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. It's the shortest stage of the night by design; the feeding, the fire and the dinner around it take up the other four hours.
Dinner is bidos, not a tourist menu
The three courses are cold-smoked salmon, then bidos — the Sami reindeer stew served with Sami bread at weddings and other occasions — followed by chocolate cake and blueberries. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate come with it.
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, the sled and the bidos 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 at 19:00, 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 at 19:00 there's no lingering glow to compete with. Coldest, snowiest stretch of the season, the best sledding conditions, and the longest unbroken darkness for a clear-sky aurora chance.
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 touches dinner at 19:00 — it's still full dark, and this is usually the coldest month of the year.
Daylight is stretching by several minutes a day, but the extra light lands at midday, not at dinner. By 19:00 the sky over the camp is as dark as December's. Snow and cold both hold up well through the month.
Around the March equinox, Earth's magnetic field lines up with the solar wind in a way that statistically lifts geomagnetic activity — it's one of the more reliable windows in the whole season, even though evenings are shorter than December's. Snow is usually still good.
The season runs to around the first week of April. Evenings are noticeably lighter by 19:00, which cuts aurora odds sharply, and the sled can be pulled from the programme late in the month if the snow has thinned too far to run it safely.
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. Here's the shape of it, so you know what you're booking.
- 17:40
Pickup at Prostneset
The bus terminal at Tromso Havn Prostneset (Samuel Arnesens gate 5) is the meeting point. If you come in through the main entrance opposite the Clarion The Edge hotel, you walk through the building to the terminal on the other side.
- ≈18:15
Into the herd
The drive out to the camp takes 30 to 35 minutes. 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 lavvu (also called a gamme), with hot coffee, tea or chocolate while the smell of the fire and the cooking dinner fills the tent.
- Dinner
Salmon, bidos, dessert
A three-course meal: cold-smoked salmon, then bidos with Sami bread, then chocolate cake with blueberries. The herders talk about Sami history and reindeer herding through the meal and perform joik, the traditional Sami form of song. Step outside between courses and the sky is yours to watch, if it's clear.
- ≈22:30
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 17:40 at the bus terminal at Tromso Havn Prostneset, Samuel Arnesens gate 5. The main entrance is opposite the Clarion The Edge hotel; walk through the building to reach the terminal itself.
The camp itself
A Sami-family-run reindeer camp roughly 30-35 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 17:40 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. These are representative photographs of reindeer, Tromso and the surrounding fjord landscape, not photographs of the camp or of this booking.
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 | The listing this site is built around — the full evening |
| Camp dinner without the sled | The same feeding, lavvu and dinner, on the same 17:40 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 isn't until 17:40, so the day stays free until then |
Ways to book the evening
Find a date for your trip
Every option below is booked through GetYourGuide, with live availability and the final price in your own currency.
Planning your evening
Planning your evening
Dress for standing still in the cold
You'll be outdoors feeding reindeer and riding a sled at temperatures that are regularly well below freezing through the core season. The operator lends thermal suits and winter boots, but your own base layers, gloves and a warm hat underneath make the difference between comfortable and cold.
Book ahead for December-February and the Christmas week
It's one sitting a night behind one small string of reindeer, and the darkest, snowiest weeks of the season sell out the furthest ahead. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before 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
Bus, herd, sled, fire, bidos, sky — the order the night runs in, and what each stage actually involves.
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 menu, explainedBidos and the three courses: the dinner at the reindeer camp
Cold-smoked salmon, bidos, and a fireside dessert — what's on the table, and what to know about dietary needs and kids.
Read more →The sky, explainedThe polar night and the aurora at the reindeer camp, month by month
What the sky over the camp is doing at dinner time, month by month, and why the darkest weeks aren't automatically the best aurora odds.
Read more →Practical questionsWhat to wear at -10 degrees C, and the pickup timing
Layers, boots, and the 17:40 meeting point — the practical details the listing states plainly but are easy to miss.
Read more →Around TromsoTromso evenings beyond the reindeer camp
The camp takes one night. Here's how it sits alongside the rest of a Tromso winter trip, and where to look if you'd rather chase the aurora than sit still for it.
Read more →FAQ
Reindeer camp & dinner questions
What happens during the evening?
Pickup at 17:40, 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 stew of slow-cooked reindeer meat, served with Sami bread. It's the dish served at Sami weddings and other special occasions, and it's the main course on this evening's three-course dinner, after a cold-smoked salmon starter and before a chocolate and blueberry dessert.
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 and a hat under your own coat. Temperatures through the core December-February season are regularly well below freezing, and you'll be outside for the feeding and the sled ride. The operator lends thermal suits and winter boots on top, but your own layers underneath are what keep you warm.
Where do I meet the bus, and is pickup included?
Pickup is 17:40 at the bus terminal at Tromso Havn Prostneset (Samuel Arnesens gate 5), opposite the Clarion The Edge hotel — walk through the building to reach the terminal. Return transport to Tromso is included in this booking.
What's the difference between this and the reindeer camp dinner without sledding?
Both run on the same 17:40 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 listing doesn't set a minimum age, and feeding reindeer by hand and riding a sled both suit children old enough to follow instructions around large animals. A late finish and temperatures well below freezing are the practical limits to weigh for younger kids — the operator can advise on current age guidance.
When does the season run?
Roughly November to early April, when there's enough snow for the sled and 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.