Having a clear sky is the top priority when chasing the northern lights, and possibly a nice landscape in the background too! Then it’s up to Mother Nature deciding whether the lights will appear or not. We only have a very short term forecast for the solar activity, of only about one hour in advance. Therefore, it is impossible to know how the lights will be over the whole tour.

In the last years, with the increase in popularity of this beautiful phenomenon, it has become crowded on the roads out there at night, and every tour bus must find a suitable parking place cleared from the snow in order to let the guests safely out. Needless to say, being alone on a road side parking is not a sure fact anymore!

That’s why, after thoughtful considerations, Nico from Arctic Photo Guide has chosen to run his tours with an unconventional mean of transportation: an off road 4x4 seven seater truck, which allows for much more parking flexibility when looking for a place to stop and see the lights. Quiet forest roads and snow covered spots are easier to access, thanks to the high ground clearance and large wheels of the vehicle.

This comes with downsides though: it is quite high and harder to crawl into for older people, and it has normal car seats, not like a spacious van or a minibus. If at full capacity (so with 6 passengers plus the guide-driver), larger sized or very tall guests do not fit comfortably in it, as sometimes long drives are required to see the lights and adequate comfort should be guaranteed to every participant.

It might somehow sound discriminatory, and I wish there was a larger vehicle yet as capable in deep snow driving as this one in the Norwegian market, but there’s not, so it had to be a compromise. However, should you be on the larger side but a smaller group than 6, you will have much more space on board. Please get in touch by email if you have any doubt!