Experience the
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Experience the Aurora Borealis in the City of Northern Lights
Here at Pæskatun, we love to share the beautiful arctic nature. Alta is home to Norway’s first northern lights observatory, and the ideal place to experience the natural phenomenon.
After all, it is not without reason that we have been named the City of the Northern Lights.
Experience the Aurora dancing above you, while we take care of the rest.
NORTHERN LIGHTS SAFARI
Available from September 15th to April 7th
Join the hunt for one of the earth’s most amazing natural phenomena, the Northern Lights. With local knowledge in our hand luggage, and skilled and experienced guides, we want to take you on an exciting experience.
Capacity: 2-8 (Larger groups? Please contact us)
Duration: Approx. 5 hours
Price: NOK 1580/790 per adult/child (12 years or under) NOK 11060 for exclusive safari (max 8 persons)
Departure: 19:00 (20:00 in Sep and from 25. March)
Booking before 12:00 am one day prior, but contact us anyway, there might be space for you on today’s outing!
The Northern Lights have fascinated and frightened us humans for thousands of years. Listen to your guide conveying knowledge and the mythical about the Northern Lights.
We live in the Arctic region and the guide will share his knowledge of nature and life here at 70 degrees North.
Whether we end up on the Finnmark plateau, by the coast or perhaps in the forest – We drive where the Northern Lights are.
Remember that with us you get free loan of warm clothes, shoes, and camera tripods.
An experienced photographer is always on the team, he will help to get the best pictures.
Join us on an Arctic adventure.
- Experience the magical Northern Lights as they dance across the sky. Join an extraordinary Arctic adventure with your guide.
- Capture memories that last. We’ll give you tips for the right camera settings to get the perfect shots. Experienced photographer is always along for the ride.
- Enjoy a hot meal/snack/ hot beveages
- Competent and experienced guides.
Included
- Pick-up at your hotel in central Alta
- Hot beverages
- Light soup and bread
- Snacks
- Camera help
- Your portrait taken and sent to your email
Additional information
If you book a safari with us, we will do everything we can to find the Northern Lights. We cannot guarantee that we will find them, but we’ll do our utmost.
The duration may vary depending on how far we have to drive to find the phenomenon. Our main goal is that you see the Northern Lights, to give you the most unique experience in the Arctic region.
The city of Alta, located at 70 degrees North, and well over 400 km north of the Arctic Circle, is known for its stable climate and long white winters. This makes Alta an ideal place to observe the Northern Lights – from early autumn until late spring.
Alta has been named “City of the Northern Lights” as the first city with its own Northern Lights observatory to conduct research on the Northern Lights. With 21,000 inhabitants, space is not cramped, and we have minimal light pollution. This makes it easy to find dark and remote places perfect for observing the Northern Lights.
Temperature-wise, we are at about 10 degrees below zero on average throughout the winter. When it comes to the landscape, it varies from deep valleys and high mountains, to endless plains, and a long beautiful coastline.
NORTHERN LIGHTS CAMP
Available from September 15th to April 5th
Let the Northern Lights come to you! Join our Camp for a comfortable and social Northern Lights chase, located 20 minutes south of Alta town.
Season: September 15th to April 5th
Capacity: 10-300
Duration: 3 hours at the camp
Price: Contact us
Departure: 19:00 or as agreed
Pick-up: Centre of Alta, by the Tourist Information, Labyrinten 3
Booking is normally three days upfront, but there might be places available for you too so contact us anyway!
Staying at the camp we aim to experience the impressive show of the mystical Aurora Borealis. As the site is high up in the mountain Pæska, we can offer a fantastic view over the valley of Alta with minimum light pollution and is therefore a brilliant Northern Lights observation site and photo location.
If you bring your own camera the guides at Pæskatun assist you gladly with your camera settings so that you can take your own Northern Lights pictures.
Our guides will make a portrait zone where you can have your portrait taken with the Northern Lights as background. These pictures will be uploaded to a dated album on our official Facebook site (facebook.com/peskatun) where you can download your portrait.
Our camp consists of a wide area to wander around in the fairy-tale snow landscape to watch the Northern Lights from different spots. When the arctic winter shows its true face you can warm up and sit relaxed in one of our cosy and woodstove heated slate cottages while having a tea, coffee and cake.
