This guide is built from our own winters in the Arctic and from the live Legendary Adventure tour pages in Tromsø — prices, pickup times and what is included come straight from the operator, never invented.

Why January Works for Northern Lights

The aurora itself does not care about the calendar in the way travellers do. The northern lights depend on solar activity and on dark, clear sky. What January gives you is the second part. In Tromsø the sun is below the horizon for the first part of the month, and even after it returns the evenings are long. The result is a very large window of true darkness, more than in autumn or spring, and a lot of hours in which the sky can show something.

The catch is the weather. January on the Norwegian coast brings storms, snow and low cloud, so on a bad night you will not see the sky from the city at all. This is where the format of the tour matters more than the month. The guides at Legendary Adventure read the forecasts and move the group to wherever the sky is clearest, which in practice can mean driving inland or across the border. If you are in Tromsø in January without a chase, you are relying on luck. With a chase, you are relying on a forecast and a driver.

No tour can promise the lights. Nobody who respects you will, and the operator does not. What we can say is that the chase format gives you the best odds the winter offers.

It also helps to set expectations about what the aurora looks like. On many nights it starts as a pale grey-green arc that a camera sees better than the eye, and then, if activity picks up, it brightens, moves and shows colour. A long night gives it time to do that. Guests who give up after the first quiet hour sometimes miss the best part, which is another reason we like a format with a meal and a warm vehicle to wait in. If you only have a short trip, January’s long nights make a single evening chase more forgiving than a short autumn night would be.

Finally, keep an eye on the practical side of January in Tromsø: snow on the roads, short daylight for sightseeing and early closing times for some shops. A daytime activity such as a fjord tour fills the gap well and keeps you rested for the night.

The Cold: What −10 or −20 Feels Like on a Chase

Temperatures in Tromsø in January are often around freezing on the coast, but the chase can take you inland where it is much colder, sometimes −15 °C or lower. Wind chill makes it feel colder still. We know that range well from Rovaniemi winters, and the good news is that the tour is designed for it.

The Northern Lights Tour includes a winter suit, so the biggest cold risk is covered. The vehicle is a heated premium Mercedes-Benz, and the price includes a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks. What you should add yourself:

• Thermal base layers under the suit, top and bottom.
• Thick wool socks and warm, insulated boots.
• A hat, a neck gaiter and a spare pair of warm gloves.
• Hand warmers for your pockets and a phone case that can take the cold.

Our full guide to what to wear in Tromsø in winter covers the layers. The main lesson is to keep moving a little at each stop and to rotate in and out of the vehicle when you are chilled. The best photographs are taken by people who are warm enough to stay out.

How January Compares With Other Months

We do not think any month wins on every count. Here is how January stacks up against the rest of the season, based on daylight and conditions rather than any promise of aurora.

Our guide to Tromsø in December and our guide to northern lights in November cover those months in more detail. January sits between the festive crowds and the February rush, so booking is usually easier than in December, but the best dates around weekends still fill.

What the Northern Lights Tour Includes

The Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is a small-group chase, and the details come from the operator’s own page.

• Price: NOK 2,300 per person.
• Duration: 5 to 8 hours, depending on the route.
• Pickup: 19:00, or 18:30 from 25 October, outside Clarion Hotel The Edge.
• Group size: 2 to 8 guests, with larger groups on request.
• Included: a local expert guide, transport in a premium Mercedes-Benz vehicle, a winter suit, a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks.
• Recommended age: 7 and up.

The operator’s description emphasises a route prepared from the latest weather forecasts and the guides’ knowledge, whether the group heads inland or along the coast, and stories along the way about Sámi folklore and the traditions tied to the aurora. We cannot confirm exactly what you will see on your night, and the group sizes are small enough for the guide to adapt.

Chasing Across the Border: Why It Matters in January

This is the single biggest reason to book a tour in January. The coast around Tromsø has more cloud than the inland valleys and the border regions. The guides know which direction to drive when the forecast is poor. The operator’s description says the group may head inland or along the coast, and in practice for northern Norway that can involve going to the Finnish or Swedish side. That adds driving time, which is why the tour can run up to 8 hours.

For you, the lesson is to leave your evening free. Do not schedule an early flight the next morning, and do not book a dinner table at 22:00 on the night of the chase. Plan the night as an open-ended trip and allow yourself to sleep late the next day. A traveller who treats the chase as a three-hour activity will be disappointed. A traveller who treats it as an expedition will not.

One Night or Two? Our Advice for a January Trip

The best protection against cloud is more than one night. If you have four or more nights in Tromsø, we would book the shared chase for the first available evening and keep a second evening free for a repeat. The cancellation terms are simple: a full refund more than 48 hours before the tour, and the full price inside 48 hours. That lets you keep your options open and adjust once you can see the forecast a few days out.

For a family, a private vehicle is worth considering. The Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is NOK 15,000 per vehicle for up to 8 guests and has no age limit. At seven or eight people it is cheaper per head than the shared tour. For two adults, the shared chase is the better value.

If you prefer a shorter evening, the Aurora Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at NOK 1,500 per person starts at 18:30 and lasts 4 hours, with a chance of the lights. It is a different style of outing and we compare the two in a separate guide.

Photographing the Aurora in January Cold

Cold changes how your equipment behaves. Batteries drain faster, lenses fog when you step from the vehicle into the cold, and screens become sluggish. Take a few steps to protect your shots.

• Keep spare batteries inside your jacket against your body and swap them as needed.
• Let the camera or phone adjust slowly to the temperature, and keep it in a bag in the vehicle between stops.
• Use a tripod or a firm support, because night shots need long exposures.
• On a phone, use night mode and a timer, and tap to focus on a distant light or star.
• Ask the guide for help. The operator describes a team with extensive local knowledge, and they have seen the same conditions many times.

The most important tip is to look up from the screen. The lights move quickly, and some of the best moments are the ones you do not photograph.

How to Book With the Hungrytravelfamily Discount

Book online through the operator’s FareHarbor calendar.

1. Open the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and choose your date and group size.
2. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field for 5% off.
3. Review the cancellation terms and complete payment.

If you are building a longer plan, our our full guide to activities in Tromsø shows how the chase fits with fjord tours and snowshoe hikes across a three to five night stay.

Transparency: we are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a commission on bookings made with our code. It never changes the price you pay.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

January is cold, dark and unpredictable, and that is exactly why it works for those who plan for it. If you are happy to spend a long night in a heated vehicle and a winter suit, with a warm meal and a guide who will drive to wherever the sky is clear, it is one of the strongest months of the season. We have not taken this tour ourselves yet, so we are relying on the operator’s published details and on the winters we know from Rovaniemi. What we would do in your place is book the chase early in the stay, keep a second evening free and leave the next morning empty.

Book the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 or, for families and groups, the Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for 5% off.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our Tromsø January northern lights picks

Tap a tour to see live dates and prices. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field at checkout for 5% off.

Small group · 5-8 HoursNorthern Lights TourFrom NOK 2 300 per personBook with 5% off →Private · 5-8 HoursPrivate Northern Lights TourFrom NOK 15 000 per group (private)Book with 5% off →Small group · 4 HoursAurora Snowshoe HikeFrom NOK 1 500 per personBook with 5% off →Small group · 5-6 HoursSommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord TourFrom NOK 2 100 per personBook with 5% off →

Code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 works on every Legendary Adventure tour booked online. We are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a small commission — it never changes your price.