Yellowknife: Aurora Lodge Night Tour & Aurora Chasing Combo

4.67

(129 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the hush—like the whole world was holding its breath out by Madeline Lake. We’d just stepped into the Aurora Lodge, shoes crunching on snow, and inside it was all warmth and chatter. Our guide, Li, waved us in with a grin and handed out mugs of something steaming (honestly, I don’t remember what it was—just that my fingers stopped aching). There were furs draped over benches, board games scattered around, and this faint smell of pine mixed with coffee. Someone had already started up the foosball table; I lost badly but nobody cared.

I kept sneaking glances out the big windows—half hoping for a flicker of green. But Li said not to rush. “Sometimes you wait,” he shrugged. “It’s part of it.” So we waited, swapping stories and trying snacks (the dried berries were weirdly good). When clouds rolled in, we bundled up again and piled onto the bus. The heater rattled while we drove through the dark to chase clearer skies—Li knew all these backroads near Yellowknife, like he could smell where the aurora might show up next. It felt like an odd little adventure gang, passing thermoses around.

When we finally saw the lights—just a shimmer at first—I almost missed it because I was busy trying to pronounce something in Mandarin (Li laughed so hard he nearly dropped his camera). The cold bit at my cheeks but I didn’t care; there was this strange silence except for someone quietly gasping behind me. The photographer snapped photos for everyone—no fuss about extra charges or anything—and later sent them over. I still look at mine sometimes when city life feels too much.