4 Ethical Sami Tours (and Tromso Reindeer Farms You Can Visit!)

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One of the best activities and excursions in Northern Norway during the winter is visiting a Tromso reindeer farm and learning more about the Sami culture and their relationship with reindeer.

This guide will showcase ethical Sami tours and places where you can see reindeer in Tromso.

Planning your trip to Tromso last minute?

Below are some of the top tours, hotels, and more! Donʻt forget to plan ahead when visiting Tromso and nearby!

🇳🇴 Top Activities and Tours in Tromso:

  1. Reindeer feeding and Sami culture tour (most popular Sami tour!)
  2. Sami and reindeer experience w/ Northern Lights
  3. Top-rated Northern lights tour from Tromso (must-do!)
  4. Ethical Whale Watching tour with orcas and humpbacks (my favorite!)
  5. Dog sledding through Arctic Norway (the ultimate winter tour!)

🛌 Top Hotels in Tromso:

  1. Radisson Blu (luxury)
  2. Thon Hotel Tromso (mid-range – I have stayed here!)
  3. Smarthotel Tromso (budget option – I have stayed here too!)

🚗 Visiting Tromso independently? Be sure to book your Norway rental car ahead of time to ensure availability!

If we missed any Tromso reindeer tours youʻd recommend here, let us know in the comments! Thanks!

Booking a trip for February–March 2024? There is currently limited availability on several tours, including dog-sledding and Sami/reindeer tours (trust me, I am currently here!). Some tours are sold out for the rest of the season. I highly advise you to book your plane ticket, accommodation, and tours at the SAME time to ensure availability.

Booking for the 2024-2025 season? BOOK ASAP. An increased Airbnb presence has created an imbalance between accommodation and tours, leaving travelers with a place to stay but no excursions available. Send me a message if you would like to chat further.

Sami Tours and Tromso Reindeer Farms (in this Guide)

Below, we have selected the best Sami tours and ones where you can see (and feed!) reindeer in Tromso. We have also given a few blurbs about each!

Most popular and booked Sami reindeer tour in Tromso:

Other worthwhile reindeer tours in Tromso:

About the Sami and Reindeer in Tromso

Unlike Antarctica, the Arctic has long been inhabited by humans, with settlements and traces of human activity dating back to around 10,000 BCE.

The Sami people have had a constant presence in the Arctic and sub-Arctic areas of northern Europe for at least 3,500 years.

Ethical Sami Tours and Tromso Reindeer Farms You Can Visit
Ethical Sami Tours and Tromso Reindeer Farms You Can Visit

The semi-nomadic people heavily relied on fishing and reindeer herding to support their communities, with herders migrating huge herds of reindeer from their summer feeding grounds in the north, further south to where the snow is less deep and the reindeer are able to dig out the lichen. 

As modern society and culture have crept into the Arctic (my way of politely saying that colonization and attempts to endanger the culture and traditions of the indigenous people of Northern Scandinavia DID exist despite being a very taboo topic), the Sami people have managed to keep a few traditions afloat, even if just for showcasing them to curious tourists.

The importance of Sami culture in the region has led to some of their activities becoming protected, such as reindeer herding may only be done by the Sami people.

These permissions hardly justify actions that were taken in the past, but at least it is giving the Sami a chance to carry on with some of their traditions. 

Today, you can experience many aspects of the Sami culture in and around Tromso, with the herders still bringing the reindeer south to the traditional overwintering grounds in the Tromso area.

However, modern life has moved in with snowmobiles revolutionizing the way they travel and has made communication much easier these days.

9 Reasons Why You Should Visit Lapland in Autumn (Not Winter!)
Hanging with reindeer

The Sami still practice the traditional methods and ensure they pass down the stories and methods of their forefathers to the younger generations.

To help preserve and teach people about this extraordinary culture, there are plenty of tours you can take from Tromso to learn all about the Sami way of life and reindeer herding.

Tours normally include visiting a reindeer ranch, where you will spend time feeding and learning about the reindeer followed by a traditional meal in a lavvo (a special kind of Sami tent) where your informative Sami guide will teach you all about the culture and share stories of the Arctic.

The following guide will take you through some of the best Sami tours to learn about the unique culture of the indigenous people of the north.

Best Tromso Sami and Reindeer Tours

1) Reindeer Feeding and Sami Culture Tour from Tromso (Most Popular!)

Duration: 4 hours
Languages: English
Seasonality: November-April
Meeting Point: Radisson Blu Hotel
CHECK PRICES HERE

Head out to one of Tromso’s magical reindeer camps. You will spend time with the reindeer- giving them food and learning how they are taken care of.

There is optional reindeer sledding that you can do if you wish to do so.

Ethical Sami Tours and Tromso Reindeer Farms You Can Visit
Ethical Tromso Sami Tours and Reindeer Farms You Can Visit

After playing around with the reindeer and lassos, you will go inside a lavvo for a delicious bowl of bidos, a delightful soup made from reindeer meat.

As you enjoy your lunch and some cake, you will be told stories about the rich cultural history of the Sami people and hear amazing examples of the typical joik singing.

