Where to Soak Under the Northern Lights: The 6 Best Hot Spring Aurora Tours

1.Northern Lights & Chena Hot Springs Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,278 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $250Our pick

Leave Fairbanks around 4 p.m. for Chena Hot Springs Resort, 60 miles away. Your guide handles the winter drive, leads you through the Aurora Ice Museum, and gives you time for the 106°F outdoor pool, indoor pool, dinner, and aurora watching. Guides such as Savvy, Shannon, Gina, Tyler, and Jessica are praised for their local insight and persistence.

“Great experience! Kathy was an excellent guide who made sure we had everything we needed and enjoyed the trip. The hot springs were transcendent and the ice museum was super cool. Definitely worth your time even if you’re only in Alaska for a little bit! Definitely ask for Kathy, she was great”

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2.Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon & Northern Lights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 245 reviews · 15 hours · from $345

Spend about 15 hours seeing Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, and Kerið before soaking at the Blue Lagoon. Your English-speaking guide, such as Addi, Siki, or Monica, handles the driving and stories. After dark, search for the Northern Lights with hot chocolate and help with night photography.

“Andri, our guide, was AMAZING! So knowledgeable, and even added additional stops, like seeing the Icelandic horses and feeding them candy. What a beautiful country to explore. Thank you so much ☺️”

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3.Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 115 reviews · from $215Best value

Travel 60 miles from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs with an English-speaking guide and a group of no more than 14. Tour the ice museum, eat dinner at the resort, soak in the 106 F mineral water, and search for auroras on the drive home. Guides such as Gina, Greg, and Ron are known for adding useful local context and making extra viewing stops.

“Our guide was Gina and she was the most amazing person ever! She was so knowledgeable and knew a lot. She was able to answer all of our questions and educate us on some Alaskan culture. She really went above and beyond to be able to find the northern lights. Although we weren’t able to see them because it was so cloudy, she still managed to take us to beautiful areas for great pictures! And not to mention how awesome the hot springs were! Gina was seriously the best! Would definitely go back and do this tour with her all over again!”

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4.Northern Lights and Chena Hot Springs Night Tour from Fairbanks

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 115 reviews · 10 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $240

Ride from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs for an evening ice museum visit, hot springs soak, and northern lights watch. Guides such as Ed, Jake, Paul, and Randy have helped guests with local stories, forecasts, and camera settings. The 10.5-hour trip includes hotel pickup at selected hotels, but dinner and drinks cost extra.

“This was an awesome experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. First off, our guide Randy was just awesome. He's like a walking talking Wikipedia for all things Alaska. I spent the entire hour or so each way on the road talking to him and she shared his experiences in the outdoors in and around Alaska. His knowledge of the area and history is extraordinary and he made the drive to and from Chena very enjoyable. He also facilitated all the events on the tour well, and even helped us get seated quickly at the very busy that night at least restaurant. Seriously.....Randy is an A guide for this and I give…”

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5.Blue Lagoon and Northern Lights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 80 reviews · 8 hours · from $318

Spend an afternoon at the Blue Lagoon with Comfort admission, a silica mud mask, towel, and drink. Return to Reykjavík, then head out with an English-speaking local guide to search for the Northern Lights. Sightings are not guaranteed, but a free repeat tour is offered if the sky stays dark.

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6.Spectacular Hot Spring Experience with Northern Lights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · 8 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $245Top rated

Travel from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs Resort for an Ice Museum visit, a soak under the stars, and an evening Aurora search. Pickup, bottled water, locker quarters, and both admissions are included. Guides such as Tony, Chris, Savvy, and Kevin add local stories and may stop at several viewing sites. Dinner and snacks cost extra.

“Tony was really friendly and knowledgeable. He made sure we were having a good time and also that we got good pictures”

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