Every reindeer tour from Tromsø takes you to a Sami camp, puts you close to the herd and includes the transfer from town. What differs is whether there is a sled ride and how long it lasts, the time of day, and how far out the camp lies. Our verdict rests on those facts, which you can check on every listing.
Length of the sled ride
The ride is short on every tour. At Tromsø Arctic Reindeer you book it as a slot of 10 or 25–30 minutes, the Tromsø Lapland evening tour runs up to 30 minutes if the snow allows (with a rider weight limit of 100 kg), and the Camp Tamok listing calls its ride short without giving a length. If the ride is the reason you go, book the longer slot. All sledding tours compared.
Sled ride or feeding only
Feeding tours leave out the sled and give you the most unhurried time with the herd, the Sami programme and a meal at camp. They also cost less and go ahead in any weather, while a ride can be cancelled for lack of snow with only a partial refund. Sledding or feeding compared.
Evening and northern lights
The evening tours add dinner and a chance of northern lights on clear nights, never a guarantee. Tromsø Arctic Reindeer serves a three-course dinner around bidos with or without a sled ride, and Tromsø Lapland runs a sledding evening and a feeding evening with a Sami dinner and a guided aurora watch. Evening tours with dinner.
Distance from town and herd size
Tromsø Arctic Reindeer and the Sami family farm in Lavangsdalen lie about 30 minutes from town, Reindeer Experience Tromsø about an hour. Camp Tamok in the Tamok valley is a 7-hour day with about 1.5 hours on the bus each way, and only 5–6 reindeer live there; book it for the valley, not for the herd. Camp Tamok in detail.
Children and the family budget
Children respond most to feeding, which every tour includes, and the prices are per person. A daytime feeding visit or the 3.5-hour visit with feeding as your choice keeps a family booking manageable. The Lavangsdalen farm takes children from six, and the 4.5-hour evening tours suit older children. Reindeer tours with kids.
Season
The winter season at Tromsø Arctic Reindeer runs from 31 October to 4 April. For the sled ride, deep winter from December to February is the safest bet for snow. Before the season, Tromsø Lapland runs autumn feeding tours without a ride. Best time for a reindeer tour.
