About this tour
When Em from our BugBitten team booked this Kiruna tour, we weren't sure if the Northern Lights would cooperate — but the real pull was the Sami BBQ setup in Poikkijärvi's hut, where reindeer and moose cook over open fire while you hear stories about Lapland's history. The evening runs 4–5 hours starting around 19:00, mixing a proper sit-down dinner with a guided aurora hunt in a minibus once the meal wraps. It's winter Arctic tourism done without the pretension: genuine food, genuine local knowledge, and a genuine shot at catching the lights if they're on.
Highlights
- Souvas (Sami reindeer dish) cooked over open fire, not in a kitchen
- Warm hut and proper dinner before the cold hunt begins
- Small 8-person minibus means guides know where to chase the aurora
- Local stories woven into dinner rather than a separate lecture
- Photography tips from guides who know the conditions
- Hot drinks included throughout, proper thermal clothing sorted
- No fitness barrier — everyone eats and watches from the bus
What to expect
Em arrived around 19:00 to the BBQ hut, a cosy timber structure surrounded by forest and snow. The first two hours are dinner: you sit, eat smoked reindeer and moose (the souvas is the standout), drink hot lingonberry or coffee, and listen to the guide chat about Sami traditions and how the region has changed. It's unhurried and warm — genuinely feels like you're a guest in someone's space rather than part of a tour line.
Once dinner winds down, everyone piles into the minibus for the hunt. The guide picks spots based on cloud cover and aurora activity that night. Some nights the lights don't show; other nights they're vivid. Em's crew saw a faint glow and spent time learning how to photograph it, which was useful regardless. You're sat in the bus between stops, so it's not a trudge through blizzards — more strategic driving and waiting.
Good to know
The food is legitimately excellent and a genuine taste of Sami cooking rather than a tourist gimmick. The guide's local knowledge shapes where you go each evening, so you're not locked into the same spot every night. It suits mixed fitness levels because dinner is stationary and the aurora hunt is from a heated bus.
The Northern Lights are unpredictable — some nights they don't appear, and no operator can guarantee them. Winter darkness and cold are intense; make sure you're ready for that. The minibus gets chilly between stops if the lights are faint. It's a pricey evening, so manage expectations around what the aurora will actually deliver.
Thermal clothing is supplied. Dinner and warm drinks are included. Group size is capped at 8 people. Peak season is autumn through early spring; winter (Dec–Jan) is coldest but also darkest, so better odds for aurora. Bring sunglasses for snow glare during the day beforehand, and a camera if you want to try night photography.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.