Why book this evening
Why book this evening
You feed the herd before you ride it
The evening opens on foot, walking in among a herd of around 300 reindeer and feeding them by hand under supervision. It's a slower, quieter start than most Arctic evenings offer, and it's over before the sled comes out.
The sled is part of the evening, not the whole of it
The reindeer-pulled ride runs about 15 to 20 minutes, snow allowing. The feeding, the fire and the dinner make up the rest of the 4.5-hour evening.
Dinner is bidos, not a tourist menu
The three-course dinner includes bidos, the Sami reindeer stew often served at weddings and other special occasions, cooked over the open fire. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate come with it, and vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options are available.
The aurora is a bonus the camp doesn't need
You're away from Tromso's streetlights for the whole evening, which is a genuine aurora-viewing advantage, but it's weather and geomagnetic luck rather than a booking. The herd and the dinner happen regardless of the sky.
The season, month by month
The polar night calendar
The camp runs through the darkest and coldest part of the Tromso year. What changes month to month isn't the programme — it's what the sky is doing when dinner starts.
The season opens and the light drains fast. By the back half of the month the sun no longer clears the mountains around the fjord, so dinner is already after dark. Snow is still building, and the sled runs once there's enough of it.
Tromso is in full polar night — no sunrise at all — so in the evening there's no lingering glow to compete with. The longest unbroken darkness of the season, which gives a clear-sky aurora chance more hours to work with.
The sun technically climbs back over the horizon around 15 January, though the mountains keep it out of sight from the city until roughly the 21st. None of that changes the evening: it is still dark when dinner starts.
Daylight is lengthening through the month. The camp sits in a valley away from street lighting, so on a clear evening the sky above the lavvu is dark enough for the aurora to appear.
Geomagnetic storms, which light the aurora, may occur more often in the months around the equinoxes, though the reason isn't well understood. That doesn't make any one night more likely to show a display, and cloud still decides what you can see.
The operator's season runs to early April, with the end date shifting from year to year. The camp is closed from mid-April because the herd returns to the mountains for the summer. From late April the aurora cannot be seen until mid-August, because the sky stays light.
The northern lights are a chance, not a promise, at any camp in any month. What's certain on this calendar is the herd, the sled if the snow allows it, and bidos over the fire — the sky is what you might get on top of an evening that works without it.
How the night unfolds
How the night unfolds
A set order, run the same way most nights. Laid out stage by stage below, so there are no surprises about what the night actually involves.
- Pickup
Pickup at Prostneset
The bus terminal at Tromso Havn Prostneset (Samuel Arnesens gate 5) is the meeting point. The ground floor has two entrances, one by the buses and one between the terminal and the Clarion Edge hotel. The guide and the bus wait at the bus terminal, and the team wear blue jackets with the operator's logo.
- At camp
Into the herd
The drive out to the camp takes about half an hour. Once there, you walk in among a herd of around 300 reindeer and feed them by hand, under the herders' supervision.
- Then
Behind the reindeer
A reindeer-pulled sled ride, about 15 to 20 minutes, snow and conditions allowing. It's brief on purpose — the pace of the whole evening is set by the animals, not a schedule.
- By the fire
Into the lavvu
You warm up around an open fire inside a candlelit gamme or lavvu, with hot coffee, tea or chocolate while the smell of the fire and the cooking dinner fills the tent.
- Dinner
Dinner by the fire
A three-course meal that includes bidos, cooked over the open fire, with hot drinks. Your Sami hosts tell stories about Sami culture and what it is like to be a reindeer herder, and a guide performs a joik, a traditional Sami song. Step outside and the sky is yours to watch, if it's clear.
- Return
Back to Tromso
Return transport is included, and the whole evening — pickup to drop-off — runs about 4.5 hours.
The camp, and getting there
The camp, and getting there
The evening starts at a bus terminal in central Tromso and ends at a working reindeer camp in the hills outside it.
Where you meet
Pickup is at the bus terminal at Tromso Havn Prostneset, Samuel Arnesens gate 5, and your confirmation shows the time. The ground floor has two entrances, one by the buses and one between the terminal and the Clarion Edge hotel; the guide and the bus wait at the bus terminal.
The camp itself
A Sami-family-run reindeer camp about 30 minutes' drive from the city, open only through the winter season — the herd spends the rest of the year in the mountains, where the calves are born.
If you'd rather skip the sled
A version of this evening without the sledding runs on the same evening pickup, with the same feeding, lavvu and three-course dinner. Worth checking if sledding isn't for everyone in your group.
A daytime version exists too
A separate daytime booking covers the reindeer feeding and Sami culture with a lunch instead of a dinner — no darkness, no aurora chance, but a shorter afternoon option for anyone who'd rather not do a late evening.
The camp, and the season, in pictures
The camp, and the season, in pictures
Reindeer, snow and the Arctic light this evening runs through.
