Aurora Village
Aurora Village
4
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10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view

About
A place where traditional Aboriginal culture blends together with modern amenities for a truly remarkable experience discovering the mystery of the aurora borealis. We are the aurora-viewing destination of choice in Yellowknife, Canada, providing the utmost in comfort and absolute beauty. We also provide complete experience from the beginning to end of your visit to Yellowknife. During the winter months you can experience Dogsledding, Snowshoeing, Snowmobiling, giant ice slide and roasting marshmallows over the open fire. In the summer Experience our Cultural Hiking experience and see how the land and wildlife connect into our culture, take a cruise on Great Slave Lake, explore and hike Cameron Falls or a guided wildlife tour and see if you can spot Bison and other local wildlife.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
489 reviews
Excellent
216
Very good
152
Average
59
Poor
33
Terrible
29
Jamie Coats
Kelowna, Canada2 contributions
Sep 2022
Booked 28 & 29th Of September - Auror Village is nicely laid out, with different places to camp out. What I found irritating was the complete lack of timing flexibility. People travel from all over the world to view this phenomenon and in my case, the aurora borealis kicked off 20 minutes before we were meant to leave. Instead of being flexible, we were repeatedly told to leave. This is hardly customer friendly or aware of the efforts made by guests.
I am sure they will say you can book extra time, if they say this then this is double irritating, yes you can but you have to do it earlier which given there was little sign of them showing is not likely and when they did, it was too late based on their rules. What they should have done is said those not on the bus pay the extra.
I am sure they will say you can book extra time, if they say this then this is double irritating, yes you can but you have to do it earlier which given there was little sign of them showing is not likely and when they did, it was too late based on their rules. What they should have done is said those not on the bus pay the extra.
Written October 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
PKB
6 contributions
Mar 2020
Our tour group unfortunately flew into Yellowknife on 16 March only to learn that Aurora Village had just closed due to new government restrictions relating to the coronavirus. However I wanted to give a big wrap to James Robinson from Aurora Village who was extremely patient and helpful to all of us under very difficult circumstances. If this is any indication of the service we would have received at the actual village then I couldnt recommend it highly enough.
Written April 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Mary S
Kingston, Canada7 contributions
Feb 2020
I booked the Ice FIshing demonstration, and a DogSled ride. You should know there is tons more to do while you are at the VIllage, waiting for the main activities you paid for. There is a giant ice slide, snowshoes to wear around the trails. There are teepees for warmth and story telling. There are firepits and marshmallows. You can be active for the entire afternoon, and then come back at night to see the Northern Lights. Many local indigenous people to talk about life in the bush. Friendly young guides to answer your questions. One note of caution: if you rent the clothing for the outdoor activities, make sure you check the size when you pick it up. I got the wrong size which limited the amount of activities I could do outside, I should have arrived early to get my gear and check it before the tour left. Everything else was great.
Written February 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anne W
Yellowknife, Canada6 contributions
Nov 2019
I had heard from friends that went several years before that it was a great experience but apparently since then they have been growing too much and not keeping the quality of the service. They pack people on their buses, sometimes 8 or 9 buses a night and bring them to a area where they jam you into teepees with no room to sit. They spend the 30 bus trip saying you will see the Aurora even if the possibility is very low that night. They also spend this trip telling you how much it cost of rental of cameras, heated seats, etc etc. I total RIP OFF. I am embarrassed as a person who lives in Yellowknife that Tourists get scammed by this company.
Written July 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Malacite
3 contributions
Mar 2020
The Aurora Village is an okay location to see the Aurora but be prepared to be one of about 100 + people there. All trying to get photos at the same time. Also don't bother buying their extra warm seats. You need to move as the lights move and the seats are only in one location. Also there were a number of people they 'forgot' to show were these warm seats were located and then they didn't even offer them a refund when they asked about them.
Then there are the professional photos they take. Do not purchase them before hand because if you don't see the lights why bother. And if the lights do come out long enough and the photographer is near by the line up may be too long to get a photo in time before the lights dissapear. And they won't confirm if the photo is good before you leave nor take another for you. You have to walk up to the gift shop and they automatically print ot off. I was very upset by this as we waited all night to see the lights then got in line to get a photo and they wouldn't show us the photo. And when we went to check it out at the gift shop it was blurry. It was an awful photo. And it was 25 dollars to get just 1 copy. And since it was the end of the night and we had to leave on the bus we ended up buying it even though the photo sucked. No one at the shop cared that we were upset that they printed it before showing us the photo and the photographer wouldn't take any more photos. So we got a crappy blurry expensive photo that barely looked like the Aurora.
