フェアバンクス発オーロラとChena Hot Springsを巡るナイトツアー

We had a great time on the Chena Hot Springs Aurora Viewing tour. The pickup at our hotel was flawless. The ice museum was really cool (literally and figuratively!) and it was very fun to have an appletini at the ice bar. The hot springs were great, and we enjoyed all the different areas. What really made this tour the best was our guide Paul. It was a partly to mostly cloudy night, but Paul was determined we'd see the aurora and he delivered. We could see it a little bit behind some clouds at the resort, but he persevered and when it came out while we were driving back he stopped and we got to see it! We are so appreciative of his dedication to finding the aurora for us. And Paul also is a wealth of Alaska knowledge which he shared all night. He also is just a super friendly guy. Paul was, quite possibly, the best guide on any tour I've been on.

It was a good experience. The guide did his utmost to look for the Northern lights, but the weather was against him. Very knowledgeable.

Paul was a very knowledgeable guide and we enjoyed the experience very much! Even though the weather didn’t cooperate we had a great time!

This was our second tour with 1st Alaska Tours and it was another great experience! Our guide, Tanner, was entertaining, friendly, helpful, and professional. He helped us spot moose on the way up to the hot spring and did his best to ensure we all had an interesting drive up. Before even going to the spring, we toured the Ice Museum on premises. Small, but interesting in the diversity of the ice items they had. There was also an early escape if the cold got to be too much. The locker room at the spring was pretty much what you would expect from any locker room: lockers squeezed together in small areas, tight fit for heavy clothing in the locker, tight fit for women changing by lockers. However, it was clean and comfortably warm. Bring your own towel to avoid paying for one and bring quarters for the lockers! I was a little nervous about the locker key as there was no way to attach it to me, but I just left it on my flip flop, and it was fine. It was recommended that we go into the hot tub before going to the hot spring, but the tub was pretty crowded so we took our chances. Street shoes had to be left in the lobby so flip flops or slides are highly recommended and can be left close to the entry to the spring. Many of us wore hats since any part of you that was wet and not under water was subject to freezing (eyelashes, eyebrows, hair, etc). The short walk from the locker room to the spring was chilly but it was not difficult to transition from the walkway to the heat of the spring. There were pockets of intense heat in the spring and also some rocks around the edges so walking gingerly is recommended. The heat felt wonderful and we had more than enough time to enjoy it before getting dressed for heading outside to view the northern lights. We stopped a couple of places on the way back to town and the lights did not disappoint. Tanner knew where to find dark skies for us! A memorable night to be sure and I would highly recommend this tour.

It was a wonderful, once in a lifetime experience. Our guide, Colleen was friendly, knowledgeable, and really went out of her way to ensure we got an amazing experience. She showed us how to set up the cameras on our phones to get AMAZING pictures. Seems straightforward to set up, it's not. Phones can be finicky when trying to get northern lights pictures. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for an amazing adventure in chasing the northern lights. The Chena Hot Springs and Ice Museum were also wonderful, unique experiences and Colleen ensured we knew where to go, what to expect, and how to maximize the experience. That being said, the northern lights portion is something my wife and I will never forget. All pictures were taken with a plain Samsung S22+...not anything new or high-end and they turned out great! Thanks 1st Alaska Tours and Colleen for the experience of a lifetime and memories I will always cherish.

+5

This was a fabulous experience! Tanner, our tour guide, went out of his way to make sure we got to experience Chena resort. We were also fortunate to have a great night of northern lights. Tanner made sure we visited spots with great viewing, and was a huge help with settings on our phone cameras.

Tanner was our guide. He was wonderful. He picked us up on time, gave tour details. He added a brief pull over to see the Alaska pipeline. After arriving at Chena Hot Springs he again provided details to the evening events and where to find him if necessary. He monitored the solar activity and when we would meet him he gave an update. During the Aurora showing he was on the lookout for flares that popped up and which way to look. On our trip back he added a couple pull offs with less lights to again get better views and pictures of Aurora. Above and beyond. He has knowledgeable about the Northern Lights and viewing. He was very personable with our group and great to get to know. He didn’t bring the lights but made the experience the best.

Tanner was a great guide. Got lucky with a wonderful display of the northern lights. Tanner even stopped to let us see the Alaskan pipeline. He also made a couple of extra stops for photos in non light areas for us to get the best pictures

There are 3 facets to this review: 1) Chena Hot Springs: this was Ok but nothing to write home about. The Ice sculpture stuff was good, but then dropped when trying to get meal service (too busy short staffed blah blah blah). When we finally got in there the server (Juan) was great and the food was good - just did not give us enough time to enjoy the hot springs. 2) Tanner the guy who picked us up and brought us back. This dude was a ROCKSTAR! Personable, friendly and really knew his stuff about the Northern Lights! Took us to his honeypots for great viewing and tossed in the pipeline to boot! 3) Northern Lights - I guess we have Mother Nature to thank about this as they were spectacular! Thanks to Tanner for finding them for us!

Tanner was an absolutely wonderful driver and escort on the various stops. Our only complaint is that the seats are not suited for the length of the trip, but designed for an airport shuttle. Jake (not from State Farm) is a trivia king and enjoyed his knowledge. Colleen was a joy to have as a driver. Paul is very knowledgeable about the Auroras and enjoyed the stop for the spring water.