ABOUT US

We aim to inspire and offer you the Best Arctic experience ever.

Best Arctic is a newly established Destination Management Company, covering the northern areas of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The company was founded based on Bussring and Tromsø Safari.

With more than 17 years of experience in the tourism industry, we aim to inspire and offer you the best arctic experience ever: from winter to summer, all year round, single activities, accommodation, packages, cross-border transportation, and unforgettable experiences.

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Our philosophy is based on maintaining our strong local connection by tight cooperation and involvement with local landowners, activity operators, guides, and other suppliers. We strongly believe in contributing to a better tourism destination for our guests and the locals, not only for today but, even more importantly, for the future.

Best Arctic has currently 17 employees operating from our office in Tromsø, along with 14 guides who speak several languages.

THE TEAM

Meet our office staff

Aleksi

Booking Team

Aleksi

Booking Team

Aleksi is our Finnish guy, who lived most of his life near Turku (in southern Finland). After eight years in a long-distance relationship with his Norwegian girlfriend, he finally decided to move in together with her in Tromsø. He then started working in the industry, which he’s been passionate about since graduating from high school. Aleksi is interested in a wide variety of historical and scientific topics, from palaeontology and medieval history all the way to the latest news in space exploration. He likes to spend his free time reading books and playing video games, especially those with sci-fi and fantasy themes. As a Finn, sauna and ice bathing are very dear to him! Aleksi also wishes to be involved in creating a sustainable Nordic tourism system to preserve the Nordic way of life, nature and destinations for the years to come.

Languages: English & Finnish

Anna was born and raised in Tromsø and you could say she is truly Norwegian: loves skiing, experiencing nature together with her dog Dennis (who also comes to the office with her, playing with Bente’s dog, Balder), being outdoors, and traveling! She is studying Business Administration and has been working in our company for several years. Now, Anna is our Business Controller, working with finance and accounting of Best Arctic!

Languages: English & Norwegian

Bente

People & Culture Manager

Woman in blue jacket holding a dog with a water background

Bente

People & Culture Manager

The best way to stay healthy is to take a nice morning early swim, just ask Bente! She is great at dealing with people, which is why she takes care of all our employees and our well-being. Norwegian, extremely kind, patient, and good at managing people, you will find her at the office constantly being followed by her 4-year-old little dog Balder.

Languages: English & Norwegian

Carolina

Marketing & Brand Manager

Girl in blue jacket with a water background

Carolina

Marketing & Brand Manager

Directly from Portugal, Carolina studied Strategic Communication and has a Master in Marketing Management. She divides her time between Tromsø and Lisbon, working on the marketing strategy of the company and how to bring us forward. Crazy about sushi, ramen, and traveling, this Queen addict loves learning new cultures, people, and flavors and enjoys gathering her friends at home, having cozy, nice, social dinners, with a lot of fun!

Languages: English, Norwegian, Portuguese & Spanish

Einar

Chief Financial Officer

Einar

Chief Financial Officer

Einar is an authentic “tromsøværing”, raised in the arctic capital. He studied Marine Business Management at Norway's Fisheries College (bachelor's degree) and, in 2008, he moved to London for his master’s in Finance from Bayes Business School. In 2019 Einar returned to his roots in Tromsø with his family after a “little detour” in Oslo. Prior to joining Best Arctic, Einar worked 10 years within the recycling industry and 3.5 years in management consulting. He has two sons and enjoys going on cabin trips with friends and family, gathering around a bonfire, and being outdoors. Skiing and exercising at the gym are also how he enjoys his free time.

Languages: English & Norwegian

Emma

Project Manager Arctic Route

Emma

Project Manager Arctic Route

Full of energy and extremely active, Emma came from Belgium for the stunning nature, and, eventually, love made her stay. She started as a guide, and that precious knowledge brought her into the office, to create and develop the best single activities and packages for you! Extremely sporty and outdoorsy, Emma loves to go hiking, skiing, playing volleyball and she also is part of a theater improvisation group!

Languages: English & Dutch

Henry

Chief Business Development Officer

Man in blue jacket with a water background

Henry

Chief Business Development Officer

One of the founders of Bussring and Best Arctic, Henry was born in Nordreisa (Troms county), and has been working in the travel industry since 1993! He is now working as a business developer, checking new business possibilities and opportunities! Henry enjoys swimming, playing volleyball during his free time, but especially cooking (we heard he is a master of moose stew!). He recharges his energies by spending time with his family and friends and his dream is to spend more time out, in the wilderness, in contact with nature, fishing, and hunting.