Ways to book the reindeer camp
Ways to book the reindeer camp
| Option | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding, sled & dinner | Hand-feeding the herd, a 15-20 minute reindeer sled ride, and the three-course lavvu dinner with joik | This is the listing behind the whole site — feeding, sled and dinner together |
| Camp dinner without the sled | The same feeding, lavvu and dinner, on the same evening pickup, minus the sled ride | Offered as a separate listing; check inclusions before booking |
| Daytime feeding & Sami culture | Daytime herd feeding, a gamme visit and lunch instead of dinner | No darkness and no aurora chance, but a shorter afternoon slot |
| Pair it with a day in Tromso | Booked as a separate GetYourGuide experience | Pickup is in the evening, so the daytime stays free |
Ways to book the evening
Find a date for your trip
Each way of doing the reindeer camp below books over on GetYourGuide, where you can see which nights still have seats and what the evening costs in your home currency.
Planning your evening
Planning your evening
Dress for standing still in the cold
You'll be outdoors feeding reindeer and riding a sled, and Visit Tromso says Arctic evenings can run as cold as -25 degrees C. The operator asks you to bring at least two warm layers, gloves or mittens, a hat and good winter boots, and its site does not say it lends clothing. Ask the operator before you leave warm gear behind.
Check the booking calendar early for busy dates
Open dates and starting times are shown in the booking calendar. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, if you book through GetYourGuide, keeps an early booking flexible.
Treat the aurora as a bonus, not the booking
Clear skies and the right geomagnetic conditions aren't guaranteed on any given night, in any month. Book for the herd, the sled and the dinner, and let the sky be a bonus if it cooperates.
Check which listing you're booking
Tromso has several similarly named reindeer experiences from more than one operator — with and without dinner, with and without sledding, daytime and evening. Read the inclusions on the exact listing before you pay, not just the title.
Planning a reindeer camp evening in Tromso
Planning a reindeer camp evening in Tromso
The reindeer camp evening: what actually happens, step by step
From the bus terminal to the last course by the fire: each stage of the evening, in the order it actually happens.
Read more →The culture, from the herdersReindeer, the Sami herders, and what you'll hear at the camp
Joik and the working year behind the evening — the culture the herders share on the night, in their own words, not ours to summarize beyond that.
Read more →The dish, the dinner and how to bookBidos and booking the camp dinner
What bidos is, how the camp dinner works, the vegetarian and allergy options, and which Tromsø reindeer evening to book, checked against official pages.
Read more →Season, dress and getting therePolar night in Tromsø: when to go
When the polar night runs, what each month looks like at the camp, what to wear, how to get to the pickup and what you will hear, from official sources.
Read more →Practical questionsWhat to wear at -10 degrees C, and the pickup timing
Layers, boots, and the meeting point — the practical details that are easy to miss.
Read more →Around TromsoTromso evenings beyond the reindeer camp
One night out of a longer Tromso stay — here's how the rest of the trip fits around it, and where to go instead if chasing the sky matters more to you than sitting still for one fixed evening.
Read more →FAQ
Reindeer camp & dinner questions
What happens during the evening?
An evening pickup in Tromso, a drive out to the camp, feeding a herd of around 300 reindeer by hand, a 15-20 minute reindeer-pulled sled ride, then warming up in a candlelit lavvu for a three-course dinner with Sami stories and joik. The whole evening runs about 4.5 hours, pickup to drop-off.
What is bidos?
Bidos is a traditional Sami reindeer stew, often served at Sami weddings and other special occasions. It is part of this evening's three-course dinner, cooked over the open fire. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options are available, and the operator says bidos contains lactose but not gluten.
Will I see the northern lights?
There's a genuine chance — the camp sits well away from Tromso's streetlights — but it depends on clear skies and solar activity on the night, and it isn't part of what's booked. The herd, the sled and the dinner happen whether or not the aurora shows.
What should I wear?
Thermal base layers, a warm jumper, gloves or mittens and a hat under your own winter coat, plus good winter boots. The operator asks for at least two warm layers, and its site does not say it lends clothing, so do not count on borrowed suits or boots. You'll be outside for the feeding and the sled ride.
Where do I meet the bus, and is pickup included?
Pickup is at the bus terminal at Tromso Havn Prostneset (Samuel Arnesens gate 5). The ground floor has two entrances, one by the buses and one between the terminal and the Clarion Edge hotel; the guide and bus wait at the bus terminal, and the team wear blue jackets with the operator's logo. Your confirmation shows the pickup time, and return transport to Tromso is included.
What's the difference between this and the reindeer camp dinner without sledding?
Both run on the same evening pickup with the same feeding, lavvu and three-course dinner. This listing adds a 15-20 minute reindeer-pulled sled ride; the camp-dinner-only listing skips it. Check the exact listing title before you book if the sled matters to you.
Can children come?
The operator says all ages are welcome, and a small child can sit with an adult in the sled. The late finish and the cold are the practical limits for younger children. The buses have only a few booster seats, so bring your own car seat for a baby or book a taxi with the right seat.
When does the season run?
From about the end of October to early April, when the herd is down at the camp rather than in the mountains. Exact opening and closing dates shift slightly year to year with the snow, and late-season sledding can be dropped if the ground thaws early.