Yellowknife Aurora Tour: Dogsledding, Ice Fishing, Tipi Viewing

Four nights under the Northern Lights across three unique viewing locations

A 5-day aurora tour in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, combining nightly Northern Lights viewing from a glass tipi, Sky Dome and heated fishing cabins with daytime activities: dogsledding, snowmobiling and hands-on ice fishing on Great Slave Lake. Accommodation at Explorer Hotel or Chateau Nova, airport transfers, winter clothing rental and hot beverages on all tours are included. Lunch and dinner are not.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Aurora Hunting Tour

• Arrive in Yellowknife
• Transfer to hotel
• Evening aurora hunting tour
• Enjoy snacks and hot beverages
• Return to hotel

Day 2: City Tour and Sky Dome Aurora Viewing

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit Bush Pilot Monument
• Tour Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Museum
• Explore Northern Wildlife Gallery
• Return to hotel
• Evening aurora viewing at Sky Dome
• Enjoy snacks and hot drinks
• Return to hotel

Day 3: Dogsledding and Ice Fishing Aurora Experience

• Breakfast at hotel
• Hotel pick-up for dogsledding
• Prepare sled and ride with dogs
• Return to hotel
• Evening drive to Arctic Ice Fishing camp
• Ice fishing lessons and aurora viewing
• Enjoy snacks and hot beverages
• Return to hotel

Day 4: Snowmobiling and Glass Teepee Aurora Viewing

• Breakfast at hotel
• Safety briefing for snowmobiling
• Snowmobiling on Great Slave Lake
• Enjoy hot beverages
• Evening aurora viewing in heated glass tipi
• Enjoy hot soup and beverages
• Return to hotel

Day 5: Check Out and Airport Transfer

• Hotel check-out
• Transfer to Yellowknife airport
• Guide shares trip memories

The experience

Yellowknife sits on the edge of the aurora oval, and this tour plants you in three different spots to chase it. Night one you hunt from vantage points around town with your guide, who explains what you're watching and how to photograph it. Night two moves to the Sky Dome: a heated viewing space where you wait for the lights while sipping hot drinks. Night three takes you onto Great Slave Lake itself, to the Arctic Ice Fishing Camp, where you fish through holes in the ice and watch the sky from a heated cabin. Night four brings you back to the glass tipi at Arctic Aurora Camp, where the walls frame the display and the soup stays hot. Each location gives a different angle on the same phenomenon, and the guide shares what the colors mean and when they're likely to peak.

The days fill with the things that make an Arctic winter worth traveling for. Day two includes a city tour hitting the Bush Pilot Monument and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Museum, then the Northern Wildlife Gallery with its taxidermy of musk oxen, wolves and Arctic foxes. Day three is dogsledding with fast dogs (some of them Canadian Dog Derby champions) on a guided run, then the evening ice fishing lesson where you cut a hole, drop a line and wait. Day four is snowmobiling across the frozen landscape on heated machines, returning to the hotel before the evening glass tipi session. The pace lets you rest between activities. You're not sprinting from one thing to the next.

Winter clothing rental is included, which matters: the temperature runs well below freezing, and the gear provided keeps you mobile for hours outside. Pickup happens from your hotel each morning and evening, and the airport transfer on day five is part of the package. Breakfast comes with your room. You'll need to arrange lunch and dinner on your own, though hot beverages and snacks appear on every tour.

What’s included

• Four nights' accommodation with breakfast at Explorer Hotel or Chateau Nova.
• airport and activity transfers.
• winter clothing rental.
• guided aurora viewing from three locations (glass tipi, Sky Dome, ice fishing camp).
• guided dogsledding tour with Canadian Dog Derby dogs.
• guided snowmobiling across Great Slave Lake.
• hands-on ice fishing lesson in heated cabins.
• guided Yellowknife city tour.
• Northern Wildlife Gallery entrance.
• snowmobile and ice fishing equipment.
• complimentary hot beverages and snacks on all tours.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 1 Feb 2027

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 to 70 years) · Child (2 to 11 years)

GroupUp to 20 · max 4 per booking

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 5 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 6 days before the start.Between 2 and 6 days before the start, 50% refund.After that, no refund.

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPets welcomeNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Arctic Tours Canada

Is this one for you?The tour runs in English and Chinese, so book this version if your guide needs to speak Chinese or if you're traveling with a Chinese-speaking group. If you speak only English, either option works. The guide will be fluent in both languages regardless.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 11 years).

What's the difference between viewing the Northern Lights from the glass tipi, the Sky Dome and the ice fishing camp?

The glass tipi at Arctic Aurora Camp has walls that frame the sky and heated seating inside; the Sky Dome is an indoor heated space where you watch through large windows; the Arctic Ice Fishing Camp puts you in heated cabins on Great Slave Lake itself, where you can step outside onto the ice. Each offers a different vantage and comfort level, and you experience all three across the four nights.

Do I need experience to go dogsledding or snowmobiling?

No. The dogsledding guide handles the team and teaches you how to prepare your sled and manage the dogs. The snowmobiling includes a safety briefing before you ride, and the machines are heated. Both are guided experiences designed for first-timers.

What happens if the Northern Lights don't appear?

The tour runs regardless of aurora activity. You'll be at the viewing locations each night, but the lights depend on solar activity and weather. The itinerary includes the daytime activities, the accommodation and all transport whether or not the aurora shows.

Is the ice fishing a real experience or a demonstration?

You do the fishing yourself. The guide teaches you how to cut a hole through the ice, set up your line and wait for a catch. It's hands-on, and you're fishing on Great Slave Lake in a heated cabin between aurora watches.

What's included in the accommodation, and what do I need to arrange?

Your room at Explorer Hotel or Chateau Nova includes breakfast each morning and four nights' lodging. The tour provides hot beverages and snacks on all activities. You'll need to book lunch and dinner separately in town. Your guide can suggest restaurants.

How physically demanding is this tour?

The dogsledding and snowmobiling require moderate fitness and comfort sitting on a moving vehicle in cold weather. The ice fishing and aurora viewing are low-impact. You're mostly standing or sitting in heated spaces. The tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health.