Northern Lights Tour with FREE Photos - Arctic Night Tours

About This Experience

This is the highest-reviewed northern lights tour departing Fairbanks, and the format is built around one goal: giving you the best realistic chance of a real aurora sighting, not a scripted itinerary. Your guide picks you up from your Fairbanks hotel after dark and drives out of town, away from streetlights, toward whichever direction the night's forecast and cloud cover favor.

The tour has no fixed route or distance — it runs 8 to 12 hours if that's what it takes, chasing clear sky rather than sticking to a set schedule. You'll get snacks and water along the way, and once the aurora is spotted, the group steps out to watch while the guide handles the camera work: long-exposure photos of you under the lights are included, so you don't need your own tripod or night-photography skills.

It's a patient, flexible format rather than a fast in-and-out excursion — expect a long night, warm layers, and a guide who's reading the sky in real time.

Highlights

• Small-group aurora hunt led by a local guide who reads the live forecast and relocates for clearer sky
• Flexible route and duration (8-12 hours) built around finding the lights, not following a fixed schedule
• Professional guide-shot photos of you under the aurora included at no extra cost
• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Fairbanks
• Snacks and hot drinks provided on longer nights

What's Included

• ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off
• ✓ Aurora Borealis chase with a local guide
• ✓ Snacks and drinks (on longer tours)
• ✓ Guide-shot photos of you under the lights

Not Included

• Gratuities (optional)
• Personal camera equipment (not required — photos are provided)

Good to Know & Caveats

• Tour start times and duration are flexible and depend on where the aurora forecast points that night — expect anywhere from 8 to 12 hours
• The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed on any single night
• Dress in warm layers — you'll be outside in temperatures well below freezing for viewing stops
• Smoking is not permitted in the tour vehicle

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup within Fairbanks — your guide confirms the exact pickup time and location after booking, since departure is timed to the night's aurora forecast.