Northern Lights Riders Oy - Inari

CrzyRobot

I have had two bookings with northern lights riders.

First was a Private snowmobile Tour with Thomas, a really cool guy, really good guide and a very nice Person overall. Got picked up on a snowy road staying in a cabin 11 km away from Ivalo (3km to Main road). Thomas instructed me well in usage and functions and the Handsigns for communication during Tour. Hit the track and fun and joyment just kicked in. Some short breaks where Thomas gave me some good advices in a positive way to have just more fun.
Running up the track through speeding parts, bumpy ones, narrow and curvy ones, we reached top of the Hill. Made a little break tooked some Photos and Videos (really fantastic view) then heading back the track to Office, Thomas even gave me the possibility to drive in high snow, really hard and different to a low snow track, but very fun. Back in Office just changed Boots and then got dropped off at my cabin. Really great fun and experience, fantastic Guide with very good knowledge. 5* STAR rating for this Tour and Thomas!

Second Tour Aurora hunting, started really unexpected I was told at 6.30 pm a Pick up could not be realized because of road conditions to my cabin, having a word in a positive and kind manner I was told i could be picked up on Main road and dropped off there 3 km walk for me. I declined walking for drop off, Pick up would be possible and i tried to show understanding the Business side, if Van would get stuck by picking me up Tour would be cancelled. So Janne arranged a Taxi which would wait for me at drop off Ivalo and bringing me to the cabin. I agreed because it was my Last night before departure next day.
Waiting on picking up point i got a nice aurora and catched it twice on Camera. Marcus showed up and Tour started, after nice informations about aurora we reached first Spot. Unfortunalety Weather changed and clouds came across the sky. Hitting severeal spots with the same result too cloudy. Second Minibus joined us with Thomas in it, the Guides tried several spots and made a lot of calls it was on this evening more of a hunt, but they say it clear weather is nothing we can influence. So one Last Spot and BINGO a lot of clear sky and Stars, auroras came up unhappily very light for the naked eye but they were there. Took two really good Photos on that Last Spot and had seen them with the eye. Really appreciate the knowledge and will of the guides to get the customer some Auroras, the strenght or visibility is nothing Guides can influence its nature. At my cabin i had the luck to see really strong auroras, just booked this Tour in the hope they will find or know even better places than my cabin.
Unfortunalety we just stayed about 20 minutes at last spot then Tour has ended. Taxi was waiting for me as promised in Ivalo.

5*STARS for the guides Thomas and Marcus and their effort to make a visible aurora for everyone possible.
But the problem with picking me up/drop off has a bitter taste, wouldnt be that bitter if I got informed earlier, thats why I used note function in booking process(wrote down my road and pick up is needed), had the worry that there will be trouble.
Honest Feedback maybe you do state it clearly on Website or while booking that snow/ice roads may not be serviced with a Pick up/drop off or inform customer earlier (charging a fee is no problem).
So for me Personal 4*STAR rating on that aurora Tour.

Overall if I stay again near Ivalo i would choose northern lights riders again. Thank you to the Team especially to Thomas.

Wishing you all the best
Farouk

*Private Pictures were taken with Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, using Expert RAW mode in Camera App, turned on Astrography with 10 minute shutter speed, tripod is required!The Photos with purple/green and red/green auroras are from my Smartphone
** Guides using a pro camera have a Look and compare

Flo Fincke

We had an amazing time on our snowmobile tour with Janne.

We felt very safe and a loads of fun on the river and in the forest.

Can only recommend a tour!

Robbert Eurlings

We booked the 3.5-hour snowmobile safari, and it was an amazing experience!

During the first part of the safari, you ride your snowmobile on a frozen river, where you can really speed up. The second half is through the forest, where you can enjoy the beautiful nature.

Markus is an excellent guide. He explains everything well and clearly, and adapts to his clients. If you want to go fast, you can, and if you prefer to go slower, that's fine too. Furthermore, he can tell you everything about the nature, the country, and of course, the snowmobile.

The great advantage is that you are only with a small group, so you don't have to wait much.

I can recommend everyone to book an activity here!

Valentina Moser

Wir buchten eine Snowmobiltour & wurden beim Hotel abgeholt. Jan war sehr freundlich & auch sehr lustig. Wir hatten einen perfekten Ausflug - zuerst wurden wir von ihm mit Schneeanzug, Handschuhen, Helm,.. eingekleidet, danach hat er uns einen kurzen Überblick über Sicherheitsmaßnahmen gegeben & die Snowmobile erklärt. Dann fuhren wir auch schon los & waren insgesamt mit kurzer Pause über 3h unterwegs - auf gefrorenen Seen & im Wald. In der Pause hat uns Jan mit einer kleinen Stärkung (Tee & Kekse) versorgt. Die Tour kann ich nur empfehlen

