Lyngen Alps: Reindeer Feeding & Sámi Culture Tour with Lunch

4.72

(126 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing that hit me wasn’t the cold—it was the sound. Dozens of reindeer hooves crunching over packed snow, snuffling around my boots like I might have something better than lichen in my hand. Our guide, Ánde, grinned at me from under his fur hat and handed me another scoop of feed. “Don’t be shy,” he said, but honestly I was more worried about getting slobbered on than anything else. The Lyngen Alps were just there in the background—massive, white, kind of unreal—but it was the little things that stuck with me. Like how one reindeer kept nudging my elbow until I finally gave up trying to take photos.

Afterwards we ducked into the lavvu—a round Sámi tent that smelled faintly of woodsmoke and wool blankets. My fingers were stiff from the cold, but someone passed me a mug of coffee so strong it made my eyes water (in a good way). Ánde started telling us about growing up here, what it’s like herding reindeer when the sun barely rises for weeks at a time. He laughed when I tried to pronounce “guovža” (I think it means “wolverine”?), which made everyone else laugh too. Lunch was hot stew—simple, filling, perfect after standing outside—and there was chocolate if you wanted it. I didn’t expect to feel so welcome among strangers.

I still think about that moment when everything went quiet except for the wind against the lavvu and the low voices around me. There’s something about sharing food and stories out in this wild place that makes you feel both tiny and lucky at once. And then suddenly it was time to pile back onto the bus, cheeks burning from cold and laughter—kind of wishing we could stay just a bit longer.