The main points
- A clear roof over your bed is the dream. The versions you can book near Tromsø are aurora lavvo stays and overnight husky lodges rather than one big igloo village.
- A snowmobile tour with an aurora crystal lavvo stay starts from US$670[1], and an overnight husky lodge with dog sledding starts from US$440[2].
- The Northern Lights season in Tromsø runs from late August to early April.[3] Dog sledding in Northern Norway typically runs from December to March.[4]
- The self-drive husky dog sledding adventure runs 4 hours from US$351 and is rated 4.91 from 4,408 reviews.[5]
- Start with the night you want under the sky, then build the sledding days and fjord trips around it, and keep one evening spare for a second try.
| Aurora lavvo stay | Husky lodge night | Husky sledding day | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$670[1] | from US$440[2] | from US$351[5] |
| Time out | 1 day[1] | 27 hours[2] | 4 hours[5] |
| Rating | 4.79 from 71 reviews[1] | 5.00 from 1 reviews[2] | 4.91 from 4,408 reviews[5] |
| Guide language | English[1] | Norwegian, English, German[2] | English[5] |
| Cancellation | Up to 24 hours before[1] | Up to 24 hours before[2] | Up to 24 hours before[5] |
A Category S licence entitles you to drive an open snowmobile with or without a trailer sledge. In some cases, you can drive without a Category S licence.
Is a glass igloo night in Tromsø worth it?
Book the roof and the dogs
What a Glass Igloo Night in Tromsø Really Means
A glass igloo is a small cabin with a transparent roof panel above the bed, built so you can lie under a duvet and watch the sky instead of standing out in the cold. Some are full domes, some are cabins with a glass half roof, and some are lavvo style tents with clear panels. The idea is the same each time: no window frame between you and the aurora, and a warm room to crawl back into.
Search for Tromsø igloos and you will mostly turn up aurora lavvo stays, clear roofed cabins and overnight husky lodges rather than one big dome village. The brightest example here is a snowmobile tour that finishes in an aurora crystal lavvo stay: a full day out with the night under a clear roof, a small group limited to 12 participants and an English speaking guide, from US$670 and rated 4.79 from 71 reviews.[1]
If the classic dome village is what you have in mind, treat that as a separate trip further east. If you would rather wake up beside huskies, the overnight husky lodge stay with dog sledding in Bardu is the other roof night, running 27 hours with a group limited to 4 participants, from US$440.[2]
Lavvo, Husky Lodge or a Hotel Room?
Three shapes of night are worth weighing up. A lavvo or dome night puts the sky directly overhead, which is the whole point, but it usually arrives attached to a long tour day with transfers at both ends. A husky lodge night trades the glass for a bed at a working kennel, with dogs nearby and sledding built in. A hotel in central Tromsø keeps your days free, and you chase the aurora on a night tour instead.
The crystal lavvo option is a snowmobile day with the night at the end of it. The group is limited to 12 participants, the guide speaks English, the whole thing runs a full day, and it is rated 4.79 from 71 reviews, with Guide 4.7, Transportation 4.8 and Value for money 4.4.[1]
The husky lodge stay is smaller and longer: a group limited to 4 participants, guides who speak Norwegian, English and German, and 27 hours from start to finish, from US$440. It is rated 5.00 from 1 reviews so far, so read the description closely rather than leaning on the score.[2]
A husky team running a snow trail under a low winter sky.
The Husky Day That Pairs With a Roof Night
The natural partner for a night under the sky is a morning on the runners. The self-drive husky dog sledding adventure from Tromsø runs 4 hours with an English speaking instructor, stops at Bus/coach, Kvaløya and Bus/coach, and starts from US$351. It is rated 4.91 from 4,408 reviews.[5]
If you would rather sit back and let someone else steer, the half day husky sled self-drive with traditional lunch runs 4 hours from US$355 and is rated 4.86 from 2,050 reviews.[10] The fun and easy dog sledding adventure out of Breivikeidet takes 4.5 hours from US$305, rated 4.88 from 2,077 reviews, with stops at Bus/coach, Breivikeidet and Bus/coach.[11]
Kvaløya, where several of these trails run, begins at the Sandnessund Bridge, less than 5 km from central Tromsø, so you are not signing up for a long haul across the county.[12]
Aurora Season, Polar Night and the Sledding Window
The Northern Lights season in Tromsø runs from late August to early April, but not all months are created equal.[3] If darkness is what you are after, the Polar Night in Tromsø begins on 27 November and lasts until 15 January, which stacks the odds in favour of long nights outdoors.[7]
Dog sledding in Northern Norway typically runs from December to March, depending on snow conditions, so the two windows overlap neatly in the darkest weeks.[4] Outside that, the midnight sun in Tromsø usually lasts from around 20 May to 22 July, which is a completely different holiday.[8]
Aim for the middle of the aurora window and keep the sledding day flexible around it. Snow decides everything on the trail, and a warm spell can close a route or reroute a run. If your dates are fixed, book the roof for your first night and keep an evening free later in the week for another look at the sky.
