Book Your Aurora Night
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Our pick for a shorter, lower-cost night: Finnmark Adventure's heated Northern Lights Bus, about 3.5 hours with pickup in Alta and a local guide who follows the clouds.
Heated-bus aurora hunt, local guides
The Experience
Our Pick for a Short Evening: The Northern Lights Bus
A local Alta company, a heated bus, no fixed route and an aurora talk on board. Here is what the evening covers.
Highlights
- Chase the aurora in a heated bus that goes wherever the sky is clearest that evening
- Step outside at roadside stops to watch, photograph or just stand under the sky
- Learn the science of the aurora in a short presentation during the evening
- Hear Sami and Arctic stories about the lights from guides who live in Alta
- Join a lower-priced, simple way to look for the northern lights
What's Included
- Heated bus transport (by car for groups of six or fewer)
- Local guide speaking Norwegian, English or German
- Pickup included, with the exact point on your voucher
- Warm drinks and Arctic snacks during the evening
- Aurora presentation
- About 3.5 hours with no fixed route
How a Bus Tour Night Works
Three steps from booking to the first stop under the sky.
Pick your date and pickup
Choose an evening early in your stay. The exact pickup point is on your voucher, and guests arriving by ship have been collected at the Alta cruise port.
Dress for standing still
Bring a winter jacket, hat, gloves and proper footwear. Warm suits are not listed on the bus tours, and the stops are outside in the cold.
Ride, stop, look up
The guide follows the weather and forecasts, and the bus stops when the sky looks promising. Sometimes that is close to Alta, sometimes further into the countryside.
Photo Gallery
On the Northern Lights Bus
Photos from The Northern Lights Bus listing.
Alta's Northern Lights Bus Tours Compared
Three buses and the small-group minibus they are usually weighed against. The difference is the length of the night, what is included and how many people share the stops.
| Feature | OUR PICK The Northern Lights Bus | Adventure Tour with Fire & Free Photos | Northern Lights Tour with Guide and Photos | Small-Group Guided Northern Lights Tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $149 per person | $129 per person (13 Nov 2026) | $193 per person (6 Nov 2026) | $258 per person (4 Nov 2026) |
| Vehicle and group | Heated bus, no cap listed; by car for 6 or fewer | Large bus with toilet, no cap listed; smaller vehicle on quiet nights | Bus with toilet, max 25 guests | Minibus, up to 13 |
| Length | 3.5 hours | Up to 6 hours, depends on the sky | 5 hours, 19:00 to midnight | 4 hours, back just after midnight |
| Photos | No; photography help excluded | Free professional photos | Photos of your evening included | Not listed; guides take guest photos on request (reviews) |
| Fire and food | Warm drinks and snacks (operator description) | Campfire, marshmallows, hot drinks, snacks | Hot tea, chocolate, coffee, snacks | Snacks, cakes, sandwich; fire when time allows |
| Warm clothing | Not listed | Not listed | Thermal clothing provided | Suits and boots to borrow |
| Children | 10 and over | No age limit listed | All ages | 12 and over |
| Guest rating | 4.4 from 56 reviews | 4.8 from 41 reviews | 5.0 from 6 reviews | 4.6 from 152 reviews |
| Check dates | See the fire tour | See the Luuso tour | See the small group |
Bus tours
Two Big Buses, a Smaller Bus and the Step Up
The two lowest-priced chases, a 25-seat bus with thermal clothing and photos, and the minibus tour for up to 13.
Choosing
Which Bus Tour to Book
If you want a guide to chase the clouds for you without paying small-group prices, take a bus. The Northern Lights Bus from Finnmark Adventure was $149 per person on 4 November 2026, runs about 3.5 hours with pickup in Alta, and has 4.4 from 56 reviews. The Northern Lights Adventure Tour with Fire & Free Photos was $129 on its first date, 13 November, and adds a campfire and free professional photos, but the night can run up to six hours. Our Northern Lights Bus review →
Book the shorter bus for an easy evening, the campfire bus for a long night out with pictures, and a small-group tour if a crowd at the stops would spoil it for you.
What the bus does well
Price is the obvious one. The two big-bus tours cost about $110 to $130 less per person than the Small-Group Guided Northern Lights Tour at $258, which adds up fast for a family or a group of friends.
You still get a real chase. Finnmark Adventure says its bus has no fixed route or single viewing point, and its guides follow the weather, clouds and forecasts through the evening. Some nights they stay close to Alta, other nights they head well into the countryside. One guest boarded in rain at the port and was taken to a clear sky, and the best display came on the drive back, when the bus pulled over so everyone could get out. The evening includes an aurora talk, warm drinks and snacks, and with six guests or fewer the operator runs it by car.
The fire and photos tour by Amazing Aurora has two guides, a toilet on board and a campfire with marshmallows, hot drinks and cookies. Its guides watch several locations remotely, and one cruise guest wrote that after an hour’s drive they reached a viewpoint with no cloud at all. The free professional photos are its main draw, and at 4.8 from 41 reviews it is well liked. Our review →
What you give up on a big bus
Most of what you give up is space. On the fire and photos tour, one guest described about 60 people around two small fires, a late start and a meeting point that was hard to find. Another said it was very cold after one to two hours at a stop with no way to warm up, and that their group got no photos. The operator says it switches to a smaller vehicle when there are not enough bookings, so a quiet night may feel very different from a busy one.