So overall it's a crappy location not worth the money, run by staff who don't care if you enjoy your experience and just want to get paid. And its extremely crowded.
If you want to go on a tour check out an Aurora hunting experience. They move around to find the lights and there are a lot less people.
The Aurora Village is a tourist trap.
Then there are the professional photos they take. Do not purchase them before hand because if you don't see the lights why bother. And if the lights do come out long enough and the photographer is near by the line up may be too long to get a photo in time before the lights dissapear. And they won't confirm if the photo is good before you leave nor take another for you. You have to walk up to the gift shop and they automatically print ot off. I was very upset by this as we waited all night to see the lights then got in line to get a photo and they wouldn't show us the photo. And when we went to check it out at the gift shop it was blurry. It was an awful photo. And it was 25 dollars to get just 1 copy. And since it was the end of the night and we had to leave on the bus we ended up buying it even though the photo sucked. No one at the shop cared that we were upset that they printed it before showing us the photo and the photographer wouldn't take any more photos. So we got a crappy blurry expensive photo that barely looked like the Aurora.
So overall it's a crappy location not worth the money, run by staff who don't care if you enjoy your experience and just want to get paid. And its extremely crowded.
If you want to go on a tour check out an Aurora hunting experience. They move around to find the lights and there are a lot less people.
The Aurora Village is a tourist trap.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Love2Travel59
Scarborough143 contributions
Feb 2020
February 29th was a great night for the Aurora at the Aurora village. We were picked up at our hotel. We arranged to have dinner first which was very nice. We paid extra and rented the heated seats. Wasn’t worth the money as they were very uncomfortable and didn’t heat well. The guide we had was excellent. She showed us the various spots around the property that were good because they were high up or another because of the darkness. We had a teepee with wood stove inside to keep warm. The Aurora was fairly quiet early on but our guide came in several times to let us know activity was starting to happen which we really appreciated. Around 11 or 11:30 we started to see activity and thought that was it then around midnight the whole sky was in shades of green and the Aurora was dancing. It was an amazing experience.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Foreverliz10
Vancouver, Canada327 contributions
Feb 2020
I was wary of this experience given some of the other reviews...but I had an amazing night there. The pickup was prompt, and it was a 30 min drive to the village where we were given a brief tour of the village and shown to our teepee. It was so cold (Feb 29) that I spent a lot more time in the teepee than expected, though did walk out to a couple of the viewpoints. The tea/coffee/hot chocolate powder and hot chocolate was great. The guides were all really nice and told us when there was something to see outside. We ended up with the most spectacular light show about 10 mins before the buses left to go back. It was perfect! If we hadn't seen anything this would have been a very expensive trip to a frozen field of teepees, but it was a fun experience and worth the money because we saw the aurora.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Miranda L
Yellowknife, Canada4 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
in general is good, but only provide Cantonese and Mandarin speaking bus tour guide, which my child couldn't quite understand.
Fishing lunch was delicious but not enough. We caught quite a lot fish, but the fisherman only cut and bbq'ed four fish for more than 10 people to share. So everyone got a chance to taste, but definitely not enough for calling it a lunch.
Fishing lunch was delicious but not enough. We caught quite a lot fish, but the fisherman only cut and bbq'ed four fish for more than 10 people to share. So everyone got a chance to taste, but definitely not enough for calling it a lunch.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
shengwu97
1 contribution
Feb 2020 • Family
no english speaking guide in the tour bus to and from village.
Lunch is not enough. We, more than 10 people, each person just tasted two small pieces of the 4 bbq'ed fish, whereas we actually caught quite a lot fish. Where did the rest un-bbq'ed fish go
Lunch is not enough. We, more than 10 people, each person just tasted two small pieces of the 4 bbq'ed fish, whereas we actually caught quite a lot fish. Where did the rest un-bbq'ed fish go
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
johnbeward
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Family
The office staff Jessica was amazing as was all the English speaking Guides we had. Celine was the best of the best and All the others Cecil (sp) Cristiano and Bonnie made our experience one we will never forget. There were seven of us in total all in their 30's to 70 and to a person we were well cared for.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Adriana S
Mexico City, Mexico89 contributions
Hi! I’life be there in January 2020 and plan to take the tour with you. However, as I am from a country with almost no snow inside their city, I was wondering if by any chance you have an opinion about using Timberland boots in Yellowknife. Thanks for your answers!!
