Hi!
I want to talk about my trip to Yellowknife, Canada, to see the Northern Lights.
If you want to see the article about the Northern Lights, please skip to the “Northern Lights”!
Contents
Day 2 (Sightseeing, Diamonds, Food)
I decided to head to the Visitor Centre in the morning because, according to what I heard, you can get a certificate and an extra badge for coming to Yellowknife if you go to the Visitor Centre.
I was told that the location where this service is provided has moved several times and was currently operating here.
Excellent art at the main entrance.
And I successfully got my certificate and badge.
There were many cute stamps!
There were also guidebooks, a dog sledding, and an indigenous people’s gallery.
Next, we headed here.
NWT Diamond and Jewellery Centre
This is a diamond center.
I heard that the area a little above Yellowknife is a famous diamond mining area.
When we entered, they showed us a video in the projector room about the history of diamonds in the area.
They showed a variety of diamonds, and they were extremely friendly.
Here is a lovely pink diamond cut into a heart shape.
The second picture is from a lower angle, and you can see the heart-shaped pattern!
Diamond cutting is really an art.
Some also had maple markings dug into them to prove they were from Canada.
(Invisible to the naked eye, wow)
There were also rings and accessories sold at such low prices that you could buy them at a very reasonable price considering the market price.
Many of them are unique to Canada.
The next stop was here, Yellowknife’s only brewery and restaurant.
NWT Brewing Company / The Woodyard Brewhouse & Eatery
There were so many varieties that I couldn’t choose one lol.
We ordered two of the four beers that were available in small glasses.
The beers ranged from fruit beers to black beers, from light to heavy, all with very different characteristics, and were very tasty and enjoyable.
The food was also excellent.
After that, we headed to the observation deck.
It was a great place to come and see the whole city just a short climb away and watch the lights as snowmobiles raced over the frozen lake, just like we did yesterday.
Bush Pilots Monument
Illumination along the way.
The next stop was a sushi restaurant.
Sushi Cafe
Then we returned to the inn, got some sleep, and set off in search of the Northern Lights.
Our guide made soup for us.
We then shared a bottle of ice wine from a local liquor store with the people we had made friends on the tour.
After a short chat, we waited for the Northern Lights to appear.
(Canada is famous for its ice wine, and there are many delicious ones to take home.)
On this day, it was also cloudy, and the Northern Lights were not visible.
Day 3 (dog sledding, food)
On this last day, we started with dog sledding.
The tour we joined already included dog sledding, but some people paid extra for it at the site.
There are two types of dog sledding experience: one where a group of people ride on a sled like on the first day, and the other where you are completely in control of the dogs by yourself.
(The dogs were so energetic that it was hard to control them.)
It was extremely cold, but they seemed totally fine. I was impressed by how animals adapt to their environment.
It was quite a hard experience for me to run a few kilometers completely alone on a frozen lake on such a sled!
(I was running with the dogs for about 15 minutes in the middle of a frozen lake with the temperature probably going down to -20 to -30 degrees Celsius.)
It was a wonderful experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
The video during the race is only the first frame. The rest of the video shows snowmobiles on the way back.
After returning from the extreme race, we headed here for lunch.
It was a nice restaurant!
The Hungry Wolf Restaurant
Next, here is a souvenir shop.
It was fun just looking at all the unique items here in Yellowknife.
And here is what I chose for my last dinner in Yellowknife.
We went to the restaurant attached to the hotel for the elk and rabbit dish.
After dinner, we headed out in search of the Northern Lights.
Trader’s Grill
Finally, Northern Lights viewing!
When we left the restaurant after eating, we noticed that the previously cloudy sky had changed completely, and the sky was clear.
We were so excited that we thought, “Today is the day we can see the Northern Lights! We got on the bus and were on our way to the observation hut when our guide said to us. Everyone, the Northern Lights borealis is already here!
And today, it looks like they are showing up spectacularly!
After what seemed like a long time, the bus arrived at the hut, and we all got off the bus and looked up at the sky to see a star-filled sky and the Northern Lights like the Milky Way.
I had heard that the Northern Lights are not so easy to see with the naked eye; they are just a white blur, but on this particular day, I could clearly see a strong Northern Lights display with the naked eye.
Indeed, they appear more clearly green or something like that when viewed through a camera, but I could recognize the huge curtain of light green fluttering in the sky.
It was indeed a fantastic sight to behold.
It was a huge curtain, changing its shape every second, splitting into two and then becoming one again.
The guide was nice and took many pictures of us while the Northern Lights were out.
Please take a look at their official Facebook page where they post photos every day.
https://www.facebook.com/p/Aurora-Wonderland-Tours-Becks-Kennels-100063465884079/
By the way, I was using my iPhone 14pro for shooting.
I had a digital SLR, but it was too cold and had glitches and battery problems, so I focused on shooting with my iPhone.
When shooting with the iPhone, you can capture the Northern Lights more clearly by using the night mode and increasing the exposure time.
In this photo, you can clearly see that the bottom is green and the top is red.
Also, a smaller exposure time produced a photo similar to that seen with the naked eye.
This is what it looks like in real life.
It looks like a cloud, but it is not.
You may be thinking, “This is not what it looks like,” but it is magnificent and quite impressive!
This is a starry sky.
The sight of the Northern Lights floating among countless stars is a sight of a lifetime.
P.S.
I saw the Northern Lights on the last day, and I felt that the 95% observation rate over a three-day period was not a fluke.
Some of my companions could not see the Northern Lights during the 3-day/2-night itinerary, so I strongly recommend reserving at least three days for your trip.
Seeing the Northern Lights was one of the things on my bucket list, so it gave me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
However, being greedy, I am starting to think that next time I will see the Northern Lights in Finland, lol.
Anyway, Yellowknife is a town with many attractions, not only the Northern Lights, so if you are wondering where to go to see the Northern Lights, I recommend it.
There is also a supermarket in the town center where you can get water and snacks.
And here is a souvenir shop of buffalo leather goods.
(I think it was attached to the Discovery Inn.)
The owner of the store is a very nice man, and he had two big friendly dogs.
He also had mugs that would come to life when filled with hot water, beaver pelts, etc.
You can also make mugs based on your photos, and many people have made beautiful mugs with photos of the Northern Lights.
I hope I have introduced you to the charm of the Northern Lights and Yellowknife.
Bye!
