Northern Lights Only ground transport Tours & Trip Packages

Northern Lights Only ground transport Tours & Trips

51 Northern Lights trips. Tours from 40 tour companies. 93 reviews. 4.8/5 avg rating.

36 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Only ground transport
Central Spitsbergen, Aurora borealis
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4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Visit the Svalbard Museum
  • See Arctic Fox and reindeer.
  • See remains of their huts - for example, at Ahlstrandhalvøya
  • Visit to Barentsburg, the only inhabited Russian settlement in Spitsbergen

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise, Sailing

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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Scoresby Sund - Aurora Borealis
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4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Reykjavík

Highlights

  • Experience the cruise through m/v Ortelius
  • Visit Akureyri
  • Have an opportunity to see different type of birds and polar region animals.
  • Enjoy the nature in Greenland scenery

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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Alpine Peaks of Spitsbergen - Ski & Sail
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4.8/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Enjoy the ski climbs on mountain tops which are in average 700-850 m high and downhill skiing
  • Visitthe greater region Kongsfjorden, Isfjord and Prins Karls Forland.
  • Enjoy the availability of landing sites, encounters with wild animals (polar bears) on land, and the avalanche situation.

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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essential cruise - Northern Lights Discovery to Norway
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4.4/5 Great
64 reviews
Large Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Bergen, Honningsvåg, London, Trondheim

Themes

Cultural

What travelers are saying

"they are taking too long to refund our cancelled holiday from May 2020. cannot get any info from them when it will be refunded back to us."

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Northern Lights New Year Special
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5/5 Excellent
30 reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Reykjavík, Thingvellir National park

Highlights

  • Combine a stay in the Icelandic countryside with time in Reykjavik
  • Boost your chances of seeing the aurora borealis by staying in a rural hotel
  • Enjoy an amazing view of the city fireworks
  • Explore the South Coast and Golden Circle on expert-guided tours
  • Start the New Year with a long soak in the Blue Lagoon (optional)

Themes

Festivals & Special Events

What travelers are saying

"Fantastic holiday in Iceland. Great service, everything running perfectly for us. From flights, car hire, hotel, advanced tickets etc. Well done and thank you."

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Aurora Hunter
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5/5 Excellent
7 reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Experience the stunning view of Northern lights
  • Visit Karesuando
  • Enjoying the magnificent views of fells and frozen lakes
  • Enjoy a guided forest trek to a wilderness viewpoint, where you can hope to see the Northern Lights dance above the village.

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Singles Travel

What travelers are saying

"Had such a wonderful time, with fantastic customer service, an excellent choice of experiences, beautifully scenic location and good wholesome food. Of course we'll be voting for Transun!"

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Alaska’s Winter Magic Northern lights, dog sledding, and helicopter sightseeing
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5/5 Excellent
2 reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Luxury - 5 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Alaska, Anchorage, Fairbanks

Highlights

  • Aurora borealis: Your hot springs resort near Fairbanks is known for consistent sightings of the phenomenal northern lights.
  • Good timing: Late winter/early spring temperatures are relatively mild (20-35 F), with 10 to 12 hours of daylight and far fewer travelers than in the busy summer months.
  • Dog sledding: Learn to drive a dog team and mush your huskies to Exit Glacier (or just ride, if you prefer).
  • Cross-country or downhill skiing and snowshoeing: Shush across the snow through quiet forests, or swoosh down Mount Alyeska, with its fantastic view of the valley’s seven glaciers and Turnagain Arm..

Themes

High Adventure, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"What a great place - a little bit of everything for everyone. Great selection of LPs, be prepared to spend some time - there's a lot to look at! Chris is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Found some great records too!"

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Northern Lights Adventure at Muktuk Ranch
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2.3/5 Disappointing
6 reviews
Vacation / Holiday Package
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Whitehorse

Highlights

  • Explore and relax in the unique setting of Muktuk Ranch
  • Three nights of spectacular outdoor Aurora viewing
  • Get outside with dog sledding and snowmobiling adventures
  • Try out snowshoeing and ice fishing

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Skiing / Snowboarding

What travelers are saying

"I will give you the short version- My 18 year old child rode the bus from the Chateau Lake Louise to the Calgary airport-they are very well traveled and smart. -Bus stops in Banff, driver said we are stopping and leaving at 6:30pm. 18 year old came back at 6:25pm-NO BUS. GONE. -I get a call from bus service panicked-they can't find my child. I call my child-they are waiting at the designated location...NO BUS. -Staff from Banff Fairmont take them to the bus.Very helpful. -My child gets on the bus...bus starts rolling. STOPS...driver turns on ALL the lights and MAKES MY CHILD APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE BUS FOR MAKING THEM LATE. Driver said that the misunderstanding on meeting time was my childs fault and made everyone on the bus think that it was the drivers fault. -My child stood up and apologized to all the riders on the bus and then sat in the back and cried. -I AM APALLED THAT AN ADULT WOULD PUBLICLY SHAME AN 18 YEAR OLD IN FROM OF COMPLETE STRANGERS WHEN IT WAS CLEARLY CLEARLY CLEARY THEIR FAULT. I WILL NEVER I REPEAT NEVER USE THIS COMPANY AGAIN. I WILL WALK."

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Northern Lights Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5  Excellent
93  Reviews
See all Northern Lights tour reviews
Excellent
139
Great
26
Average
1
Disappointing
0
Terrible
0
S

Sam

Nov 2019

Written on

Perfect introduction to Iceland!

Overall I had a spectacular time on this trip. The scenery was unbelievable and the group was great. I was a bit underwhelmed by our guide - while he was super nice ...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Beautiful Finnish wilderness holiday

We had a really good time with a family of 5. The setting is beautiful - a low-key lodge in the forest, on the edge of a frozen lake. There are lovely walks from t...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

A wonderful winter adventure...!

An awesome holiday that found the balance between being a holiday and an adventure. There was enough inclusive activities, both guide-lead and self-lead, to keep u...

A

Anonymous

Oct 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Perfect winter trip for February half term.

A beautiful location in the middle of the Finnish wilderness. Lots of activity in the outdoors. Healthy food with unexpectedly excellent vegetarian options. Great ...

A

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Winter Wonderland

Expectations were high for this trip and I have to say they were met and exceeded. Never been away at Christmas before or done the skiing this - so we were nervou...

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Northern Lights Tour Selection Trips

  • The Northern Lights operate on their own timetable, dependent on atmospheric conditions. You’re never guaranteed an appearance at any given time, but you can maximize your chances. 
  • The best opportunities to witness the lights are when the skies are clear and dark in the fall through spring. Summer skies are too bright for viewing, and cloudy, snowy skies can prevent viewing.
  • While September-October and March-April may bring more chances to see the lights, they tend to be at their brightest in winter darkness. 
  • The Northern Lights are most commonly witnessed on or above the Arctic Circle – approximately 66 degrees latitude – but occasionally dip much lower, into U.S. states such as Michigan and Maine or, in Europe, into Scotland, England or even northern France.  
  • You can increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights by traveling to places where they are most common – such as the region around Fairbanks, Alaska; Whitehorse, Canada; or Abisko National Park, Sweden. 
  • For the darkest skies, avoid scheduling your aurora borealis tour for days when the moon is full and bright (the new moon is ideal) and be sure to get out into the countryside away from city lights. Peak viewing time is generally around midnight.

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