Every autumn the same message lands in our inbox: “We've got two nights in Rovaniemi — which northern lights tour do we book?” And every autumn we give the same slightly annoying answer: it depends on how much you want to hunt, and how much you want to sit.

Hunting tours are the ones where a guide reads the cloud maps at 16:00 and decides which direction to drive that night. StayLapland runs three of them out of Rovaniemi — a bus version, a small-group version and a private version — and the price gap between them is enormous. This guide is the conversation we'd have with you over coffee before you book. Prices and details below are taken from the live booking pages; use code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off whichever you pick.

What “hunting” means (and what it doesn't)

There are two families of aurora tour in Rovaniemi. The first is the waiting tour: you drive to one dark place — a campfire, a cottage, a reindeer farm — and you stay there. If the sky above that spot is clear, wonderful. If it isn't, you have a lovely evening by the fire and no aurora. The Northern Lights Tour at the Campfire5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €99) is the classic example, and we still recommend it for families with small children who need a fixed, cosy plan.

The second family is the hunting tour. The guide studies cloud cover, wind and aurora activity in the afternoon, and the vehicle leaves Rovaniemi in whichever direction has the best odds of clear sky — sometimes an hour or more out, sometimes towards Sweden, sometimes north. You may stop three or four times. It's less cosy, more purposeful, and on a cloudy-over-the-city night it's the version that actually gets you under stars.

All three tours in this article are hunting tours. They share the same method, the same start-time logic (departures are confirmed by email in the afternoon and typically start between 17:00 and 21:00 depending on conditions) and the same “no aurora photos, full refund” promise. The differences are about how many people share the guide and how much control you have over the night.

The bus tour: who it's for

The Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Bus Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the one we point most readers to. It runs around five hours, costs from €109 per adult (with a child rate for ages 3–12), and it does the important thing correctly: it goes where the sky is clear, not where the marketing photo was taken.

What you get is a comfortable coach, a professional guide who explains what you're looking at, and photos taken by the guide on proper camera equipment — which matters more than people expect, because a phone rarely captures a faint green arc the way a tripod-mounted camera does. Those photos are the thing you'll actually post.

What you don't get is flexibility. When the guide finds a good spot, everybody piles out; when it's time to move on, everybody piles in. On a busy December night that means a bit of waiting in the cold and some torchlight in your long-exposure. It's a small price to pay at this price point.

Book this if: you're a couple, a pair of friends or a family who wants the best odds for the least money; you're happy in a group; you're visiting in the peak weeks and want a tour that isn't sold out.

The small-group tour: what €90 more buys

The Professional Small Group Northern Lights Hunting Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 caps the group at 2–8 people and costs from €199 per adult. Same guide-and-photographer setup, same winter clothing included (overalls, boots, gloves, socks in adult and child sizes), same guarantee — but in a small vehicle where the guide can say “shall we try one more spot?” and mean it.

In practice the difference is time under the sky. With eight people you're out of the van in thirty seconds, and if the arc fades on one lake you can be on the next one before the bus has finished its headcount. You'll also get more personal photos — the guide has time to frame each couple properly rather than lining everyone up.

The cancellation terms are relaxed: free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and bookings close only one hour before the start time, which makes this a good candidate for a “let's decide at lunchtime when the forecast is in” booking — something we do ourselves when friends visit.

Book this if: you're two to four adults who care about the photos, you'd rather not spend an aurora night in a coach, or you're a keen amateur photographer who wants tripod time at each stop.

The private tour: when €1,990 makes sense

The Private Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the same professional hunt, from €1,990 for the tour (not per person), with the guide and vehicle entirely yours. Free cancellation is seven days before rather than 24 hours, so this is a plan-ahead booking, not an impulse one.

We'll be blunt, because you'd want us to be: for two people who simply want to see the lights, this is not good value. Where it becomes sensible is when the per-person maths flips — a family or friend group of six to eight, when €1,990 works out close to the small-group price anyway — or when the purpose of the night is something other than watching. A proposal. A milestone birthday. A photographer who wants to direct every stop. A guest who needs a slower pace or extra warmth breaks. In those cases, having the guide decide the route around you is exactly what you're paying for.

Book this if: you're a group of 6+, you're planning a surprise, or your night needs to run entirely on your terms.

The guarantee, explained plainly

All three hunting tours carry the same promise: if no northern lights photos are captured during the tour, you receive a 100% refund. Two things worth understanding about that wording.

First, “captured” means by the guide's camera. A camera picks up weak aurora that your eyes read as grey cloud, so on a marginal night you may get photos — and therefore no refund — of lights you only half saw. That is not a trick; it's physics, and it's why we tell everyone to book two nights rather than one. Second, the refund is for aurora, not for cold, tiredness or a partner who wanted to stay in the sauna. Read the exact terms in the booking window when you check dates.

What every version includes

Across the three tours you can expect: a professional guide who explains the aurora and the local sky; winter clothing in adult and child sizes on the small-group and private versions (the bus tour lists a child rate for ages 3–12 — check the clothing note in the booking window for your date); photos taken by the guide; and departure and return in Rovaniemi. Start times vary with the forecast and are confirmed by email in the afternoon, so keep that evening free from other bookings.

Whatever you choose, dress as if the tour has no clothing included: merino base layer, a fleece, wool socks, and your own warm hat and mittens. Standing still at −20 °C at midnight is a different sport from walking around town at −20 °C at noon.

How we'd combine them over 3 nights

If we were planning a three-night first trip for friends this winter, it would look like this. Night one: the bus hunting tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 — cheapest, best odds, sets the baseline. Night two: a waiting tour with atmosphere, like the Northern Lights Tour in an Atmospheric Cottage5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, so the evening is lovely regardless of the sky. Night three: keep it free, watch the forecast at lunch, and book the small-group hunt5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 the same day if the numbers look good — bookings close just one hour before departure.

Two hunting nights out of three, and the second one only if it's worth it. That is how locals do it.

Frequently asked questions

Which northern lights hunting tour has the best chance of seeing the aurora?
All three use the same weather-driven routing, so the odds on any given night are similar. The small-group and private versions can react faster and stop more often, which helps on marginal nights.

Is the bus tour worth it compared with the small-group tour?
Yes for most visitors. You trade some flexibility and quieter photo stops for a €90-per-person saving. If photos are your priority, upgrade.

Can children join the hunting tours?
The bus tour lists a child rate for ages 3–12. For the small-group and private tours, check the participant options in the booking window; both include child-size winter clothing.

What time do the tours start?
Start times vary between roughly 17:00 and 21:00 depending on the forecast and are confirmed by email in the afternoon, typically by 14:00 for the private tour.

What happens if there are no northern lights?
If the guide captures no aurora photos during the tour, you get a full refund. If lights appear but are weak, you'll still get photos and no refund — book two nights to be safe.

How does the HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 code work?
Open the booking window on this page, choose your date and participants, and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off. It works on every StayLapland activity.

Our final pick

Book the bus hunting tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for your first night and don't overthink it. If you have the budget and care about the photos, make it the small-group hunt5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 instead. Save the private tour for the night that has to be perfect. And whichever you choose, book a second aurora evening — the sky here doesn't work to a schedule, and the people who see the lights are almost always the ones who gave it two tries.