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Small group or bus: which aurora chase suits you?

Both drive to wherever the sky is clear. The difference is how many people share the stops, the guide and the camera.

Top picks
Northern lights hunt by 4×4 van
Arctic GM Experiences · 5 hours Northern lights hunt by 4×4 van
★ 4.6 (4,456) from €70
Book now
Northern lights tour with photos
BookLapland · 5 hours Northern lights tour with photos
★ 4.8 (2,634) from €70
Book now
Aurora hunt with photos
Lapland Explorers · 6 hours Aurora hunt with photos
★ 4.8 (1,329) from €55
Book now
Compare all 8 options

Most guaranteed chases from Rovaniemi come in two shapes: a van with a maximum of 8 guests, or a bus with a much larger group. Several listings offer both under the same product, so the option you select matters as much as the tour you pick. The table shows what each listing says about group size, and where it says nothing.

Group size and format side by side

Every chase in our comparison with the group size its listing states. A dash means the listing gives no figure. That is often the case on tours that run buses and vans under the same product. Sorted by number of reviews; tap a column header to re-sort.

Photo Tour GroupFormatGuarantee typeDuration Reviews ↕ Price ↕ Book
Northern lights hunt by 4×4 van
Arctic GM Experiences 		Max 8 per van Van chase Full refund if the camera captures nothing 5 h ★ 4.6 (4,456) €70 per person Book now
Northern lights tour with photos
BookLapland 		— Chase, up to 200 km Full refund if no aurora is seen 5 h ★ 4.8 (2,634) €70 per person Book now
Aurora hunt with photos
Lapland Explorers 		Bus, or small group max 8 Bus or small group Full refund if the camera captures nothing 6 h ★ 4.8 (1,329) €55 per person Book now
Aurora hunting tour with photos
Experience Tours Lapland 		— Chase, no km limit Refund or free next-night tour 5 h ★ 4.8 (737) €50 per person Book now
Aurora hunt by heated VIP minivan
Lapin Taivas Arctic Expeditions 		Small group Minivan chase 75 % refund 8 h ★ 4.8 (553) €75 per person Book now
Small-group northern lights tour with photos
Polar Lapland 		Max 8 per guide Chase, up to 120 km Full refund if the camera captures nothing 6 h ★ 4.9 (525) €60 per person Book now
Small-group aurora hunt
Into North 		Max 8 Small-group chase Full refund if the camera captures nothing 8 h ★ 4.9 (354) €149 per person Book now
Small-group aurora hunt with photos & video
Aurora Monkeys 		Max 8 Small-group chase Full refund 5 h ★ 4.8 (330) €132 per person Book now

Prices are per person and come live from GetYourGuide and Viator. Where the guarantee is a paid option, it is added on the booking page. A dash means the listing gives no figure for this point. The product page has the details.

The chases in detail

Each tour with what its listing says about the guarantee, the length of the night and the group. Open a card for the full details.

Northern lights hunt by 4×4 van
Arctic GM Experiences

Northern lights hunt by 4×4 van

Full refund if the camera captures nothing · max 8 guests per van · the most-reviewed tour in this comparison.

  • Duration: 5 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €70 ★ 4.6 (4,456 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: full refund if at no point northern lights are captured on camera
  • Aurora chase in 4×4 vans with a maximum of 8 guests per van
  • The most-reviewed northern lights tour in this comparison

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase by 4×4 van
  • Overalls

Meeting point

Valtakatu 26, central Rovaniemi.

Know before you go

  • The refund condition is the camera rather than the naked eye: a faint aurora that shows up on a photo counts as a sighting.
  • Read the guarantee terms on the product page before booking, because they are the binding version.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Northern lights tour with photos
BookLapland

Northern lights tour with photos

Full refund if no aurora is seen · the guides drive up to 200 km · photos included.

  • Duration: 5 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €70 ★ 4.8 (2,634 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: full refund if no northern lights are seen
  • The guides drive up to 200 km in search of clear skies
  • Photos of the night are included

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase
  • Photos of the night
  • Overalls and boots

Know before you go

  • Whether "seen" means by eye or on camera is defined in the guarantee terms on the product page. Check them before booking.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Aurora hunt with photos
Lapland Explorers

Aurora hunt with photos

Full refund if the camera captures nothing · bus or small group of up to 8 · photos within 2–3 days.

