Tromsø kayak tour prices, drysuit to campfire
The five winter kayak tours from Tromsø on this site cost between ~$183 and ~$254 per person. The cheapest is a 2-hour paddle you reach on your own, the dearest a 5-hour wildlife day with a bus and a campfire. The table sets them side by side, and the sections below cover what the fares leave out.
Five winter paddles priced side by side
The table lists the regular "from" price per person on GetYourGuide for each tour on our home page. GetYourGuide shows sale prices on some dates, so the figure for your day may come in lower.
| Tour | From | Length | Getting there | Group | Start point | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Destination Tromsø, wildlife tour (our pick) | ~$254 | 5 h | Bus to the basecamp | Up to 10 | Prostneset, Samuel Arnesens gate 5 | Drysuit, boots, gloves, guide, a snack by the fire with a hot drink |
| KaruArctic, seal bay | ~$204 | 5 h | Public bus with the guide | Up to 6 | Kirkegata 2, 8:45 am | Drysuit and kayak gear, guide, snack, hot drink, tour photos |
| Destination Tromsø, easy-going doubles | ~$227 | 4 h | Bus to the basecamp and back | Up to 16 | Prostneset, Samuel Arnesens gate 5 | Bus, drysuit, buoyancy vest, boots, gloves, biscuits with hot drinks |
| Steam Tours, fjord tour with transfer | ~$237 | 220 min | Van to their pier at Eidkjosen | Up to 6 | Prostneset | Drysuit, buoyancy aid, paddle jacket, gloves, shoes, café drinks and pastries |
| Steam Tours, 2-hour fjord tour | ~$183 | 2 h | Your own car or a local bus | Up to 6 | The pier, Eidvegen 526, Kvaløysletta | The same kit and café as the van tour |
Every fare covers your kayak gear and a guide, plus something hot to drink afterwards. What changes is time on the water and group size, and above all how you reach Kvaløya, the island west of town where all five paddle.
The two 5-hour days, ten seats against six
Destination Tromsø's wildlife tour at ~$254 is the dearest ticket here and our pick. The five hours take in the bus out to the basecamp and a safety briefing before the paddle itself. Afterwards comes a hot drink with a snack by the fire.
It holds 4.9 from 600+ reviews on GetYourGuide, and reviewers score its value at 4.7, a touch below the 4.9 they give the guides and the transport. No full meal comes with it, so pack a lunch to eat at the fire.
KaruArctic's seal tour at ~$204 runs the same five hours for less money, with six people at most. You ride the public bus to Håkøybotn with your guide, and the fare adds photos from the tour, which no other listing here mentions.
It scores 5.0 from 77 reviews on GetYourGuide and 5.0 from 22 on Viator, where it costs a few dollars more. The lower price comes with strict height and weight limits, set out in our guide to choosing a tour.
The easy doubles sit in the middle
Destination Tromsø's easy-going tour at ~$227 lasts four hours, one less than the wildlife day. You change into the drysuit inside a heated gamme, a Sámi turf hut, and paddle a stable double kayak through sheltered channels.
The group can reach 16 people, the largest here, with two to each boat. For a first paddle that steadiness is the point, as our beginners' guide explains. The tour holds 5.0 from 28 reviews.
The long day with the campfire
Destination Tromsø's 5-hour wildlife tour, with the bus from Prostneset and a drysuit with boots. Hot drinks wait by the fire at the basecamp. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Steam Tours' two shorter options
Steam Tours' fjord tour with a city transfer at ~$237 takes 220 minutes from Prostneset and back. A van drives you to the company's own pier at Eidkjosen, so the paddle starts soon after you leave town.
Afterwards there are hot drinks and fresh pastries in their café, with changing rooms at the pier. It is a new listing with no reviews yet, so you book on the description alone.
The 2-hour paddle at ~$183 is the cheapest ticket on the site. It uses the same pier and kit, but you travel out to Eidvegen 526 on Kvaløysletta by yourself, and you get the shortest time on the water.
What an hour on the water costs
Divide each fare by its length and the order changes. KaruArctic's tour comes out cheapest per hour, with Destination Tromsø's wildlife day close behind, since both stretch to five hours.
The easy-going doubles cost a little more per hour, and the van tour more again. The 2-hour paddle costs more than twice as much per hour as KaruArctic's day, before you add the fuel or bus fare to reach the pier.
Those hours are not all spent paddling. The listed lengths include the ride out and the kit fitting as well as the warm drink at the end, so the time in the boat is shorter than the time on the ticket.
What the fares leave out
A few costs sit outside the ticket price. None is large, but together they can bring a cheaper tour close to a dearer one.
- The public bus fare on KaruArctic's tour, which the listing does not say is covered, so check before you go
- Lunch on Destination Tromsø's 5-hour tour, which asks you to bring a packed one
- Steam Tours' seaside sauna and hot tub, a paid add-on you choose when booking
- A taxi or bus ticket out to the pier for the 2-hour paddle, or fuel for a hire car
- A tip for your guide, if you want to leave one
- Wool base layers if you packed only cotton, which under a drysuit stays damp and cold
Most travelers already own the layers, and our drysuit clothing guide lists what goes underneath. Every way out to the water, from the bus to a hire car, is covered in how you get to the water.
Cancelling and paying later, plus sale prices
Destination Tromsø's two tours and KaruArctic's cancel free up to 24 hours before the start. For Steam Tours' two listings, check the cancellation terms on the booking page before you pay.
GetYourGuide lets you reserve now and pay later on Destination Tromsø's wildlife tour. Some dates also carry a sale price on that tour, so it can cost less than the ~$254 in our table.
Wind can call off any paddle, and Destination Tromsø's listings promise a full refund when it does. Book early in your stay to leave a spare day, as our guide to tours cancelled by wind explains.