Alaska Aurora Borealis Private Adventure Tour
Epic Natural Wonders of the Last Frontier
- Available: January, February, December
- Activity: Level 2
- Accommodations: Comfortable Hotels
Highlights
- Trek with a professional aurora photographer capturing the magnificent lit skies for a life time photo
- Adventure on a snowmobile through blankets of snow to scenic views in the White Mountains
- Lead a dog sledding team mushing through the rugged trails in the snowy boreal forest
Itinerary
Arrive in Fairbanks and Travel to Chena Hot Springs
Day 1
Arrive in Fairbanks and travel by private shuttle to your evening's accommodations. After checking in, enjoy dinner at the onsite restaurant. This evening you'll have time to relax in the extensive natural hot spring pools for a soak with possible viewing opportunities of the northern lights rippling through the night sky.
Accommodation: Chena Hot Springs
Transportation: 1.5-hour private transfer
Meals: Dinner
Tour of the Ice Museum and Aurora Borealis Viewing
Day 2
After breakfast you'll have time for a morning soak, massage, or exploring the resort grounds. This afternoon, you'll visit the world's largest year-round ice environment: the Aurora Ice Museum! Created from over 1,000 tons of ice and snow all harvested at the resort, the museum stays a cool 25° F (-7° C) inside. In the evening, after your guided museum tour, ride in a military-style SUSV (articulated tracked all-terrain vehicle) from the resort to the top of Charlie Dome to watch for the aurora borealis. You will have an unobstructed 360° view, heated yurts, outhouses, and complimentary hot beverages and snacks. Warm outer clothing will also be provided. After night sky viewing, return to the resort to warm up in the hot springs and settle in for the evening.
Accommodation: Chena Hot Springs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Go Deeper in the Alaskan Wilderness
Day 3
After breakfast, take one last dip in the hot springs, then catch your private transfer to Borealis Basecamp, your home for the next three nights. After arriving and attending a brief orientation with a preview of Basecamp activities, enjoy lunch on site. Enjoy activities according to your preferred level of activity. The remote location provides a chance to get truly "off the grid" and immerse yourself into rural Alaska life. Your private igloo is similar to those used at polar expeditions and research stations, yet crafted exclusively to maximize comfort and aurora viewing with clear, curved 16-foot ceiling windows. If you desire, the staff can alert you in your room if the aurora are out dancing in the sky. Each room is outfitted with a special aurora alarm and you will be instantly notified up until 1:00 a.m.
Accommodation: Borealis Basecamp
Transportation: 2-hour private transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Snowmobile to the White Mountains
Day 4
Enjoy a leisurely morning with breakfast before your guided backcountry experience. Get up close and personal with the White Mountains on this epic six-hour snowmobile tour through the Alaskan wilderness. Gear up with an experienced guide and ride snowmachines down the Trans Alaskan Pipeline to Wickersham Dome. Stop for a picnic-style lunch before heading back to your igloo. Tonight provides another opportunity for northern light viewing!
Accommodation: Borealis Basecamp
Activity: Full Day Snowmobile Tour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Dog Mushing & Aurora Portraits
Day 5
Grab a hearty breakfast to fuel up for your day with the dogs! Mushing is Alaska's state sport, and you will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of dogsledding too. During your ride, travel along a section of the 800-mile TransAlaskan Pipeline, passing through an active trapline. Your mushing guide will review handling techniques and describe life along the rugged trail as the sled dog team swings through the snowy forest. After dinner, enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime portrait session under the northern lights with a professional Aurora portrait photographer. Your trek will include a four hour aurora chasing tour that features family, group, couple or individual portrait photography sessions. The natural arctic landscape combined with Aurora Borealis-lit skies provide a background that will give you portraits of a lifetime!
Accommodation: Borealis Basecamp
Activity: Half-Day Dog Sledding
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Catch a Bite Ice Fishing
Day 6
This morning, meet your guide and set off for an Alaskan sub-arctic ice fishing adventure. Experience
Alaska's stunning winter landscape as you travel to a frozen lake with a toasty, heated icefishing hut.
Learn the technique of drilling a fishing hole through three feet of ice to catch fish in this wintery haven. Enjoy hot drinks, stories and knowledge from an expert as you wait for a bite on your line.Accommodation: Borealis Basecamp
Activity: Half-Day Ice Fishing Tour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Depart Alaska
Day 7
After breakfast, bid adieu to the Alaskan back country, and head south to Fairbanks and to your flight home.
Transportation: 1-hour private transfer
Meals: Breakfast
Why Travel With Us?
Since 1972, MT Sobek has maintained its reputation as a wilderness expert and adventure travel pioneer in Alaska.
This unique expedition travels deep into the Alaskan Wilderness for an immersive "off the grid" experience.
MTS has hand-picked this camp to maximize on the best opportunities to view the northern lights.
Dates & Prices
- Go Private
- Go Custom
- Inclusions
Go Private
Go Private
Gather your favorite travel companions to share an MT Sobek adventure on an easy-to-book Private departure.
Call or email us to get the ball rolling.
*Private trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit.
Looking for a private family adventure?
This trip can accommodate guests with a
minimum age of 6.
Private Trip Pricing:
2024 Pricing
2 to 4 guests from $6,750 per person double occupancy
*Seasonal rates may apply.
Additional Costs:
Private pricing excludes potential additional costs such as internal airfare, single supplement, or any park fees that may be required for the trip.
*Private trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit.
