5 Best Tromsø Reindeer Sledding Tours & Tips [2024-2025]

One activity that often figures quite highly on people’s Arctic bucket lists is the chance to go meet reindeer in Tromsø… and possibly even go reindeer sledding.

And reindeer aren’t just some Santa Claus-inspired gimmick for tourists, but rather an integral part of Northern Norway’s cultural heritage, particularly the Indigenous Sámi culture of the Northern Nordics. The Sámi — who also span Northern Sweden, Northern Finland, and parts of Russia — have lived semi-nomadic lifestyles as reindeer herders for thousands of years. 

Unfortunately, like in many places around the world, Indigenous culture is pushed a bit to the background of the tourism landscape. But not so on a Sámi reindeer tour!

This is one of the best ways to learn about Sámi culture in Tromsø. On these tours, you will be visiting a seasonal reindeer ranch where you can learn about Sámi culture and history from Indigenous guides — from their own perspectives.

If you want to learn more before you arrive, you can read my post about the Sámi people and their history with reindeer husbandry here.

This post will go through a few of the different options for visiting a Sámi reindeer ranch while visiting Tromsø. You can opt between just visiting and feeding the reindeer or you can also go reindeer sledding, which I’ll talk a bit about more later in this post.

Personally, I’ve done the reindeer sledding tour with Tromsø Arctic Reindeer and I loved it. It’s my top recommendation as I loved my experience and, importantly, they are Indigenous-owned and operated!

They offer four different experiences: two daytime ones (with sledding and with feeding only) and two nighttime ones (also with sledding and with feeding only) that give you a chance to also try to see the aurora while you visit the reindeer. This is great if you want to increase your chances of seeing the Northern lights!

#1 TOP PICK

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tromso Reindeer Sledding Day Tour
✔️ My personal recommendation!
✔️ Sámi owned and operated

↳ Book it

#2 PICK

Tromsø Reindeer Sled Evening Tour with Northern Lights
✔️ Same tour company as above but at night so you can see aurora, if conditions allow
✔️ 3-course dinner included

↳ Book it

#3 PICK

Northern Lights Sled Tour in Camp Tamok

✔️ Evening Northern lights tour located inland with better chance of seeing the lights
✔️ Meal and transportation also included (note 90 minute drive time)

↳ Book it

The 5 Best Tromso Reindeer Sledding Tours

Note that these tours are outdoor activities, and while the lavvu (Sámi tent) will be nice and warm, outdoors it will not be! Wear warm clothes (preferably wool — check my Norway winter packing guide here) and winter boots with warm socks so you can focus on the experience. Remember, in Norway, they have a saying: there is no bad weather, only bad clothing!

These tours are all available to be booked online (with free cancellation), so be sure to book these tours and other Tromsø sightseeing and excursions a few weeks ahead of time. Tromsø is growing quickly as a tourism destination and these tours are very popular and cannot easily increase their operations to meet the demand. There are only so many spots available on every tour, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Daytime Reindeer Sledding Tour – Book Here!

Duration: 4 hours
Meeting Time: 10 AM or 1 PM
Meeting Place: Corner of Bankgata and Fredrik Langes Gate
Inclusions: Sámi guide, transfers, warm drinks, warm lunch, reindeer sled ride, food for the reindeer, overall and boot rental if desired
Accessibility: Most, but not all, of the reindeer ranch is wheelchair accessible. Provide advance notice to confirm.
Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Provide advance notice to confirm.
🦌CHECK PRICES HERE

This is the exact Tromsø reindeer sledding tour I did when I visited. I opted for a 10-minute reindeer sled experience because I wanted to see it for myself in order to write about it from my perspective and determine whether I would recommend it to others.

While I had a blast dog sledding in Tromsø, reindeer sledding is way different. It’s slower and less engaging than doing a self-drive dog sled tour. The reindeer plod along slowly, slower than a horse carriage ride would be, but at a smooth pace. The views are beautiful though: fjords, snow, and mountains are everywhere you look. 

