Chena Hot Springs Aurora Tour
Description
This tour combines two world class attractions- Alaska's finest hot springs resort and the fabulous aurora viewing possibilities in our late-night winter skies. From your accommodations in Fairbanks, you will picked up in late afternoon and travel some sixty miles or so through the scenic Tanana State Forest, where wildlife abounds, to the Chena Hot Springs Resort, where you will visit famous attractions such as the Ice Museum and soak in the soothing hot springs and dine in their rustic restaurant. When you are done with the resort activities in late evening, your tour focuses on catching glimpses of the tantalizing northern lights, in and around the resort and at locations along the road. The extremely dark skies in the wilderness surrounding the resort are ideally suited for viewing the magnificent auroras.
Tour Options
Itinerary
World class tourist facility powered by geothermal energy, with unique attractions such as Ice Museum and Bar, Hot Springs, Geothermal Power Plant, Auroraeum, etc. Upon arriving, you will go on short tour of the facilities, then visit the Ice Museum and Bar. After which, you can soak in the world famous hot springs and dine in the rustic Alaska restaurant or Aurora Cafe.
Your journey to Chena Hot Springs Resort takes you through the scenic and wild Tanana State Forest, where wildlife such as moose, fox, coyote and lynx are frequently seen. Later in evening, your return to Fairbanks will bring you back through the forest, where the incredibly dark, star-studded night sky will be the perfect backdrop against which to view the magnificent auroras.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up from all hotels and B & B facilities within Fairbanks city limits ; please specify when booking. PICK UP TIME FOR THE CHENA HOT SPRINGS TOUR IS 5 PM! WE DO NOT PICK UP FROM ANY LOCATIONS IN NORTH POLE OR OUTSIDE OF FAIRBANKS CITY LIMITS. IF YOU ARE STAYING THERE, WE WILL MEET YOU AT 5 PM AT THE WALMART SUPERCENTER ON JOHANSEN EXPWY.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Four guest minimum required to initiate a new tour date
Reviews(10)
Gina was our tour guide n was very knowledgeable, fun n personable. I would definitely ask for her again. Ice museum with the apple martini was so cool. Hot springs felt so good but you may want to take your own hair dryer n be warned it's really really cold going in n out of springs so bring a cover up. But we loved it! Great trip.. would highly recommend. Was cloudy n didn't get to see Aurora but Gina did drive around n tried. Just wasn't meant to be but we saw them 3 times while in Fairbanks on other nights. Best trip ever!
In Jan there is high precipitation, so it’s hard to see lights with clouds around. This place worked out perfectly as there were clouds and this visit allowed us to stay up for 4 hours in night comfortably and adventure out in company of others in remote area without light pollution and clear view/360 They have good restroom/outhouse and hot fire/hot drinks and noodles/games/to entertain while waiting. They also tell you how to take picture which was very helpful. Ride up was experience :) We viewed lights in windows of clear sky and clouds. Next time I would go in March and time with no moon.
Unfortunately we had a bad experience. My son and his wife entered the hot springs, after 5 mins a sad mishap occurred. We didn't understand if he passed out or what. But one person died. They were trying to revive her for a long time. A lady in her 55s or 60s. There were no paramedics. My necessary equipment
Amazing experience!! So much better than the other "private tour" that was twice the price. Everyone at Chena is so friendly. We took a snowcat to the top of the mountain where there was a warming yurt with hot cocoa and warm cider and snacks. Spectacular 360 degree view to watch the lights dance.
This is a must see place. So many activities to chose from and the staff was awesome! Try to book rooms with them as opposed to staying in town.
It was excellent! The guide was great! We had a great experiences in Chena Hot Spring, Aurora Ice Museum and after we saw the Northern Lights! I highly recommend this tour!
It was awesome doing the two Aurora Tours and Chena Hot Springs with AuroraQuest. Our guide was great and gave us tips in how to find the Aurora, locations and others. Because of the weather conditions (clouds and snowing) during our tours unfortunately we couldn’t see the Aurora but with their tips we rented a car a have saw the Aurora yesterday in the location where he recommended. It was great tips!
We were not as impressed with the Hot Springs resort. Food was pricey but good, service slow but you do have a lot of time to wait for the Aurora to appear. Ice museum was ok but Ice Alaska was in Fairbanks at the same time. Hot Springs were very nice. Great time there. Then the Aurora. There were a lot of people at the resort and some problems with light pollution so our guide, Ray, took us to a quieter place to watch for them. We stayed there for over 30 minutes watching them fill the sky. Them we started back towards Fairbanks again and the sky exploded with dancing Aurora ribbons and color. We stopped again and really got to see a beautiful show. This made the trip totally worthwhile and earned the 5 star review. Thank you to Aurora Quest for the excellent night.
My family went to Chena Hot Springs. It was four days and three nights, but it was enough. We enjoyed the Wildlife Preserve and Takhini Hot Spring tour and also we were very happy to see Aurora on our last night. It is a mixed bath open-air bath so you should wear a swimsuit. If you are going to soak in the hot springs many times a day, you should bring several swimsuits. It took a while to dry, so it was cold to wear a swimsuit that stayed wet. The hot springs are wide and hot or lukewarm, so you should try to find a place that suits you. There is only one restaurant. There are no convenience stores or supermarkets nearby. The restaurant was delicious, but the price is a bit higher. There is a souvenir shop in the hotel, and if you buy frozen pizza there, they will bake it in the restaurant. Also, there is a microwave in the room, so you can take Japanese food from home. The tour was also very fulfilling. Try a four-wheel-drive buggy, dog sledding or the Ice Museum. Tap water in the hotel is not available. There was a black object sinking. We recommend you buy mineral water at the souvenir shop. There is almost no WiFi. The shower room attached to the room is quite small. It seems that young Japanese people always work at the souvenir shop on one-year contracts. Shuttle bus to the airport on the way back, we had a flight in the morning, but of course the bus with the others. The morning bus also includes the children of the live-in employees, so we head to the airport after passing through elementary school first. This time it was four days and three nights, but was it just right? I think so.
The weather forecast for Fairbanks was cloudy while we were visiting so we decided to use AuroraQuest for our trip to Chena Hot Springs/Aurora Viewing and we were so glad we did! Our driver/guide, Rene, who also is part owner of the business, was so knowledgeable and he answered all of our questions about Alaska and a whole lot more. He was a real character! He also was very courteous and extremely mindful of the fact that we had come great distances to see the Aurora and he did everything he could possibly do to make our experience everything that we had hoped for. After we had finished our activities at the hot springs resort we concentrated our time on finding the Aurora and Rene stayed out extra time to make sure we caught a good glimpse of the elusive Northern Lights. There was a spectacular display that night! Well worth the money and one of the best personalized tours we've been on during our travels.