  • Duration: 6 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €55 ★ 4.8 (1,329 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: 100 % refund if no northern lights are captured on camera
  • Bookable as a bus tour or as a small group of up to 8
  • Photos delivered within 2–3 days

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase
  • Photos of the night

Meeting point

Korkalonkatu 25, Rovaniemi.

Know before you go

  • Bus and small group are separate options on the same listing, so check which one you select.
  • The refund condition is the camera rather than the naked eye.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Aurora hunting tour with photos
Experience Tours Lapland

Aurora hunting tour with photos

No aurora on camera? Choose a refund or a free tour the next evening · no kilometre limit.

  • Duration: 5 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €50 ★ 4.8 (737 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: if the camera captures no aurora, you choose between a free tour the next evening and a refund
  • No kilometre limit on the chase

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase
  • Photos of the night

Know before you go

  • The free next-night tour only helps if you are still in Rovaniemi the following evening. On your last night, the refund is the relevant option.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Aurora hunt by heated VIP minivan
Lapin Taivas Arctic Expeditions

Aurora hunt by heated VIP minivan

75 % refund if no aurora, although the title says “100 %” · heated minivan · 8-hour night.

  • Duration: 8 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €75 ★ 4.8 (553 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: 75 % refund if the tour finds no aurora, although the title says "100 %"
  • Heated VIP minivan
  • A long night: 8 hours in total

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase by heated minivan

Know before you go

  • The refund is 75 % of the price rather than the full amount. This is stated in the product details, while the title says otherwise.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Small-group northern lights tour with photos
Polar Lapland

Small-group northern lights tour with photos

Full refund if the camera captures nothing · max 8 per guide · drives up to 120 km.

  • Duration: 6 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €60 ★ 4.9 (525 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: 100 % refund if no aurora is captured on camera
  • The guides drive up to 120 km for clear skies
  • Small group, maximum 8 guests per guide

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase
  • Photos of the night

Know before you go

  • The refund condition is the camera rather than the naked eye.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Small-group aurora hunt
Into North

Small-group aurora hunt

Full refund if no aurora is visible through the camera · max 8 · pickup within 10 km.

  • Duration: 8 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €149 ★ 4.9 (354 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: full refund if no northern lights are visible through the camera
  • Small group, maximum 8 guests
  • Pickup within 10 km of the centre

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase
  • Pickup within 10 km

Know before you go

  • An 8-hour night, so plan for a late return.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Small-group aurora hunt with photos & video
Aurora Monkeys

Small-group aurora hunt with photos & video

100 % money-back guarantee · max 8 · photos and videos of the night.

  • Duration: 5 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €132 ★ 4.8 (330 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Guarantee: 100 % money back
  • Small group, maximum 8 guests
  • Photos and videos of the night

What's included

  • Guided aurora chase
  • Photos and videos

Know before you go

  • The exact refund condition (eye or camera) is set out in the guarantee terms on the product page.

Details from the operator’s listing on the booking platform. The guarantee terms there are the binding version.

Max 8Guests per van or guide on the small-group chases
Up to 200 kmDriving radius stated on the BookLapland chase
5–8 hLength of a guaranteed chase, bus or van
2 optionsBus and small group on one listing at Lapland Explorers

What changes with the group size

The guarantee rule does not depend on the vehicle: Arctic GM, Polar Lapland and Into North run small groups with a full refund if the camera captures nothing, and Lapland Explorers applies the same rule to its bus and its small-group option. What changes is the night itself.

  • Stops. A van with eight guests can pull over wherever a gap in the clouds opens, and move on quickly when it closes. A bus needs space to park and time to get everyone out and back in.
  • Time with the guide. On the small-group chases, one guide looks after a handful of people, including the photos of you under the aurora. On a bus, the same attention is shared by many more guests.
  • Photos. Most chases in the table include photos of the night. Lapland Explorers states delivery within 2–3 days; Aurora Monkeys adds videos.
  • Distance. The driving radius is set by the operator, not by the vehicle: BookLapland drives up to 200 km, Polar Lapland up to 120 km, Experience Tours Lapland has no kilometre limit.
  • Price. The bus options are usually among the lower-priced chases; a small group costs more per seat. The table shows the current price for each tour.

