Aurora Chasers Tour
2025 Rates will be going up July 1st, 2024 so book early to get current pricing!
September, March & Holidays $325/person (Peak Season)
October & February $295/person
November - January (except Holidays) Private Charter Only $3,500/nightNightly, Monday - Saturday Nights (Peak Season), Tuesday - Saturday Nights (non-Peak Season)
Single Night Tour
9:00-10:00 PM Pickup at your Fairbanks accommodations
3:00-4:00 AM Return to hotel
Please Note:
-Times are adjusted by 1 hour during Daylight Savings Time as the Aurora doesn't recognize DST.
-Our availability calendar is always live and up to date. We DO NOT have extra spots not shown on the calendar.
What’s Included?
Transportation
Hot Beverages
Photography Workshop
Aurora Science Presentation
Aurora Portraits*
Private Charters Available
Private charters are a great option for groups traveling together, who want a little extra peace of mind and exclusivity. They are available any night we don’t already have bookings and can be somewhat customized. Pricing to charter the van is $3,500/night. Message us for details.
*See our FAQs for more details
Professional Aurora Portraits are always included!!!
Get the authentic Aurora Chasers experience from the original Aurora Chasers® of Alaska
For this workshop tour, we'll travel to remote locations, away from the crowds and light pollution and help you come back with your very own incredible photos.
Our primary objective is to put you into the best location to see, photograph, and have your picture taken with the Northern Lights.
You'll be guided by expert Aurora Chasers, Ronn and Marketa Murray. We have a combined 28 years of experience chasing and capturing the Northern Lights. We personally guide each tour and are award-winning and multi-published photographers. Our publications include National Geographic, Alaska Magazine, feature films, and many others. Our tours and images/videos have been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, in several magazine articles, and local/national news networks.
We pioneered Aurora Chasing photography tours and Aurora Portraits in Fairbanks and have an incredible track record, having helped thousands of guests view and take stunning photographs of the Northern Lights over the years, often even on the most challenging nights. This, combined with our background in studio and environmental portraiture, means you'll go home with incredible portraits of you and your entire group in front of the magical Aurora Borealis, and you'll have stunning wall-worthy images of your own.
Our Aurora Portraits are authentic captures of you, in the real moment, and are not composited so you can rest assured you'll have an accurate depiction of that special night. More details in the FAQs.
Avoid the crowded lodges, big group tours, and, when possible, the cloudy skies. We'll take you on an Aurora Chasers adventure and do our absolute best to get you out in Alaska's natural landscapes to experience this Natural Wonder for yourself. You've invested a lot to make this bucket list item become a reality. Give yourself the best odds of fulfilling this dream and book with The Aurora Chasers®.
Step-by-step Aurora Photography Workshop tailored to you and your camera Gear
Step-by-step photography instruction
We'll guide you step-by-step through the ideal camera settings to capture the Aurora, specific to your camera and the night's conditions, ensuring you go home with stunning Northern Lights photos of your own. You'll find details about the required gear below, and if you find you require any additional items, we have a full lineup of camera rental equipment available exclusively to our tour guests.
After we pick you up at your Fairbanks accommodations, we'll head out on an Aurora chasing adventure. You'll learn why we refer to it as "chasing the lights" and "Aurora Chasing" as we use multiple data sources to determine the best Aurora watching location based on Aurora activity and weather conditions. Once we determine the ideal location, we'll get you there safely and make your experience as comfortable as possible.
Upon arrival at our location, we'll guide you through the photography workshop. The workshop is simple to follow, includes multimedia presentations of many camera settings, and will make photographing the Aurora easy for beginners while still teaching a few new tricks to seasoned pros.
If necessary, due to weather, we may visit several sites throughout the night to find the best conditions.
This tour is for those who want the very best Aurora tour in Alaska. The authentic experience of Aurora Chasing.
Travel in Style and comfort
Travel in style and comfort
We keep a small guide-to-client ratio ensuring you’ll get plenty of help throughout the night
We use the most spacious and luxurious van in the industry
Workshops and science talks are enhanced with multimedia presentations on our overhead LED screen
We’ll have quality hot beverages on hand to help you warm up
The van will be kept warm for your comfort
Your comfort and personal attention is important to us, so we limit the number of guests to small groups of 12, with 2 guides on every tour over 6 people. This ensures you’ll always be able to get personal assistance throughout the evening.