from US$351
The self-drive husky dog sledding adventure from Tromsø, rated 4.91 from 4,408 reviews.[5]
What to Wear and How to Handle a Cold Night
The average winter temperature in Tromsø is around −4°C, which sounds gentle until you have been standing still on a sled for an hour.[6] Layers do the work: a thermal base, a fleece or wool mid layer, and a windproof shell on top. Ask your operator what gear comes with the tour before you pack, and bring your own gloves, hat and neck warmer anyway.
For a night in a glass roofed cabin, comfort comes down to three things: a warm layer you can wear under the duvet, a head torch so you can check the sky without waking the whole cabin, and spare batteries for your camera. Cold drains phone batteries quickly, so keep yours inside your jacket between photos.
Leave one night spare if the forecast looks cloudy. Aurora is weather, not a timetable, and a clear roof with no stars is still a warm, quiet place to sleep. A thin cloud layer can pass in an hour, so set an alarm for the middle of the night rather than giving up at bedtime.
Other Winter Days to Build Around the Roof
Reindeer and Sámi culture fill the days that are not about dogs. A Sámi reindeer herding family in Tromsø has lived and worked with reindeer for many generations, and its camp days put feeding and sledding together.[13] The reindeer sledding and feeding tour with a Sami guide runs 4 hours from US$200 and is rated 4.75 from 6,854 reviews.[14]
Snowmobiles are the other big day out. A snowmobile safari in the Lyngen Alps runs 8 hours from US$317 and is rated 4.92 from 1,142 reviews, with stops at Bus/coach, Lyngen Alps and Bus/coach.[15] In Norway, a Category S driving licence entitles you to drive an open snowmobile, and in some cases you can drive without one, so ask the operator what applies to your group.[16]
In town, the Fjellheisen cable car rises to Storsteinen, 421 meters above sea level, for a wide view over the islands.[17] Farther out, the Tromsø Ice Domes sit 95 km from Tromsø, deep in Tamok Valley.[18] If you simply want to meet dogs without a sled, a husky meet and greet runs 2 hours from US$105 and is wheelchair accessible.[9]
Booking a Tromsø Igloo Trip Without the Guesswork
Start with the night you want the roof, then fill in the days around it. The self-drive husky day and the crystal lavvo stay both let you reserve now and pay later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, which takes some of the risk out of a weather dependent trip.[1][5]
The dogs are the other reason to go. The family at Holmen Husky Lodge has raised and raced Alaskan Huskies bred for endurance, resilience and heart for over three decades and two generations.[19] Mushers in this part of the world train for races such as Finnmarksløpet, the longest dog sled race in Europe.[20]
Book the roof early, keep one evening free at the end, and go in expecting a sled ride, a hot meal and a dark sky rather than a guaranteed light show. Then the aurora is a bonus rather than the whole point, and a cloudy night costs you very little.
From-prices for aurora nights and sledding days
From-prices stated on these GetYourGuide listings:[1][2][5][11][21]
Build a Tromsø winter trip: from-prices per person
All amounts are US dollar from-prices of GetYourGuide listings[1][2][5][11]
When to plan your Tromsø nights
Booking a glass igloo night
Pick the night first
Choose the date you want the roof, then look for tours whose start and finish times leave you free that evening.
Add a sledding day
The self-drive husky tour takes 4 hours, which leaves the rest of the day for sleep and a hot meal.[5]
Check the meeting point
Tromsø tours often leave the city centre by coach, so confirm where yours starts and when you need to be there.
Pack for standing still
Layers, a windproof shell, warm boots and gloves matter more than anything else you bring north.
Keep one night spare
Aurora is a weather event, so leave an extra evening at the end of the trip for a second attempt.
Sleep under the sky, then drive your own husky team
from US$351Reserve now & pay later
