Salamapaja
Salamapaja
5
Night Tours • Private Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Photography Tours
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About
Salamapaja offers photography tours and workshops in Lapland and Oulu area. Tours range from 1-evening Aurora borealis chase to 1-week photography tours as well as tailored multi-day tours. Workshops concentrate on landscape, nature and night photography. Visit the website to find more information.
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(8 reviews)
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5.0
93 reviews
Excellent
93
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Antonio S
Milan, Italy1 contribution
Sep 2023 • Couples
Unbelievable!
Thank you Thomas for making such a trip possible.
The organization, the planning and on top of that Thomas, all things were just perfect.
We felt so comfortable although being so far from Italy. Everything worked out in time and properly; we felt very safe and were treated like friends.
We do recommend this Aurora Photo tour with Salamapaja.
Again, many thanks and kind regards from very happy guests :)
Antonio and Stefania
Thank you Thomas for making such a trip possible.
The organization, the planning and on top of that Thomas, all things were just perfect.
We felt so comfortable although being so far from Italy. Everything worked out in time and properly; we felt very safe and were treated like friends.
We do recommend this Aurora Photo tour with Salamapaja.
Again, many thanks and kind regards from very happy guests :)
Antonio and Stefania
Written 25 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kle B
Grosuplje, Slovenia1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Solo
We had just one possible evening to go aurora hunting but the skies were quite cloudy. Thomas was optimistic, so we decided to try our luck and we headed into the night. He drove us to several places and worked hard to find the "hole in the clouds", which he finally did, and there it was the aurora - faintly seen by the eye but nice and strong colors in the camera photo. He helped us tweak the phone camera settings and provided some proffesional-grade photos by his own equipment. It was fun chasing aurora with Thomas and thanks to him this was our first contact with the northern lights. Not many people believed we saw aurora already in August, but the photos spoke for themselves. Highly recommended!
Written 4 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Inspire06311538251
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Business
Even in August, we can watch aurora beside the lake. Thomas is friendly and kind. Until just before the departre of the tour, he sent me a weather and solar wind informations. Those are so helpuful for us to decide whether we can go. Although the view of aurora is faint by eye, but in camera, it is very clear! Thank you very much, Thomas!
Written 30 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simonetta L.
Foligno, Italy5 contributions
Jan 2023
I had an "aurora hunting" with Thomas Kast in the northern area of Oulu and although we didn't see the aurora, due to the cloudy sky, it was a very interesting trip. We travelled across nice white forests, full of snow and it was very magical, the van was large and comfortable.
Thomas is a very reliable person, very competent, kind, nice and honest. It's worth taking part in his trip even if it is not sure to see aurora.
Thomas is a very reliable person, very competent, kind, nice and honest. It's worth taking part in his trip even if it is not sure to see aurora.
Written 1 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello 713simon,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to read that despite being unlucky with the aurora you had an interesting experience during our night out.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 6 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ann h
Grand Rapids, MI6 contributions
Oct 2022
My husband and I spent 6 days and nights with Thomas photographing northern Finland and Norway by day and the aurora by night. Thomas was exceptionally caring and attuned to our interests in landscapes, macro photography, and learning to photograph the aurora. (He even arranged a surprise brief visit to Sweden just so my husband could scratch if off on his travel map)
He tailored the trip just for us. His passion for the aurora was exceptional- driving for 2+ hours to find just the right spot for clear skies and encouraging us to be patient while the aurora "recharged" . Without his guidance and knowledge of tracking the aurora we never would have found it. Without his patient instruction - how to set up the best shots and use time lapse we would have come home with daytime photos only. We would highly recommend Thomas Salamapaja for a guide to Lapland and the aurora. I am sure he would be an exceptional guide any time of the year- not just for the aurora. We plan to come back in the winter for winter aurora photos. Northern Finland and Norway are beautiful. Touring with Thomas is a great way to experience the beauty.
He tailored the trip just for us. His passion for the aurora was exceptional- driving for 2+ hours to find just the right spot for clear skies and encouraging us to be patient while the aurora "recharged" . Without his guidance and knowledge of tracking the aurora we never would have found it. Without his patient instruction - how to set up the best shots and use time lapse we would have come home with daytime photos only. We would highly recommend Thomas Salamapaja for a guide to Lapland and the aurora. I am sure he would be an exceptional guide any time of the year- not just for the aurora. We plan to come back in the winter for winter aurora photos. Northern Finland and Norway are beautiful. Touring with Thomas is a great way to experience the beauty.
