December
Whale watching in Tromso in December: peak season in the polar night
December is the best month for the animals and the strangest month to watch them in. The sun does not rise at all, the whole safari happens in four to six hours of blue and pink twilight, and the sighting rates are the highest of the year. It is also the busiest month in Tromsø, so book early.
Quick answer
December is peak whale season in Tromso and the middle of the polar night. The sun does not rise between about 27 November and 15 January; what you get instead is several hours of blue and pink twilight around midday. Sighting rates are at their best, the boats are full, and it is worth booking one to two weeks ahead. Safaris start at $204 and the most-booked is $214.
December, at a glance
- Daylight
- Nonethe sun does not rise
- Usable twilight
- 4–6 hoursaround midday, and it is beautiful
- Whales
- Peak of the seasonhighest sighting rates of the year
- Crowds
- The busiest monthwhales, aurora and Christmas together
- Booking window
- 1–2 weeks aheadfor the good boats
- Temperature
- Around −4°Cmild for the latitude
- Aurora
- Excellentthe sky is dark from mid-afternoon
- Departure time
- Before 07:00operators buy every hour of twilight
- Photography
- Hard and rewardinglow light, huge colour
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 hon every safari
What the polar night does to a whale safari
Blue light, early starts and photographs nobody else has
Four hours of lavender light at midday, and the run home under a night sky.
The sun stays below the horizon for the whole of December in Tromsø, but not far below it. Around midday the sky lifts into a long twilight that runs from deep blue through violet to pink where the sun almost is, and it lasts four to six hours. That is enough to sail, to see and to photograph in.
Operators build the day around it. Departures before seven in the morning are normal, because two to three hours of that is transit and they want to be among the animals when the light comes up. By two in the afternoon it is going again, and the run home is in the dark.
For photography this is the hardest and best month. Hard because you are shooting a moving animal from a moving boat in very low light, which is the worst combination there is. Best because the colour is extraordinary: a black fin against lavender water with pink mountains behind is not a filter, it is what December looks like here.
And the aurora becomes a real possibility on the way home. The sky is dark from mid afternoon, and boats returning at four or five in the afternoon are travelling under a night sky. No safari sells it and plenty of passengers get it.
Booking December
Six things that make the month work
It is the peak of everything in Tromsø, and it repays planning.
- Book one to two weeks ahead
Whale season, aurora season and Christmas travel all land in the same month.
- Take the earliest departure
Operators leave before seven to be in position when the twilight arrives. Later departures lose light.
- Bring a fast lens or accept the phone
This is genuinely difficult light. A bright lens or a modern camera makes the difference; a phone will struggle at distance.
- Dress for standing still in the dark
Hat, two pairs of gloves and thermal layers under the provided suit.
- Keep a spare day
Winter storms cancel safaris, and December has plenty of them.
- Plan nothing for that evening
A nine-hour safari in December gets back after dark and you will be tired and cold.
If you would rather have daylight, November has some and late January has it coming back fast.
January in detail→Christmas in Tromso
What the town is like in the darkest month
The town at its brightest in the darkest month — and its most expensive.
December in Tromsø is not a grim month, whatever the daylight figures suggest. The town leans into it: lights in every window, a Christmas market, and the kind of collective commitment to indoor warmth that only very dark places develop.
Practically, the whale season overlaps completely with the Christmas travel peak. Flights and hotels are at their most expensive between about the 20th and New Year, and the boats are full. Booking one to two weeks ahead is the minimum; for the week between Christmas and New Year, more.
The compensation is that everything else you might want is at its best in the same weeks: the aurora season is at its peak, the dog sledding is running, and the polar-night light photographs like nothing else in Europe.
If you can shift your dates, the first half of December has the same whales, the same darkness and noticeably lower prices.
Surviving the polar night
Five practical notes for December visitors
The dark affects people more than the cold does.
- Get outside at midday
The twilight hours are when the light is, and being out in them helps with sleep and mood.
- Expect to want to eat earlier
Everybody does. The town eats at six because it has felt like evening since three.
- Plan one thing a day, not three
A nine-hour safari is the day. Layering activities in December is how people end up exhausted.
- Book everything in advance
It is the peak month for every activity in the region at once.
- Take the light seriously in photographs
Blue hour lasts hours. Shoot at midday and again at two; they look completely different.
Common questions
December in Tromso, answered
Is December good for whale watching in Tromso?
It is the peak of the season for sightings and the darkest month of the year. Both are true and they are related: the herring are concentrated and the light is not.
Is it dark all day in December?
The sun does not rise, but midday brings four to six hours of blue and pink twilight — enough to sail and photograph in.
How far ahead should I book?
One to two weeks. December is the busiest month in Tromsø for whales, aurora and Christmas travel at once.
Can you photograph whales in the polar night?
Yes, and it is hard. Low light, a moving animal and a moving boat is the worst combination there is — and the colour is unlike anywhere else.
How cold is it?
Around minus four in Tromsø, which is mild for 69 degrees north. Wind and damp are what make the deck cold.
Will I see the northern lights?
Often, on the run home. The sky is dark from mid-afternoon and safaris return under it. No operator promises it.
Go deeper
More on Tromso whale watching
Whale watching from Tromso
What the season is, what you see and how the day runs.
The verdictWhich safari is best
Seven safaris ranked, and which suits which traveller.
SeasonSeason and sightings
November to January, and why the dates move with the fish.
OrcaOrca in Tromso
Family groups, herding herring, and where to see them.
SkjervoySkjervoy safaris
Why the boats sail three hours north, and what it buys.
SilentThe silent boat
What a hybrid-electric hull changes when you approach a whale.
