When Sandra Peña saw northern lights for the first time, it was a quiet moment of reflection for her about the creation of life. Her first thought was about how the first inhabitants of Earth must have felt when they saw these mysterious lights for the first time. Her second thought was how she wished she could share the moment with the special people in her life.
Many years and many encounters with the aurora borealis have passed since that moment, and she now shares these exceptional experiences with visitors from all over the world—as her job. Originally from Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz, Peña has been living in the Yukon for 16 years. Based in Tagish, her business, Nomada Excursions, offers a variety of unique tours in Spanish as well as in English. Her specialty is her Yukon Aurora Chasers tour (aurora-chasing for the adventurous).
Peña discovered her passion for guiding seven years ago but was faced with prejudice and harassment along the way. Instead of giving up the work that brought her so much joy, she channelled that adversity into something new and it ultimately pushed her to start her own business. It wasn’t easy and felt scary at times. Being a single mother of a then teenager (and setting aside money for this new dream) required a lot of hard work.
She started very small, leading tours in her Toyota Corolla. She didn’t let the cold temperatures and discouraging words from others chase her away; she accepted the challenge, despite the fact that many thought she would fail. Being mobile allowed her to move around and “chase” the northern lights, instead of just being in one place and hoping for the clouds to part and the light show to begin. Drawing inspiration from other Yukon women-led tour companies, from her own experiences of living in a northern community and from her interactions with encouraging and extraordinary neighbours and friends, she decided to lean into her strengths.
She felt confident that she knew what Spanish speakers wanted from their experience in the North, and she trusted that she understood this specific market. This was her chance to express herself in her own language and to be with Mexicans here in the Yukon, and so she chose to offer a tour 100 per cent in Spanish, from the airport pickup—all the way to the airport drop-off.
Advertising and distributing information about a new company can be particularly challenging but, fortunately for Peña, Facebook gave her a direct connection with potential clients. She started to post in groups for Mexicans in Canada, and travel groups for Mexicans, and learned very quickly how to use Facebook for advertising. Today, she estimates that about 95 per cent of her clients are from Mexico.
Thanks to Peña’s perseverance, hard work and exceptional reviews on Tripadvisor and Facebook, she’s been able to upgrade to a larger vehicle since those early days in her Corolla. Business Insider Mexico even featured a piece about her in 2022, as the first woman to create a tour in Spanish in the Yukon. These days, her husband sometimes joins her on her tours; but at the core, she’s still a one-woman show. It’s a challenge to manage the company all by herself, with marketing, sales, logistics, etc. There’s always something new to learn.
Although she misses her family in Mexico, the warmth of her people and the loud music and amazing street food, she considers Tagish her home and loves the unique people and the majestic landscapes of the North. “Living in the Yukon is always adventurous,” she said. In her experience, people are drawn to the Yukon for its nature and for the Indigenous culture and stories. “Some people are here to prove miracles—to believe in something or to witness the supernatural.”
First Nation communities believe that the northern lights are the spirits of their ancestors, and hearing this resonated deeply with Peña, making her feel connected to her own roots. “Mexicans have [had] a very tight relationship with the spirit world, since Aztec times,” she said. Nothing compares to seeing these incredible dancing shapes and vibrant colours in person, and it’s that sense of awe and astonishment triggered by the aurora that Peña loves to share with others. “My favourite part of my work is to see their excitement and happiness! The ‘Wow, Sandra, this is sooo beautiful’ … [and] to show them how beautiful the territory is—and the culture.”
While many associate northern lights with the long, dark nights of December and January, these upcoming months can still be really great for aurora-watching. In fact, in Peña’s experience, the best month is April. “I personally recommend April. The sun’s activity is higher after the equinox.” She suggests preparing by doing some research and getting warm equipment. “It’s better to have extra clothes than not having enough,” she said, then added, “Be open to adventure; the Yukon is more than just aurora.”
When the aurora season is over, Peña takes a break by spending time creating art with materials available in the Yukon—from caribou antlers, to collected minerals, as well as doing leather work from hide scraps and other materials from around the world. All the while, she waits patiently for the darkness and the aurora to return.
More information about Sandra Peña’s tours can be found at nomadaexcursionsyukon.com and on Facebook under Yukon Aurora Chasers.¡Vámonos de Tour! (Let’s go on tour!)
