A cruise stop in Alta, spent on a snowmobile
Cruise ships dock at Alta Havn, the town's harbour, while the snowmobile tracks of the plateau lie inland to the south. A ship call can hold a half-day ride if you plan the pickup and leave time to spare. This page covers which tours fit and what to sort out before you dock.
Alta Havn and the plateau behind it
Alta sits at the head of the Altafjord, roughly 70° north, and its harbour, Alta Havn, is a cruise port. Inland from the quay, the valleys climb toward the open snow of Finnmarksvidda.
Most tours on this site are half-day trips with transport from town, so a single call can include a ride. More about the country you cross is in what Finnmarksvidda is.
The tour that collects you at the harbour
Alta Adventure lists Alta Havn as a pickup place alongside Alta Airport and the centre. The central bus terminal and the Scandic and Thon hotels are on the list too. Cruise passengers choose the harbour when they book.
Its Finnmarksvidda safari (~$337 on a shared sled) runs 5 hours. At the office you collect a warm suit and boots with a helmet and sit through a safety briefing. Then a minibus drives about 30 minutes to the snowmobiles.
On the plateau the route crosses frozen lakes and pauses for photos before a visit to a mountain cabin. The guide adds some local history while you have warm drinks and snacks.
Viator shows 5.0 from 70 reviews and GetYourGuide 5.0 from 50+, and groups stay at 12 or fewer. A single driver pays more than the shared price, as our page on having your own sled explains.
Picked up at the quay, five hours on the vidda
Pick Alta Havn as the pickup place when you book. You can leave what you do not need at the office, and the group stays at 12 riders or fewer.
The catch for cruise guests is time. Five hours is the longest of the half-day rides, and the weight limits are strict, with 100 kg (220 lb) the top for any rider and 75 kg (165 lb) for a passenger.
Count back from all-aboard
Before booking, find your ship's all-aboard time and count back. A 5-hour tour plus the drive from the harbour needs a long call, and a margin of an hour or more on top is sensible.
The listings give no fixed start times. Message the operator through the booking site to ask which departure fits your call, and wait for the answer before you pay.
Your tour booking is separate from the ship. Most lines will not wait for passengers on independent excursions, so a late return is your problem rather than the captain's.
Keep the booking confirmation and the all-aboard time on paper as well as on your phone. Batteries drain fast in the cold, and a dead screen at the end of a ride is a bad moment to look for either.
Shorter rides from the town centre
Æventyr's tours last 4 hours and include pickup and drop-off in Alta. Their meeting point is Markedsgata 6 in the centre. Its listings do not name the harbour, so check how you get from the quay to that address.
The daytime ride from Gargia (~$288) climbs the old postal road from a 150-year-old mountain lodge to the plains at Beskades, with about 2 hours of driving. Its catch is a group of up to 30.
The northern lights ride (~$284) runs in the evening, which only suits a ship that stays late or overnight. The aurora is never promised, and our aurora guide covers what decides a sighting.
The ice fishing day (~$417) takes 6.5 hours, too long for most calls. It is a newer tour with 5.0 from 4 reviews on GetYourGuide, and fish are never promised, as ice fishing on the plateau explains.
Licenses and clothing from the ship
Drivers need a valid class B driving license and show it before the ride, so pack the license itself in your shore bag. Without it you ride as a passenger, which on Æventyr's tours means age 12 or over.
The rules differ a little between operators, and our driving license guide lists them. Alta Adventure, for one, has its driver sign a contract accepting responsibility for the sled.
Both operators lend the outer layer. Æventyr hands out thermal suits and helmets with shoes and gloves, while Alta Adventure lends a warm suit and boots along with the helmet.
Underneath, Alta Adventure asks for wool layers and wool socks, plus a scarf with a hat and mittens. Cotton stays damp and cold, so leave it on board, and see what to wear on the plateau for the rest.
If the weather turns
Tours on the plateau get cancelled when wind or snow makes the trip unsafe. Alta Adventure gives a full refund when its guides cancel for weather, though on a cruise you rarely get a second day to try again.
If your ship changes its schedule, the GetYourGuide listings let you cancel free of charge up to 24 hours ahead. GetYourGuide also lets you reserve now and pay later.
A winter call during polar night, from about late November to mid-January, brings only a few hours of twilight around midday. Later in winter the plateau has full daylight, as the timing guide shows.
A plan for the day
- Book the Alta Adventure safari with Alta Havn as the pickup place
- Compare the call length with 5 hours plus a margin
- Pack the driver's license in your shore bag
- Wear wool under your own jacket, since the suit goes on at the office
- Keep the confirmation and the all-aboard time on paper
- Check every price in what the tours cost
Families on a ship should read snowmobiling with children first. The age limits differ between the two operators, and a child under 12 fits only one tour.