Aurora Village

Aurora village was very organized. Great staff who gave us tons of information ivy was great. She taught us about the auroras. Snacks, teas, hot coffees available. Nice tents to warm up in. We also did dogsledding and roasted marshmallows. So much fun!!!

The tipis look very nice from the outside, and if you’re lucky enough to get strong auroras, it’s great for Instagram photos. Other than that, the website mentions a buffalo soup that was not available, and a single professional camera photo costs $25. The staff is friendly and nice overall.

I really don’t want to hurt anyone’s business, but I also don’t think it’s fair for people to waste their hard-earned money. I truly hope the company reads this feedback and works on improving their service. My husband and I were on our first-ever aurora tour. We first went with another company, and it was an amazing experience. We didn’t come to Yellowknife just to see the Northern Lights — we also wanted to learn about Indigenous culture. That first tour set our expectations really high. Because of that, we were really excited for the Aurora Village tour… but unfortunately, it was a big disappointment. The place itself is beautiful, no doubt. But once we arrived, we were taken to a tipi and then basically left on our own to wander around for four hours. No stories about the aurora, no cultural experience, nothing. There were around 70–80 people there that night, and you could literally see people getting bored and exhausted because there was nothing to do except sit and wait. If you wanted to extend your stay, that was another $25 per person. Although complimentary drinks were available, that was not the reason we booked this tour neither we paid $300 just to drink hot water or coffee. We were hoping for a more engaging and meaningful experience. We didn’t even see the Northern Lights, but honestly, even if we had, the overall experience still wouldn’t have felt worth it. The whole time, it felt like we were just being treated as cash cows. Snacks were overpriced. Want help with photography? That’s $25. Want to sit outside on a heated chair? Another $25. Everything felt like an extra charge. There was a short ice demonstration using frozen items like a banana, noodles, and tofu to show how nails could be drilled into wood. While we appreciate the effort of the staff, this did not feel like sufficient entertainment for the duration of the tour. That said, I do want to give credit where it’s due. All the stars I’m giving are for their accommodating nature. My husband and I were in an accident and had to reschedule our tour, and they did it right away with no objections. I’m genuinely thankful to them for that. I’m really glad we booked our first tour with a different touring company because it showed us what a great aurora experience should be like. Bobby, who is Indigenous, shared amazing stories, snacks and drinks were free, and his team even made fresh fish and bannock for us. No need to settle for less when there are people out there doing a far better job.

Let me start by saying that the staff is amazing. Incredibly helpful and super friendly! Aurora Village is huge, and even though there were several hundred people there, it didn't feel crowded or cramped. Each teepee has tables and chairs hot beverages and a wood burning stove. The perfect way to get out of the cold and take the chill off.

Came up from Saskatchewan for trip. We did the dog sledding, tried the slide, sat by the fire and watched some auroras. Great time had by all!

Beautiful property! They pick up and drop you off from one of 5 hotels. I booked them for a one night tour and that was more than enough for me. On the bus, they have a pre-recorded monotoned message playing letting you know that Aurora is unpredictable. I understand the reason for the message but our bus's sound system had horrible feedback like they couldn't turn off the mic. It felt a little "brainwashy" to me. When you arrive by bus, they give you the rundown of the place; where you can go, the hills, bathrooms, gift shop, etc. They have an extra charge per professional photo ($25, I believe). Other tours have photos included. Once the speech is over, your left to wonder their property for 4 hours while waiting for the Aurora to show up, if it does at all that night. You feel alone and sort of abandoned. Bathrooms were exceptionally nice considering they are outhouses. The property is absolutely stunning. The teepees are heated with a wood burning stove and an attendant comes around to add more wood from time to time. Again, beautiful property but the probably of seeing the Aurora are enhanced with a mobile tour. I wouldn't go again nor would I recommend.

