The main points
- A coach collects you in Tromsø and drives out to the kennels, where you dress, get briefed, meet the dogs and then drive your own team on a loop of prepared trail.
- The self-drive tour booked from this site is listed as 4 hours from start to finish.[27] Starting times change with the date, so check availability before you plan the rest of your day.
- From US$351 per person on the self-drive tour,[27] with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance and the option to reserve now and pay later.
- The average winter temperature in Tromsø is around −4°C,[28] so wool base layers, a windproof shell, mittens over liner gloves and warm snow boots do more for your day than any camera setting.
- The dog sledding season in Northern Norway typically runs from December to March, depending on snow conditions.[29]
- Top choice Self-Drive Husky Sledding from US$351 Duration4 hours[27]Rating4.91 from 4,408 reviews[27]GuideInstructor: English[27]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[27] Check availability
- Husky Sled Self-Drive from US$355 Duration4 hours[30]Rating4.86 from 2,050 reviews[30]GuideLive tour guide: English[30]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[30] See this tour
- Reindeer Sledding & Sami from US$200 Duration4 hours[31]Rating4.75 from 6,854 reviews[31]GuideLive tour guide: English[31]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[31] See this tour
Midnight sun in Tromsø usually lasts from around 20 May to 22 July.
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Pickup in Tromsø and the Transfer to the Kennel
Your day starts at a pickup point in central Tromsø, where a coach waits and names are checked before everyone settles in. The route on the listing reads bus or coach out, Kvaløya, bus or coach back,[27] and the island begins where the Sandnessund Bridge ends, less than 5 km from central Tromsø.[32] That means the city is barely behind you before the buildings thin out and the water opens on both sides of the road. The kennels sit among bare hills, frozen lakes and scattered red wooden houses, and the drive out is its own small tour of the coast.
The tour is listed as 4 hours in total.[27] That window covers the drive out, the time you spend getting dressed, the briefing, the sledding, the break and the ride home, so plan your day around the departure time rather than the trail alone. Starting times change with the date, so check availability to see starting times when you book.[27] A morning departure leaves your afternoon free for the cable car or a wander round the harbour; an afternoon departure has you back in the city in time for dinner.
Kvaløya is a big island of fjords, fishing villages and low mountains, and the transfer gives you your first proper look at the kind of landscape you are about to travel through behind a dog team. Keep your camera within reach on the coach, but hold on to it once you are standing on the sled.
Dressing for Arctic Conditions Before You Set Off
Arctic dressing is the part most people underestimate. The average winter temperature in Tromsø is around −4°C,[28] which sounds gentle until you are standing still on a sled with wind pushing through your jacket. Start with a wool or synthetic base layer, add a fleece or thin down mid layer, and finish with a windproof and water resistant outer shell. Snow boots with thick soles and space for two pairs of socks matter more than anything else on this list, because your feet stay planted on the runners and rarely move enough to warm up on their own.
Hands and face take the worst of the wind. Thin liner gloves under thick mittens let you adjust a harness or take a photo without baring your skin, and a buff or balaclava keeps the cold off your cheeks. Goggles or sunglasses help when the low sun sits straight ahead, and a spare pair of mittens in your pocket is worth the weight. The tour runs with an English speaking instructor,[27] so ask at the yard about borrowed suits and boots if you would rather not pack your own. Leave cotton at home; it holds moisture and turns cold against the skin.
Sled dogs resting in the snow between runs at the kennel.
Safety Briefing and How the Sled Works
Before anyone climbs aboard, the instructor gathers the group for a briefing. This is where you learn the language of the day: how to stand on the runners with soft knees, where to shift your weight on a bend, how to keep a light grip on the handlebar, and how the brake works under your foot. You will also hear the commands used to get a team moving and, more importantly, how to bring it to a stop. Listen closely even if you have ridden a sled before, because on a self-drive tour you are the driver rather than a passenger.
The dogs are athletes, kept fit for long distances in snow, and the kennels around Tromsø work with teams that race far beyond a morning outing. Finnmarksløpet is the longest dog-sled race in Europe,[33] and it is worth asking your instructor about the races their own dogs have run. You will also learn how a team is harnessed, which dogs run at the front and how the lines are laid out, so that the picture in front of you makes sense once the sled starts moving.
