Reindeer and Sámi culture in Tromsø
You can often see reindeer around Tromsø, by the roads, in fields and on beaches outside town. Every one of them belongs to a Sámi herding family, so watch from a distance and don't feed them. To meet a herd up close, feed them with the herders and hear about Sámi life, you visit a reindeer camp on a tour.
Where can you see reindeer around Tromsø?
Reindeer graze freely in the Tromsø region, and Visit Tromsø notes that you don't have to go far from the city centre to see them crossing the road. Some herds stay on the coastal islands all year, while others move inland for the winter. All of them are domesticated and belong to Sámi reindeer-herding communities.
If you meet reindeer by the road, keep your distance, also when you take photos, and don't feed or touch them. Food from people can make them ill, and a reindeer that feels threatened can butt with its antlers. Drive carefully where you see the warning signs, and keep dogs under control.
Meeting a herd at a camp is different, because the herders bring you in among their animals and give you the feed. Several reindeer camps near Tromsø take visitors. On MyTripTo you can plan and book visits with Tromsø Arctic Reindeer, which is run by a Sámi reindeer-herding family. Their camp is in Krokelvdalen, about 30 minutes' drive from the city centre. It's open from the end of October to early April, and you can only visit on a tour.
Which visit is right for you?
All the day visits take about 4 hours with the bus there and back, and start at 10:00, with a second departure at 13:00 on some dates. The difference is what you do with the reindeer. Reindeer Feeding & Sámi Culture has no sled ride. The short sledding visit adds a 10 to 15 minute ride along the valley and the coast, and the long one a ride of 25 to 30 minutes.
Snowshoeing with Reindeer swaps the sled for a guided hike of 1 to 1.5 hours in the hills above the camp, with snowshoes and poles included. It runs from 1 December to 31 March and is for ages 8 and up.
Short on time? Tromsø Arctic Reindeer also runs an Express visit of about 3 hours, with feeding, joik and stories but no lunch and no sledding.
Reindeer Feeding & Sami Culture
Short Reindeer Sledding, Feeding & Sami Culture
Long Reindeer Sledding, Feeding & Sami Culture
Snowshoeing with Reindeer
What happens on a day visit
The bus picks you up in the city centre and drives about half an hour to the camp. You walk in among the herd of several hundred reindeer and feed them by hand. On the feeding visit you can also try lasso throwing at a target.
Then you warm up by the fire in the lavvu or the gamme with hot drinks and lunch cooked over the open fire. That's bidos, the traditional reindeer stew, or a vegetarian and vegan tomato stew. The visit ends with Sámi stories and a joik before the bus takes you back.
An evening at the camp
Both camp evenings start at 18:00, take about 4.5 hours and get you back around 22:30. You walk among the reindeer in the dark and feed them, then have a three-course dinner by candlelight, with stories, a joik and time outside by the fire. Night Reindeer Sledding adds a 15 to 20 minute sled ride. On a clear night you might see the northern lights from the camp, but nobody can promise that.
The Aurora Wonder Night is the long one, about 8 to 9 hours, and has no sled ride. After the herd and a joik, a heated minibus takes you out into the open for an evening by a bonfire with soup, hot drinks and a dedicated Northern Lights guide, who also takes photos. Thermal suits and tripods are included. It's for ages 6 and up, leaves at 16:30 (17:00 from 7 March) and gets you back around 01:30.
Night Reindeer Sledding with Camp Dinner & Northern Lights
Reindeer Camp Dinner & Northern Lights
Sami Reindeer Camp Visit & Aurora Wonder Night
Meeting point and getting there
Every tour includes the bus from Tromsø. You meet at Prostneset bus terminal, Samuel Arnesens gate 5, in the city centre, 20 minutes before the tour starts. For the Aurora Wonder Night the guide meets you at platform 3 at 16:25, half an hour later from 7 March. The team wears blue jackets with the Tromsø Arctic Reindeer logo. Pickup is also possible at Tromsø Lodge & Camping.
You can drive yourself: choose your own transport when you book and arrive half an hour after the bus departure time, so you're there with the others. The camp has toilets, including an accessible one.
With children
Children of all ages are welcome on the feeding, sledding and camp dinner tours, and under-3s go free. A small child can sit with you in the sled. Snowshoeing is for ages 8 and up and the Aurora Wonder Night for 6 and up. On the Aurora Wonder Night, tell them in the booking comments if your child is 6 to 8, and they bring a booster seat.
The buses only have a few booster seats and no baby seats. If you need one, bring your own car seat or take a taxi with the right seat.
What to wear and what you eat
Bring at least two layers of warm clothes, a hat, mittens and good winter boots. There are blankets for the sled. Only the Aurora Wonder Night includes a thermal suit, and you give your size when you book.
Bidos is gluten free but contains lactose. The vegetarian and vegan stew is free of both gluten and lactose. If you have a food allergy, tell Tromsø Arctic Reindeer by email before your visit.
About Sámi culture
The Sámi are the Indigenous people of the far north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia's Kola Peninsula, and reindeer herding is still a living livelihood for many Sámi families. At Tromsø Arctic Reindeer your hosts are such a family. They have lived and worked with reindeer for many generations, so what you hear at the fire comes from their own life with the herd.
A joik is the traditional Sámi song. As the family puts it, a joik doesn't describe someone, it is that person, animal or place. If you're in Tromsø around 6 February, Sámi National Day, Sámi Week runs from 31 January to 7 February 2027, with reindeer racing on Storgata on the final Sunday.
How the reindeer live
The herd spends the winter in the valley around the camp and the summer free in the mountains, where the calves are born. That's why the camp is closed from mid-April to the beginning of November, and why the opening dates depend on the weather.
Pets aren't allowed at the camp, because dogs can scare the reindeer. Assistance dogs are welcome but stay outside the fence. The sled rides are calm and steady. Usually two people sit in a sled, and it takes at most 200 kg, or 170 kg in heavy snow.
Questions
Where can I see reindeer near Tromsø?
Often by the roads, in fields and on beaches around Tromsø, where herds graze freely. Keep your distance and don't feed them. To meet a herd up close, visit a reindeer camp on a tour, such as Tromsø Arctic Reindeer's camp in Krokelvdalen, about 30 minutes' drive from the centre.
What is the difference between reindeer feeding and reindeer sledding?
On a feeding visit you walk among the herd and feed them by hand, with lunch, stories and a joik, but no sled ride. The sledding visits add a ride of 10 to 15 or 25 to 30 minutes. All of them take about 4 hours.
Is the reindeer camp run by Sámi people?
Yes. Tromsø Arctic Reindeer is owned and run by a Sámi reindeer-herding family, and your hosts at the camp are Sámi.
Can children go reindeer sledding?
Yes, children of all ages can join the sledding tours, and under-3s go free. A small child can sit with you in the sled. Snowshoeing is for ages 8 and up and the Aurora Wonder Night for 6 and up.
How long does a reindeer tour from Tromsø take, and is transport included?
Day visits take about 4 hours, the camp evenings about 4.5 and the Aurora Wonder Night 8 to 9. The bus from Prostneset bus terminal in the city centre is included on every tour.
Can I see the northern lights at the reindeer camp?
Sometimes. The evening tours spend time outside by the fire, and on a clear night with aurora activity you might see them. It isn't guaranteed, so book it for the evening itself.
When is Sámi National Day, and what happens in Tromsø?
Sámi National Day is on 6 February. Tromsø holds Sámi Week around it, from 31 January to 7 February in 2027, ending with the Norwegian reindeer racing championships on Storgata.