Welcome to our home, Alta, the city of Northern Lights – The Slate city.

We are Pæskatun, a small but strong team of passionate locals helping visitors create memorable arctic experience for over 20 years. As a local northern lights tour provider in Alta, we combine deep regional knowledge and personal storytelling to give you a taste of life in the arctic.

We believe Alta is the best place to live in Norway, life here is calm, but you are never bored! from cross country skiing to northern lights in the Alta valley, the Alta fjord or the Finnmark plateau, there are unlimited options of things to do when you visit our city.

We are excited to share this lifestyle with you.

Our story – From Slate Heritage to Northern Lights Tours in Alta

in 1993 Trond opened the door to his workshop for the public. Already then, he wanted to pass on the history of the slate and the importance it has had in building up the city of Alta. Since then, we have been a visitor centre for the slate industry. Today, we have fourth-generation slate workers working at Pæskatun, with our roots going back to the golden age of slate working in the 1920s. We proudly carry forward our cultural heritage

The mountain where we are located offers amazing views, and when Alta received their first Northern Lights visitors, we opened our work yard for northern lights sightseeing and hosted northern lights camps. Since then, in 2008, we have built up 20 years of experience and become experts in reading weather conditions, interpreting the Northern lights forecast, and finding the best locations for clear skies.

What we offer/about us:

Today, we offer guided northern lights tours in Alta, Norway, designed to give you the highest possible chance of seeing the aurora.

Northern light hunt by car

This is our main activity. Northern lights hunt by car is a small-group experience (maximum 8 guests per car), where we will take you into the scenic landscapes of the Alta fjord, the Finnmark plateau or further. With our strong local knowledge and flexibility, we actively search for clear skies and optimal viewing conditions. Our experienced guides are also northern lights photographers and will capture high-quality photos of you under the northern lights, creating lasting memories of your arctic adventure.

Lady Aurora decides when she want to dance for us, while waiting for her to show we will have a bonfire, homemade cake and hot beverages to keep us comfortable while we wait.

Northern lights camps

At Basecamp Pæskatun we also offer northern lights camp experiences in Alta. Perfect for larger groups and guests who prefer a more relaxed and comfortable experience. At our basecamp we have:

• Toilets
• Slate cabin museum for entertainment while waiting
• Sitting spaces in workshop and other cabins
• Indoor areas to warm up and included self-serving cafés
• Traditional Sami Lavvo
• Informational presentation of the wonders and mysteries behind the northern lights
• Northern lights photographer

You will leave our camp with new knowledge of the history, myths and science behind the Northern lights in a truly unique environment.

Northern Lights Hunt by tour bus

Our northern lights bus tours follow the same philosophy as our small-group experiences: finding the best possible conditions for seeing the Aurora Borealis. Using our strong local knowledge, real-time weather analysis, and the Northern lights forecast, we travel to the areas with the highest chance of clear skies – whether that’s along the Alta Fjord, across the Finnmark Plateau, or further inland.
if you want us to organise the bus tour or you have the bus but need the expertise we will join you and increase your chances of finding the northern lights

Alta Slate Museum & Cultural Experience

We are a visitor centre for the slate industry where you travel 100 years back in time to the golden age of slate work in Alta. Visit our museums, working workshop and try making your own slate souvenir! In our museum we still have the same tools which Tronds grandfather and Simon’s great-grandfather would use back in 1920. Watch our self-made video of how we work with the slate, getting the slate out of the mountain and cut into finished products. Additionally, you can enjoy the breathtaking views of Alta and the Alta valley from our panorama café.

Bigger groups have the opportunity to get the visual slate demonstration by one of our slate workers, Trond or Simon.

Cross Country Skiing

One of our favourite winter activities are cross country skiing. It’s an essential part of arctic life, both for physical health and mental well-being. We have all the equipment needed to take you on a guided skiing experience whether you’re a beginner or have basic experience. We always have a basecamp with bonfire, snacks and hot beverages whenever you want a break.
This is the perfect way to experience the Arctic landscape like a local.

Mice – conference and meetings

We offer conference & meetings in our slate workshop where we can fit groups of any sizes and provide you with food, snacks, coffee & tea, as well as teambuilding activities and slate activities.

Whether you’re an independent traveller or organising big groups, we want to be part of creating your memorable arctic experience!

Environment and Safety

Safety

We value the safety of all our guests and employees, both here in the yard and on all trips that we arrange, summer and winter. Our experienced guides have all been trained in first aid, they ensure that our guests have the clothing needed for a comfortable trip, they assess weather and driving conditions both before and during a trip, and can, if necessary, turn around in time. They assess whether the guests are able to complete the trip and can refuse a guest to participate if it will endanger life and health.

We also value the safety of our visitors here in the yard. Less safe areas where boulders and other things are stored are blocked off. Grandstands are marked for the visually impaired. In winter, the yard is cleared of snow and sprinkled with sand if needed. All motorized and mechanical equipment is handled only by authorized personnel. The public is kept at a proper distance during slate demonstrations.

Nevertheless, and despite our safety measures, accidents may happen. We recommend all our guests to have insurance that covers the activity they sign up for, for all group or family members, and we recommend that everyone follow the instructions given by the guides.

Environment and sustainability

We live close to nature here in the north, a nature that we both harvest from and that we happily share with our visitors. We are therefore very aware that we, as a company, as employees and as users of nature, do not leave traces behind us when we are on a trip. We show respect and therefore we clean up after ourselves and, leave the place in the same condition as it was when we arrived. Embedded in our history and culture is that we harvest from the nature, all year round, and take out what we need, for ourselves. We do not disturb wildlife unnecessarily, we use well-established paths and campsites, and do not have motorized traffic in nature.

In a bigger picture, all our activities affect nature. It is an inherited attitude, but also a duty to do the best we can to minimize our own environmental footprint, as much as possible. In May 2022 we proudly acheived the environmentally certificate Eco-lighthouse. All aspects of our operations are reviewed and, the goal is to reduce energy consumption, use more renewable energy, sort waste at source and more. We want our company to be sustainable, financially, and environmentally, but also sustainable in the society we belong to. We encourage and support our partners in their process of sustainability.

We will use the opportunity to encourage our visitors to share the ways of transportation whenever possible, when visiting us here at Pæskatun.

Covid-19

Our priority is to keep both you as a guest, but also our employees safe while you have an interesting and exciting experience with us. We follow the recommendations of the NHI to prevent the virus from spreading. We have reduced the capacity of our trips somewhat, as well as increased our cleaning and hygiene routines.

Our measures and what we ask you as a guest to follow:

• Common areas and contact points are often cleaned and disinfected, and between each group
• All equipment and clothing are disinfected between uses
• Antibac is available at all times for guests and staff
• Where the one-meter rule cannot be complied with, employees will wear masks, guests are recommended the same
• Vehicles are disinfected between each group, passengers are recommended to use masks, and the driver wears masks
• We ask you to respect the one-meter rule
• We ask you to limit the number of belongings to an activity, but bring your own hat, scarf, and mittens / gloves
• Preferably pay by card
• Only participate in the activity if you feel well

Together we can contribute, and together we will come out stronger at the other end!