Northern Lights Tours

We booked the 1-night aurora hunting tour after already trying a 2-night tour with another company, so we had something to compare it with. The price is definitely cheaper than most other options, so I would say this is a good choice for budget-conscious travelers. Overall, I would describe the experience as okay, but personally, I would not do it again. We are a family of four with kids. Before booking, I specifically asked how many people would be in the minibus or bus. I was told the maximum would be 20 people, and usually around 15. However, there were actually 24 guests plus the driver and guide. It was a big bus. The bus also picked up guests from different locations around town, so there were several stops before the actual tour started. One thing I want to mention is the hotel pickup. With most tour companies, the guide gets out of the vehicle, enters the hotel lobby, and looks for guests while calling the company name. With this company, they didn't do that. We were waiting in the hotel lobby, and the pickup time had already passed, but we couldn't find the bus. I asked my husband to check outside, and he saw a large red bus that was about to leave. There were many tour vans and buses outside, so it was difficult to identify ours. Luckily, we were able to stop them and get on. Since there was both a driver and a guide, I really wish the guide could have gotten out and called for the guests at the hotel entrance, especially since some guests may be new to the area. Another issue was that there were no seat belts, and the bus was not very warm. During the aurora hunting, whenever we stopped, the driver turned the entire bus off. We asked if they could turn the heater on because it was very cold, especially with kids, but we were told they couldn't. I've been on another aurora tour where they kept the van warm so guests could go inside and warm up when needed. I think that would have made a big difference. On the positive side, they provided yummy cookies and hot cocoa, which was a nice touch. Our guide also gave us some information about the plan and where we were heading. I just wish there had been more information about the aurora and Yellowknife in general. Fortunately, that night we had clear skies and a strong aurora forecast, and we were lucky enough to see a beautiful, strong, dancing aurora directly overhead. Our guide was very nice and took pictures of all of us. She didn't seem rushed and seemed genuinely happy for everyone. The tour also didn't rush us; they waited until everyone was finished and ready before moving on. So, the highlight of the night was definitely the aurora itself. We were very lucky with the weather and conditions. However, if the aurora hadn't been strong and the skies hadn't been clear, I don't think there would have been anything particularly special about the tour itself. Overall, I would say this tour is more of a budget-friendly way to get out of town and look for the aurora rather than a premium aurora-hunting experience. If price is your main concern, it may be worth considering. But based on our experience and having tried another company, I personally would choose a different tour next time. You get what you pay for.

The auroras weren't great, but our guide did the best possible: found an area near water that had no other buses or cars and we had a good time watching for the lights. They also took our pictures numerous times! Nice guide.

couldnt see the aurora due to the weather but our guide Luke gave us his best moving towards the far eastern side closer to the clear sky. weather turned out bad but still it was worth trying. Thank you

DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE Julian was rude to my wife and other customers. My wife fell on the ice getting on the bus. She asked for help and he let her lie on the ice and said, "I can't leave the bus." My wife got on the bus and it left without me boarding (I was waiting for friends in the lobby.) My wife asked when the bus would go back for me and he said he didn't know if he could go back. A woman who was sitting next to my wife went up and asked Julian to help my wife and he said, "What business is that of yours??" He eventually came back to our hotel and picked me and another couple we were travelling with. The clothes he gave us on the bus did not fit. I asked for different sizes for the second night. He dropped off clothing that was the same size as the clothing that did not fit the first night. We gave up and did not go out with him on a second night. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE.

The guide was kind and impressed by the effort to find Aurora. And I took good photos, and I explained well and it was fun. Next I want to travel through this travel agency.

This was a majestic experience with Northernlightstours.co. We did a 3 night aurora hunting package combo with hotel accomodations at the Chateau Nova hotel in yellowknife. The hotel was clean and had a microwave and fridge, and was next to Niven lake which was a beautiful frozen lake to walk around in the mornings. Isaac and Hailey were fantastic guides who helped us bask in the aurora shows from different spots and frozen lakes surrounding yellowknife. We got to see Aurora 4/4 nights between 1/18 and 1/22 and dancing rings of auroras and other meandering majestic shapes of greens and caught as pinks by our iPhones and by our guides cameras. Hailey brings great energy to the experience. Isaac took us ice fishing and cooked pike and chips( from great slave lake as there’s arsenic in many of the other lakes) after my wife caught a huge northern pike on Cam lake from inside our warm tent. Isaac was very kind, inquisitive and accommodating, and we loved his northern lights and ice fishing tour. I cannot recommend enough Northernlightstours.co and traveling to yellowknife in general during the winter or during September or March for aurora and other excursions/activities! Just do it!

Northern Lights has three buses and seasoned operators. They will pick you up and drop you off around 9:00 ish. The first night we were guided by Mo a seasoned bush pilot but got skunked. Mo and Isaac tried really hard but the clouds did not cooperate. The second night Sheldon took us out and we hit pay dirt on the first stop. He worked his magic with his Nikon and fish eye on a tripod. You can try to take your own pictures but unless you have his kind of gear just enjoy the sights. We stopped at 3 or 4 places and the lights danced on queue with Sheldon's predictions we saw green purple and hints of pink. We got hot chocolate and cookies on the last stop and rolled home around 2:00am. Sheldon pointed out some foxes on the way back. Prepare for up to 3 nights in case clouds move in but your chances of seeing lights are excellent.

We were lucky enough to see the northern lights. We were driven out to a beautiful frozen lake for the viewing where they took photos of us under Auroa. They had warm tents for us to rest in with hot chocolate when it started to cloud over. Once the sky clouded over, we hopped back onto the bus to head to another location. Unfortunately the cloud cover was quite dense, so the first hour was the best.

One of the two guides, Sheldon, was awesome. Knowledgeable, helpful, funny. The other individual, Julian, wasn't really useful at all, he was arrogant, rude and disorganized. He took us to two spots on the promise of seeing better lights .... he promised that because he wanted to move us closer to town (ie. to end the tour sooner) - of course the lights at the new location were poor .... There was a big difference between going out with him vs. with Sheldon .... so there - for whatever it's worth .... this company is cheap but has no infrastructure, we stayed in the bus to warm up, no tee pees and no fire ....

The tour guide was fantastic and very friendly but the tour was not as described. 32 people in a school bus (not a mini-coach) driving to two stops. One was on the shoulder of the highway which meant that passing cars ruined long exposure photos. The description said we would have access to washrooms at every stop, we only had access at the airport which we stopped at halfway through the tour. I am guessing this tour is the cheapest tour for a reason.