But no worries, our guides observe the sky all the time and will let you know when the Northern Lights are dancing in different colours and breath taking shapes and formations are filling the firmament. Or you step by in our lavvu (Sami tent) where you can sit down on reindeer skins and getting spoiled by the pleasant warmth of the campfire. Additional open campfires with reindeer skin covered snow benches and wind protected snow wall constructions create an extraordinary atmosphere along with the fresh winter air.
Periods of low Northern Lights activity may happen and during these periods we will entertain you with a movie and slide show which tells the history, myths and scientific background of the Northern Lights.
As Pæskatun is an active slate quarry we will optional give a presentation about Alta`s slate industry.
Included
- Transport, if ordered
- Coffe/tea
- Cake
Additional information
We recommend wearing warm winter clothes and shoes.
For sale: Souvenirs, slate products hand made at Pæskatun, pictures, woollen clothes, and more.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee finding the Northern Lights.
SAMI CULTURE AND REINDEER SLEDDING
Available from January 2 to March 28
Experience the Sami Culture underneath the Northern Lights! This adventure introduces the leaned back and romantic version of the native Scandinavian`s life. The tour combines a Northern Lights hunt with a Sami experience as we explore the vast and untouched area around the Sami village of Máze where a Sami family is inviting us into their lavvu (Sami tent) and reindeer are waiting for us.
Season: 02.01-28.03
Capacity: 2-30 (minimum 2 adults)
Duration: 6-7 hours
Departure: 18.00
Booing closed until further notice!
Price
NOK 4000 per adult
NOK 2000 per child 12 years and under
NOK 28000 per private exclusive tour (maximum 8)
Booking
Booking before 4pm four days prior. But contact us anyway, there might be space for you on today’s outing!
The bus ride into the winter fairytale takes around one hour with a stop at our Northern Lights Camp Alta at Pæskatun where you get properly dressed to have a warm and comfortable stay. Already on the way we watch out for the Northern Lights and if they show up we make short photo stops in between when we reach the vidda (mountain plateau) with least light pollution.
Reaching our destination you will be pulled on old fashioned bridal sledges while the reindeer will bring us out for a trip in a raid – the old Sami way of moving themselves and their belongings through the winter landscape. If we are lucky, the Northern Lights will dance in the skies above us!
After the raid we will enter the lavvu where we will learn about the Sami culture and history. Sitting around the árran (fireplace) on reindeer skins we are served the traditional Sami meal Bidos (reindeer soup). The visit in the lavvu ends with joik – Sami way of chanting – and the guests are invited to join in!
On the way back to the Northern Lights Camp Alta we will continue the search for the Northern Lights and if the time allows we stop again at our camp at Pæskatun. It is situated high up in the mountains which makes it to a fantastic photo location. There we also have several warm cabins where we can sit down and relax while having something warm to drink and some snacks to eat.
We leave the warm winter clothing and shoes behind us before heading back to the hotel.
Included
- Transport
- Sami meal
- Hot beverages
- Snacks
- Camera help
- Pictures from your tour
Thermal clothing, shoes, and tripods available for you to use during the tour.
Additional information
Even though we have clothes for you to borrow, we recommend bringing warm clothes and shoes.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee to find the Northern Lights.
NORTHERN LIGHTS EVENING
Available from September 15th to April 9th
A special winter night! In collaboration with the best chefs of Alta, we offer a Northern Lights Evening with two-course dinner at our Northern Lights Camp at Pæskatun with elegant table settings.
Notice! Groups only.
Season: 15.09 – 09.04
Capacity: 10 – 100 persons
Duration: 4-5 hours
In a unique environment and extraordinary atmosphere, you will enjoy an exquisite dinner based on local ingredients. With the good weather conditions we have in Alta there is an extremely high possibility to see the Northern Lights almost every evening during the Aurora season. We will set up the star binoculars and study the stars and planets on the firmament and an aurora alert makes sure that you do not miss the spectacular Northern Lights outside!
If extra arrangements should be on the wish list we can arrange different options for you – have a closer look below at “Recommendations”. Just let us know how you imagine your perfect event.
Additional information
We recommend bringing warm winter clothes and shoes to wear when enjoying Aurora Borealis.
For sale: Souvenirs, slate products handmade at Pæskatun, pictures, woolen clothes and more.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee to find the Northern Lights.
Recommendations
- Combine with Northern Lights Presentation (history and scientific background)
- Combine with Alta Quartzite Slate Presentation (history and geology)
- Combine with Alta Quartzite Slate Demonstration (producing a roof tile)
- Combine with Sami story telling in our lavvu (Sami tent)
- Combine with special arrangements like live music or artists (contact us)
