• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT ∨
    • About Me
    • FAQ
    • Work with Me
  • Destinations
  • Recipes
  • THINGS I ❤
  • Blogging
  • CONTACT
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Heart My Backpack uses affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission.

/ Norway / The Best Place for Reindeer Sledding in Tromsø, Norway

The Best Place for Reindeer Sledding in Tromsø, Norway

December 8, 2022 by Silvia 1 Comment

10 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Most people visiting Tromsø in winter are here to see the northern lights. And yes, the aurora is definitely one of the things I love most about living in Tromsø. But as the northern lights are part of nature and can’t be guaranteed, I always stress the importance of filling your Tromsø trip with other fun activities, so you know you will have an amazing time even if you are unlucky with the northern lights. And one of the top activities I recommend is meeting some of the Tromsø reindeer! 

Reindeer sledding and feeding reindeer in Tromsø, Norway

Quick Tromsø Travel Guide

Tromsø Accommodation: Thon Hotel Polar and Thon Hotel Tromsø across the street are both excellent options right in the city center, and the breakfast buffet is incredible. The fanciest hotel in town is the Clarion Hotel The Edge, which is right on the water and home to Tromsø’s only skybar. Or you can read my full guide to the best Tromsø hotels here. 

Tromsø Activities Hostel is a great option if you’re on a tight budget. And if you want your own apartment, this glass roof loft near the center looks incredible. I don’t recommend booking an Airbnb in Tromsø.

Top Tromsø Activities: 

  • Small group northern lights tour
  • Northern lights sailing excursion
  • Fjord cruise with a sauna/jacuzzi on board
  • Boat/RIB whale watching tour
  • Arctic dogsledding excursion
  • Reindeer excursion
  • Snowmobile tour

Tromsø car rental: Tromsø is surrounded by incredible nature, but public transport is sparse so I recommend renting a car, if you can. I like Sixt for Tromsø car rentals, or you can compare prices at autoeurope.com.

Packing for Tromsø: You can find my winter packing guide for Norway here. In general I would say focus on practical outdoors clothing – people dress very casually here, even when going out at night. 

reindeer camp tamok, norway

reindeer sledding in Tromsø sami tour

Reindeer are such special animals, and if you’ve never been up close to one you’re in for a treat. But often the highlight of visiting the reindeer in Tromsø is learning about the Sámi culture here. The Sámi have lived in northern Norway for thousands of years, and many continue their nomadic way of life today. The Sámi are also the only people in Norway who are allowed to own and herd reindeer. 

And I mean, even if the main reason you’re visiting Tromsø is to see the northern lights, it would be such a shame to travel all this way and not learn a bit about the Sámi culture here as well. Plus reindeer are so beautiful! 

There are two Sámi camps near Tromsø where tourists can visit reindeer. The closest one is Tromsø Arctic Reindeer, which is about a 30 minute drive from the city center. All tours include transportation from the center. Check current prices and book a reindeer visit with sledding at Tromsø Arctic Reindeer here. 

But if you have the time, my best reindeer tour recommendation would be to visit the reindeer at Camp Tamok, a 90 minute drive outside of the city. Again, transport here is included in the tour. 

Camp Tamok lies at the bottom of Lyngenfjord, one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. And because the camp is farther inland than Tromsø, there’s often more snow here. In fact when I visited in mid November there was no snow in Tromsø but there was enough snow here to go sledding! That makes this Camp Tamok reindeer tour a particularly good option if you’re disappointed by the lack of snow in Tromsø, which can sometimes be the case in November and December. 

reindeer sledding sami camp tamok tromso norway

Visiting the reindeer at Camp Tamok

My friend Katie and I did this reindeer sledding day trip to Camp Tamok. We chose the day tour because we wanted to see the reindeer in the daylight, but you can also take a nighttime reindeer excursion. If you go at night you’ll have a chance to see the northern lights, but keep in mind that it will be dark. Our Sámi guide said that the night tours can be really cold and windy, but sledding under the northern lights is a very special experience. 