Languages: English & Norwegian

Jon-Erlend

Business Development

Jon-Erlend

Business Development

Jon-Erlend grew up in Nordreisa (4 hours driving from Tromsø), but just like many others from our team, he has lived in several places: Tromsø, Ålesund, Oslo, and even outside of Norway, in London and Stuttgart! He has a master degree in Marketing and has worked with some of the most international brands coming from Norway over the last 25 years! He has been involved in the company for the last 5 years, creating a direction, and based upon this, leading our team, bringing arctic “life-changing experiences” to the world! When he is not office-working between documents, Excel and Power-Point presentations, Jon Erlend enjoys spending quality time with friends, family, and his dog outside and refurbishing (someone told us he is quite good at it!).

Languages: English, Norwegian & German

Ken Even

Project Manager Product Portfolio

Ken Even

Project Manager Product Portfolio

Originally from Karasjok (550 km northeast of Tromsø), Ken-Even grew up in a reindeer-herding Sámi family. He moved to Tromsø in 2010 to fulfill his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Administration and has been working in the company since 2019. During his free time, he enjoys relaxing, chilling and he is a big gamer of World of Warcraft!

Languages: English, Norwegian & Sámi

Mameaw

Booking Team

Mameaw

Booking Team

Mameaw is 22 years old and was born in Thailand, where she lived until she was 12. Back in 2012, she moved to Ringvassøya, a large island in Northern Norway, approximately 70 km away from Tromsø. She had to learn Norwegian and nowadays she speaks fluent Thai, English and Norwegian! She has a big interest in languages, and one of her dreams is to learn languages that she will probably never use in her daily life, such as Mongolian and Lakota (a Siouan language, spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes, Native American tribes). She enjoys arts and music and has volunteered in different local events and festivals in Tromsø, such as Buktafestivalen, Musikkfest i Tromsø and Tromsø Internasjonale Filmfestival. She is currently working as a booking agent and key account manager in the booking department of Best Arctic.

Languages: Thai, English & Norwegian

Roger

B2B Key Account Manager

Roger

B2B Key Account Manager

Born in Lyngen (Furuflaten) but living in Tromsø, Roger is also an international guy, having lived in the Canary Islands and 18 years in the UK (Northumberland and West Yorkshire). He has a calm and dreamy personality, which explains his interest in astronomy. He is also a big fan of classic music, photography and has a big passion for fishing on his little boat in Lyngen! He has been working for our company since 2014 and has a background in Tourism, Economy, and Administration, working with Booking activities (mainly for Tour Operators and travel agents). His life dream is to join a conservation project of nature/wildlife somewhere in the world when he retires!

Languages: English & Norwegian

Born in Drøbak (a cozy village south of Oslo), Oda has moved between northern and southern Norway, traveled extensively around the world (she met her kiwi husband while backpacking in South America), lived in New Zealand for several years, and ended up with her family in lovely Tromsø! She has a Master’s degree in Geography and has worked in the tourism industry on and off since 1995, spending 12 years in different roles with Visit Tromsø before joining Best Arctic/Tromsø Safari in 2016. Oda loves books, tea, cross-country skiing, sustainable travel, her far-flung family, cakes (!), and regular doses of adrenaline rush.

Languages: English, Norwegian & German

Rolf Gunnar

Chief Operating Officer

Rolf Gunnar

Chief Operating Officer

Rolf Gunnar, our operations manager, is a Tromsøværing (native of Tromsø). He has so many years of professional experience that he could retire very soon: he started working when he was 6 years old, helping his grandparents sell newspapers, hot dogs and sweets at their kiosk. Amazed by the fact that so many people travel to Northern Norway to see what he sees so frequently (The Northern Lights), he found our company many years ago, where he worked as a tour bus driver. He fell in love with the tourism industry and is now part of the office staff! His interests include traveling (he says he’s been in Turkey more than 20 times!), photography, mountain biking, and, like a good Norwegian, downhill skiing and ski touring! He has also been a football coach for more than 15 years. Rolf Gunnar has two grown-up children and usually refers to his girlfriend as “his better half”. .

Languages: English & Norwegian

Trond Arne

Chief Executive Officer

Trond Arne

Chief Executive Officer

Tromsøværing (from Tromsø), Trond-Arne has a background in IT and built over 25 years of experience managing IT businesses. He is a professional and trained project manager and has over the years managed quite a few large business development and implementation projects in various organizations. He started in Bussring in 2016, as a part-time driver (coming from a family of driving instructors) and he is now our Chief Commercial Officer. During his free time (especially Friday evenings, we heard!) he enjoys driving to his hytte (a traditional norwegian holiday cottage) and relax there, contemplating the beautiful landscapes of Malangen, as well as cooking, skiing, biking and building things (he is a true handyman)!

