Aurora Village — Attraction in Northwest Territories

We did the AV Hotel Package and could not have been more pleased.

Airport Pickup/Drop off

We were greeted in the airport at baggage claim after making a quick dash from the plane. It was about -21F, but you only have to go about 50 yards outside before you get into the terminal. Our host greeted us in the baggage claim area and they promptly gave us an introduction, went over the highlights of our tour and confirmed everything we had booked. They also had our room key, so we didn’t have to stop at the hotel desk to check in. It was very efficient and we felt very welcomed.

The Hotel

We stayed at the Explorer Hotel, but it was awesome. I was worried it was going to be an older, run-down place, but it was fresh, clean and warm. The beds were also very comfortable. The hotel restaurant is nice, but be sure to make a dinner reservation as they seem to be required if you want to dine before 20:00. You can also eat in the lounge which is also good without a reservation.

The Clothing

Clothing rental came with the package and it was a life-saver. Everything they provided was top-notch, warm and heavy. All we really needed to bring was undergarments, thermal pants/tops and something casual to wear to dinner. The clothing, as they advertised, was waiting in our room when we arrived and all of the sizes fit perfectly.

The Pickup

Each night, the tour left the hotel at 20:55. It was a bit crowded in the lobby with many large groups all doing the same thing. Just pay attention to when your group leaves and you will be fine.

The Village

The village is a bit rustic, so if you are looking for a luxury Aurora Viewing experience, then perhaps look elsewhere (Norway/Sweden?). When you get to the village, you can stay with a tour guide on your first night for a guided tour, but after that, we just did our own thing, so we were never tied to staying with a guide or group. It is all free time and it’s wonderful.

Dining Hall/TeePees

The Dining Hall was open (Jan 1-3 for late night snacks, but closed on Jan 4 perhaps permanently?) The food wasn’t awesome, but the Dining Hall provided a nice place to warm up. I think serving desserts and “upgraded” coffee might do better than the food that was being served. The teepee’s were a bit cold, but they kept the fires burning, so we just took advantage of the place to sit down for a while.

Aurora Viewing

Just wow! We were here four nights and had a great (but different) show every night. It was BITTERLY cold and I could only take pictures for a few seconds at a time. Our coldest night it got down to -56F, so after about 10 seconds my gloveless hand started to sting. The clothes are warm enough, but I wish I had brought some thinner gloves to leave on and take pictures.

Dog Sledding

They picked us up about 1:00 and we were finally able to see the surrounding country-side and the village itself during the day-light hours. It is truly spectacular. I wanted to video the entire dogsled ride, but could only stand about 30 seconds on having my bare hand exposed. The ride wasn’t very long, but it was beautiful with snow-covered trees lining the trail. We were back at the hotel about 16:00.

Overview

I think you will enjoy this tour if you decide to enjoy it. There was a father/son that sat in the teepee the entire time and were both miserable and grumbled the entire time. My family got out, walked around and enjoyed the majestic light display and had a wonderful time. It would definitely be easy to just decide not to enjoy the experience. Please don’t do that.

We experienced many of the negative things other ratings described, but we didn’t take any of them as negative. We made the best of it and created wonderful memories.

I thought the tour was overpriced initially, but in hind-sight, I didn’t have to worry about any of the arrangements or drive in the snow, so I think in the end, it was well worth it. I hope if you decide to go to Aurora Village, you enjoy your experience as...

The #1 aurora sightseeing operation in Yellowknife, Canada. We booked the 2-night Aurora viewing package directly with auroravillage.com. The aurora borealis can appear everywhere across the northern hemisphere, so why pay to see it? Because they have a comfortable, remote, resort area (with bathrooms) to wait for the lights to appear. The first night was amazing. We had a nice light show. The second night was cloudy and we spent 3 hrs in their dining hall.

Aurora Village also offers convenient heavy-duty winter clothing rental bundle which comes with extreme cold weather parka, pants, boots, gloves and headscarf. The last item you can keep as a souvenir.