I did the 3 night aurora viewing tour with winter rentals between Feb 28-Mar 1 (leap year). Contacted them directly, and they were able to answer all of my questions. You have to fill out a form with all your details (dates, flight number, hotel, clothing size, etc) to book, but it makes sense when you consider how amazingly organized and punctual they were. I went to the head office to pick up my clothes, and the man who answered the door knew my name. He let me try it on before I headed out. The first night, my group had Cristiano (Chris) as our tour guide. His enthusiasm and passion about the aurora really lifted up the group. He takes photography very seriously and helped everyone with their settings to ensure they could get their best shot. I ended up hanging around him quite a bit as a solo traveler. He participated in the ice show which is a little experiment to show how quickly everything freezes. They have this in different languages each night. The first night wasn't that great as it was cloudy. The lights were out, but you couldn't really see anything. Second night, we had Cecile, very sweet lady. The sky was amazingly clear, and we were told it should be a great night because of a sun storm. The lights came in levels. Started with a vague sweep of white. Then a bit later, more visible above the lake, but still, not much. Got much stronger a bit later. But just when we thought we got to see it all, the full show came out later. The whole sky lit up, it was bright and colourful, and it was moving so quickly. It really is a spectacular site that everyone should see. Pictures doesn't do it justice. Third night, cloudy with lots of snow, so no luck. If you decide to come, please get at least 3 nights. There are many 1 or 2 day travelers who don't see anything. The more nights, the better chances. They can't control the weather, they can only hope for the best. The tour guides truly want you to see and experience it. Also, if you don't have rentals, please dress as warm as you could. I was wearing gloves and mittens, and my hands still got cold after a few minutes. Also, if you can figure out a way to wear a face mask and avoid your glasses from fogging, please do. You will feel ice crystals forming in your nose after 15 seconds on the coldest days, but if you wear something over your nose, your glasses will fog and freeze. You will not be able to see anything even if you try to wipe it. Anywho, I would certainly recommend Aurora Village. It's great that they pick you up and take you out of the city. The staff are friendly and passionate, and the teepees are big and warm. In response to another person's reply, yes there are a lot of up-sales. I was a smidge disappointed as well, as I thought pictures were included. If you want a professional picture, want to stay past 1pm, want heated seats, or want souvenirs, you would have to pay more. I didn't buy anything else during my tour, but still had a great time. I came just to see the lights, and I'm happy I got to see it at least once during my tour.

One of the best experience we had in Yellowknife. Seeing Aurora for the first time in Aurora Village gave such a unique experience. It is a must visit place if you come to Yellowknife.

The desire--glorious Aurora viewing: We planned a short visit to Yellowknife in hopes of viewing the northern lights. The most advertised way of doing this is by visiting "Aurora Village." This Aurora viewing site outside of Yellowknife was started by an indigenous family, and has multiple wood stove-warmed teepees and trails to walk around in an isolated area with great views of the dark sky. The online photos are beautiful. The reality: We were picked up at our hotel for the 25 minute drive to Aurora Village. When we arrived, we were given a walking tour, but most of our group could not see our guide or hear her, and her gestures as to which number tents were where were vague. We knew that we were supposed to search for tent number 11, but the only way the tents were labeled was on a small sign outside the lighted tent, in the dark. (You couldn't see them at all). So there is my first suggestion for the site. Put numbers on the "walls" of the teepees so that everyone can tell which teepee they are seeing. Such numbers would be back lit and extremely helpful. The teepees themselves were picturesque as advertised, and warmed well by a woodstove fire that was maintained by staff, so that they were cozy enough. You can see on the website that the furniture inside the teepees are holding tables and metal folding chairs, so no surprise there. But they promise "hot beverages," and I hope you will pardon me if I was disappointed that this meant two dispensing canisters of hot water and packets of instant cocoa, instant coffee (Maxwell house) and powdered apple cider. Although not mentioned anywhere on the website, we were told in our teepee by our guide that no outside alcohol was allowed. Alcohol had to be purchased on site and was available in the dining hall. So we hiked there. The dining hall was warm and inviting, with real tables and chairs. They had wine, some spirits, and canned beer. We wanted to get some warm mulled wine, but when we tried to order some, they told us we could not have alcohol without ordering food too. We left. Other tepee-mates said that they were not told the same thing. We must've looked gullible. I cannot comment on the offerings at the gift shop, because as I opened the door, we were hit with a stench that was so intolerable we had to leave within 30 seconds. It smelled like something was decaying somewhere nearby. The main thing that irritated my companions was that attractive things about the venue that were mentioned on the website, and looked like they were included, cost extra money once you were on site (and trapped). The "360° heated seats" cost extra. The private tent for your own party cost extra too, but was too small even for our party of five. It had only two outdoor furniture love seats inside. So do not book the private tent and expect to have six or eight people in it. Once we are on site, we were told that staying later than 1 am (until 2:30) cost 25 extra dollars per person, a fact that was not discernible on the website. On our particular night, this became important, because it was cloudy until about 1 AM. My personal objection to the operation is that The website is wordy and pretty but not very informational. We are used to getting our information about experiences. We plan to spend money on by searching the website and reading reviews. The aurora Village website did not help with this basic function. It was hard to figure out what things cost. Things that looked like they were included were not once we were on site. Or words that made me expect certain amenities turned out to be less than expected. "Warmed washrooms" meant enclosed latrines without running water (permanent ports-potties) which I should have expected out in the frozen tundra. I guess if the website was truthful, it would be difficult to get people bundled up into snow gear and into buses and driven 25 minutes away from town without no way back until 1 AM. It remained cloudy throughout our stay in the Aurora village, so we did not get to experience the northern lights. Perhaps this review is really just sour grapes, since if the northern lights had revealed themselves in all their glory, these irritations would have been forgotten entirely. Thank you for reading this far. Choose wisely.