Languages: English & Norwegian

Øystein

Project Manager

Øystein

Project Manager

Born and raised in Kongsberg in southern Norway, during his army college studies he decided to go to Finnmark for duty service. There, he fell in love with its people, culture, and nature, which created a strong bond between him and the Arctic ever since. Over the past 35 years, he has worked and managed businesses and operations within IT, Retail, Education, Staffing & recruitment in Tromsø. He started working in Bussring in 2013 and has been managing the traffic department until the ‘transfer’ to Best Arctic, where he will work on several projects within IT and People & Culture. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, outside activities, traveling to warm destinations, listening to almost all kinds of music and playing volleyball.

Languages: Norwegian & English

Meet our front desk staff

Antoine

Front desk

Antoine

Front desk

Originally from Belgium, Antoine started showing an interest in languages and cultures at a young age, which ultimately led him to the USA, where he got his high school diploma. It was only after going to an open day at university that he was introduced to Scandinavia. Intrigued, he signed up at the Faculty of Translation and started learning Danish. While on exchange in Denmark, he took the opportunity to spend a few days in Norway. This short trip turned out to be a revelation: the raw nature, rich culture and, above all else, the colourful dialects spoke to him. Antoine then moved back to Belgium, where he completed a master’s in translation, now focusing on Norwegian. After completing his studies, he worked from home in B2B logistics for Nordic companies before ultimately moving to Tromsø. In his free time, he loves hiking, watching Formula 1 and watchmaking.

Languages: English, French, Danish & Norwegian

Miriam

Front desk

Miriam

Front desk

Born in 1991, from the suburbs of Barcelona, Mimi found her inner peace and calm in the museums of this chaotic city. With a big artistic vein, from a very early age, she showed interest in art and all different channels of expression, especially in the cinema and movie industry. She has a big passion for subjects like sustainability, social awareness and the environment and expresses this love through the production of documentaries. She created her first one in 2020, in Tromsø, about food waste and it was selected for seven film festivals around the world! Mimi moved to Tromsø in 2019, and started working at Best Arctic, a company with the same values as her when it comes to sustainable tourism! It was here, in this city, that she found her peace and quietness. At the same time, it also gave her the opportunity to develop her own creativity, skills and interest in photography!

Languages: Spanish & English

Rosanne

Front desk

Rosanne

Front desk

Originally from France, Rossane studied tourism in Montpellier and worked in the industry for over a decade. She was drawn by the “Arctic Experience” and her curiosity and love for exploring brought her to Tromsø. She is a nature lover and a fan or Arctic swimming (yes, you may find her bathing in the icy waters of Tromsø during the wintertime) and the bustling music nightlife in town. She also has a huge soft spot for dogs, so she will never say no to another dog sledding tour!

Languages: French, Spanish & English

Suhail

Front desk

Suhail

Front desk

With a bachelor's degree in Tourism, we can tell you that Suhail was born for this industry! He has traveled to over 42 countries in the past and keeps doing so every time he has the chance! Half Spanish, half Lebanese, curiously his best stories always start when he loses a flight and has to change his plans! Curious about new cultures, he moved to Tromsø to learn about this one, its traditions, and its people. The northern lights and the magic landscapes were a trigger. During his free time, Suhail enjoys running (he is a Marathon runner – get ready to see him running on Tromsø’s Polar Night Marathon and during the Midnight Sun Marathon, in Tromsø!), swimming, and going to the mountains. In the future, he would love to open a nice hotel in Tanzania and live between Spain and Tanzania.

Languages: English, Lebanese, Spanish and Portuguese

Meet our guides

Carolin

Guide

A woman with the Arctic Cathedral in the background

Carolin

Guide

From Freiberg (a small town in Eastern Germany), Carolin lived and studied in Potsdam (close to Berlin) for five years, before moving to Tromsø to take a master’s in biomedicine. The extreme Arctic way of life and all that it has to offer pulled her to come and live here: the Northern Lights, Midnight Sun, mountains, extreme weather and nature, everything that she couldn’t find back home. Studying antibiotic-resistant bacteria for her master’s, you might think she is a lab rat, as she spends half of her time there as a researcher, but don’t get yourself wrong! This girl loves to leave work and jump straight on her skis for ski touring or alpine skiing in the area! She has played the flute for many years and is now challenging herself to learn to play the piano. Besides being very keen on active outdoors and radical sports (skiing, kayaking and camping outdoors, etc.), Carolin also enjoys practicing yoga to calm down after a busy day. She will be one of your Northern Lights guides and can tell you all about this crazy little place on earth!