It’s an interesting experience, but honestly, I don’t think reindeer sledding is particularly essential. For adults, it’s a bit boring. I do think kids would really love it though, especially young kids who believe in Santa and want to feel like they’re mushing his reindeer team!

To put it simply: I would go dog sledding over and over again (and I have, four times in fact…). I would go reindeer sledding once, and I personally don’t feel compelled to do it again.

That said, while I found the reindeer sledding part of the experience a little lackluster, I loved the other aspects of the tour. I really enjoyed getting to feed the reindeer from the buckets, because getting to see them up close and personal is delightful!

My favorite part of the tour, though, had nothing to do with the reindeer and everything to do with our Sámi guide and how he conducted the cultural part of the tour. Our guide was very young, in his early 20s. His dedication to preserving Sámi culture, stories, traditions, song, and language was really moving. 

He shared a lot with us, more than he had to, including stories of the prejudice that he and other Sámi experience for wearing their traditional clothes or speaking their language. As someone deeply curious about Sámi history and culture, I was honored that he shared his story with us so honestly. I was grateful that he didn’t shy away from sharing some of the negative historical and present-day aspects of Norwegian-Sámi relations just to make tourists more comfortable. 

In addition to hearing his stories of struggle, we heard stories of immense pride and resilience, and some humor as well. Our guide was also very funny, joking about how modern Sámi reindeer herders are and how much they have embraced new technology like drones to help them herd! 

We also got to experience several cultural elements of Sámi life during our visit as well. We got to experience sitting around the fire in a lavvu (a traditional Sámi tent) with our hot drinks and eating a traditional hot meal from Sámi culture (reindeer stew, called bidos in Sámi langauge).

The most interesting was getting to hear the beautiful joik, a type of Sámi song that seeks to “reflect or evoke a person, animal, or place.” It was incredibly moving and I found myself near tears listening to this centuries-old style of storytelling through song.

Overall, I loved my Tromsø reindeer experience and while the reindeer sledding isn’t essential to enjoying it, I’m glad I tried it regardless.

Reindeer Feeding & Sámi Culture Tour – Book Here

Duration: 4 hours
Meeting Time: 10 AM or 1 PM
Meeting Place: Corner of Bankgata and Fredrik Langes Gate
Inclusions: Sámi guide, transfers, warm drinks, warm lunch, food for the reindeer, overall and boot rental if desired
Accessibility: Much, but not all, of the reindeer ranch is wheelchair accessible. Provide advance notice to confirm.
Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Provide advance notice to confirm.
🦌CHECK PRICES HERE

This reindeer tour is done by the same excellent tour company, but without the reindeer sledding aspect. The structure and timing of the tour is the same: you’ll share transport with the reindeer sled participants as well, which provides a shuttle to the reindeer farm. 

The difference is that if you are not doing reindeer sledding, you will not given a colored wristband (mine, in orange, can be seen above). You’ll get the same experience besides the sled ride, though!

This tour includes a visit to the reindeer camp, where you can feed the reindeer and get photos, drink warm drinks in the lavvo, eat a traditional Sámi meal of reindeer stew, etc. And if eating the reindeer you just saw and interacted with is a little too on the (Rudolf’s red) nose, don’t worry — vegetarian options are available.

Evening Reindeer Sled Tour with a Chance of Northern Lights – Book Here

Duration: 4.5 hours
Meeting Time: 6 PM
Meeting Place: Corner of Bankgata and Fredrik Langes Gate
Inclusions: Sámi guide, transfers, 3 course dinner, warm drinks, food for the reindeer, overall and boot rental if desired
Accessibility: Most, but not all, of the reindeer ranch is wheelchair accessible. Provide advance notice to confirm.
Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Provide advance notice to confirm.
🦌CHECK PRICES HERE

Like the other two tours I’ve listed above, this is also the same excellent tour company but done at night so that you have a chance of seeing the aurora while you visit the reindeer camp, away from the light pollution of the city.