It's the worst. I don't want to put a single star, but it can't be helped. I was supposed to go with my friend, but that friend's flight canceled for two days and I couldn't participate for a day. Despite going to the office, due to dishonest response, there was almost no refund, and I wasted about 800 dollars. I was not convinced and called the office, but the phone response was also the worst. Telephone correspondence by women who doesn't seem to have a human heart. See was a person who couldn't communicate at all. ( It's not linguistic) It seems that there are also tours that serve customers while traveling using Aurora Radar at other tour companies. The service and tour are all the worst, so I recommend you to apply for another tour. Because of this tour company, my trip was ruined. I would like you to tell me what I paid for even though I didn't do anything.

This might sound like an ad, but is not: Aurora Village is something you really want to experience! Spent 3 nights here around NYE 2020-21 with a group of 4 people from Helsinki, Finland. The owners Juha and Suvi and their lovely staff have put together something really special. The cottages are clean, cozy and world class with their glass views. The reindeer in the middle of the yard are great, and the husky tour you can get through Extreme Huskies is also worth it! The surrounding is a lovely wintery calm one, and both the wood sauna with the hole in the ice and the view sauna with the jacuzzi are absolutely amazing experiences, even for Finns! The restaurant is also extremely good, and the staff went above and beyond with serving also great vegan dishes to people in our group. All in all, the service level of the staff and attention to detail were all around A+ and 5/5!! The place also has an ecological Green Key certificate, which is really hard to get. As someone who has travelled to 70+ countries, I highly recommend this to anyone who finds the above intriguing

First of all, THANK YOU MARIE. She is an awesome guide--knowledgable, outgoing and loves her job. What an incredible experience this little town of Yellowknife has to offer. The facility is fairly large and has various activities to offer during the day. You may choose from the city tour, dog sledding, snow shoeing, ice skating and ice fishing. If you chose more than 2, this will allow you to bundle, which will save you money. Temperatures in Yellowknife are often 0 degrees Fahrenheit and under. During our 3 night stay the temperature was -20 to -30+ with wind chill. The facility has a small but more than enough tube slide that zips you down the ice slide. It's a small hike but worth it. During the day you can also enjoy roasting marshmallows at the fire. There are teepees to hang out in and keep you warm during your night activities. You'll for sure want to spend time in here as it gets very cold outside. Now...finally, the Aurora borealis. If you're lucky, the skies will be clear and you will see the spectacular nature show. This is why people come here. It is breathtaking. You must bring a camera that'll pick up the lights. Your phone won't do it justice. Short breakdown of things I didn't mention: There is a restaurant There are washrooms but only the restaurant offers running water There is an activity center--bring your camera and the staff will assist in the correct settings Tripods are in the activity center to rent There is a short but fun ice show at night There is a picnic table made of ice There is a large frozen lake in the facility park Staff are bilingual They rent the necessary warm parkas, boots, pants and gloves so you don't have to lug it!!!

Very good Aurora viewing location, however weather in Yellowknife can change quickly, Aurora can be hard to see if there is cloud in the sky. If anyone want to see some of the best photos of Aurora taken in this location and many more awesome travel photos, check out and follow my instagram https://www.instagram.com/timoothieus/

So I went to Aurora Village on the weekend with a friend who had recommended it, when she went about 7 years ago. NEVER EVER GO TO AURORA VILLAGE!!! For $120 they use to include caribou stew, hot drinks, heated viewing seats and nice cozy tents to keep warm. NOW for $120 you get a hot drink, a tent that is too full of tables and chairs to sit comfortably, $25 extra PER PERSON for the heated viewing seats, $65 for caribou stew, and HUNDREDS of people roaming around in a small area.The group leader also said that the Apps that tell if the Aurora will be active don't work. So basically they don't know when the Aurora will be active. BS. NOT A FUN EXPERIENCE. BASICALLY A MONEY GRAB. Recommend to Tourists to Rent a Car or Take a Taxi to see the Aurora. I am embarrassed for our tourists!

