Tromsø northern lights tour: which headlamp for a night of photos?

A person kneeling at a camera tripod on snow at night, their headlamp on its dimmest setting pointing down at the camera, a faint green aurora over mountains behind.

Chasing the northern lights from Tromsø? Your headlamp is off most of the night.

A guided minibus tour runs 5 to 8 hours. The guide stops on snow and ice wherever the sky is clear, you walk at least 200 m from the bus, set up a tripod and camera in the dark, then switch your lights off for the photos.

Short answer

First ask your tour operator whether they hand out a headlamp. If you want your own: the Nitecore HA29 UHE headlamp, which gives 8 lumens white or 5 lumens red straight from off and switches off with a one second hold, and a second small light with its own battery. You do not need a spare battery for one evening.

See the kit ↓

The evening at a glance

Wandering Owl’s small group Aurora Hunt, as the operator describes it. Other tours differ, and the stops change with the weather. On a typical night the operator describes a pickup around 6 pm, a first stop around 8 pm, leaving around 11:30 pm and a hotel drop-off around 1:30 am. In December and January it is already dark when the tour leaves at 17:30 (calculated: full darkness from about 16:55 in mid December and 17:34 in mid January).

  • 5 to 8 hourstour length, from the operator
  • 200 m or morewalking from the minibus, on ground the operator says may be icy, slippery, uneven or snowy
  • -20 to -30°Coften, one hour inland, from the operator. In the city it is 1 to -6°C
  • 00:00 to 02:30back in Tromsø, from the operator
Green aurora sweeps above bare trees and a snow-covered mountain valley at night.

Northern lights near Tromsø, 24 January 2019, a 2 second exposure. A camera collects more light than your eye, which is why stray light matters. Not a photo of this tour.

Northern Lights in Tromsø — Maria Scheel (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu), CC BY 3.0. Resized from original; no other changes.

Your evening, step by step

Times are Wandering Owl’s published ones. The stops change every night.

17:20Headlamp off
Arrive 10 minutes earlyThe operator asks for this. Meet at 17:20 for a 17:30 departure. From 26 March, meet at 18:50 for 19:00. Your confirmation email has yours. Keep your headlamp locked in your bag: hold both buttons for 2 seconds.
Drive outHeadlamp off
The minibusThe drive takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on cloud.
At a stop: walk from the minibusLow light
Snow or ice underfootUse the low setting (100 lumens), pointed at the ground.
Someone stepping away from a parked minibus onto packed snow at night, a low headlamp beam on the ground and footprints in the snow.
Set up tripod and cameraLowest light
Pointed down at your handsUse 8 lumens white or 5 lumens red.
Gloved hands on a camera dial and tripod head, lit only by a small dim pool of light from a headlamp, with the snow beyond falling to dark.
ExposuresLights off
Hold a button for one secondThe headlamp switches off. Keep it off while the shutters are open.
Three dark figures and their tripods on snow under a faint green aurora, with no lamps on.
Main campHeadlamp off or lowest
Fire and a hot mealThe guide lights a fire if conditions allow and serves a hot meal.
Three people in thermal suits holding cups around a small fire on the snow, lit only by the fire, their headlamps switched off and pushed up on their hats.
Pack upLow light
Check the snow before you walk backLook for lens caps and gloves.
A low headlamp beam on trampled snow showing a dropped lens cap and a gloved hand reaching for it.
Drive backHeadlamp off
Back in TromsøThe operator gives 00:00 to 02:30 for the return.

How much light, and how cold?

About 2 hours 15 minutes of light across the whole evening. The cold matters more than the hours.

Minutes of light you need

minutes

One stop: 30 min (10 min walking, 20 min at the tripod)
Three stops: 90 min (30 min walking, 60 at the tripod)
Three stops with spare time: 135 min (60 min walking, 75 at the tripod)
Walking Close tasks at the tripod

These are our planning figures. The operator does not fix the number of stops.

One battery gives 17h30 on the low setting (100 lumens) and 122 hours on the lowest (8 lumens), measured at 26°C. Cold shortens that.

How cold it gets

°C

Tromsø city in midwinter: 1 to -6°C
One hour inland: often -20 to -30°C
-10°C and colder: the HA29’s 1,200 lumen turbo setting switches off (you do not need it here)
-40°C: the HA29’s battery still works and keeps at least 80% of its capacity

The inland figures are Wandering Owl’s, and its tour page says it is sometimes below -30°C. Best Arctic, another Tromsø operator, says it can drop to -20°C in the mountain valleys around Tromsø. Fiona Berry reported -15°C and then -18°C on a Chasing Lights tour on Christmas Eve. The smaller headlamps on this page have no published cold limit.

