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Private northern lights tour in Sodankylä: how to get one

A person in a winter coat standing beside a parked SUV on a snowy roadside at night, watching a green aurora across the sky

Illustration photo: an aurora from a roadside in Alaska, not in Sodankylä.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a couple or a small family, write to Arctic Wonders, which invites private groups to e-mail, and ask for a hunt for your party alone. For a group of eight or more, ask Arctic SISU for a group offer: at that size you fill its whole departure. Either way, ask for a total price and for what happens if the night is cloudy.

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 WondersArctic SISU Experience
Private route Private groups on request Group offer from 8 people
Suits A couple or a small family A party of eight or more
Winter clothing Lent on the shared hunt Advice only

Nothing is ranked: neither company prices a private hunt, so the table shows what each already offers and how to ask.

Where these figures come from
  • Arctic Wonders: Invites private groups and special requests by e-mail, and runs its hunts from an office in the village.
  • Arctic SISU Experience: Keeps its hunts to at most eight and prices groups of eight or more on request.

A private aurora hunt in Sodankylä is arranged by writing, not by booking, and the two companies have different doors for it.

For a small party

Arctic Wonders asks private groups and special requests to e-mail it, and says it provides winter overalls and gear, which matters on a night spent waiting.1 Ask for a hunt for your party alone and a total price.

For a larger group

Arctic SISU Experience keeps its hunts small and offers tailored prices to groups of eight or more through a form on its site.2 At that size your group is the whole departure, which makes it private in all but name.

The shared hunts are compared on the best northern lights tour in Sodankylä.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Is a private hunt worth it for two people?

It depends on the group you would otherwise join. Arctic Wonders' Viator listing allows up to twenty guests on its short hunt, while Arctic SISU keeps its hunts to eight. If a quiet evening matters more than the price, a small shared group may already be close to what you want.

Can a private hunt go where we choose?

Ask. Neither company publishes a private itinerary, and the guide decides the spots on a shared night from the weather and the clouds. On a private hunt you can at least say what matters to you, such as a short drive for a child or a place to photograph a lake, and let the guide weigh it against the forecast.

What would a private hunt cost?

Neither company publishes a figure. The shared hunts cost from 82 to 220 euros a person depending on length and platform, so expect a private evening to cost at least what your party would pay for seats on a shared one, and more if the guide keeps the car for your group alone. Ask for one total before you agree.

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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