Ensure you do your own research before you go on this this trip to see the Aurora. Unfortunatly this was a mistake that we made, there was a full moon and no way you would be able to see the Aurora. They will take you every night, included nights its snowing with absolutely no chance of seeing them! There was no background information given on what the Aurora is and we found them very un-informative. The ladies that took us out were very unhelpful and sometimes rude, they simply wanted to get omus out there and back. Ensure you take activities and food to eat, you get served hot drinks included although the food is overpriced and not worth the money. On another note, if you were to go out and see the aurora on a lovely night, it would be worth it as the teepees are lovely to chill out in and they keep the fire fully stocked.

The Aurora Village experience was simply amazing. You get picked up at your hotel in Yellowknife and driven 30 minutes out of the city into a small tent village. While you wait for the Aurora Borealis to show itself you can trot around the campus. We spent some relaxing time a heated double-seat pod, which covers you up to your chest and keeps you warm. They rotate 360 degrees, which allows you to enjoy the dark and hopefully start filled night sky in all directions. The village is home to about eight tents, which can accommodate 20-25 people each. It's a nice place to congregate, have a hot team, or a bowl of soup. Use this place to socialize with fellow Northern Light hunters or get tips on how to best capture them. Once they do appear, it's a excitement throughout. Uhhs and ahhs fill the dark night while the blue and green lights present themselves. Overall it was a very nice experience. Not that it really matters, but the Aurora Village caters mainly to tourists from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and China. When we were there I counted four English speaking customers. At the end of the day the spectacular lights and the joy, which comes along with it when seeing it bridges any language barrier.

I was in Yellowknife a few weeks ago just for the Northern Lights and I have made the biggest mistake to use Aurora Ninja Photo Tour instead of Aurora Village . I have met so many tourists from my hotel using Aurora Village and all the remarks I received were 100 % positive and their experiences at Yellowknife were fantastic . But with my tour operator (Aurora Ninja Photo Tour) , it was not fantastic at all . With my humble knowledge about Northern Lights , we need to have solar flares on the sun or solar wind ; the Aurora Borealis happens when particles from the sun enter Earth's atmosphere and collide violently with gas atoms. There are Aurora forecasts that will predict the aurora activity level. But the fact is , the Northern Lights are UNPREDICTABLE !!!! I can have a clear night when the Aurora forecast showed level 4(high ) activity and I didn't see anything . But with Aurora forecast said level 0 (no Activity), I saw the Northern Lights. It is so misleading to tell any tourists that you can drive around to different locations within 10 mins time to have better viewing of the Lights. I totally think this is a very bad practice to fool tourists . Plus , we were outside in extreme cold temperature for over 4 hours without cover and rest room facilities !!! By doing so , it has created a very bad reputation for the City of Yellowknife !!! But with Aurora Village ,they provide nice warm tepees during the Aurora viewing. Great helpful staff and lots of outdoor activities if you cannot see Northern Lights . If I ever return to Yellowknife , I will definitely will use AURORA VILLAGE instead of this unprofessional AURORA NINJA PHOTO TOUR

I cannot say enough great things about this company. They are punctual, efficient, informative, organized, they CARE, they provide language speakers, they have great facilities. We even got to meet Clark, one of the original guys who built the place and now manages the place. We signed up for clothing rental which they dropped off at our hotel the day before our activities. Perfect! Then we signed up for 3 nights of Aurora viewings with a private teepee, plus 2 days of day activities that included dog sledding, snowmobiling, and snow shoeing. They also have an "pond ice rink" with sticks and pucks - just no skates - so you can do some passing with a friend or shoot some goals. The snow shoeing was so good - and our guide John was amazing. He showed us how to make a signalling fire with 1 match in less than 5 minutes. All the guides were fantastic during the day, and especially at night - even though it's pitch black out, they manage to find you and check up on you. I could barely recognize my partner since everyone looked the same in oversized parkas, snow pants, and huge snow boots! The private teepee (#8) was awesome. TOTALLY worth the extra money. The big public teepee is nice too. The people managing the wood fire stoves were so nice too. Enjoyed talking to each of them! I don't want to spoil everything so I'll stop there. The ride out to the location is comfortable and only 30 minutes. We saw the Aurora every night too. It was breathtakingly beautiful and exhilarating. Totally worth it!!!!!!!