Or if you’d like to see the ice hotel as well, you could do this daytime reindeer sledding trip with an added visit to the Ice Domes. 

reindeer in tromso, norway

After the minivan drive to Camp Tamok, the guides fitted us with warm snowsuits, boots and mittens. Then we headed down to the reindeer enclosure to meet some of the reindeer! We got to walk them out of the enclosure to hook them up to the sleds. I loved that we were able to walk the reindeer ourselves and get to know them a bit. 

reindeer tour tromso norway

reindeer at camp tamok tromso norway

tromsø reindeer camp norway

We were about fifteen people, so we split up into two groups, half of whom went out on the sleds first, while the other half went inside a warm lavvu to learn more about the Sámi history and way of life now. We were free to ask our Sámi guide lots of questions and even though I’ve visited a lot of these Sámi camps I still learned so much from him. 

sami tour tromsø, norway

And then we went for a ride on the sleds! We were two to a sled, except for one guy who had his own sled as he was traveling in a group of three. When I’ve done these tours on my own I’ve always been given my own sled.

The landscape around Camp Tamok is so stunning that I was really happy I opted to come out here, despite the longer drive. The sled ride took about twenty minutes, with a stop halfway through to enjoy the landscape, take some photos and ask our guide more questions about the reindeer and Sámi way of life. 

reindeer sledding tromso norway

tromsø reindeer tour

tromsø reindeer sledding

After the sled ride we took the reindeer back to their enclosure and got to feed them. This was probably my favorite part of the tour, because the reindeer are so cute when they’re eating. 

reindeer in Tromsø sami tour

feeding reindeer in tromsø, norway

feeding reindeer in tromsø, norway

After that we made our way up to the restaurant lavvu for some hot drinks and stew. But first we took a quick detour to say hi to the huskies at Camp Tamok, because you know I never turn down dog cuddles. And neither does Katie.

huskies camp tamok norway

Is reindeer sledding ethical?

I’m always careful with any activity involving animals, so of course I’ve asked many Sámi what they think about reindeer sledding with tourists. 

First of all, the reindeer you will meet here are not wild reindeer. They are part of the Sámi camp’s herd and are often put to work. 

Sámi people do not typically ride in sleds pulled by reindeer, but instead they walk alongside the reindeer who pull sleds full of supplies. So no, this activity isn’t a traditional Sámi experience. However, the people I spoke with assured me that the reindeer can pull much heavier sleds than those with the tourists, and they’re used to pulling these heavy sleds for hours, not just 30 minutes, so this activity is actually quite easy work for the reindeer and a wonderful way for tourists to experience these enchanting animals. 

However the sledding portion of the tour is always optional. 

While visiting the reindeer camp you’ll also learn more about the struggles Sámi face in maintaining their traditions in a modern Norway and how tourism now plays a crucial role in helping many Sámi to keep their culture alive. So you can book this tour knowing not only that you’ll get to spend some time with beautiful reindeer, but also that you’ll be supporting a culture whose ties to this Arctic landscape date back thousands of years. 

tromso reindeer farm norway

Related Posts

  • spring norwayApril 2016 – 9 Months in Norway
  • Folldal NorwayThe Thing I Love Most About Norway
  • pebble island falklandsThe Truth About BetterHelp Online Counseling
  • falkland islands beaches carcass islandEverything You Need to Know to Plan a Trip to the Falklands
10 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Filed Under: blog, Norway Tagged With: destinations

Previous Post: « 14 Norwegian Gifts (That You Can Order Online)
Next Post: What to Know About Whale Watching in Tromsø, Norway »

Reader Interactions

GET UPDATES!

Subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive updates and stories from my world travels and life in Norway!

Comments

  1. Nynke says

    December 8, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    This sounds amazing! Almost too amazing to try to combine with seeing northern lights. With snow and Sami facts and reindeer *and* an aurora, I think I’d be completely overwhelmed!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Silvia

Once a full-time nomad, I'm now trying to find a balance between continuing to explore off the beaten path places around the world while also building a home in Norway. Want to know more? Head to my About page!

FOLLOW ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
northern lights norway guide northern norway guide

Footer

WELCOME

Once a full-time nomad, I'm now trying to find a balance between continuing to explore off the beaten path places around the world while also building a home in Norway. Want to know more? Head to my About page!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

COME AND GET IT!

Subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive updates and stories from my world travels and life in Norway:

© Copyright 2014 - 2023 Silvia Lawrence · All Rights Reserved ·

This blog uses affiliate links and cookies

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

PRIVACY POLICY