Northern Lights & Arctic Circle Tour
Description
Embark on an unforgettable adventure from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle, traveling one of the world’s most remote roads through Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness. With an expert local guide leading the way, you’ll explore stunning natural landmarks, learn about the iconic Trans-Alaska Pipeline, & witness the magic of the Northern Lights. This 12 to 14-hour guided tour offers an immersive small-group experience in the comfort of a climate-controlled van. Along the way, enjoy storytelling, scenic stops, & a deeper connection to the untamed beauty of Alaska. PLEASE NOTE: You are eligible for a full refund up to 7 days before your tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
With sweeping views of mountains and valleys, you will see the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (one of the largest pipeline systems in the world), transporting thousands of gallons of oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, up close.
A quick stop to allow guests to purchase souvenirs & a slice of the market's famous pie(s).
Enjoy the journey across the Yukon River, as you catch a glimpse of the wildlife that inhabits Sub-Arctic Alaska. Meals available for purchase.
Upon reaching the Arctic Circle, you will be met with glorious views, presented with your personalized Arctic Circle Certificate, and the opportunity to photograph the aurora borealis.
A quick stop at the Dalton Highway Sign to allow guests to take photos and enjoy the scenery. You will then travel the remote Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle Campground (mile 115).
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will contact you the day before your tour with your exact pickup time. We can only pick up from hotels within the Fairbanks City-Limits. We cannot pick up from the airport. If you are staying at an Air BnB or outside of city limits, please contact the office via email or phone call.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Adult pricing applies to all travelers. We do not recommend this tour for children under the age of 10 years due to safety concerns
- Please dress appropriately. The temperatures can reach extreme conditions during the winter month and we recommend to dress in layers.
- Please note that the Northern Lights are a natural occurrence and therefore cannot be guaranteed! (no refund possible)
- The weather conditions are in no way predictable in our area and we will not offer a refund in the case of too many clouds.
- Exact schedule and itinerary of stops are subject to change based on daily conditions and Northern Lights activity on the day of your tour.
- There is a possibility of cancellation due to dangerous weather and/or road conditions. If this occurs, an alternative date or full refund will be offered.
- Type of transportation: climate controlled van
- The group size is limited to 8 people for each passenger van.
- Customers are strongly encouraged to rotate seats at least a few times on the tour to give each person the opportunity of having a different view.
- This tour requires being able to enter and exit our van with limited assistance. Please contact us if you have any concerns about mobility.
- Every guest must sign a waiver before any tour so they clearly acknowledge the inherent risks of wilderness travel, assume responsibility for their own safety, and confirm they are medically able to participate.
Reviews(953)
If you like going into the outback, you will love this experience. However, if you have difficulty getting in and out of a full van of people, I don't recommend the tour. There were multiple difficulties for us: 1) it was a 15 hour day with many stops (advertised as 12 hour day); 2) the roads are not paved, so the dust was horrible; 3) the air conditioning in the van did not work and there were no windows to open except in the front; it was 70 degrees so we were hot; 4) there were 11 people in a 15 passenger van, all but 1 were elderly. The guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable. The best part was lunch at the Yukon River Camp. The food was the best we had in Alaska, hot and fresh!! The people were great. The beauty of Alaska was wonderful. The oil pipeline was interesting. Over-all I do not recommend this tour unless you are young and don't mind breathing dust. We were sick for 2 weeks with lung problems upon return home.
Our trip was incredible! We were fortunate enough to have Shannon as our guide who was a native and highly knowledgeable about the area. She was also a safe and considerate driver along the rough Dalton Highway. I highly recommend this tour!!
It was horrible and tragedy full experience. Driver saved tea / coffee / water bottle and snakes what ch were supposed to be served to us. There was NO facility of these things on the way of 200 miles (Appx).. The van was totally third class and outdated. Each and every part of the body of the van was shouting and noising. The interior was totally miser and even safety handles were also not fixed. The space between rows and seats were most uncomfortable. All 8 passengers were Senior Citizens and experienced great physical difficulties. This trip was NOT a pleasant tour but a terrible long ride. I think I will never recommend to anyone. Sorry.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience on the Northern Lights & Arctic Circle Tour did not meet your expectations. We take comfort, vehicle condition, and guest experience seriously, and we regret that the tour was not the positive experience we aim to provide. We understand your concerns, especially regarding the long drive and the comfort for senior guests. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will review it with our team.
We took the the Arctic Circle tour. Shannon was our guide. She made the trip interesting and she was confident driving Dalton Hwy that helps put your mind at ease. My friend and I enjoyed her very much. Also Caitlin , who was taking photos for the social media aspect . Took nice pictures and was informative also. We would do another tour with Alaska WildLife tours.
I’m disappointed with my experience with this tour agency. Unfortunately, we ran into multiple issues across two separate bookings. For our most recent excursion, the tour was cancelled just two hours before it was supposed to start. We were told it was due to a driver emergency, which is understandable, but the short notice was very frustrating because it was too late to pivot to other plans. They were also unable to offer alternatives or help us rebook something else. We had also booked a tour with them a few days earlier, and that experience had problems as well. We were told we would receive a call or email with our pickup time, but never heard anything. I tried calling multiple times on the day of the tour and couldn’t reach anyone. No one returned my calls. My group waited in our hotel lobby for about 30 minutes unsure of what was happening, until a driver eventually arrived. Once on the van, we found out that none of the other guests had received pickup information either. I understand that unexpected situations can come up, but the overall lack of communication and organization made this a very disappointing experience. I would not recommend this company.
Hello, We truly apologize for the last minute cancellation due to our guide's serious family emergency. The Arctic Circle tour is ran specifically by a few guides, and unfortunately the alternates were not available. I personally reached out to the few other companies that also do the tour before I cancelled, but no one was able to accommodate guests. We issued the refund immediately.
Jessica was fantastic!!! Great tour! I learned a lot and she is very smart! Learned a lot about Alaska and the land and the aurora’s. Super safe and comfortable!! I was nervous before trip about no service and transportation. It felt like a new adventure and road trip and reassuring to know we had a great guide! Def a tour worth taking!!
First we would like to start with our guide Jessica. She was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, accommodating, adaptive and prepared. She kept us very informed of the route we were going on and what to expect. Unfortunately, the Northern Lights did not accommodate us but Jessica tried. She stopped so many times to see if they were showing and did everything possible to find them but it was not to be. Her driving was extremely safe. The condition of the highway with the snow and ice could have made the drive trechararous but at no time did we feel unsafe. As far as how to dress, check the weather and dress appropriately. It was -11 and we had on thermals, coats, gloves and scarves and were as comfortable as could be. The only negative we have to say is, because it was so cold out, except for the windshield and front side windows, all the others were iced over on the inside so we couldn't see out at all. We tried the scraping with a credit card as Jessica suggested but it really didn't work. Maybe wipe them down with shaving cream or have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and rags to wipe them with. This was a bucket list that we definitely will remember and was totally worth it!
The trip was long but amazing! Our guide Shannon was a very safe driver and very knowledgeable. We were lucky enough to have an amazing view of the northern lights. Shannon helped up capture some great photos of our experience. Would highly recommend!
A very good experience, I would definitely recommend it. The guide, Sultan, explained everything throughout the tour, was very friendly, and took great photos of the Northern Lights.
If you crave to see the elusive Aurora then this is your answer.Sultan is the sociable guide who love to share his experience with guests.He does his best so you can see one or many auroras from riding his van during 12 hour chasing the lights.Stops for restroom and rest are scheduled.His van is comfortable. I saw 4 auroras with intensity during the trip.The best ever.Highly recommended