We also understand that you want to be comfortable and as such, we’ll travel in a spacious, "tall roof" Mercedes van allowing room for you and your gear to travel comfortably.
The van is tall enough to stand up in and features the best safety equipment and an LED display screen for images and video content throughout the night’s workshop and science presentations. It is also equipped with satellite internet so we can keep up with changing Earth and Space Weather data on the go, anywhere in Alaska.
We’ll have a hot cocoa, fresh brewed coffee, or flavorful tea to warm you up.
Should you need a bit more warmth, we’ll keep the van toasty inside for you, and you are always welcome to step inside between bursts of Aurora.
What Gear you’ll need to bring
What you'll need to bring...
Being a photographer is not a requirement to join this tour but if you do plan to photograph the Aurora with us, below is a list of items you’ll want to bring along.
• A full-featured camera with the ability to shoot long exposures at high ISO ranges.
Control of manual settings is a must. Most modern interchangeable lens camera systems are capable of capturing the Northern Lights in good quality. While some point and shoots will capture the Northern Lights, most won’t do so with acceptable quality. Late model cell phones do do a pretty impressive job when paired with a good tripod and cell phone mount adapter, but still won’t compete with a true camera system for quality Aurora photography. If you aren't sure you have the right gear or would prefer to rent specialty gear such as "wide, fast" lenses, we offer a limited selection of rental equipment.
• A Proper wide-angle lens with a “fast” maximum aperture, f/2.8 or faster is preferable.
• ***A solid tripod with a ball head.***
Don't skimp here. This is critical! We also highly recommend one with lever locks for the legs rather than twist locks as the twist locks don't do well in the snow and cold. We have seen far too many of these fall apart during an evening. A dry ball head is preferable as the fluid style ball heads “gel up” in the cold and become difficult to operate. If purchasing your own, we suggest this one for smaller cameras and this one for bigger cameras. (We have a limited number of these available for rent.)
• Your camera's manual
• ***Extra Batteries***
• A headlamp or with a red LED light such as this one. It’s important that you are able to turn on the red light directly and not cycle through white light options to get to the red light.
• A Ziploc bag large enough for your camera and lens
The Hefty Slider 2.5 Gallon Jumbo Storage Bags work great!
• Warm clothing sufficient for 40º below zero (See our Aurora Visitor Information for layer-by-layer details)
• Desiccant such as this reusable one, which helps to absorb moisture and keep it out of your camera gear. You can also be thrifty and start collecting the little packets that come with your shoes, electronics, etc. and recycle them for use in your camera bag.
Need some ideas about what camera kits to buy? We’ve listed out recommended kits, lenses, tripods and accessories here.
Some links above may be affiliate links. If you purchase from affiliate links, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Cancellation Policy
Tour Cancellation Policy
Due to the natural elements involved and the small personal nature of our tours, we have a NO CANCELLATION policy, except in the case of extremely severe weather, which prohibits safe travel on our part in and around Fairbanks. If such an event occurs and we are not able to take you on your tour, you will get a full refund or the choice of another tour if available.
We do not cancel for cloudy skies or lack of Aurora. Both of these conditions may change. On a cloudy night, we would prefer to deliver an informative and educational experience that will prepare you for future Aurora photography, rather than explain to you that you missed your once in a lifetime opportunity to see Aurora when the clouds cleared at 1 am because we canceled at 9 pm.
Furthermore, while solid overcast does inhibit the ability to see the Northern Lights, anything less than solid clouds still allows the Aurora to be viewed. To give you the best opportunity possible, we still go out, have a good time, and do our best to find clear skies.
And honestly, while we can’t promise to find you the Aurora, this is where we shine. We will do everything reasonably possible to get you out of cloudy skies and into a view of those magical Northern Lights. We understand this is a once in a lifetime experience for most folks, and we take that responsibility very seriously.
While there are no refunds or exchanges for lack of Aurora sightings, as this is nature and beyond our control, we do offer you this option:
If you do not see Aurora during your scheduled tour with us, you may go standby any night we have open seats after 8 pm for up to 30 days after your initial tour.
We suggest traveler’s insurance for any other issues that may arise, such as illness, weather delays, and other circumstances that prohibit travel on your part. Travelex has some great coverage options available. We are not able to issue you a refund or exchange if you miss your trip for any reason.