Languages: German & English

Enrico

Guide

A man with the Arctic Cathedral in the background

Enrico

Guide

This ragazzo comes directly from Milan, escaping to Tromsø to “get a bit of fresh air”. He has a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Milan and he is a passionate photographer, with a special interest for landscape photography. The first time he was in Tromsø was during his Erasmus exchange, during his bachelor’s degree, when he started photographing the Northern Lights. He loved this place so much that he decided to move here for his master’s degree in computer science and started working as a guide (he has been a guide at Best Arctic since 2015!). Enrico is now doing his PhD in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. But don’t get a nerdy impression of him! He’s very social, extrovert and keen on both outdoor activities like hiking and skiing, as well as indoor ones such as tennis and karate (he’s got a black belt, so don’t mess with him!).

Languages: Italian & English

Giorgos

Guide

Giorgos

Guide

From a small town right next to Mount Olympus (home to the Greek gods), Giorgos finished his bachelor’s degree in physics in Greece and decided to move to Tromsø to take a master’s in energy and climate. However, education was just a push to bring him here. He was already in love with the Norwegian landscapes and his passion for photography made it an ideal place for him to move. Generally, you can find him wandering around in Tromsø taking photos of the beautiful scenery (and there is plenty!). He also enjoys basketball and Formula 1. A funny fact about Giorgos is that he loves Christmas so much, as well as snow, that he is one of those people who listen to Christmas songs from early October (we could say he’s in the right place, as this city has snow pretty much half the year!).

Languages: Greek & English

Jacob

Guide

Jacob

Guide

Originally from Canada (Kingston), Jacob left one northern country for another, moving first to Bergen in 2020. He found his way to the “Paris of the North” in lovely Tromsø! What was initially meant to be a temporary visit has come to feel like a second home, as Jacob has fallen in love with the Northern Lights, Midnight Sun and all that the Arctic has to offer! Jacob is a passionate photographer and filmmaker. When he’s not guiding tours, he’s probably taking photos of beautiful landscapes and wildlife or making video content about the local nature and culture. He also enjoys playing guitar and singing, camping out in nature and playing and watching ice hockey during his free time!

Languages: English

Julia

Guide

Julia

Guide

Julia is from Germany and works at Best Arctic as a part-time Northern Lights guide. When we asked her why she moved to Tromsø, she responded “I got stuck because Northern Norway is addictive!”. She loves all kinds of outdoor sports and adventures like hiking, skiing, camping, biking and yoga! She is in the right company, as she also enjoys green transition and sustainability, something Best Arctic is also working towards! She has a background in psychology and defines herself as a kind soul that tries to make the world a better place. In her free time, Julia also likes to knit (socks, mittens, hats, sweaters, you name it!), a very Norwegian activity, which is extremely popular around here! She also travels around Norway (and Europe) with the northernmost Ultimate frisbee team in the world!

Languages: English, German & Norwegian

Kinga

Guide

Kinga

Guide

Kinga comes from Poland (Gdansk), where she took a master’s in criminology. She moved to Tromsø due to her passion for the Arctic landscapes and Norwegian mountains and fjords. She loves dancing: her style is modern jazz. She treats dance as an art of expressing emotions through movements, instead of words. She also loves working with people a lot. Back in Poland, she used to be a dancing teacher and managed a sports club for children (a place where they could practice activities like dance, judo and acrobatics). When the weather around here is nice, she takes her mountain backpack and goes hiking in spring, summer and autumn and downhill skiing during the winter!

Languages: Polish & English

Lorenzo

Guide

Lorenzo

Guide

It was education that brought Lorenzo to Northern Norway, to Tromsø, over 10 years ago! He graduated in Biological Science in Rome, studying elephant seals in the Falkland Islands, where his passion for wildlife photography began. He then moved to Norway for his master’s degree and ended up staying for his Ph.D. in neurobiology, working on emotional memory. He currently works as a researcher at the department of Clinical Medicine and spends his evenings guiding for us! He has been a guide for many years, photographing people under the Northern Lights. He has a very big passion for photography and we can subscribe that he is really good at it. Just pay him a visit to his house and you will see impressive portraits and photos he took during his trips around the world, they are fantastic! He enjoys water sports like kayaking, scuba diving (he is actually an instructor!), and wildlife photography.

