Nordlichter von Auroras - Saariselkä

We had booked 5 hours tour (9PM to 2AM) with stop at different locations to see northern lights and barbecue dinner in a tent (which they had confirmed over the phone call as well) and I was so looking forward for the entire experience but unfortunately they just finished the tour by 10.30PM and dropped us back by 11PM just by taking us to only one location and no barbecue dinner nothing. Was very disappointing and I wouldn’t recommend this tour to anyone.

Make no mistake about it – the Lapland Welcome Aurora tour is not an aurora tour. Instead, it is a cookout with a chance to see an aurora if you are very, very lucky. It is not designed to give you the best chance to see an aurora. As such, when the weather gave us no chance to see an aurora at the cookout location (heavy cloud cover and low kp index), the tour was not cancelled. The location was not moved to a less cloudy area. No effort was made to determine if there was any good place we could visit to see an aurora. Instead, the tour continued as though auroras are visible anywhere and every day in Lapland. They are not. Add to that a windy night in the 30’s (Fahrenheit), a location with a fire inside a hut that quickly filled with smoke, and a menu that consisted of your choice of instant drinks plus a few items that could be roasted over the fire (if you could tolerate being inside the hut long enough). The tour was a recipe for a disaster, and it delivered on the promise. This was not how the tour was presented ahead of time. It is advertised as an aurora tour, and we were told the tour would maximize the chance to see them. We expected we would drive to other locations if the primary location wasn’t good for seeing an aurora that night. In reality, we spent almost the entire time at the hut, with only a brief stop at a second location, but without any effort to determine if that location would be any better (it wasn’t). Out of 8 tour participants, 1 shivered outside virtually the entire time, and 3 others (myself included) only entered the hut when we couldn’t take the cold any longer. Eventually, 3 of us asked to sit in the cold van for at least a location with some shelter and no smoke. It was a miserable night.

Boarding for foot passengers at Bari for the ferry to Patras is hazardous to say the least. You have to walk through the area where lorries boarding the ship wait, weaving between them as they manoeuvre to board. Signposting from the terminal to the ship is poor/non-existent. The general sense is that foot passengers are second-class citizens. The experience at Patras is completely different - a bus from the ship to the terminal and vice-versa, and shops/cafes in the terminal. The ferries themselves are fine - good cabins, OK food.

Firsly they cancelled telling the camara was broken, then we reschedule again and I saw the forecast and I saw there was not any chance to see it due to foggy weather. Despite I canceled the second appointment the guide called me At last minute telling I would lose a good sight. I told him that there was no any visibility but he kept telling that I would miss good sights. He came and pick me up with a group. And after 2 hours left me home. They are just interested in your money not in the fact they know you wouldn see the northen lights. Also they told me that for Saturday there was no camara and the guide said the opposite. Very lack of profesionality and they dont care their clients. Dont waste your money there. There are companies who cancel last minute due to the forecast. This people would come no matter wath just for having some paid trips

The hut portion of the Lapland Welcome Aurora tour has to rank as one of the worst few hours of my life. The smoke from the fire was not going up the chimney due to the high wind and was filling the hut. I spent a career working in chemical plants and I could only tolerate 10 seconds in the hut before my eyes started tearing and I was coughing from the smoke. I chose to stand outside in the light rain, 15-20 mph wind and high 30's°F versus go in the hut. Of the 8 people on the tour 4 of us chose to be out in the wind/rain most of the time; though I was the only person who stayed continuously outside. My waterproofing layers worked but I was very cold; even though I was wearing more than I used to wear while snow skiing. I finally asked to sit in the cold dark van, 2 others followed me to the van. The best part of the tour was talking with the lady from NY while we sat in the van. I understand the science of Auroras reasonably well and know that even with the best predictions, the chance of seeing Auroras is up to the Sun and the Earth weather working together. This tour had ZERO chance of seeing an Aurora and should have been canceled. A big storm blew into the area; large enough that the Norwegian Coastal Cruise terminated its route before getting to Kirkenes Norway and we had to be bused to Kirkenes that morning before I drove to Saariselkä. Previously I asked by email about the frequency of tour cancellations and I was told it rarely happened; that should have been a RED FLAG. Seeing Auroras was not the only priority. That is probably true for any Aurora tour with a fixed hut or teepee. We took two other Aurora tours from a different operator. The other Aurora tour canceled 3 nights straight after the one we took with Lapland Welcome and then canceled another time, because of the clouds were remaining from the storm. I expected tours to be cancelled due to weather; that is why we stayed 7 nights in Finland to see the Auroras. When that other tour did proceed; there were good Auroras mixed with the clouds. But the guide had to move several times each night to new sites as the clouds and the Auroras moved or appeared in a different part of the sky. He was not at a fixed location.

We enjoyed the Wildlife Preserve and Takhini Hot Spring tour and also we were very happy to see Aurora on our last night. (It looked beautiful in the picture.) I also felt the wonder of nature from the night in the quiet forest. While waiting for the Northern Lights in the treehouse, Jay would prepare a delicious drink and hot dog, or a traditional Finnish New Year's Eve divination? He was kind throughout, allowing me to experience the tinan valaminen (things that melt metal and pour it into water to enjoy the different shapes that are created). We enjoyed the Wildlife Preserve and Takhini Hot Spring tour and also we were very happy to see Aurora on our last night. I'm very happy to have had such a wonderful experience. I am so grateful to Jay.

Wonderful and amazing all best organize tour and all activities was perfect I would like tell my friend and recommend to other peoples to do all activity with this company

Great experience and wonderful tour guide Linda. We were very lucky and were able to see the Northern Lights.

We had the experience of a lifetime! The forecasts suggested we would not see the aurora but we were lucky and it turned out to be unbelievably active. Our guide, Linda, was fantastic! She was relatively new but seemed like a seasoned pro. She took us to a beautiful spot with no other people (and out of the Arctic wind) and we shot photos for over an hour. The cabin/fire/dinner experience was amazing and we had the added good fortune of beautiful falling snow while cozy in the cabin eating yummy food and drinking hot chocolate. Linda’s background as a biologist and her knowledge of the environment and local fauna really rounded out what was a perfect experience.

+3

Brilliant tour, nice people! Would highly recommend!! Went snow walking around some woods and had dinner in a cosy fireplace hut, then went to river inari to see the lights, also took a detour to see the rapids!