Written 12 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello ann h,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to hear you were happy with the organisation, felt taken care of and found the photography tipps useful to take wonderful photos also during night time.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 19 November 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
558nanometres
Maastricht, The Netherlands57 contributions
Mar 2022
Thomas @ Salamapaja aka space cowboy was the perfect knowledgeable guide and careful host. As part of a small group (Aurora Base Camp March 2022) we were sure to have a lot of luck finding amazing northern lights, since Thomas was keeping an expert eye on the space weather and for the best terrestrial conditions, we were indeed successful for 5 nights out of 7! Daytime would not be idle either, with excursions to either Norway, or into Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, or having lunch with reindeer herders out in remote hills. Thomas is an excellent professional photographer who also teaches you how to improve your own shots. On top of that, he made sure to arrange snowshoes and spacesuits so we could just focus on enjoying our expeditions. Many thanks to Thomas for a great time in Finnish Lapland!
Written 2 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello 558nanometres,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed the day- and night time activities and also that the winter equipment helped supporting that.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 26 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Natalya B
Achim, Germany6 contributions
Jan 2022
To be honest, I didn't believe that the Northern lights existed. My husband and I tried to capture them in Norway some time ago but after a couple of unsuccessful nights we gave up. I thought: everything we see on the internet is plain Photoshop! How I was wrong! I saw the pictures of Thomas and decided to give it a try. I was happy to get to know that Thomas is not only a great photographer but one can also book a photo tour with him. My husband got a gift voucher for Salamapaja tour as a birthday present and in January we finally met Thomas. The communication was great from the very beginning, he even picked us up a couple of hours earlier as he said that we could already see some lights! He was very kind and patient, gave us lots of background information and we had a nice chat. The photos and timelapse videos got amazing, we were so happy to finally see the Northern lights, and that not only through our cameras but also with our bare eyes. Lady Aurora was dancing for hours, we had so much luck on that day. Although it was very cold outside, we couldn't stop making pictures and looking at the sky. It was so kind of Thomas to have made us a fire and some tea, it was such a nice experience from the beginning to the end. Thank you, Thomas, for such a great night and for showing us the Nothern lights!
Written 11 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello natalya_bartling,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to hear that you now believe the northern lights exist and that you got great photos and timelapse videos.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 26 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alexander B
1 contribution
Jan 2022
In January we have participated at the Aurora Photo Tour. 4 years ago we tried to capture the Northern lights by ourselves, but we had no luck and didn't really know what to look for in the night sky. This time everything was perfect and Lady Aurora was kind to us 🙂 Thomas picked us up at our accomodation in Oulu and we went to two different locations. The last location was at a frozen sea and we made amazing pictures from the Northern lights. Finally! Thomas guided us through the entire process, explained a lot of things about what is aurora borealis, how to capture the lights and how to look for them. Thomas also made a fire for us, provided us with tea, sausages and sweets. The atmosphere was so cozy and we felt ourselves very comfortable! We would absolutely recommend this photo workshop for everyone who looks for the Northern lights! It was a great experience we won't forget ✨
Written 11 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Bartlingphotography,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to hear you felt comfortable and found the information about the northern lights and photography useful.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 26 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
IAM
1 contribution
Oct 2021
The whole experience was wonderful despite the weather, and we were still lucky enough to see some auroras, and we will most certainly try again. Thomas is a genuinely nice person to spend time with.
Written 22 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello iam102021,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed the whole experience during our tour.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 26 April 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
amit
Vantaa, Finland3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
And, ..when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...I tried 3 times but failed.. so I decided to try again to see #auroras #northenlights. That was just a craziness.Thomas has helped us finding our really nice place .. and finally we found it .. Thomas is not like tour guide ..he became our friend..he showed us frozen lake ..campfire ..different snow forms..lot of stories.. so this is one of the memorable tour of my life.. all kudos to thomas..
Written 29 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello amietshiravadekar,
thanks for taking time and write about your experience of our tour. I'm very glad to hear you liked the place that we went to and all the winter night experiences we had.
Feedback is the best way to optimize the tours and workshops. Thank you for joining Salamapaja on a tour.
Hopefully we can welcome you again in the North.
Many greetings,
Thomas
Owner Salamapaja
Written 19 April 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
sueandfrank_11
Liverpool, UK19 contributions
Hi how much are your northern lights tours please
Thomas_K
2 contributions
Hi sueandfrank_11,
sorry for the late answer, Karuna is right, it is 120e per person. You can find more information on our website.
Thomas
Maryna G
2 contributions
Hola, soy una Mexicana que vine a Oulu, me voy el lunes por la mañana y me gustaría saber sobre el precio del tour, mi inglés no es perfecto pero lo llego a entender si lo hablan lento. Me gustaría tomar un tour mañana domingo 30 de septiembre, por la noche. Saludos
Thomas_K
2 contributions
Hello Maryna G,
unfortunately I saw your message only by Monday and so it was too late to do a tour. Booking is almost always through emails. Best way is to send me an email or fill out the registration form on my website. Hopefully you will be back to Oulu someday and we can give it another try.
Regards,
Thomas
