Husky Sled Self-Drive with Traditional Lunch review
My verdict: the best ratio on this list. A 25-minute round-trip transfer, roughly 45 minutes of self-driven sledding and a four-hour day means less of your time is spent looking out of a bus window than on anything else sold here. It rates 4.9 from 2,052 ratings. The catch is a wall of conditions: 16 and over only, a recommended maximum age of 70, a per-person weight limit of 118 kg, and you must be able to balance on one leg. A lot of families read this far and stop.
What the day actually contains
You meet outside the main entrance of the Radisson Blu hotel fifteen minutes before departure. The whole transfer, out and back, is 25 minutes. That is the number that makes this tour work: on a four-hour booking almost everything that is not driving is happening at the camp rather than on the road.
Snowsuit and boots are issued, then mushing instruction, then you go. Two of you share a sled and swap at the midpoint, and the self-driven part runs around 45 minutes. It ends with traditional Sámi reindeer stew and hot drinks around an open fire in a gamme hut, with a vegetarian option if you ask. No licence is needed to drive a tourist sled anywhere in Norway; what operators set instead are age, weight and fitness conditions, and this one sets more of them than most.
Being close to town cuts both ways. The short drive is the reason to book it, and the coastal position is the reason it is the most exposed of these tours to a mild spell. Tromsø’s average snow depth falls from 41 cm in January to 26 cm in March, and mid-to-late March near town is specifically the period when snow melts and refreezes into ice. If your dates are late in the season, read the month-by-month breakdown before you commit to the short transfer.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits adults on a tight schedule, people who came to Tromsø to drive a sled rather than to sit on a coach, and anyone who wants the meal to be a proper meal instead of cake. The reindeer stew around an open fire is a real part of the value here, and it is included rather than something you queue for afterwards.
It does not suit anyone under 16, full stop — not as a passenger, not with a parent. The operator also gives a recommended maximum age of 70, a limit of 118 kg per person, and requires that you can balance on one leg, which is the honest test for standing on a runner with the other foot working a brake. Pregnancy, back, knee or arm injuries, heart conditions and mobility impairments are all listed as unsuitable. Travelling with children? Go to the family tours page instead; this one will turn you away at the bus door.
What works
- The shortest transfer of any husky tour sold out of Tromsø
- Roughly 45 minutes of self-driven sledding inside a four-hour day
- Reindeer stew and hot drinks by an open fire in a gamme, vegetarian on request
- Snowsuit, boots and full instruction included
- Easy to fit around a flight or a second activity the same day
Worth knowing
- Hard 16-and-over rule — no exceptions for accompanied children
- Recommended maximum age of 70 and a 118 kg per-person weight limit
- You must be able to balance on one leg to take part
- Closest to the coast, so the most exposed to a midwinter thaw
- Back, knee and arm injuries, heart conditions and pregnancy all exclude you
What the ticket covers
- 25-minute round-trip transport
- Mushing instruction before you set off
- Snowsuit and boots
- Self-driven sledding, shared and swapped at the midpoint
- Warm lunch: reindeer stew and hot drinks in a gamme
- Vegetarian option on request
Not suitable for
- Anyone under 16
- Pregnant travellers
- Back, knee or arm injuries
- Heart conditions
- People with mobility impairments
- Anyone over 118 kg
Ask for the vegetarian stew when you book rather than on the day. The gamme is a hut with a fire in it, not a kitchen with a menu, and the meal is cooked for the number of people the camp was told to expect.
What travellers actually say
“An absolutely amazing day. We had a brilliant time and the team and dogs were wonderful.”
“Simply great. It would have been nice to have a little bit more time to enjoy a lovely hot drink.”
“The duration was perfect. Wonderful experience. The dogs are, of course, very sweet.”
“Wonderful experience from beginning to end. The staff who work there are one big family, and the dogs adore them.”
Leon and Matthew are both right, which tells you most of what you need. Four hours is the correct length for this tour and it is also tight: the stew is not a long lunch, and if you are the sort of person who wants to sit by a fire for an hour afterwards, book a full day instead.
If this one is not right for you
Under 16 in the group, or someone over the weight limit? The Breivikeidet tour takes children from seven, and the kennel visit takes all ages. Want the inland snow and the bigger mountains instead of the short drive? Read the Tamokdalen review.
Most bookedFun and Easy Dog Sledding Adventure
No sleddingPuppy Training at the Husky Kennel with Lunch
Full day inlandDog Sledding Adventure in Tamokdalen
Frequently asked questions
Can children do the self-drive tour with lunch?
No. The minimum age is 16, and it applies to passengers as well as drivers, so a younger child cannot ride along with a parent. The tours that do take children are set out on husky tours with children, and the kennel visit takes all ages.
How long do you actually spend sledding?
About 45 minutes of self-driven sledding, shared with a partner and swapped at the midpoint, so you are driving for roughly half of that. With only a 25-minute round-trip transfer it is still the highest proportion of sledding to sitting of any tour reviewed here — compare it on the all-tours page.
Is there a weight limit?
Yes, 118 kg per person, and the operator also gives a recommended maximum age of 70 and asks that you can balance on one leg. Other camps publish a 120 kg limit instead, and a few publish a per-sled figure that is not the same measurement — the difference is explained under ages, weights and restrictions.