Borealis Basecamp

This place is magical. I can not say enough about the views. They have a room alarm that's wakes you for the northern lights. You can literally lay in bed and watch. The activities are second to none. We did the snowmobile tour today and it was so much fun, plus we were fed lunch. If you ever have the chance, go! You'll be thankful!

a week ago

Just got back from a great 5 night stay in the igloos. We did a lot of research and was helped tremendously by the reviews left by others. We want to share our experience to help others and will focus on information that might be new. Igloos have much better views than the cubes and while not spacious, they are plenty large for two adults. Plenty of heat and it was useful to have shorts & tee shirts when we were relaxing in the igloo. The 4-6 hour snowmobiling tour was fun even for first-timers but it gets cold by the end of the tour so take all the clothing they offer you. We wished we had mittens instead of finger gloves because the hand warmers we brought were more effective in the mittens. We brought winter caps that had a built in headlamp and that was really handy. If you’re going in the winter time, you will likely be walking to breakfast and dinner in the dark. It’s nice not to have to deal with a separate headlamp. Breakfast was hearty with a made to order omelet station and they now also offer a lower-priced pub menu which is open for lunch and dinner. Dinner at Latitude 65 was good but expensive. To keep costs low, we brought dehydrated camp food which worked out great because sometimes we didn’t want to leave the igloo. It was a great trip and highly recommend Basecamp!

2 months ago

We had such a great time and the staff was very pleasant and helpful. The igloo we stayed in was warm and cozy. It was a very magical experience. Food was great at their on site restaurant. Plenty of different drinks. We only experienced about 30 minutes of the aurora. But it’s a toss up on If you get to see them at all. That’s nature and we expected that could happen. We would definitely stay again.

2 months ago

I didn’t have any problems with my stay. The one night there was a heating event at the igloos they put us up in town at a very nice place. Ryan, Michael, Tyler & David were the best guides for all my activities. Super smart, personable and lots of fun. This was a solo trip but I made lots of friends. Josi and her dogs were great. Can’t wait to go back and see how Gary (baby reindeer) is doing. Saw the northern lights two separate nights!!

2 months ago

We had a really great trip. Food was great (though, $$$). Room was warm and cozy (igloo). The adventures were so much fun, even with a 6 month old in tow. I will say that the igloos weren't really as I expected as the large windows fogged over with condensation due to it being so warm inside vs how cold it was outside. We could see the night sky & stars but there was no way to see the lights through it. Overall, it was a really great stay. The staff were 5 stars. Loved Eugene. He is very charming!

4 months ago

“Mixed Experience - Stunning Location, but Lacking Style and Comfort for the cost” The location is amazing, and we were lucky to see the northern lights (though less spectacular than previous days). We enjoyed the snowmobile ride and dogsled tour, and the provided outerwear was essential at -35°C. However, calling this a “resort” feels misleading. The cabins are more of a 3-star experience, with noisy heating making sleep difficult, cleanliness issues, and no kitchenette. Complimentary s’mores were disappointing. For a better Aurora experience, I’d recommend exploring options in Northern Europe.

a month ago

We just finished our stay at Borealis Basecamp and are highly disappointed; for the price, I’d expect more attention to detail, planning, and service. The more I think about all the money we spent (over $4,000 just for 3 nights, $700+ for 4 meals in the dining room, over $100 in tips for guides, etc.), the more upset I get. We were celebrating our 10 year anniversary, which we told them, and no one did a thing to acknowledge it. For the prices, you’d think a small gesture would have been in order. We did the 6 hour snow machine experience, dog sledding, and helicopter ride. Our guides were all amazing - the highlight of the trip! The igloos were nice enough but it was hard to sleep through the night with the extremely loud heater and sounds the igloo made. Also, there’s no where to place your clothing and there’s only one small luggage rack as well. We only received replenishment of towels one day, barely even making the bed where the mattresses seemed to be on incorrectly, and were told the housekeepers were making the rounds, but they never showed up, which the front desk did not seem concerned about. As they live on site, you’d think they could have gotten someone quickly as it was only 5:30pm when we inquired for a second time. Actual resorts would have been proactive the first call. The restaurant is WAY overpriced for what you get and we only had decent service one of three nights. Save yourself the price and eat at the pub or better yet, don’t eat on site at all. It could be much better but there doesn’t seem to be a manager anywhere to actually lead the staff. We felt like a burden most of the time and they ran out of a lot (king crab, for example). We realize they’re more remote but this could have been handled differently. Breakfast was not good or consistent, with the juices being warm and coffee watered down. The toaster was half broken as well all week. It was a magical location and we saw the aurora 2 of 3 nights! The loud banging on the door to notify us was too much and the alarm they told us would ring to make a notification never did. As one reviewer said, they need to decide if they are a camp or luxury resort because they cannot be both, and it left a lot to be desired for the over $4,000 we paid to book, after seeing them highlighted online. Our issues do not seem to be out of the ordinary from what we have heard and read now. Hopefully they heed the advice of many guests and do better; however, if you’re considering a trip here, go elsewhere!

a month ago

Wanted to take the Aurora Borealis off the bucket list and thought that this would make the experience very cool. The place is about an hour outside Fairbanks and liked the idea that they ran transportation to and from the city. Checked in and was walked to my igloo. These are great little units with plexiglass tops for viewing the lights. During the day enjoyed some dog sledding and snowmobiling. Nature supplied the amazing lightshow that you should see at some time. Breakfast included and nice little happy hour.

3 months ago