Taking Turns Driving Your Own Team
Self-drive means exactly what it says: you stand on the runners and your own team pulls you, with the instructor never far away. Before you set off, agree with your companion who takes the first stretch driving and who settles into the sled, then ask the instructor how the driving will be shared. Beginners are welcome and the briefing covers everything you need. The tour is listed as 4 hours from start to finish,[27] so keep your plans for the rest of the day loose until you know your departure time.
Conditions shape the run more than anything else. The dog sledding season in Northern Norway typically runs from December to March, depending on snow conditions,[29] and the trail on the day will be packed, soft or fast depending on what the weather has done that week. On a clear afternoon you can see across the sound to the mainland mountains; in flat light the horizon disappears and the dogs simply follow the markers ahead. Keep your weight centred, take the bends a little wide, and let the team find its rhythm on the straights. If you feel unsteady, the brake under your foot is there for exactly that.
One practical tip: wear layers you can shed inside the tent and pull back on without a struggle. Fingers that can work a zip in the cold are worth more than any gadget, and a small hip bag beats a rucksack that swings with every bump. Before you leave the yard, ask the instructor to show you the brake one more time while you are standing on the runners, because it feels different in boots.
from US$351
The self-drive husky adventure runs from a coach pickup in Tromsø out to the trails around Kvaløya and back to the city.
The Lavvo Rest Stop and Food
Partway round, the group stops at a lavvo, the conical canvas tent that shelters herders and kennels across the north. Inside there is usually a fire in the middle, benches with hides and something hot to drink, and it is the moment your fingers come back to life while the dogs finally lie down in the snow. Tour names tell you a lot about what is served: the Husky Sled Self-Drive with Traditional Lunch names a meal in its title,[30] so read the inclusions on your own listing if food matters to you.
The break is also the best time for photographs. The dogs rest in loose snow, often with their noses pushed into a drift, and the light in the middle of a winter day is soft and blue. Ask before you crouch down beside a team, keep your hood up and your gloves on, and let the handler lead if a dog seems shy. Then it is back onto the runners for the last stretch towards the yard, where the dogs are unhooked, watered and settled into their houses for the evening.
Meeting the Huskies Before Departure
Kennel yards are loud places before a run. Dozens of dogs stand on their houses or run along the wire, barking at the sight of harnesses, because they know what comes next. Ask the handler for a few minutes in the yard before departure so you can meet the dogs by name and watch how a team is put together. Handlers will show you how to greet a husky properly: hand out, let the dog come to you, and keep your face back from the ones that jump.
This is also the time for the questions that make the rest of the day clearer. How old are the dogs, how often do they run, what are their names, and who decides which of them leads? On a self-drive tour the instructor handles the driving brief in English,[27] so nothing should be lost in translation. Take your photographs now if you want portraits of individual dogs, because once the team is clipped in and the sled is moving, both hands belong on the handlebar.
Return to Tromsø and When the Tour Ends
The run finishes back at the yard, where you watch or help as the dogs are unhooked and led to their houses, and where wet outer layers come off before the coach. The return leg follows the same route in reverse, bus or coach from Kvaløya back into the city,[27] and the whole tour is listed as 4 hours.[27] Snow, traffic and the pace of the group can shift that a little, so leave a margin if you have a flight or a dinner booking waiting.
If you are in Tromsø between late August and early April, you are inside the Northern Lights season,[34] and an evening aurora tour sits neatly after a morning on the sled. In the depths of winter the Polar Night season begins on 27 November and lasts until 15 January,[35] which gives the middle of the day its long blue light. Come in summer instead and the midnight sun in Tromsø usually lasts from around 20 May to 22 July,[36] though the sledding season itself belongs to winter.
From-prices for husky sledding tours from Tromsø
What a husky day out from Tromsø costs
From-prices per person for the tour listings[27],[30],[37] and[38].
When to come for the husky trails
The tour, step by step
Meet the coach in Tromsø
Pickup is in the city, then the coach crosses to Kvaløya and follows the coast out to the kennel.
Get dressed and briefed
You change into warm layers at the yard and the instructor runs through the sled, the brake and the commands.
Drive your own team
You stand on the runners and your team pulls you along prepared trails, with stops to swap drivers.
Break at the lavvo
A pause in the tent for a hot drink, photos of the resting dogs and a chance to warm up.
Back in Tromsø
The coach returns to the city, and the tour is listed as 4 hours from start to finish.[27]
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