What an aurora tour costs
A guided aurora night out of Fairbanks costs ~$179 at the low end and ~$379 at the top, per person. The ticket is only part of the bill, because tips and meals sit outside every price here. Below are the nine tours we cover and what each fee buys, refund rules included.
All nine tours in one table
We compare six tours on the home page and mention three more in these guides. The table lists each at its regular "from" price per person in US dollars, next to its length and main inclusions. The last column gives the cancellation terms. Offers and dates move the figure a little, and whatever the booking step shows for your night is what you pay.
| Tour | From | Length | In the price | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Night Tours, all-night chase | ~$225 | 8–12 h | Hotel pickup, guide, free photos, snacks on long nights | Free until 24 h before |
| SkyChase, Aurora In Alaska | ~$335 | About 5 h | Campfire meal, drinks bar, heated lodge on most nights, a photo selection | Free until 24 h before; refund or retry if no aurora |
| Electric Moose Studios | ~$300 | About 6 h | Pizza and hot drinks, heated shelter, portraits and time-lapse, hand warmers | Free until 24 h before; second tour free if your photos show no aurora |
| Glass house, Cleary Summit | ~$179 | About 5 h | Hotel transport, hot drinks and snacks, a bathroom, photos | Free until 24 h before |
| Chena Hot Springs, Tour Fairbanks | ~$231 | About 10 h | Hot springs entry, Aurora Ice Museum, water, coins for the lockers | Free until 24 h before |
| Arctic Circle, Midnight Sky Adventures | ~$379 | 13–14 h | Window seat, snacks, water, hot drinks | Free until 24 h before |
| Chena Hot Springs, Alaska Wild Lights | ~$275 | 10 h | Hot springs entry and the Ice Museum, hotel pickup | Non-refundable |
| Arctic Circle, Alaska Wild Lights | ~$363 | 12–14 h | Hotel pickup, coffee or tea, Arctic Circle certificate | Non-refundable |
| Dog sled, dinner and lights | ~$320 | About 6 h | Hotel pickup, a sled ride of about 30 minutes, dinner in a yurt | Free until 24 h before on GetYourGuide, non-refundable on Viator |
Two patterns stand out. Every tour on the home page lets you cancel without charge until the day before, while the three extras carry stricter terms. And not one price in the table includes a tip.
What an hour out costs
Dividing the price by the hours is a crude test, but it shows where the money goes. Arctic Night Tours and Tour Fairbanks' Chena night give you the most hours per dollar, since ~$225 buys a night that can pass twelve hours and ~$231 covers about ten. The Arctic Circle day at ~$379 comes close behind. At the other end, SkyChase charges ~$335 for about five hours, two to three times the hourly rate of the long chase, and the dog-sled night and Electric Moose sit near it.
Hours are not the product, though. A long chase buys better odds of finding a gap in the clouds, while a pricier short tour buys comfort and a hot meal instead. SkyChase also adds a promise, covered below. The glass house, cheapest of the six at ~$179, buys warmth and a bathroom but no way to move if cloud settles on the summit. Chase or cabin weighs that trade in detail.
What you pay on top
No listing here covers the money you hand over during the night or around it. Plan for these.
- Tips. Tipping the guide is customary in Alaska, as anywhere in the US, and it is built into none of the prices above. Carry some cash for the end of the night;
- Dinner. Neither Chena tour includes a meal. Alaska Wild Lights makes a standing dinner reservation at the resort, but you pay for the food. The Arctic Circle day makes a grocery stop before leaving, and Yukon River Camp sells food on the way north. Before Arctic Night Tours' chase, eat a full meal ahead of the 8 pm pickup;
- Towels and lockers at Chena. The Alaska Wild Lights listing puts a towel rental at $5. Tour Fairbanks covers the coins for your locker but asks you to bring a swimsuit and towel. Chena Hot Springs by night has the rest;
- Ice-bar drinks. The Aurora Ice Museum's bar sells an appletini in a glass carved from ice, for guests 21 and over, and it is never part of the ticket;
- SkyChase's full photo set. A selection of the guide's photos is free. Unlimited edited shots and the original files cost extra, and delivery can be slow; one guest waited more than three weeks;
- Cold-weather gear. No tour here lends parkas or boots. If you arrive without them, rental shops in Fairbanks hire out winter clothing; what to wear has the list.
One tour, two prices
The same tour can cost a different amount depending on where you book it. Electric Moose Studios lists a regular price of ~$300 on GetYourGuide and a higher list price on Viator, and both sites run offers from time to time, so open both before you pay. For the glass house, Viator's lowest headline price belongs to the self-drive option, where you get yourself up to Cleary Summit. The ~$179 we quote includes the ride from your hotel, which matters on a winter road at night. Our guide to going it alone covers driving yourself.
Terms can differ as much as prices. The moonlight dog-sled night with a yurt dinner costs ~$320 and runs only from December 1 to March 31. It is free to cancel until 24 hours before on GetYourGuide, yet non-refundable on Viator.
The longest night for the money
Arctic Night Tours keeps hunting for 8–12 hours and emails you the guide's photos at no charge, from ~$225. Hold a seat now and pay later.
Refund rules and guarantees
Alaska Wild Lights sells two big tours that we leave off the main list for one reason. Its Chena Hot Springs night at ~$275 is non-refundable on both GetYourGuide and Viator, and on Viator it is sold on request, with confirmation within 48 hours. Its Arctic Circle tour at ~$363 is non-refundable and on request too. Both have plenty of fans, the Chena trip 4.6 from 1,352 reviews on Viator, but once you have paid, a cloudy forecast cannot be dodged.
A guarantee has a cash value if you can use it. SkyChase refunds you or brings you back if no lights are seen, which makes ~$335 easier to swallow in a cloudy week. Electric Moose offers a free second tour within 2 years when your photos show no aurora, subject to seats, and that pays off only if you have another night free or will return. The Arctic Circle day refunds you or moves your date if unsafe conditions stop it, but not because the aurora stayed away. Reading the forecast is how you use the 24-hour window on the other tours.
A three-night budget
Three nights in town is the plan we suggest, and per person it can look like this.
- Night one, the chase. Arctic Night Tours at ~$225, booked early in the stay so a cloudy night leaves room for another go;
- Night two, something warm. The glass house at ~$179, or the Chena night at ~$231 plus dinner and perhaps a drink at the ice bar;
- Night three, held in reserve. A second chase if the first was clouded out, or a night's sleep if you have already seen the lights.
The chase and the Chena night cost ~$225 plus ~$231 per person in tickets at the regular prices above, and both can be cancelled free until the day before. On top come tips and the Chena dinner, plus any gear you rent. Swap Chena for the Arctic Circle day and that second night costs ~$379 instead of ~$231.