Giuseppe Genzano

Abbiamo avuto la fortuna di visitare diverse destinazioni nel mondo (Europa, Asia, America, Africa), è molto facile essere felici e lasciare recensioni positive quando va tutto bene, la vera professionalità/affidabilità/onestà degli organizzatori si vede quando le cose non vanno bene ed in questo caso possiamo affermare che questa è stata sicuramente una delle peggiori esperienze.
Consigliamo di dare molta importanza alle recensioni negative perché sono quelle che vi danno idea di cosa potersi aspettare se le cose non andranno come pensate. Per noi non è un problema aver sprecato 270 euro, può capitare quando si viaggia, ma è davvero odioso essere stati presi in giro da persone volontariamente disoneste e fraudolente.
Andiamo con ordine:
Abbiamo contattato Janne chiedendogli se fosse possibile fare un tour in auto (minivan) il giorno successivo e lui ci ha subito risposto molto gentilmente di chiamarlo il giorno dopo alle ore 18:30 perché avrebbe dovuto controllare il meteo. Il giorno successivo il cielo era completamente coperto dalle nuvole al 100%, come da accordi decidiamo di chiamarlo lo stesso e lui incredibilmente ci assicura che sarà possibile vedere addirittura più di un'aurora perché ci avrebbe portato in una zona di cielo sereno (per chi volesse abbiamo le schermate della chat WhatsApp).
Eravamo davvero sopresi della sua risposta ma alla fine decidiamo di fidarci della sua presunta esperienza e questo è stato il nostro grave errore. Questo è stato il risultato: eravamo 12 turisti divisi in due minivan, abbiamo percorso circa 250-300 km in macchina in 5 ore, ovviamente non siamo mai scesi dall'auto neanche una volta perché non c'è mai stata la minima speranza di vedere l'aurora.
Pazienza, può capitare, ma il peggio deve ancora avvenire.

Bisogna considerare un aspetto molto importante:
la nostra prenotazione è stata fatta al telefono e quando abbiamo iniziato il tour non avevamo ancora pagato l'escursione. Quando abbiamo finito il tour (01:30 AM di notte) avremmo potuto comportarci in maniera disonesta come Janne e andarcene a casa senza pagare nulla...ma noi non siamo dei ladri!
Per nascondere la sua incompetenza, Janne manda tutti a casa con la promessa di un piccolo rimborso. A noi viene detto di fare una prenotazione per il giorno successivo, pagando 270 euro, in modo da potergli dare il codice prenotazione che sarebbe servito a lui per farci il rimborso.
Dato che ci reputiamo delle persone molto oneste (non come Janne) abbiamo pagato 270 euro....ovviamente il rimborso non è mai arrivato...

Dopo il pagamento, Janne ha risposto solo una volta alla nostra email dicendo di non trovare la prenotazione poi non ha più risposto.
La sua risposta su WhatsApp è stata anche peggio: "vado a bere del vino e a farmi una sauna" (ovviamente con i nostri soldi ahahahah).

Consigliamo a chi legge di fidarsi della nostra esperienza, lasciate perdere questo truffatore e cercate persone più oneste e competenti.

Vineet Desai

Embarking on a snowmobile adventure in the winter wonderland past 8pm was nothing short of exhilarating. The snowmobiles were top-notch, offering a smooth and reliable ride across the 30-35km snowy terrain. Safety was clearly a priority for Markus, with well-maintained equipment and thorough briefings that Markus provided. The trails were diverse, weaving through stunning forests and over frozen lakes, presenting breathtaking views at every turn. We got lucky and saw some reindeer’s. Thanks Markus for making this an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a winter thrill in a safe and beautiful environment.

Nitia Lazzari

We cannot thank Janne and Markus enough for this incredible experience. They did everything to ensure we saw the northern lights: they rescheduled the tour when there were no chances of seeing the northern lights, and when the tour took place the next day, they drove us to three different locations to try and get clear skies even if this meant the tour would last over an hour longer at no extra cost!! It was a success and we saw wonderful northern lights. Janne's expertise is top notch and he knows just where to go to get you to see the lights. We also enjoyed the hot juice to warm us up and the pick service from kakslauttanen 🙂 Cannot recommend this tour enough!!

Jessica

Wir buchten eine Tour mit dem Minibus um auf die Suche nach Nordlichtern zu gehen. Janne sagte schon einen Tag vorher Bescheid, dass er sich am Tag der gebuchten Tour abends meldet wie die Wetterbedingungen sind und dann entschieden wird, ob die Tour stattfindet oder nicht. Aufgrund schlechter Chancen Nordlichter zu sehen, sagte Janne die Tour ab und gab uns für den nächsten Tag eine neue Chance die Tour zu machen. Da leider auch am nächsten Tag die Wetterbedingungen schlecht waren, sagte Janne die Tour erneut ab. Wären wir nicht am Tag darauf abgereist, hätte Janne uns nochmal eine neue Chance auf eine Tour gegeben. Janne erstattete uns das Geld für die gebuchte Tour sofort.
Natürlich sind wir enttäuscht keine Nordlichter gesehen zu haben, aber dafür kann Janne nichts. Wir sind sehr begeistert wie fair Janne gehandelt hat und die Tour mehrmals aufgrund schlechter Chancen Polarlichter zu sehen, abgesagt hat und uns das Geld sofort erstattet hat.