We chose Yellowknife because the aurora will appear directly overhead, 360°, not just towards the northern skies. Why fly to Iceland or Norway? We thought about Alaska too, but we chose Yellowknife because our friends went there in 2023 and had a good experience. It took 3 hours to fly from LAX to Vancouver, then 2 hours from Vancouver to Yellowknife. Border crossing/immigration checkpoints were fast and efficient with Global Entry.

We also chose Auroravillage.com over other smaller local guides because auroravillage.com has a private "resort" 30 min from town, where there is hot running water, bathrooms, and heated dining hall. No food is served, but the large open rooms with dozens of tables and chairs sure beats waiting for the aurora in those cute, but small teepees (capacity ~18 persons.) Their shuttlebus picks up guests at the 4 biggest hotels in town (very convenient.)

While you are waiting the guides will notify you of where the aurora are appearing. Here's my experience:

Night#1: The minute we stepped off the bus, I saw a whispering clouds above. Then using smartphones, we all realized it was an aurora. The naked eye doesn't pick up the colors very well, but the smartphone cameras with its lenses can pick up the aurora and colors. All throughout the 3+ hours, auroras appeared. I brought a tripod ( a selfie stick also works) to steady my Samsung S25 Ultra in "night" mode.

Night#2: All 3 hours were cloudy, cloudy, and cloudy. 'nuf said. I suggest that you bring a book or some cards to pass the time in case of a cloudy night and/or no solar activity. No guarantees. Good luck. I'm just glad we experienced the lights in night#1.

3 things have to happen to catch the Northern Lights: 1) Darkness. 2) Clear skies. 3) Solar flares/solar activity. It takes 8 minutes for a solar flare to travel at the speed of light to reach the earth. The colors you see, depend on the solar particles hitting the different elements in our atmosphere. You may see greens, blues, pink and red, from common to rare, respectively. Bucket...

Save your money! This review will be comparing Whitehorse, Yukon Territories' Arctic Range to Yellowknife, NWT Aurora Village. Pickup was smooth and seemed very organized. Upon arrival, a quick tour of the village. Here is where I don't think it's worth visiting. You're left on your own! In Whitehorse at the Arctic Range you get a guide to take your photos, food, drinks, and a yurt. At Aurora Village, your guide leaves, you get powdered coffee, powdered hot chocolate, and nothing to eat. They have an inactive kitchen, beer taps with no beer, and only provide hot water. If you want a professional photo, you need to pay more on site. Want to stay longer? Pay more! In Whitehorse, we got fresh coffee, premade hot chocolate, and food, snacks, etc included. Something that adds value if you don't see the Aurora. The tour returns too early. Majority of the nights in Yellowknife, the Aurora came out just after 12:45 am running until about 3 am. The shuttle conveniently leaves at 12:45 am. See my photo of the Aurora below...that was boarding the bus at 12:45 am. Thankfully we rented an SUV and were able to get some photos. For the admission of two people, you are better off renting a car, stopping at either the 24H Timmies or 24H McDonald's grabbing some quality coffee and snacks, and driving out to one of marked destinations that you can find on a map at the Information Center. It will cost less, you'll have a better experience, and you can view on your own time. Fuel, SUV, and snacks for less than $100, and the viewing pleasure was priceless. TIP: the boat launch at Prelude Lake is close to the Aurora Village, is free, and has a gorgeous view. While Aurora Village offers folding chairs at some of the hills, when we went to Whitehorse we got folding chairs and warm blankets.

You can see where this is going. The experience at Aurora Village is subpar at best. You'd be lucky to see the stars on a clear night, but don't go expecting help with your camera and tripod. (Which @ Whitehorse, they commit to making sure your personal photos turn out great, which gave me the confidence to shoot in Yellowknife)

Why a 2 ⭐⭐ review? Their snowshoeing, tubing and dog sledding are great daytime activities. (albeit there is no photo ops on the activities). It's a shame, cause the property is large, good layout, and there is a good opportunity to see the sky from the hills on the property.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND.

If my review helps, or you agree with your experience, please give me a...