Jan 1, 2025
Amazing experience and memories - We booked this excursion via call of the wilderness months before we visited Finland over Christmas.
We had not heard of this company before but we read reviews and looked at their social media pages and saw they had some amazing reviews and even more amazing excursions to offer.
They are also well priced in comparison to UK travel companies who offer similar experiences.
So we booked the Northern lights by van due to having our son who is 5 years old incase it was too cold for him.
And yes it was cold however we did not go into the van during the excursion, but it was handy to have the option.
Obviously seeing the northern lights is weather dependent and not guaranteed but with help of experienced guides you increase your chances and this was something I really wanted to experience.
The guide and driver picked us up from our hotel which we did pay extra for but it was great value.
They arrived before the estimated time and were very friendly.
The van was warm, in good condition and clean.
We were taken to a location where the guide felt we would see the lights. A camp fire was lit and we were offered hot drinks and snacks while told stories and talking to other guests waiting to see the lights.
The guides were amazing and so friendly. They kept an eye out for the lights while we kept warm by the fire.
We enjoyed being by the campfire but others did go back onto the van to keep warm, mainly other children.
It is a long excursion but that allows time to travel to different locations if required to see the lights. We did not need to travel to another location and we started to see the lights from 8pm.
We are so lucky we got to experience this amazing place and to tick off something from our bucket list.
If you do want to do this experience check your camera and phone settings before you go as some people on our excursion were having problems but my iPhone 16 took these beautiful memories.
Thanks again call of the wilderness, you delivered this experience and your guides were amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 30, 2022
Amazing! - We loved the tour! Our guide Kristiina was super kind and showed us some amazing spots to see the Northern Lights. She also brought camera equipment and took some lovely fotos. Absolutely reccomend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 5, 2021
Spettacolare - Great experience! They led us nearby a frozen River in the Middle of nowhere, which was a really beautiful landscape per se. After few minutes of observation and listening to incredible stories by Eero, a comet star with a strong green tail passed across the sky. At the end the northern lights appeared multiple times. Of course we were lucky but i think it’s very difficult (and dangerous too) to find alone a place like that to admire the sky so we strongly recommend this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 20, 2020
The Best tour company in Luosto!! Sweet, fun, friendly and determined! - We did two tours with them- Northern Lights tour by Car with Onni and Cross Country Skiing with Kristiina.
They are extremely sweet and will go out of their way to ensure you have a great time and enjoy the tour you’ve signed up for. They don’t get annoyed taking pictures for you (unlike a few companies we’ve experienced) and they’re very patient. The BEST tour company in Luosto
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 7, 2019
Amazing - I was lucky to find this activity suggestion online and managed to book all our outdoor activities with Kristiina how was pleasant, helpful and was glad to help with any question, suggestions and ideas for me and my Father,
our guide Onni was very interesting, patient and took wonderful photos of the northern lights we where so lucky to see.
I recommend this very efficient and personalized services they are just great!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 7, 2021
Northern Lights - We visited Finnish Lapland for a few days at the end of November 2021. The weather was appropriate for the season mostly cloudy and dull.
We went on a Northern Lights tour with Eero and Kristina from Kairankutsu on the last evening with two other participants. In the freezing cold, we were well entertained for three hours.
Our tour guides were not only able to explain the meteorological and physical aspects of the Northern Lights, but also had knowledge of the star constellations, geography, history and culture.
And yes, we have seen northern lights as well. So it was a very successful tour that we would like to do again.
Ingrid and Thomas
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 9, 2024
We Expected a Better Experience - We were highly disappointed with both tour guides and some aspects of the tour. Preparations and communications prior to the tour were good. We had 2 adults & a child, December 25?
We got picked up at our hotel timely. The night was snowy, dark and hazy. We asked our guide, should we do this given the hazy weather? any possibilities we would see any lights under these conditions? the guide said, " Not very good". We were driven to a frozen lake, the guide who claimed he was from Switzerland & Italy gave us some details about the Northern lights, we entered a Cabin where they cooked some good sausages & gave us a warm berry drink. They claimed, we got plenty of sausages for everyone, but only cooked 10 sausages for a group of 10, while some people ate 2 sausages, others did not get one until I had to say, a couple of people did not get sausages. They then cooked 4 more sausages for everyone and kept saying, if anyone wants more, we have lots more, a couple asked for more, then they cook 5 more sausages and I had to say, the lady next to me is still waiting. Both guides argued over who was a better cook and who was a better mechanic, they were not on the same page. In fact, a few of us in the van were joking over how disorganized these 2 guys were, the Finnish & Swiss guy.
We were then taken on a hunting trip for lights, driving around aimlessly for 1.5-2 hours, there was no need to simply drive us through snowy, dark roads where there was obsolutely nothing to see. I asked once, where are we actually going? to a spot to see if we get lucky, again, it is hazy & snowy, little visibility. No need to waste our times any longer. We paid $350 to drive around & not even see a beautiful sky.
Someone asked the Swiss guide, how often have you seen the lights, he said, "Ah, once or twice in 3 months here, it's just not good weather for this, he said". Darn it, so they knew well in advance, the probability to see lights were remote at best. Why even offer this tour in the first place? We asked some locals if they ever see the lights, rarely if ever, you tourists are funny how you pay for this some said :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor