Fairbanks Northern Lights Tour with Photos • Guided by Maia Hartwigsen

Fairbanks Northern Lights Tour with Photos

(Guided by Maia Hartwigsen - Expert Aurora Chaser)

Duration

Pickup time will vary based on available darkness and auroral activity, but you should try and be dressed and ready around sunset.

Durations will vary based on available darkness and auroral activity but expect to be out at least 4-5 hours. We will not leave if activity is still strong or until you are satisfied, so some nights we may be out 7-8 hours or until sunrise. An average tour will last from 9 pm (pickup) until 3 am (dropoff).

About

The aurora borealis is nature’s most spectacular light show, and Fairbanks is one of the best places in the world to witness this gorgeous celestial phenomenon. Embark on an unforgettable journey under the northern lights with experienced aurora guide and photographer Maia Hartwigsen. Unlike other aurora guides, Maia is trained to watch space weather data and understands the patterns of aurora. In other words, she is one of the only guides who truly understands how to predict the northern lights. Of course, mother nature can always throw curveballs, but we are prepared with the tools and expertise to provide you the maximum chance of seeing the aurora. If you’re a photographer wanting to get world-class shots of the northern lights, we also know all the best locations for northern lights photography around Fairbanks that will avoid large tour companies with vans of tourists.

We will allow you to quietly enjoy the beauty of the night skies of Alaska and grandeur of the northern lights. Unlike larger tour companies that take out massive groups of guests in 10-15 passenger vans, this tour is capped at five people for a more personal and intimate experience. This Fairbanks aurora tour will leave you in awe and having you plan your next trip back to Fairbanks!

What’s Included

• Services of a professional aurora tour guide
• 1-3 web-quality portraits underneath the night sky and aurora
• Transportation in a clean and comfortable tour vehicle
• Pick up and drop off at your accommodations (hotel, lodge, or rental property)

What’s Not Included

• Hot drinks and snacks (we can stop at a gas station if you need food)
• Cold weather gear

More Info

Please Note:** *Gratuity is not included in the tour price. Any amount is appreciated!

Please book a private tour for special scenarios: This includes groups up to 6 people, children under 13, wedding proposals, and people with mobility issues/disabilities.

We do not pick up/drop off from/to Chena Hot Springs Resort

Hello, thanks so much for booking this aurora tour! We’re looking forward to seeing you and giving you the experience of a lifetime under the northern lights in Fairbanks, Alaska! Please read this email for all the details about your upcoming tour. If you have questions, you can simply reply to this message, and Vincent will be able to answer them for you.

Maia Hartwigsen will be your aurora guide and she will be in contact with you the day of the tour. If you have any questions for her specifically ahead of time, Maia’s mobile phone number is +1 515-291-4357 and her email is [email protected]. If Maia does not respond, you can also contact me (Vincent Ledvina, ‘The Aurora Guy’) at +1 651-578-1658 or [email protected]. We are also both on WhatsApp.

As a reminder, Maia will be picking you up at your accommodations and also dropping you off from there. If you need to update us on where you are staying, please give us that information when you have it.

Before your tour

IMPORTANT: Please sign the short liability waiver before embarking on your journey. You should see a link to the waiver at the top of this email.

If you do not know your hotel booking that we will use for pickup, please let Maia know when you have confirmed these details. The same goes for if you decide to switch accommodations after you booked with us. For suggested places to stay in Fairbanks, check out my page: https://go.theauroraguy.com/where-to-stay-fairbanks. Maia will use this information to coordinate the pick up on the date of the tour. She will pick you up directly, and you do not need to meet us anywhere to begin the tour. The same location for pickup will also be used for dropoff.

If your tour takes place during the cold winter months, consider renting cold weather gear. While Maia’s vehicle will be heated, the best experience watching the aurora is outside the car! A popular rental site is Alaska Outdoor Gear Rental.

Pick up snacks, water, and if you need it, coffee/energy drinks! Aurora tours can last all night, so it’s good to be prepared. Have these ready to go when Maia picks you up.

Pick up time and location

At 9 am on the day of your tour, you will get an automated text from Maia, which goes out while she is still asleep. Maia will text you before your tour letting you know the pick up time. She usually wakes up around 4-6 pm during the day since she sleeps after the aurora tours. Do not be alarmed if she does not text you back or return your calls during normal working hours. Please be patient.

The exact time for pickup may depend on auroral activity and sunset time. For example, for tours in late August or late April (the shoulder months of aurora season), the sky does not get dark enough for aurora until around 11 pm. In contrast, around the end of December, the sun sets before 3 pm in Fairbanks.

Don’t be surprised if your pick up time is later than when the sky gets dark. Under normal geomagnetic conditions, the aurora will not come out until the late hours of the night (normally 10 pm - 3 am). If auroral activity looks good, Maia may decide to push forward your pick up time to make sure you don’t miss any of the show! While it is rare, there are times when the aurora is visible as early as 5 pm during the winter!

We do NOT pick up/drop off from/to Chena Hot Springs Resort. If you are staying there, you will need to find transportation to some place in Fairbanks for pick up.

IMPORTANT: If Maia texts you, and you are NOT READY to be picked up at the specified time, you will either have to drive yourself to the chase location or forfeit your tour without refund. Since there may be other guests on your tour not in your party, delaying pickup may cause you and others to miss seeing the aurora.

Drop off time and location

Maia will drop you off from where you were picked up at the end of the aurora tour. Aurora tours may last the entire night depending on how your group feels and what activity is seen. This means getting back to your accommodations as late as 4-6 am if there is a long drive out of Fairbanks to find clear skies.

There are signs when the aurora is dying down, and Maia has seen the northern lights hundreds of times and should be trusted if she thinks activity is done for the night. For example, after auroral substorms, the aurora enters a recovery or cooldown phase which can last hours. During the recovery phase, there is dim or diffuse aurora barely visible to the eye. Depending on the geomagnetic activity and time of the night, there may be no more aurora that night.

Photos

Photos are included in our tour! Maia will take at least one web-quality portrait of each person in your group, plus group photos.

Your photos are portraits under the aurora, so if there is no aurora during your tour (which is rare), Maia may not be able to provide photos.

Maia will email your photos a few days after you’re back, but editing may take up to a week during the busiest months of aurora season. If you need them by a certain deadline, let us know. We will send these photos to the same email from which you booked the reservation. By going on this tour, you agree that photos taken during the tour including of yourself or of your group may be used for advertising or other promotional purposes.

Payment

You should have already paid in full for the tour and no additional payment is required.

Gratuity (either applied when you booked or paid in cash) is always appreciated! 100% of your gratuity goes directly to Maia.

Cancellation Policy

Even if the forecast or current conditions look cloudy, that does not mean we will cancel. Weather forecasts for Fairbanks are NOT reliable, and conditions can change quickly, especially out of town.

However, tours may be canceled at any time due to weather, low auroral activity, or other reasons. If we cancel your tour, there is a good reason for it. We will not cancel unless circumstances are dire (e.g., heavy snow/blizzard conditions in the area).

If we cancel your tour before Maia picks you up, you will receive a full refund.

We cannot guarantee that the aurora will appear during your tour, or how bright it will be. Once Maia picks you up, your tour has begun and is NOT refundable, even if the aurora is fainter than you hoped or no aurora is seen because of clouds or low auroral activity.

If you need to cancel your tour, you are only eligible for a full refund up to 72 hours before your tour.

If you are not able to electronically or physically sign the waiver form, your tour may be canceled, and in that case, your tour will not be refunded.

If your tour is rescheduled and you agree on the new tour time/date, if you cancel or no-show, you will not be refunded.

Other policies

Please review the terms and conditions on my website for a full list of terms and conditions of tours operated by The Aurora Guy LLC: https://theauroraguy.com/policies/terms-of-service

We’re looking forward to seeing you for your tour in Fairbanks! Get excited! The northern lights are a spectacle to behold - nature’s most breathtaking light show. We’re excited to be a part of your experience underneath Alaska’s living skies.

Remember, if you have any questions, reach out to Maia or myself (Vincent).

What to do in Fairbanks during the daytime?

While you may be traveling to Fairbanks to see the northern lights, during the day, there are lots of things to see in town and around the area you should be aware of. For the full rundown, check out the Fairbanks Visitor's Guide on my website: https://go.theauroraguy.com/fairbanks-visitors-guide.

Some of my top recommendations on things to do are:

1. Chena Hot Springs

2. UAF Large Animal Research Station (LARS)

3. Dogsledding (winter only)

4. Arctic Circle Tour and Dalton Highway

5. Denali Flightseeing

6. Castner Ice Cave

7. UAF Museum of the North

8. Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center

9. World Ice Art Championships (seasonal)

I also have recommended restaurants and activities for families with kids along with top daytime tour operators over on my website: https://go.theauroraguy.com/fairbanks-visitors-guide.

Excited for your trip to see the aurora?

Check out recent auroral activity near Fairbanks by checking out the aurora webcams listed on my website: https://go.theauroraguy.com/webcams. Because areas around Alaska see aurora frequently, there are a few different cameras to choose from, including the all-sky camera at the Poker Flat Research Range: https://allsky.gi.alaska.edu/.

Learn more about the aurora before your tour by reading some of my blog articles: https://go.theauroraguy.com/blog.

See you soon,

Maia Hartwigsen and Vincent Ledvina