Sámi Culture in Tromsø: What You Actually Meet at a Reindeer Camp

The Sámi are the Indigenous people of Sápmi. That region is not a country but a cultural area stretching across large northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland and into the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Tromsø sits inside it.

The old English names Lapps and Laplanders are regarded as offensive by some Sámi, so travelers should simply say the Sámi.

Reindeer herding is the most visible part of Sámi life, but it is not the whole of it. Around 2,800 people work full time in reindeer herding in Norway, and reindeer-herding Sámi make up about 10 percent of all Sámi. In parts of the Nordic countries the right to herd reindeer is legally reserved for the Sámi.

When a guide at a camp talks about the herd, they are describing a living profession, not a performance.

Guides use a handful of Sámi words during a camp visit, and knowing them in advance makes the stories easier to follow. This table collects the terms a visitor hears most often at the Tromsø camps, with the plain meaning each one carries on the listings compared here.

One more word worth knowing is gákti, the traditional Sámi clothing. Guides explain clothing and artifacts on the day and evening trips near the Lyngen Alps, where Sámi life and clothing are part of the stated program.

The listings differ in details, but the shape of the day is similar. A bus collects you from central Tromsø, often from the Prostneset terminal at Samuel Arnesens gate 5, and drives from 45 minutes to about 90 minutes to a camp on the mainland. You feed the herd by hand first.

Then comes the sled ride, pulled at a calm walking pace while you sit. After that you move inside, to a lavvu or a gamme, for a hot meal around the fire and the cultural heart of the visit: stories about herding life, explanation of artifacts and clothing, and often a joik. The trip ends at the fire and the bus takes you back to town.

For a fuller breakdown of the ride itself, see our guide to what reindeer sledding in Tromsø is like.

Joik

A joik is a traditional Sámi song form, and music researchers believe it is one of the oldest continuous musical traditions in Europe. Guides at the camp near the city perform a joik by the fire on the long, short and night trips, and it is often the moment visitors remember most.

Bidos and other food

Bidos is a Sámi reindeer stew with potatoes and carrots, traditionally served at celebrations such as weddings. It is the meal on the night trips from both main camps and the lunch on the Lyngen Alps day. Camp Tamok serves a warm stew, the Nordkjosbotn family camp serves soup with bread, and most camps offer a vegetarian or vegan option.

Gákti and the luhkka

The gákti is the traditional Sámi outfit. One listing names a different garment, the luhkka, the blue cape-like outer garment worn by the guide who checks you in at the Radisson Blu Hotel for the Lyngen Alps day tour. Guides explain the clothing and show artifacts during the indoor part of several trips.

If the food and the fire matter more to you than the ride, the Night Reindeer Sledding, Sami Dinner and Chance of Northern Lights builds its whole evening around bidos cooked over the fire, stories in the lavvu and hot drinks in a candlelit gamme.

Herding is a living profession. Around 2,800 Sámi work in herding full time in Norway, and in some regions the right to herd is legally reserved for Sámi. The herds at the Tromsø camps are working animals, not pets.

That is also why the camps have rules you should expect. On one listing riding the animals is not allowed. On several trips you can try the Sámi lasso, and you throw it at antlers, never at live reindeer.

Treat the herd with the same respect you would want for someone's livestock, because that is exactly what it is.

Sámi National Day falls on 6 February, marking the first Sámi congress held in Trondheim in 1917. If your trip falls in early February, you can see the day marked in Tromsø itself, at the university and at the city hall. The camps run all winter, so a visit in early February is straightforward, and you can read our guide on the best time for reindeer sledding in Tromsø for seasonal detail.

• Ask before you photograph people. Camps are workplaces and homes, not film sets, and hosts appreciate being asked first. Photographing the reindeer and the landscape is normally fine.
• Do not call the Sámi a tribe. They are an Indigenous people. The words Lapps and Laplanders are regarded as offensive by some Sámi and should not be used.
• Treat the joik as personal. A joik can belong to a person, so the polite reaction is to listen, not to request one on demand or record it without asking.
• Dress properly. Every listing asks for at least two warm layers, gloves, a hat and winter boots, and several lend thermal suits. Arriving unprepared makes the host lend you gear and eats into everyone's time.
• Ask real questions. Guides are happy to talk about herding, language and modern Sámi life. Curiosity is respect, silence is just silence.

Following them costs nothing and changes how the day feels for everyone.

This section compares the trips on this catalog by the cultural elements each listing states: who hosts, how big the group is, what indoor program is named and what food is served. Prices and durations come from the listings themselves, and every one offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.

If pure culture per dollar is the measure, the $113 sled or feed trip and the Nordkjosbotn family camp stand out, because both are built around time with Sámi hosts rather than around the ride.

Culture time is not the only difference between the listings. Group size, sled-ride length and weight rules change the day just as much, so this table lines up the practical facts from the same listings before you choose. You can also read our full guide to reindeer sledding in Tromsø with kids if you are bringing children.

Notice the pattern. The smallest cultural experiences come with small groups, and the longest rides come with big buses. There is more on this tradeoff in our guide to reindeer versus dog sledding in Tromsø.

For the evening with the strongest cultural program after dark, the Reindeer Sledding with a Chance of Northern Lights and Bidos Dinner adds Sámi history, artifacts and a bidos dinner to a ride of up to 30 minutes.

A few expectations visitors bring to a reindeer camp simply do not match reality, and clearing them early makes the day better for you and easier for your hosts.

• The reindeer are not tame. They belong to working herds. Hand-feeding is a privilege, not a petting zoo.
• The day is not mostly sledding. Every ride here lasts 10 to 30 minutes. If you want speed, dogs run much faster than a reindeer walks, which is why our reindeer versus dog sledding comparison matters.
• The camp is not a museum. These are working reindeer and living hosts. Guides answer questions about modern Sámi life as readily as about tradition.
• Riding on the animals is not allowed on one listing, and throwing a real lasso at a live reindeer is not part of any trip. The lasso is practiced on antlers instead.
• Reindeer sledding is not a summer activity. The listings run in the snow months, roughly from November into early April.

The most respectful choice is usually the one that puts the most value on Sámi hosts rather than on the ride. Small groups, named Sámi families, storytelling that runs half an hour or more and food cooked over fire are the markers to look for, and they are exactly what separates the Nordkjosbotn family camp and the storytelling camp from the big-bus trips. Look for a listing that names a Sámi guide or host.

Before you book, check reindeer sledding Tromsø trips for current prices and availability, dress for the cold described in our what to wear guide, and arrive ready to listen. The sled ride is the photo. The fire, the joik and the conversation are the trip.