How far you need to see

View from a minibus door along a trodden snow path toward a camera tripod about 5 m away, lit by a low headlamp beam. 0.3 to 0.8 m: tripod legs, camera buttons, bag zips 1 to 3 m: your next steps on snow or ice 5 m: what your guide points at

Illustration, not a measured beam pattern.

What those distances look like

  • 5 m: about one car length
  • 1 to 3 m: about one to three strides

8 lumens is for your hands. 100 lumens is for walking. You will not need more on this tour.

The 49 m range on the low setting is where the beam fades to moonlight level. You see snow and ice clearly for a fraction of that.

Keep your light out of other people’s photos

Tromsø guides and operators give 5 to 15 seconds for an aurora exposure. Patrick Endres’s headlamp etiquette section says to use the dimmest setting and point it downward so it does not shine in other people’s photos, and he photographed a red headlamp lighting a snowy foreground in a 10 second exposure. Glenn Randall says to turn it off before the exposure, because at high ISOs even the dimmest headlamp turns the foreground bright red. Fairbanks Aurora Tours in Alaska says to make as little light as possible, red if you must, and never a phone flashlight. Best Arctic, a Tromsø operator, says a headlamp “can be a nuisance if someone nearby is trying to take a photo”.

So use the lowest setting, point it down, switch it off before the shutters open, and ask your guide what they want.

Three presses to learn at home

On the HA29 UHE What happens
Double press Power from off 8 lumens white
Hold MODE one second from off 5 lumens red
Hold either button one second Off

A short press while the light is on makes it brighter, so use the hold. Locking and unlocking flashes the light, so do it in the minibus.

If the battery runs down, or the lamp fails

Battery runs down

Charge it indoors at the hotel, and press the battery check before you leave (4 lights is 75 to 100%).

Lamp fails, drops or gets lost in the snow

A second light with its own battery, such as the NU21 or a small headlamp you already own.

Gloved hands holding a headlamp inside a minibus under a dim interior light, a thumb on one of the buttons.

Practical checklist

  • Charge the headlamp before each night.
  • Practise the three presses with the gloves you will wear. We have not tested it with gloves. The two buttons have different shapes, so you can tell them apart by feel.
  • Lock it in your bag.
  • Keep the backup light in a different pocket from the main one.
  • Spare camera batteries are a separate item. Best Arctic, Arctic Explorers and Northern Horizon tell guests to keep them warm in a pocket close to the body, and Best Arctic says the same for your phone.
  • Tell your guide you have a headlamp and ask when they want lights off.

The kit we’d pack

HA29 UHE headlamp
Main headlamp
HA29 UHE headlamp
S$119
  • 8 lumens white or 5 lumens red straight from off
  • One second hold to switch off
  • The battery works down to -40°C and keeps at least 80% of its capacity there
  • 17h30 on the low setting on one charge
  • 112 g with battery, charges by USB-C in about 2h20
View product →
NU21 backup headlamp
Backup light
NU21 backup headlamp
S$49
  • 44 g, with its own built-in battery
  • 6 lumens white or 5 lumens red
  • The same one second hold to switch off
  • Its cold limit is not published, so we pack it as the light that gets you back to the minibus.
View product →
Headlamp and backup light S$168

You do not need a spare battery for one evening. Charge the headlamp indoors at your hotel. If you go several days without a socket, the spare battery (HLB2500, S$39) clips onto the HA29 UHE.

Already own a headlamp? Check it against this list.

  • It has a setting of 10 lumens or less that you can reach straight from off.
  • You can switch it off in one move without it getting brighter first.
  • You know its battery works below freezing.
  • You can work it with your gloves on.
  • You have a second light.

Other headlamps that also work

NU25 MCT UL headlamp
Lightest main light
NU25 MCT UL headlamp
  • 6 lumens white, 5 lumens red, and the same one second hold to switch off. About 5 hours at 200 lumens.
  • No published cold limit.
S$79
View headlamp →
NU20 Classic headlamp
Dimmest setting, 1 lumen
NU20 Classic headlamp
  • White and red both start at 1 lumen.
  • Switching off is different: in the first 3 seconds each press steps brighter before off, so learn it before the trip.
S$49
View headlamp →
HC60 UHE headlamp
Already own one
HC65 UHE or HC60 UHE
  • Keep it. The HC60 UHE goes down to 8 lumens, and both switch off with a one second hold.
  • Heavier, at 140 to 152 g.
View HC60 UHE → View HC65 UHE →

Runtimes measured at 26°C on the setting and battery listed.

