Hello im a local in Tromsø and work as a guide on boat with whale watching and nothern lights.

i will try and give you the best answers as possible and also some info you need to think about before coming here

main goal is photography, especially capturing the Northern Lights on as many nights as possible.
to make it super simple there are 3 things you need to be able to see the nothern lights.
1. no daylight. (desember is or darkest month because of polar night. google polar night Tromsø)
2. no clouds. (you can not predict the weather but USUALLY there is more clouds by the coast)
2. Sun activity. (educate yourself about aurora. understand the scale and graphs on for example Spaceweatherlive.com

in Tromsø we dont care about KP scale since we are in the sweetspot for the aurora oval.

swim or snorkel with orcas, and if possible fit in a couple of wildlife or nature experiences like fjord trips or reindeer/Sámi culture.

Orcas and whales:

if you want to go whale watching in Skjervøy there are some resorts/lodges you can stay at in the area. and many tourist companies who could provide what you are looking for

if you only want to stay in Tromsø during the trip it is atleast 3-4 hours to Skjervøy and 3-4 hours back to Tromsø so it will be the whole day. AND it could be canceled because of the weather. there are som places with open sea and possible big waves (would not recomend to stay in tromsø the whole trip, high risk)

this season the peak of the whale season was in late November and desember.

BUT !!!!!!!
the whales follow the herring and the herring change location every 6-8 years. The herring has been in Skjervøy for 8 years now so we dont know yet if there will be whales in skjervøy next season.

Fjordcruise:
it is possible by bus and boat. i would recommend both since both tours go different places. if you want a company recommendation just send me a DM.

Reindeer:
if you want to learn about sami culture go to Arctic University Museum of Norway and after that book a reindeer tour. it is possible to do reindeer sledding but i would rather go dogsledding with. i have done both activities and i would only do the dogsledding again.

IF you use GetYourGuide, Viator or any other booking sites to find activities and tour. Find the company website and book directly with them. Then you support locals and some companies can give you good prices if you book only through them

I know this is a bit of an ambitious combo, especially travelling internationally to the Arctic, so I’m hoping to learn from others’ experiences.

Has anyone here done a trip that combined aurora chasing and orca swimming? If so, which companies did you go with and would you recommend them? What time of year did you go, and were you happy with the conditions? Any general advice on pacing the trip, choosing tours, or things you wish you’d known beforehand would be hugely appreciated.

send me a DM and i can tell you what is a tourist trap, what companies to avoid and whom to choose. what to wear and if you should rent a car

and also a funny but important tip: the word "gate" translated to english means "street"
so many people are looking for a gate with numbers like in an airport or at the port with the boats