit, boots and gloves handed out.
  • Soulvia: drive with photos: A drive for up to eight guests, with photos, from September to March, collecting from two hotels.

Aurora outings at Ruka are mostly short trips into the dark around the resort rather than long drives: only one of the four compared here goes by car.

On foot and on snowshoes

Ruka Safaris sells a guided walk of three to four kilometres through dense forest, and its listing marks October as the month with the best conditions for it.1 The ski resort’s activity company sells a snowshoe evening from its centre in Ruka Valley, hands out a thermal suit, woollen socks, boots and gloves on site, and takes children from five.3

Sitting down

Ruka Safaris also sells an evening in a sledge pulled by a snowmobile, with transfers from its pick-up points in Ruka. It is an open departure that runs only when at least four people book.2 Soulvia journeys sells the only drive among them, for up to eight guests with photos, from September to March, collecting from a hotel in Ruka or one in Kuusamo.4

Choosing

The walk is the cheapest and the most active. The sledge suits children and anyone who would rather not walk in the dark, provided the departure fills. The snowshoe evening is the one to book if you have no winter clothing of your own. The drive costs more than three times the walk, and is for a group that would rather be driven, with photos taken for them.

More aurora evenings are compared on the best northern lights tour in Ruka, by price on northern lights tour prices in Ruka, for children on northern lights with children in Ruka and for one party alone on the private northern lights tour in Ruka; the evenings at the handlebars are on northern lights snowmobile tours in Ruka.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What if nobody else books the evening?

The sledge ride is sold as an open departure that goes ahead only if at least four people join, and the company promises to tell you by three in the afternoon the day before if it is cancelled, with a full refund. The other listings compared here print no minimum, so if you are travelling alone or as a couple, the walk and the snowshoe evening are the safer bookings.

Can we cancel if the forecast is cloudy?

All four are sold on GetYourGuide with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. That lets you watch the forecast for a day or two and cancel the evening before, but not on the evening itself, so for a cloudy week book one night at a time rather than all of them at once.

Do we need our own winter clothing?

For the ski resort's snowshoe evening, no: its listing says it supplies the equipment and hands out a thermal suit, woollen socks, winter boots and gloves on site. The walk and the sledge ride print no clothing, so ask when you book, and dress in warm layers either way, because standing still in the dark is colder than walking.

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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