Alaska Vacations: Northern Light Adventures
Choices....choices...choices.. Cold ones during this time of year but choices...
North America Sled Dog Championship, Chena Hot Springs resort, cross-country skiing, ice skating, and snowmobiling .....all while viewing the lights
Canadian - Alaska Northern Lights Tours
Several Canadian tours will also transport you to regions under the auroral oval. Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories, claimsto be the best place in the world to see the Northern Lights. With regular flights into the city, the capital of the Northwest Territories, anyone could plan their own northern adventure which could include seeing the lights.
- Aurora viewing is rated one of the top ten activities by visitors to Yellowknife. Tours or accommodations at Yellowknife that focus on aurora watching are offered by Yellowknife Outdoor Adventures
(on Great Slave Lake), Aurora Village, the Aurora Lodges at Blachford Lake, MacKay Lake Lodge, Great Slave Lake Tours, Aurora World, Arctic Odysseys, and Aurora Nights Lodge.
- Northern Alaska Tour Company offers an Alaska Aurora Adventure, a week long tour which includes an aurora viewing trip to Alaska’s Brooks Mountain Range. After a day of sightseeing in Fairbanks, the group will fly over the Arctic Circle. From the air you can see the vast expanse of the Brooks Range. Spend the night in Coldfoot, and then proceed to the Aurora Village at Wiseman,the only village occupied year-round on the Dalton Highway. Wiseman is located directly under the auroral oval. The remainder of this tour includes wildlife watching, dog sledding, and viewing the tundra from the Dalton Highway. The tour then returns to Fairbanks.
- The Great Canadian Adventure Company also offers tours with a focus on seeing the lights in Manitoba, both at Lake Athapapuskow and Churchill, in the Northwest Territories at Blachford Lake (in addition to
Yellowknife), and in the Yukon at Whitehorse, and Marsh Lake. All of these tours include other winter activities such as fishing, dog sledding, skiing, etc. One can read the particulars of the various destinations and accommodations at their web site. For all tours you will travel to a lodge near Yellowknife with full accommodations, hot tub and sauna. Here the lights are visible an average of 240 nights a year. The 3-day, long weekend trip includes aurora education and photography tips, followed by wake-up service when the lights appear. In winter a maple sugar feast, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing are included. There are opportunities to fish and go dog-sledding. The 6-day package includes all of the above plus camping at Grace Lake in a frame tent, campfire, and snowmobile rides. The 8-day tour is all of the above plus snow sculpting demonstrations, and more time to enjoy the options.
CRUISES
- Hurtigruten Northern Lights Cruises depart from Bergen, Norway. They range in length from 4 to 13 days. The ships head north with the express purpose of
following the dramatic Norwegian coastline and finding the Aurora Borealis near the Arctic Circle. About a dozen different cruises are offered with the aurora theme. Each includes a slightly different itinerary or extra activities (from dog-sledding to mainland city tours). The cruise ships offer a greater level of luxury than many options for viewing the lights, however the focus of the tours is on finding unique environments and getting away from commercial entertainment. Therefore on-board entertainment is more low key than some commercial cruise lines.
Extreeme Northern Lights Tours
- Luosto, Finland the Arctic Academy offers unique programs. Active Northern Lights researchers present stories and videos concerning the culture of the lights at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. Hear radio signals from space and participate in viewing safaris by snowmobile or car.
- Ivalo, Lapland, Finland an unescorted tour may be made to the Igloo Village Kakslauttanen. Far removed from city lights the resort offers cabin or igloo accommodations and excellent chances to view the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).
- The Reykjavik Booking Center will arrange group or private tours from September through April.One can also find tours to see the lights on the other side of the globe. Iceland is strategically located under the auroral oval, and several tours originate from Reykjavik.
- The Polar Circle Adventure from Scantours includes a trip to an inland location in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland where there are splendid opportunities for aurora watching with generally clear and dark nights.
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