Fire and Ice tour hot springs northern lights

Just call Gina!!

Gina was so good to us! She went the extra mile at every step. We even did a second tour with her the next day and she basically customized it just for us. Very knowledgeable, genuine and enthusiastic. We saw so many things along the way and she took pictures and seemed to really enjoy us as well!! The Ice Museum and Hot Springs was great, as were each of restaurants she suggested. While the Northern Lights didn’t show their beauty to us, a momma moose decided too!

via Tripadvisor

Unforgettable in the best way!

Regina was an incredible tour guide! My wife and I only had two nights in Fairbanks, with the main purpose of catching the auroras. We originally booked a hot springs and aurora viewing night with her. She picked us up right from our hotel in her comfortable van, and we found out that another tour guide had canceled, so she would be picking up another group as well. After grabbing the other group, we started the ride out to the springs on the beautiful backcountry roads (ones I definitely wouldn’t have felt comfortable driving on!) as she told us tales of the area and the local flora and fauna. As luck would have it, we managed to see SO MANY moose on the way! Up close and personal! We got to the springs and went first to the ice museum, which was pretty neat. The really cool thing, though, was that Gina pulled our group aside and showed us things we would have never noticed on our own! When we got to the restaurant for dinner, there was apparently an issue with staffing. Gina had it all sorted out within 20 minutes. Thanks to the connections she has built over time, we’re seated and ordering with little delay. We know things happen, but Gina never let us feel out of the loop and came up with solutions on the fly to fix any and all situations. I never felt like we were “on our own” with her! After dinner, we did the hot springs and then loaded back into her van, excited to see the auroras! She brought us out to her special spots, which were perfect (HIDDEN AND SECRET) places to see the dark night sky. The problem was… there was no aurora. Womp womp. Gina kept us informed the whole time about the science behind it (without getting overly complex) and what to look for on the basic aurora apps on our phones, all while we stayed toasty and warm in her van. Not deterred, we decided to give it another try the next night. Again, another tour guide had canceled, so she was taking another group along. This time, we decided to follow behind her van because she said we wouldn’t be going from spot to spot like the night before. We met her around 11 p.m. and followed her to another SECRET mountain lodge! The lodge had some light snacks, games, and a roaring fire while we waited for the lights to pop out. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long!! It was like a fireworks show! Seeing Gina get excited about the lights was so infectious! My wife and I were like kids on Christmas. Overall, what I learned about Fairbanks after spending two nights with Gina is this: You can do the sights and touristy things on your own, sure. If you’re interested in the hot springs, ice museum, Santa’s village, etc., then go check out their pages separately. But if you’re interested in having a fully planned, carefully crafted, unique experience, then Gina is your guide! I know we wouldn’t have had HALF the experiences we had at the springs, ice museum, or lodge (or even known about some of them!) without her. We were also able to text her throughout the day and ask things like, “How’s this place?” “Is it worth going to XYZ?” or “What are some tips about this spot?” She also recommended some incredible food spots for our second day in town, and they were all great! Your choice really comes down to this: Do you want to simply see Fairbanks, or do you want a memorable experience that you’ll be talking about for years to come?

via Tripadvisor

Thank you, Gina!

We were so, so happy to spend time with Gina as she shared a wealth of knowledge and insight with us. She took great care of our family, she was very professional, very kind, and most importantly, knew what she was doing. She knew the ins and outs of the hot spring, making the visit we had to Chena so rewarding. Then, she really showed off her intuition and experience by tracking down the northern lights for us to see. Seeing them was amazing, but she also helped us take pictures and made sure all pictures she took made their way to us. It was honestly such a cloudy night, we didn’t have much hope of seeing them, but Gina never gave up. She made our night absolutely brilliant and got us back to our hotel safely. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We will remember this day forever!

via Tripadvisor

Gena is amazing, Northern lights were BEAUTIFUL!!

So glad we went with this tour. Seeing Northern lights was incredibly magical and requires a ton of patience / attention. This was a dream for my wife and I and if you're looking for a great excursion, I highly recommend this tour group. Gena and her team provided exceptional service. We ended up renting a car and were able to follow her around Fairbanks to find the best viewpoints for lights. She was on top of everything and gave it her 100% to make sure all of us had a good time. Not only was she patient and nice, but she was also very quick to make decisions allowing us to get where we need to be at the right time. She is very transparent but will go above and beyond to give you and your family a great time. We were lucky enough to see the lights but even if we didn't, the adventure of driving around was exhilarating. She works tirelessly and long hours but she does not show it... her hard work deserves so much praise and cannot explain how much it means to my wife and I. I just want to say I've gone to Iceland for 10 days in November, 5 days in Finland and a few in Norway but never saw the lights.. I had low expectations and honestly if it wasn't for Gena, we might have had the same luck. She knew all the hot spots and was genuinely so happy for us when we got to see it. It was truly a dream come true.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your incredibly kind and heartfelt words. It truly means the world to me that I could be part of such a special memory for you and your wife. Chasing the northern lights takes patience, flexibility, and a little bit of luck, and I'm so grateful we were able to experience that magic together. Thank you for trusting AK Bucket List Tours, and we hope to welcome you back to Alaska one day!

via Viator

No aurora, but still a great tour

The tour was great from start to finish. Our guide was Gina and she was amazing! She was so kind, so informative, and just overall so pleasant

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for this sweet review! While the aurora didn’t appear, I’m so happy you still had a wonderful experience. It was a pleasure having you, and I truly appreciate your support!

via Tripadvisor