Languages: Italian & English

Odd Levi

Guide

Odd Levi

Guide

Odd Levi is our Norwegian Sami guide. He grew up in a small village (Musken), south of Tromsø, just 6 kilometers wide from the ocean shore to Sweden. Since he was a little kid he was able to see the Northern Lights quite frequently, and that allowed him to grow up respecting them, always hearing many interesting stories about them. He will share all these stories with you, as his goal is to bring you, as our guest, through a personal journey on how it is to live under the Northern Lights. As a Sami, he can also teach you all about the Sami culture and its traditions, just feel free to ask him anything you are wondering about, he is excited.

Languages: Sami, English, and Norwegian

Paolo

Guide Manager

Paolo

Guide Manager

Living in Norway since 2015, Paolo traded the warm island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean for the cold Northern Lights nights and the never-ending Midnight Sun summer nights of the Arctic. He is a landscape architect, specialising in the Arctic and extreme environments. He is a fan of bushcraft. The cold doesn’t scare him, and he loves challenging himself in different ways and survival situations! Paolo is a very active person. He started as a surfer and skateboarder when he was a child back home, and nowadays in Norway he loves being outdoors, close to nature, hiking, biking, fly fishing and snowboarding. Other than sports, he enjoys sciences, cultures, languages, philosophy, art history, painting and music. With years of experience in photography, he loves working as a Northern Lights guide for our tours!

Languages: Italian & English

Reidar

Guide

Reidar

Guide

Reidar, or “the bearded guide”, is a Tromsø local. He has been based here his entire life and has a formal education in guiding & leadership from UIT The Arctic University of Norway and experience in both practical and academic work. Reidar loves spending time outdoors and has been taking guests from all over the world on adventures on land and at sea for the last 15 years. He used to work as an expedition leader along the Norwegian coast, but this season he will be guiding on some of our Northern Lights excursions and showing you the beauty of the Arctic. When he is not guiding, he spends time outdoors with his two children and Alaskan husky Lerk in the area around Tromsø.

Languages: Norwegian & English

Sonja

Guide

Sonja

Guide

Born in Krieglach (a village about one and a half hours from Vienna), this Austrian girl studied molecular biotechnology in Vienna. It was when she went abroad for an Erasmus exchange in Stockholm that she tasted the international living modus and realised that she really wanted to explore it, especially the Scandinavian lifestyle. Fascinated by the Arctic and curious to learn more about this culture and its people, she wanted to move to Tromsø since her bachelor’s degree and couldn’t get it out of her head until she was successful! Sonja is absolutely fascinated by the Arctic but doesn’t forget her roots! She is a great foodie, who loves to eat and cook. Her two favourite Austrian dishes are Käsespätzle and Kaspressknödel, both cheese dishes. Unfortunately, she can’t find the proper cheese in the area around Tromsø, maybe you could bring her some, if you are coming from Austria and will go on a tour with us?

Languages: German & English

Tommaso

Guide

Tommaso

Guide

From an island in the south of Europe to one in the Arctic, Tommaso moved from Venice to Tromsø to follow his passions: he is a backcountry ski lover, who enjoys hiking and camping all year round. He has a bachelor’s in Biology and a Master’s in Environmental Science. A nature lover, who enjoys stars, sunsets, northern lights, and wild animals (always listening to the sounds of nature, hoping to observe some wild animals). Photography and videography are also part of his interests. Resuming, Tromsø is the perfect place for Tommaso as it offers all that he enjoys in life!

Languages: Italian & English

Viktor

Guide

A man Our with the Arctic Cathedral in the background

Viktor

Guide

Viktor is not hard to lose of sight! He is our tallest guide from Germany, with over 2 meters! But his height is as big as his knowledge, professionalism, and sympathy! He is a documentary photographer and writer (he has already launched his first book!), who has lived in different parts of the world before settling in Tromsø, to work as a tour guide. He has a Master’s in Fine Arts and a deep natural curiosity for other human beings and their fate. He loves the Arctic nature, camping, and reading and is always looking for the most life-changing adventures wherever he goes. We believe he is totally in the right company to work!

Languages: German & English

William

Guide

William

Guide

This very British accented guy has been living in Tromsø for so long that sometimes he slips in a word in Norwegian instead of English. But worry not! He has been guiding both day and evening tours for Best Arctic since 2016 and knows this area like the palm of his hand! He is currently working as a researcher at the Meteorological Institute in Tromsø and enjoys mountain running during summer (ending with a swim in glacial lakes or the sea after a long run!). He has probably seen more polar bears in his life than anyone else at the company, having spent a lot of time in Svalbard and Greenland for work. He has been a photographer since age 13. Before moving to Tromsø, he used to be a storm chaser back in the UK (how cool is this?). Keep William away from lefse (the traditional Norwegian cake we offer during our tours), as he is highly addicted to it!

Languages: English & Norwegian