Dog Sledding in Tromsø: Your Own Husky Team, Your Own Sled, the Arctic Wide Open

You hear them before you see them

Long before the bus rolls to a stop at Camp Aspemo, the sound drifts through the trees: dozens of huskies howling and yipping with a kind of excitement that is impossible to fake. They know what the sound of an engine means. It means a husky tour is about to begin. It means they get to run.

This is where your Arctic escape starts. And it started a little earlier than you think.

Your husky tour begins on Tromsø harbour

Your day begins at Prostneset, the bus terminal on Tromsø harbour, where a Norwegian Travel guide is waiting on the ground floor to walk you to your bus. Then Tromsø slips away behind you and the scenery takes over. For the next 65 to 75 minutes the road winds along the fjord and beneath white mountains, and somewhere along the way you stop thinking about the city and start thinking about the dogs.

Gear up for the Arctic

At Camp Aspemo the crew meets you with a smile and a full set of Arctic clothing: a warm winter suit, boots and gloves. You pull them on over what you are already wearing and, just like that, the cold stops being a problem. From here on it is only you and the day.

Meet the huskies (and see how we care for them)

Before anyone touches a sled, you meet the dogs. Our guides take you behind the scenes: how the huskies live, how they train, why they love this, and how we look after them. You will scratch a few ears. You will probably pick a favourite. And you will notice that every single dog is watching the sleds, waiting.

Then comes the briefing. How to stand on the runners. How to use the brake. How to lean into the turns and talk to your team. It takes a few minutes to learn, no experience is needed, and our mushers stay with you on the trail the whole way.

Then the brake comes off: driving your own dog sled

You ride in pairs, one of you driving and one in the sled, and you switch halfway so both of you get the full husky sledding experience. The dogs lean into their harnesses, the guide gives the signal, and you lift your foot off the brake.

Silence. That is the first thing people mention. No engine. Just the hiss of runners on snow, the breathing of the dogs in front of you, and the Arctic opening up on every side: frozen lakes, birch forest heavy with snow, mountains turning pink or blue depending on the hour. The trail winds 3 to 4 kilometres through all of it, and you are out on the sled for a full hour. Long enough to stop concentrating and start feeling it. Long enough to understand why people call this the best way to see the Arctic around Tromsø.

Warm cabin, cinnamon cake

Back at camp the dogs get their thanks and you get yours: a seat in the cosy heated dining cabin, a hot cup of coffee or tea, and a slice of traditional Norwegian cinnamon cake. Cheeks glowing, this is when the stories start. Then we drive you back to Tromsø, the whole adventure wrapped up in four and a half hours. Half a day. A memory that does not fade.

The dogs are ready. Are you?

Book your dog sledding tour from Tromsø today and spend half a day the way the huskies do: outside, in the snow, running.