Aurora Village
Yellowknife, Canada1 contribution
Hi Adriana,
Thanks for your question. We would suggest hiring some gear while you are here, we have all the winter kit you need, Jacket, Boots, Pants and Gloves. If you contact the team via email they will be able to arrange this for you.
See you in January.
BLD54
Grosse Pointe, MI39 contributions
Do you see the colors of the Aurora Borealis with the naked eye? I just returned from Iceland and could only see the colors thru a camera with special settings. I wondered if the colors are vivid in Yellowknife?
Edna D
Edmonton, Canada18 contributions
There are colours that are not visible to the eye but you can only see thru a camera
The collisions cause the electrons of the atmospheric atoms to become excited. As the electrons return to their original energy levels, these atoms emit visible light of distinct wavelengths, to create the colors of the display we see. The color of the aurora depends on the wavelength of the light emitted.
Thus, the human eye primarily views the Northern Lights in faint colors and shades of gray and white. DSLR camera sensors don't have that limitation. ... However, the farther north your viewing location, the more colors you can actually see because the aurora is stronger.
Pepomg05
Tarija, Bolivia12 contributions
Cómo está quisiera saber cuál es la fecha más aconsejable para poder ir a ver las luces, estoy atento a su respuesta
Saludos Jose mariscal
perry l
Macau, China42 contributions
Hi Jose, there really is no way to determine what time of year is best to see the northern lights. We went for 2 nights in Oct last year and were lucky both nights....I am planning to go back again this Sept and hope to see the lights again!. Good Luck!
So I know about the clothes rental as we just rented are are headed that way next month - what do you recommend we take? We are from Florida and don't know much about cold gear. Should we buy snow pants? Gloves, hats and face protection is a given.
Thanks
perry l
Macau, China42 contributions
Hi there, I would recommend the following:
- warm boots as you will be standing in snow outside the tents
- thermal underwear, leggings and bodywear
- hand/foot/body warmers (small bags you can buy in YK stores to place in your gloves, boots, jacket to stay extra warm)
- body and facial cream and chapstick for your lips as the dryness and wind will dry you out
have fun......
Elisiane S
Curitiba, PR1,722 contributions
Será que se for entre ano novo e primeira semana de janeiro existe chance de ver aurora boreal?
Hello Elisiane,
Sorry for the delay in responding to your message. Yes, it is definitely possible to see aurora during that time. In fact, it is our busiest time of the year.
If you have any other questions, or to make a booking, feel free to call us on (867) 669-0006
Thanks so much,
Carmen
Cheryl S
Regina, Canada22 contributions
I am looking for feedback please. We are booked into the village for a couple nights aurora viewing on our way to a fly in camp and they have added a $65/person charge for dinner. I would like to hear from people who have eaten the dinner and see if they thought it was worth it, or if we should forgo the dinner and eat in town before we head out. thanks
Hi Cheryl,
The dinner you have booked is our set menu 'Aurora Dinner'. It is a 3 course meal with a choice of salad or soup, whitefish or bison for the main, and dessert of the day, plus tea or coffee.
It is a great opportunity to try some local food and the meal also includes homemade bannock.
The price includes tax and tips, so is definitely a great deal considering that everything is made fresh in-house daily.
You will also have extra time at the Village to explore before our regular tour guests arrive and perhaps catch some early aurora!
Sanny07
Montreal, Canada72 contributions
Has anyone seen the aurora borealis in Yellowknife this past week or two? Thank you.
Hi Sanny, yes we have been seeing some beautiful aurora recently. If you go to our website:
auroravillage . com
we have a 'nighly aurora photo log' where you can see the photos we took of the aurora each night, for the whole season.
We have been seeing some spectacular aurora this year!
Rikita Z
Mumbai, India1 contribution
Is it advisable to visit the Aurora Village in June? Will we get to see the Northern Lights in June?
CuriousoneHongKong
Hong Kong, China148 contributions
The official Aurora site said that From mid-August to the end of September and from mid-November to mid-April are the best aurora viewing seasons in Yellowknife. These are the seasons they are open because there will be clearer skies and more darkness than other times of the year.
Marie Dreiss W
Houston, TX4 contributions
Can the viewing tours be booked through TripAdvisor? Thank you.
Dartagnham
Rio de Janeiro, RJ32 contributions
Better call then directly. You will have questions and they can help you immediately.