2) Tromso: Reindeer Camp Dinner with Chance of Northern Lights

Duration: 4.5 hours
Languages: English
Seasonality: November-April
Meeting Point: Radisson Blu Hotel
CHECK PRICES HERE

Spend the evening at a Sami reindeer camp where you will enjoy an amazing three-course meal that is traditionally served at Sami weddings.

Prior to the meal, you will have the chance to help feed the herd of reindeer that are overwintering in the region.

The friendly animals will come up close and eat directly from your hands. While spending time outside, keep an eye out for magical displays of the northern lights that, if you are lucky, will come out and play.

The evening will end in a Sami lavvo listening to stories of the Sami people and performances of joik, a form of traditional chanting. 

3) From Tromso: Reindeer Ranch and Sami Culture Tour

Duration: 4 hours
Languages: English
Seasonality: November-April
Meeting Point: Radisson Blu Hotel
CHECK PRICES HERE

Depart from Tromso and drive into the surrounding countryside where you will visit a traditional Sami reindeer ranch.

You will have the opportunity to get up close to several hundred partly wild, but friendly reindeer who will gather around you to get some of their preferred food, lichen.

After feeding the Tromso reindeer, you will head for a traditional meal that has been stewed over an open fire.

The meat included in the stew is normally reindeer, however, for those who don’t eat meat you can request a vegetarian option in advance.

lavvu in tromso, norway during a sami culture tour with tromso lapland

Following lunch, you will head into a lavvo and sit around a fire to learn all about the history of reindeer herding and the Sami people.

Your welcoming hosts will also perform traditional joik songs that have been passed down through the generations. 

4) Sami Reindeer Experience w/ Northern Lights

Duration: 4.5 hours
Languages: English
Seasonality: November-April
Meeting Point: Radisson Blu Hotel
CHECK PRICES HERE

Venture out to a traditional Sami camp and enjoy a delicious meal around a fireplace while your Sami guide tells you all about the indigenous culture and its connection to these mystical lights that light up the Arctic skies during the dark winter months.

Your expert guide will explain to you in detail how to capture the magical lights on your camera and the settings you will need.

the BEST tromso northern lights tours in norway

You will then head out into the Arctic wilderness to hunt down the elusive lights. As they are a natural phenomenon, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to see them on the given night.

If you are looking for more information about taking a northern lights tour, check out my northern lights tour guide. It gives a variety of options for northern lights tours in Tromso.

Is Reindeer Sledding Ethical?

I feel I need to add the following part to this guide. One of the most common things to do in Tromso is to enjoy a Sami experience and go reindeer sledding. Is it ethical? 

I don’t think so and here is why:

Unlike dog sledding in Tromso, the reindeer looked miserable when I saw them dragging people in sleds around. I have been on two different experiences where I witnessed this- one in Norway and one in Finland. 

Both times, the reindeer were lured around following a person carrying an apple or food as they slowly pulled along a sled of tourists.

Something just felt wrong. I went dog sledding in Tromso and I was expecting that to be the Tromso tour I didn’t agree with. But, the dogs were stoked about their work and were eagerly running around enjoying themselves. 

Some of the tours recommended above do include reindeer sledding but it will always be optional.

And please note, this is not to condemn any Sami traditions of using reindeer for work… this is merely them being used for tourism purposes in a way that didn’t sit well with me.

What to Wear to a Tromso Reindeer Farm

You can actually view my entire guide to what to wear in Norway in winter here.  But, here are a few things I suggest bringing with you if you visit a Tromso reindeer farm:

  • Mobile power bank:  You will be out in the middle of nowhere and the temperatures will be negative.  Your phone will be your worst enemy… trust me!  I recommend traveling to Tromso with a large power bank so that you will not have to charge more than once or twice on the trip.  I love this 25000mAh power bank on Amazon.
  • Good snow boots:  I wear Sorel snow boots and have for years.  They are well-insulated and offer protection from the Arctic temperatures.  You can view the pair that I wear here.
  • Heavy winter parka:  I wear the Svalbard Parka from Helly Hansen, a Norwegian brand.  It kept me super warm during my visit to a reindeer farm in Tromso and I can easily recommend it to everyone doing the same!  You can see my Helly Hansen parka here.
  • Headlamp:  You will likely be able to go outside and photograph the northern lights on your own.  I suggest walking away from the crowd a little and finding your own spot to admire them.  You will want to have a headlamp on you to navigate your way around and get your equipment set up.  A headlamp is one of the number one things I suggest bringing to Norway in winter, nevertheless.  View my headlamp recommendation here.

Will You See the Northern Lights?

It is very likely that you will witness the mesmerizing northern lights in Tromso during your Sami experience at a reindeer ranch! I did, at least. 

Make sure you bring your camera equipment and be ready to see the skies dancing.  

the BEST tromso northern lights tours in norway
Northern lights in Tromso

Other Amazing Tromso Tours

If you’re going to Tromso for a few days, you will want to make sure you take advantage of the many tours and excursions the capital of Northern Norway has to offer. 

Here are some of our favorite recommendations for those traveling to Tromso in winter.

More Norway & Tromso Travel Guides

 

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