Make Your Own Dates in These Months
-
January, February, December
Go Custom
Create Your Very Own Adventure
Dreaming of an adventure designed exclusively for you? With insider access and decades of experience, our travel experts create custom tailored adventures that are perfect for families, couples, and large groups. MT Sobek's custom adventures are designed to our exacting standards and led by our award-winning adventure guides.
When to start planning? Earlier is always better when designing a custom trip. More time allows for better availability of preferred accommodations, guides and your desired activities. Ideally, start the conversation with us at least 6 months before you want to travel. If you are looking for a custom trip that departs within three months, chances are greatly diminished in securing requested accommodations and the best guides.
*Custom trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit once an itinerary is agreed upon.
Start PlanningInclusions
Price Includes
- Expert leadership from experienced adventure guides
- Accommodations as noted in the itinerary
- Meals as noted in the daily itinerary
- All necessary specialty activity gear
- All guided group entrance fees, activities, and ground transportation
- Arrival and departure day group airport transfers
Price Does Not Include
- Airfare, any airport taxes, or excess baggage charges
- Optional tips to your guides, drivers and resort staff
- Personal expenses such as medical immunizations, phone calls, laundry, or souvenirs
- Airport transfers if arriving or departing outside of the group transfers
- Rental car
- Optional travel protection
Need help picking your next adventure? Call us to answer your questions.
Your Guides
The best people to immerse you in a destination are the ones who live there, which is why we feature local Adventure Guides on our trips. Here are a few that you might meet on this adventure.
Annie .
Annie was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. After completing a bachelor's degree in Japanese from the University of Hawaii she joined the Peace Corps. She spent the next few years teaching in a small village in Kyrgyzstan and in the Philippines. Since returning home to Alaska, Annie has spent the past few years guiding and enjoying the surrounding Chugach Mountains in her hometown. In her spare time, you can find her camping, fishing, trail running and working towards her graduate degree in occupational therapy.
Dan .
Dan developed his love of the great outdoors from an early age when he became an Eagle Scout. After spending two decades working with people with disabilities, he moved to Alaska to explore his dream of living closer to nature. He quickly became an active member in the community by sitting on the Parks & Recreation board, becoming a guide and producing a radio show called, 'Get Outside and Play' to encourage recreation in the Denali area. In his spare time, Dan can be found backpacking, trail running and Nordic skiing.
Larry .
Larry's adventurous lifestyle was born from an active childhood in rural Michigan where he enjoyed sports and thrived on outdoor activities. He received a degree in Parks and Recreation Administration and was hired as a program director where he developed a wilderness program for at-risk boys. Since coming to Alaska in 1975 to work as a ranger for the Chugach National Forest, Larry has had numerous adventures -- kayaking the Noatak River, a climb on Denali, skiing the Ruth Glacier, photographing brown bears at McNeil River and many more! His passions include birding, building fly rods, and fishing local rivers and lakes. As a long time Alaskan, Larry thoroughly enjoys sharing his experiences and knowledge of this land he loves, and conveying his enthusiasm and energy to our visitors.
Activity Level
This trip is rated activity level 2. Adjust the challenge of your days according to time or interest with activities that range from snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, aurora viewing and photography.
Learn more about activity levels here.
Activity Snapshot
Day 4
Full Day Snowmobile Tour
Day 5
Half-Day Dog Sledding
Day 6
Half-Day Ice Fishing Tour
Accommodations
Comfortable and ideally located accommodations and a unique research base-style igloo with glass panels for optimal aurora viewing.
Borealis Basecamp
Borealis Basecamp is not a destination, it is an experience. Located on 100 acres of pristine boreal forest, outside and inside blend together in transparent swirls of light and dark within the Alaska wilderness. Guests stay in exclusive fiberglass igloos similar to those used by polar expeditions and research stations. Enjoy comfortable beds and luxurious linens and snuggle in for a night of gazing upon the starry Arctic sky through an expansive, clear ceiling. At Borealis Basecamp, guests are treated to fresh, local flavors in the comfortable dining yurt. Massive windows provide views of far-off ridges, and casual European styling sets a stage for the perfect far north atmosphere.
Chena Hot Springs
Chena Hot Springs Resort is best known for its natural hot springs, unique Ice Museum, great aurora viewing opportunities, and geothermal powered facilities. The resort is the most accessible and developed hot spring resort in Alaska's interior with a variety of rooms and activities for both summer and winter.
Weather
Variable by location but winters can be exceptionally cold and usually remain below freezing in December and January (the coldest months) Be prepared for snow and freezing conditions, daytime temperatures of 1°F and evening temperatures of -17°F
FAQs
Does it really rain every day in Alaska?
It rains often in Alaska, but mostly when you are closest to the ocean and not so much when you are high up in the mountains. So be sure to bring a sturdy raincoat. The rain is what makes Alaska legendary!
What is the best time of year to go?
Visiting anytime between the beginning of December through the middle of April allows for the best dog sledding and Aurora Borealis opportunities.
What are the igloos like?
Borealis Basecamp is situated in the best location to avoid light pollution and surrounded by nature. The igloos are made of fiberglass similar to those used by polar expeditions and research stations. Enjoy comfortable beds and luxurious linens and snuggle in for a night of gazing upon the starry Arctic sky through an expansive, clear ceiling. Meals will be served in a comfortable dining yurt with fresh and local cuisine.
What activities are available at Borealis Basecamp?
There are many different activities to choose from at Borealis Basecamp: snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, aurora viewing and photography.
What is the minimum age for this trip?
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