What other travellers describe

These are personal accounts, not endorsements of any product. None of these travellers used Nitecore gear.

Questions

Does the tour give me a headlamp?

Wandering Owl lists thermal suits, tripods (limited, so reserve one), a hot meal and drinks, and no headlamp. Some Tromsø operators tell guests to bring one, and Discover The North supplies headlamps on its private tour. Ask your operator.

Red light or white light for aurora photos?

A red headlamp lit a snowy foreground in a 10 second exposure in one photographer's account, so red shows in a long exposure, and Finding the Universe says white light from a torch or phone screen annoys other photographers nearby. Use the lowest setting, point it down, switch it off before the shutter opens, and ask your guide what they want.

Will the battery work in the cold?

Yes, for the HA29 UHE. Its battery works down to -40°C and keeps at least 80% of its capacity there. The smaller lights on this page have no published cold limit.

Do I need a spare battery?

Not for one evening. The evening needs about 2 hours 15 minutes of light and one battery gives 17h30 on the low setting. Charge the headlamp indoors at your hotel.

Can I work the buttons with gloves on?

The HA29 UHE has two buttons with different shapes, so you can tell them apart by feel. We have not tested it with gloves. Practise with the gloves you will wear.

Can I use my phone torch?

Setting up a tripod and camera takes both hands. A headlamp leaves them free.

I already own a headlamp, is it enough?

Check it against the list in the kit section.

Questions about your own gear? Contact the team.

Sources and credits

  1. Wandering Owl, Norway FAQ: pickup, drive, temperatures, fire and return. wanderingowl.com
  2. Wandering Owl, Aurora Hunt tour page: meeting and departure times, length, inclusions, walking and ground. wanderingowl.com
  3. Julia Kate, Planning the Next Adventure. thenextadventure.ca
  4. The Wandering Cinderella, Hunting northern lights in Tromsø. thewanderingcinderella.blogspot.com
  5. Patrick Endres, Alaska Photographics, 23 December 2015. alaskaphotographics.com
  6. Maria Scheel, Northern Lights in Tromsø, file page. imaggeo.egu.eu
  7. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported licence. creativecommons.org
  8. Wandering Owl, A typical night chasing the northern lights, 1 August 2025. wanderingowl.com
  9. Patrick Endres, Alaska Photographics, aurora tips and headlamp etiquette. alaskaphotographics.com
  10. Glenn Randall, Tips for Photographing the Aurora, Rocky Nook. rockynook.com
  11. Fairbanks Aurora Tours, Aurora viewing etiquette, 21 August 2022. fairbanksauroratours.com
  12. Finding the Universe, How to photograph the northern lights. findingtheuniverse.com
  13. Best Arctic, How to photograph the northern lights: headlamp, spare batteries and temperatures. bestarctic.com
  14. Arctic Explorers, FAQ: shutter speed and spare batteries. arcticexplorers.no
  15. Northern Horizon, How to photograph the northern lights in Tromsø, 30 July 2025. northernhorizon.no
  16. Discover The North, Northern Light Private Tour: headlamps supplied. magictromso.com
  17. Fiona Berry, Passport & Piano, 10 January 2020. passportandpiano.com
  18. Mitch, AdventureFaktory, 17 July 2024. adventurefaktory.com
  19. Sun position for Tromsø (69.65 N, 18.96 E, UTC+1), calculated with the NOAA solar equations. gml.noaa.gov
  20. Nitecore, HA29 UHE manual and runtime tables. nitecore.com
  21. Nitecore, HLB2500 product page. nitecore.com
  22. Nitecore, NU21 manual. nitecore.com
  23. Nitecore, NU25 MCT UL manual. nitecore.com
  24. Nitecore, NU20 Classic manual. nitecore.com
  25. Nitecore, HC65 UHE manual. nitecore.com
  26. Nitecore, HC60 UHE manual. nitecore.com
  27. Nitecore Singapore, headlamp catalogue and price snapshot, 5 Oct 2026. nitecore.sg
  28. Nitecore Singapore, HLB2500 product page. nitecore.sg

This is a buying guide for headlamps, not travel or safety advice. On the tour, follow your guide on where to walk, when to use a light and when to switch it off.

We have not tested these headlamps in Tromsø. The cold figures are from our product documents and the temperatures are the tour operator’s.

Scene illustrations on this page were created for this guide and do not show a specific tour. The aurora photograph is credited above.

Last reviewed 5 October 2026.