However, the area around Tromsø often has a lot of cloud cover which makes it hard to see the Northern lights from a stationary place. This is why I ended up going on so many Northern lights tours. That means you may not be able to see the aurora from the reindeer ranch, even if there is a lot of solar activity, if the clouds are in the way.

During my week in Tromsø, I tried to spot the Northern lights many times, and I saw them three times in a week: once on an aurora spotting cruise, once from my accommodation window, and once on an aurora tour that chased the Northern lights all the way over the Finnish border! On my second trip to Tromsø, even though I stayed for three weeks, I only saw the lights twice.

If your trip to Tromsø is primarily to see the Northern lights, then I would suggest doing a minibus tour like this one, where you take a dedicated tour that focuses on chasing the lights, no matter where the best chance to see them is.

However, if you have extra time and want more chances to see the lights, then a reindeer tour at night would be a good option. That said, I wouldn’t do a Tromsø reindeer sledding tour at night in place of a dedicated Northern lights tour — only in addition to it.

Staying in one place vs. traveling around specifically to see the best lights possible is a whole different experience! But if your Tromsø itinerary is limited on time and you are trying to figure out what are some activities to enjoy during the day vs. at night, there’s nothing specifically about a reindeer sledding tour that wouldn’t be equally good at night! 

The tour is all about meeting the reindeer and enjoying learning about Sámi culture as opposed to seeing the scenery around you (as opposed to a dog sledding tour where you cover more ground), so it’s a good option for doing at nighttime.

Camp Tamok Reindeer Sledding Day Trip – Book Here

Duration: 7 hours
Meeting Time: 8:45 AM
Meeting Place: Tromsø Havn Prostneset, Samuel Arnesens gate 5
Inclusions: Transfers to Camp Tamok (90 minute drive each way), lunch, warm drinks, warm clothing rental, Sámi lasso throwing demonstration, sled ride
Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible
Dietary Restrictions: Might be able to be accommodated with advance notice
🦌CHECK PRICES HERE

I didn’t get the chance to try this particular Tromso reindeer sledding tour, but it seems rather similar to the first tour in terms of itinerary and activities. The price point is slightly higher, but that’s because you head all the way out to the Tamok Valley (90 minutes each way) near the Tromso Ice Domes.

Personally, I’d suggest going with one of the Tromso Arctic Reindeer tours above as that’s what I did and loved. In addition to being more affordable, it was nice that I didn’t have to travel as far (it was only about 20-30 minutes outside of Tromsø vs. 90 minutes).

However, like I mentioned, reindeer tours are selling out faster and faster these days (it’s mid-September as I write this, and already, November is halfway sold out for many tours!). It’s good to have a few back-up options in case your desired tour sells out.

Camp Tamok Reindeer Sledding and Northern Lights Trip – Book Here

Duration: 7 hours
Meeting Time: 4:45 PM
Meeting Place: Tromsø Havn Prostneset, Samuel Arnesens gate 5
Inclusions: Transfers to Camp Tamok (90 minute drive each way), dinner, warm drinks, warm clothing rental, Sámi lasso throwing demonstration, sled ride
Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible
Dietary Restrictions: Might be able to be accommodated with advance notice
🦌CHECK PRICES HERE

This is the same company as the one above, but they also run a Northern lights reindeer sled tour. In the previous tour, I noted its distance from Tromsø as a drawback, but for a night tour, that actually works to its benefit.

Being located further out from Tromsø (and also further inland, where cloud cover is less dense), you almost certainly will have a better chance of seeing the Northern lights, though of course there are no guarantees with the aurora… which is why it’s so special when you finally glimpse it!

If you’re looking for a Tromsø reindeer sledding tour where you can also try to see the Northern lights, this is the one I would pick — as long as I didn’t mind the extra drive time (so it may not be a good option for impatient younger kiddos). Just note that the travel time is 90 minutes each way, so be prepared to spend 3 hours in transit if you choose this option.

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.