The stops are often by the road. Guests on The Northern Lights Bus describe pulling over at the side of the highway to watch. That works when the sky is clear, but you will not get a campfire camp.
The bus tours do not lend warm clothing. Neither big-bus tour lists thermal suits, and Finnmark Adventure excludes photography help, so you are on your own with your camera. Dress for standing still in the cold: in January the average low at Alta Airport is about -10 °C.
Some nights you will not see the lights. Several bus guests saw nothing despite moving between locations, and neither tour refunds you for a cloudy sky. Both have free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Children and long nights
The Northern Lights Bus does not take children under 10. The fire and photos tour lists no age limit, but its night can last up to six hours, which is long for young children. If you have small children with you, look at the Northern Lights Tour with Guide and Photos from Luuso Travel: the operator caps it at 25 guests, accepts all ages, provides thermal clothing, includes photos and runs from 19:00 to midnight. It was $193 on 6 November 2026, with 5.0 from only 6 reviews. Our review →
When to pay for the small group
Step up to the 13-guest minibus tour if you have one night in Alta and want the most flexible chase you can get, or if you would rather borrow a warm suit and boots than bring your own. It has 4.6 from 152 reviews. Some guests found the minibus tight with everyone in winter layers, and it does not take children under 12. Our review →
Whichever you pick, book an evening early in your stay so you have a spare night if the first one is cloudy. Visit Alta gives November to March as the best months of a season that runs from September to early April. Our cost guide lists every aurora tour price, and if you have a car, see seeing the northern lights in Alta without a tour. Coming by ship? The cruise port page covers timing.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say About the Northern Lights Bus
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"Thank you for the lovely evening, At the end the waiting time was fruitful. Aurora came. 🌈 The guide is sympathetic and drive safely."
"Both our guide and our bus driver did a fantastic job. It was raining at the port when we boarded the bus, so we didn’t expect to see anything. But they took us to a place where the sky was clear and we saw beautiful northern lights. The best display occurred while we were driving back, and they pulled the bus over where we could get out and watch the show! It was spectacular. Both ladies deserve high marks for the job they did last night!"
"We had a wonderful evening searching for the Northern Lights with our guide. He knew a lot of good spots to go and search. We were pretty lucky early on in the evening as a few auroras popped up and gave us a show. Unfortunately the clouds kind of took over so we didn’t see much after the halfway point but we cant control the weather. I would definitely recommend taking this tour (and bring a tripod for your phone/camera for long exposures)."
"This tour was exactly as described. Marius is such a jovial gentleman. He picked us up at the Alta cruise port and drove us to a spot with open sky. The bus pulled over on the side of the highway and we were lucky enough to be blessed by the Aurora on our excursion! Marius responded quickly to both questions we had, one before and one after booking. We recommend this excursion as a more cost effective choice to go Aurora hunting."
"We had a lovely tour, Mario and “Robert” were very friendly and knowledgeable, although we didn’t see the northern lights, we had a lovely drive into the mountains and on sapmi land, great stories and facts along the way!"
"The tour was a comfortable and safe journey. The tour guide gave a good commentary. Unfortunately the weather was not in our favour and we did not see the Northern Lights despite travelling to two locations."
Read all 56 verified reviews
See All ReviewsPick your night on the bus
Choose a date to see that night's price and pickup. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from $149 per person.
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Northern Lights Bus Tours FAQ
Short answers on price, crowds, clothing and cloudy nights.
Of the aurora tours on GetYourGuide, the Northern Lights Adventure Tour with Fire & Free Photos was the lowest at $129 per person on its first date, 13 November 2026, followed by The Northern Lights Bus at $149 on 4 November. Prices change by date, so check the night you want. Our cost guide lists the rest.
They can be. On the fire and photos tour, one guest described about 60 people around two small fires. The operator uses a smaller vehicle when bookings are low, and Finnmark Adventure runs The Northern Lights Bus by car for six guests or fewer. If you want a guaranteed small group, the small-group tours take 8 to 13.
Both big-bus tours say they have no fixed route and follow the weather and clouds on the night. Guests describe the bus pulling over by the road when the sky clears, so expect roadside stops and not a set camp, except on the fire and photos tour, which builds a campfire.
Yes on the two big-bus tours, which do not list thermal suits. Bring a winter jacket, hat, gloves and proper boots, and expect long stretches standing outside. The Luuso Travel bus provides thermal clothing, and the small-group Alta Adventure tour lends suits and boots.
The Northern Lights Bus does not take children under 10. The fire and photos tour lists no age limit but can run up to six hours. The Luuso Travel tour accepts all ages and runs from 19:00 to midnight.
No. None of the bus tours refunds you because the sky stayed cloudy, and guests on both have had nights with no aurora. All of them have free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so you can move your booking if the forecast looks hopeless.
Reviewers on The Northern Lights Bus were picked up at the Alta cruise port, and Finnmark Adventure's listing describes a Back-to-Ship Guarantee for cruise guests. Your ship has to be in port in the evening, though. See our cruise port page.
Still have questions? Email us at info@altanorthernlightstours.com
