Best Reindeer Sledding Tours in Tromsø

Our ship docked at the terminal right where the bus leaves. Ten o'clock bus, sled ride, three hundred reindeer, stew by the fire, back on board by half past two. Perfect day.

We were on a winter cruise up the coast and Tromsø was the one stop where we had a full day. I had pictured a sleigh ride like on a Christmas card, and it is more gentle than that. A reindeer walks, the guide walks alongside, and you sit on reindeer skins and listen to the runners. It was one of the most peaceful twenty minutes of my life. Then came the feeding, which is chaos in the best way, with antlers everywhere and one cheeky animal that ate half my glove. Lunch in the lavvu was a warming stew and the joik our guide sang about her grandfather gave me goosebumps. Bring proper boots, there is a lot of standing in the snow.

Lovely camp and very kind guides. Four stars because the sled ride felt short, maybe ten minutes, and I wish the listing said so. The feeding and the lunch made up for it.

Short call, only until two in the afternoon, so we took the sled option at the camp close to town. Picked up at ten, back by half past one. The photos the guide took were better than anything on my phone.

My husband wanted huskies, I wanted reindeer. We did reindeer in the morning and he admitted at lunch that he had changed his mind.

We chose Tromsø Lapland because they were the only ones who said how long the ride was. It was every bit of the half hour, in a little train of sleds with the guide in front, and the mountains behind the camp were glowing pink in the low sun. The snowsuit they lent us was a blessing. It is a long-ish drive, so we were glad our ship stayed until evening.

I have never been that cold or that happy. Wear two pairs of socks.

The evening tour was wonderful, dinner in the turf hut with candles was the highlight. We did not see the Northern Lights though, thick cloud all night, and you are riding the sled in the dark so there is not much to see. Still glad we went, the staff were excellent.

Our cruise had an overnight in Tromsø, so we did the evening sled. At about nine the cloud broke and a green band appeared right over the reindeer. Nobody said a word. Then the guide started to joik, very quietly. I will never forget it.

Booked this ourselves instead of the ship excursion, which was more expensive and sold out. The bus was at the terminal exactly as described, staff in blue jackets, easy. Our grandchildren talked about the reindeer for the rest of the cruise.

Kind guides, happy animals, delicious bidos. Hold the feed bucket low or the reindeer will help themselves.

Good tour, but go in the middle of winter. We went in late March and the snow was thin at the camp, so the ride was shorter than planned. They refunded part of the price without us having to ask, which was fair.

We spent a whole day at Camp Tamok on the day between two cruises. The valley is stunning, deep snow and total silence, and the full thermal suit and boots meant we were never cold. Only a handful of reindeer, but that made it feel personal, not like a tourist farm. Expensive, and a long bus ride, but worth it.

Our daughter is six and she rode in the sled on my lap, completely silent with wonder for the whole ride. The guides were patient with her questions about reindeer poop.

What I liked most was the honesty of our Sami guide. She told us about the herding life today, the struggles with land and wind farms, and how her family moves with the herd. It was not a show.

The ship docked at Breivika, so we took a taxi into town, about fifteen minutes, and caught the one o'clock bus at the terminal. Back at five, taxi again, on board with plenty of time before our seven o'clock all-aboard. Easy if you plan it.

Very well organized, but it is a big operation. Several buses arrived at the same time, so the camp felt busy. The reindeer did not seem to mind.

The most magical morning of our two-week cruise. Gentle sled ride, a crackling fire, warm stew and a guide who clearly loved her animals. Book it.