Choose a small group if…

  • you want the guide to take photos of you with the aurora
  • flexible stops matter more to you than the price
  • you prefer a van over a full coach for a long night

A bus is fine if…

  • you mainly want the guarantee at a lower price
  • you take your own photos anyway
  • you do not mind sharing the stops with a larger group
What reviewers report about group size and distance
  • “Small group” in the title is not a group size. On the Lapin Taivas tour, one reviewer describes a group of six, another a bus with over 40 people. The listing we checked states a heated VIP minivan; the booked option decides what arrives. Check the group size in the option you select.
  • The chase can cross the border. Several reviewers of the Arctic GM and Lapland Explorers chases report drives into Sweden when Finland was cloudy.
  • Long drives mean late returns. Reviewers describe returns after 3 a.m., so plan the next morning accordingly.

Four questions for the listing

  • Which option are you selecting: bus or small group? On shared listings the price differs.
  • Does the listing state a maximum group size? A dash in our table means it does not.
  • What is the guarantee rule: camera or naked eye, refund or free next night? See our guarantee comparison.
  • Where does the tour start? Pickup within 10 km is included at Into North; others use a meeting point in the centre.

Group size and long drives in the reviews

The small-group chases are well reviewed for flexible stops and attentive guides. The critical voices below are single experiences (a bus where a small group was expected, a driver one guest felt unsafe with) and are worth knowing before you book.

“… Another great advantage was the small group size of only six people, which allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in this magical experience …”
Andrea · Italy · September 2026 Aurora hunt by heated minivan · Lapin Taivas
“The determination and expertise of the guide to place us in the best location for sighting the lights was very much appreciated. …”
Peter · Australia · February 2026 Small-group aurora hunt · Into North
“lovely trip! they drove into sweden to get us our views and took so many pictures till the clouds came in!”
Rithika · United Kingdom · May 2026 Aurora hunt with photos · Lapland Explorers
“The trip was excellent! The guides were very kind and friendly, and the transportation was perfectly organized. We really enjoyed watching the beautiful Northern Lights while having some snacks and warm tea. …”
Anja · Montenegro · September 2026 Northern lights tour with photos · BookLapland
“… Then a bus arrived, and over 40 people took us for about 1 hour and 40 minutes to the outskirts of Rovaniemi. …”
Marcela · Chile · March 2026 · translated review Aurora hunt by heated minivan · Lapin Taivas
“… We could barely see the northern lights and had the worst, most dangerous driver in the car. …”
Lucas · Netherlands · January 2026 · translated review Small-group aurora hunt · Into North

Real traveller reviews from GetYourGuide.

FAQ

How big is a small group on a Rovaniemi aurora chase?

On the small-group chases in our comparison, the listings state a maximum of 8 guests: per van at Arctic GM, per guide at Polar Lapland, and per tour at Into North and Aurora Monkeys. Some listings give no group size at all; our table marks those with a dash.

Is the guarantee different on a bus tour?

Not by itself. The refund rule is set per tour, not per vehicle. Lapland Explorers, for example, applies the same camera guarantee to its bus and its small-group option. Check the guarantee terms on the product page for the option you book.

Do bus tours drive as far as small groups?

The driving radius is set by the operator. BookLapland states up to 200 km, Polar Lapland up to 120 km and Experience Tours Lapland has no kilometre limit. Reviewers of several chases report drives into Sweden on cloudy nights.

Why do some listings offer both bus and small group?

The operator runs both formats under one product and lets you choose the option when booking. The price and the group size then depend on the option, so read the option name carefully before you pay.

Is a small group worth the higher price?

If you want the guide to photograph you under the aurora, flexible stops and a van instead of a coach, yes. If the guarantee is what matters and you take your own photos, a bus option covers the same refund rule at a lower price.

Related on this site

Guarantee types compared

Camera, naked eye, refund or free next night: the rules side by side.

Photography tours

When the pictures are the point of the night.

Prices explained

What the price difference between bus and small group buys.

Small groups and bus tours in one table

With the group size each listing states.

See the comparison