Do you drive, or ride in a sleigh?
Every tour on this page puts you at the handlebars: you and a travel companion share a snowmobile and swap drivers along the way, or you book a snowmobile for yourself where a solo option exists. Some evening tours in Rovaniemi work differently. There, the guide's snowmobile pulls a sleigh and you sit in it as a passenger, with no licence needed and no driving. Those aurora sleigh rides are covered on our sister guide, Rovaniemi Northern Lights Tours.
Check the option you book, too. On at least one evening listing in Rovaniemi, the "sleigh ride" option means riding along as a passenger, even though the tour title mentions a snowmobile.
The northern lights are never guaranteed
The aurora depends on solar activity and on a clear sky, and neither can be booked. The listings say so: Arctic GM states that the northern lights are not guaranteed on its evening tour. Plan the evening as a snowmobile ride in the dark with a chance of the aurora. Reviewers who saw no lights still describe the ride itself as the reason they went. One reviewer writes that the weather hid the aurora, but it "didn't detract from the experience".
Group size and pace after dark
In the dark, the group rides in a line behind the guide at the pace of the slowest driver. That pace is the most common point of criticism in the reviews of the Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park's evening safari: one reviewer gives an average speed of 10 km/h, another describes a large group of approximately 30 people and a short driving briefing. If pace matters to you, Arctic GM limits its evening tour to four snowmobiles per guide. There is more on this on our small-group page.
Colder than a day tour
Evening temperatures are lower, and you stand still at the campfire or while you wait for the sky to clear. One reviewer of the evening safari describes a very cold night and boots that were not warm enough. Wear your own warm layers under the thermal suit, and bring thick socks. Our what-to-wear guide has the full list.
◈Bring the physical licence cardDrivers need a valid category B car licence, and several operators accept only the physical card. A photo of it, a digital or a temporary licence is not accepted. Pack the card itself. Where a listing states an age, drivers must be at least 18; one small-group tour asks for drivers aged 20 or older.
◈Usually two riders share one snowmobilePrices are per person, and the standard is two people per snowmobile with a driver swap, so each of you drives roughly half of the listed driving time. Riding alone costs a solo supplement where the operator offers one.
◈Damage and deductibleThe driver is liable for damage to the snowmobile up to a deductible. Several operators offer an optional waiver or insurance that lowers it; the amount and the exact terms are on each product page. Licence and deductible explained
