We hear from a lot of solo travellers who are planning a northern lights trip: a person on a career break, a friend whose partner could not get the time off, someone ticking a bucket-list item alone. The worry is nearly always the same. Will I be the only one without a plus-one, and is it safe and sociable enough to go at night into the dark?

Is the Chase a Good Fit for One Person?

Yes, and it is probably the single best-structured activity for a solo visitor in Tromsø. You get collected from a central meeting point, handed a winter suit, driven by someone who knows where to go, and fed. The group is small and everyone is there for the same reason, which is a great conversation starter in a vehicle for several hours.

Compare that with the alternatives. Going alone into the countryside in a rental car in the dark is not something we recommend to people unfamiliar with the roads. Standing in the city waiting for lights that may be washed out by streetlights is more likely to be disappointing than lonely. A guided chase solves both.

No Single Supplement: How the Price Works

The Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is priced from NOK 2,300 per person. That means one traveller pays NOK 2,300, and a couple pays NOK 4,600. There is no sneaky solo surcharge on the shared tour. After the 5% reader discount this is about NOK 2,185, but check the final price at checkout, because the live booking page decides the exact amount.

The price includes a local guide, transport in a premium Mercedes-Benz vehicle, a winter suit, and a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks. That makes it one of the best-value ways for one person to see the aurora, since a private tour is a per-group price.

What the Group Is Like

According to the operator, groups are 2–8 guests. In practice the people on a chase are a mix: couples on holiday, friends travelling together, a few families with older children and the occasional solo traveller. Most are first-timers. Because the evening involves long drives and lots of waiting, you will talk, but there is also plenty of room to stay quiet if that is your preference.

If you are shy, you do not need to perform. Sit by a window, listen to the guide’s stories, and let the group warm up in its own time. If you are sociable, the break for hot drinks and the meal are a natural place to chat.

Safety and Comfort When You Are Alone

The tour is run by a local guide and the group is looked after for the full evening, including the transfer back to town. That structure is the main reason we recommend it over a do-it-yourself plan. Tell your hotel what you are doing, charge your phone before you go and keep it inside your jacket so the battery survives the cold.

The winter suit supplied with the tour makes a real difference on a long evening outside. Wear warm layers underneath, winter boots and a hat. If you have a medical condition or a mobility question, write to Legendary Adventure before you book: we are not the operator and cannot confirm things that the tour page does not state.

Solo Itinerary: Three Nights in Tromsø

Here is a gentle plan for someone travelling alone, built so that you do not spend every evening in your hotel room:

• Night 1: arrive, walk into the centre, eat well and sleep.
• Day 2: take the Sommarøy & Kvaløya Scenic Fjord Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (pickup 10:00, lunch included, NOK 2,100). It is a gentle way to meet other travellers in daylight.
• Night 2: the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 with pickup at 18:30.
• Day 3: sleep in, then do the Arctic Snowshoe Hike5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 if you want some movement (NOK 1,500, ages 10+).
• Night 3: keep it free as a spare chase night.

For more tours, see our full guide to Tromsø activities.

When to Choose a Private Tour Instead

The Private Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 costs NOK 15,000 per group of 2–8. For a solo traveller that is rarely worth it unless you want a very personal evening, such as a photographer who wants unlimited time at each stop. It becomes sensible when you are travelling with a friend, or are joining family members and want the pickup at your own accommodation.

For most people travelling alone, the shared chase is the right answer.

What the Evening Looks Like, Hour by Hour

It helps a solo traveller to know the shape of the evening before committing, because it removes the fear of the unknown. This is how a chase evening typically runs, based on the operator’s description and our own experience of Arctic night trips. Please treat the times as a rough guide, since the guides adapt everything to the sky.

• 18:30: pickup outside Clarion Hotel The Edge. You meet the guide and the group and are given a winter suit if you need one.
• Evening drive: the guides have picked a route from the latest forecasts. Depending on where the clear sky is, you may head inland or along the coast. Along the way the guide shares stories about the region, including Sámi folklore around the northern lights.
• First stop: a place chosen for dark sky and clear weather. Everyone steps out, looks up and waits. This is the quiet, slow part, and it is where you will be glad of the suit.
• Warm meal and hot drinks: the tour includes a warm meal, snacks and hot drinks, normally enjoyed between sky-watching spells so that nobody is cold and hungry at once.
• Moving on if needed: if the sky changes, the guides can relocate. That is the reason the tour is listed at 5–8 hours rather than a fixed number.
• Return: back to Tromsø, often after midnight.

Practical reminders: the tour is recommended for ages 7 and up, and shared tours refund in full when cancelled more than 48 hours before the start (100% is charged inside 48 hours). Bring a battery pack, a hat and thin liner gloves for using a phone.

None of this requires you to know anything about photography, astronomy or the cold. The only real preparation is warm clothes, a charged phone and an open mind. If you want to learn more about taking photos, we have a separate guide on phone and camera settings for a Tromsø chase.

One more point for solo travellers: if you are the sort of person who likes to be told what happens next, keep your phone off the group chat and ask the guide. Guides do this every night of the season, and a question about how the aurora forms or where the group is going usually turns into the best conversation of the evening.

Common Worries From Solo Travellers, Answered

“I will be bored in the waiting.” The waiting is the part people remember fondly. It is quiet, cold and strangely sociable; guides are used to filling the gaps with stories.

“I do not want to hold up a couple.” You will not. The tour is run as a shared group, and everyone is a paying guest of the same size.

“What if there are no lights?” That can happen, and nobody can guarantee the aurora. It is the reason we suggest booking more than one evening if you can and treating the chase as a night out in Arctic nature that sometimes also includes the lights.

“Can I get food that suits me?” The tour includes a warm meal. If you have dietary needs, contact Legendary Adventure before the tour; we cannot confirm menu details that are not on the tour page.

How to Book With the Hungrytravelfamily Discount

We are Legendary Adventure’s partner and may earn a small commission; it never changes your price. Open the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 booking page, pick a date, set the party size to 1 and go to checkout. Type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the promo-code field for 5% off. The code works when you book online on Legendary Adventure’s booking page.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

Travelling alone to see the northern lights is not a lesser version of the trip. It is a very good one: quiet, flexible and often more memorable, because nobody else is deciding when you leave. A small-group chase gives you the safety and the company without taking away your independence.

Check dates for the Northern Lights Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, and use HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off.

5% off · code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5

Our Tromsø picks for solo travellers

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