Inuit Lands and The Road to the Arctic

An easy start followed by a guided walking tour of some of the city highlights. The capital of the Yukon Territory, Whitehorse, offers a charming inside view to the history of the North. We visit the Visitor Centre to learn about the different regions of the Yukon, the SS Klondike paddle wheeler boat, a restored relics from the Gold Rush days. To finish with an inspiration of the North, we will have a guided tour through the Old Log Museum. Whitehorse has great shops, galleries and museums that are open all year. During free times, you can stroll down Main Street and spend time with the locals in the lively cafés and interesting stores. Keep an eye out for local culinary products - you will be surprised at the food scene here. There will be time this afternoon to take a walk along the scenic riverfront pathway and enjoy the long hours of daylight that the northern location brings.

We start our day at the Kwanlin Dun Indigenous Cultural centre situated on the banks of the Yukon River where the Kwanlin Dün First Nation people celebrate their heritage and way of life. The Kwanlin Dün Centre represents the return of the Indigenous People to their traditional home along the banks of the Chu Nínkwän (Yukon River). Throughout the facility, the Indigenous Peoples tradition of welcoming others to experience, and to celebrate and share the Indigenous history, traditions and culture with Yukoners and visitors from around the world, is reflected. Today we also visit the magnificent Kluane National Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. where we learn about the glacial fields at the Park Visitor Centre. We will stop at Sheep Mountain hoping to spot local Dall sheep in their natural environment. Afterwards, we return to Whitehorse for an evening at leisure.

This morning, after breakfast, we will visit the MacBride Museum which showcase the history of the Yukon through story telling, artifacts, photographs and more. Then we take a short flight to Dawson City, an eclectic and vibrant northern community on the banks of the Yukon River, possibly soon to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town is a mix of First Nations heritage and Gold Rush history, blended with an active gold mining industry as well as a thriving arts scene. Dawson's history includes Beringia, the Ice Age period which formed the unique landscape, the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in indigenous people who have called this place home for centuries, as well as the Klondike Gold Rush, which put this town on the map worldwide.Dawson today is a colourful community that still has the look and feel of a wild-west frontier town, with personalities to boot. Miners, artists, wanderers, and the Indigenous People, all call this place home. Time permitting, we may join an informative local guide on a walking tour that compares the Dawson of 1898 to the Dawson of today. We will hear some incredible tales about the people that roamed the streets during the Gold Rush period. For our local area tour, we board a minibus for a driving tour of Dawson City and the goldfields, we will be visiting Dredge No.4 as well. We will also experience Dawson City and the Yukon Valley from the top of the Midnight Dome, a great viewpoint with stunning photo opportunities and breathtaking views. We return to the downtown for a group dinner. We recommend with your free time after dinner to visit the famous pub of Bombay Peggy’s a local Cocktail Bar known as a Sourdough Saloon, and home of the Famous Sour Toe Cocktail.

Today we experience the Dempster Highway and Tombstone Territorial Park! En route to the park, our expert local guide will share the history and tell us about the changing landscape of the area. We will make frequent photo stops on the Dempster, and you will see some of the most amazing landscapes the Yukon has to offer. We will stop at the Tombstone Interpretive Centre where you will have the opportunity to unwind while wandering through the exhibits and have a chance to talk with park rangers. For those interested in a short one-hour guided flat terrain hike along the North Klondike River, our local guide will escort us and explain facts about this seldom visited and remote corner of the North American continent. Return to Dawson City around 5:00 pm this afternoon and have some free time before dinner.

Today we have a free morning. After breakfast, take the time to explore the town on your own.Later, we drive to Dawson Airport for our late afternoon 3.5hrs flight over the remote subarctic tundra to the town of Inuvik located within the Arctic Circle. On the East Channel of the incredible Mackenzie River delta ecosystem, Inuvik acts as the gateway to the Western Arctic.Upon arrival, we will be picked up and drive to the Mackenzie Hotel to drop off our bags before dinner.

Today we drive on the recently built Mackenzie Valley Highway to the Arctic Ocean and be amongst the first visitors to travel on this road from Inuvik to the community of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean. This experience is exclusive and a "one-off" as we drive on Canada's only road to the Arctic Ocean. The locals refer to Tuktoyaktuk as "Tuk", and here, we will experience and learn the ways of life of the people who also call it "home". Our local Inuit guide will share stories and history of the area and point out local landmarks and other points of interest including the Lady of Lourdes Schooner, Traditional sod house, local churches, Distant Early Warning Site, and the Trans Canada Trailhead site. We will see a pingo, also a national landmark, where your guide will explain how these amazing natural formations are formed. Then it is out onto the Arctic Ocean to dip our toes and experience the vastness of the Beaufort Sea where we hear stories of how the local people survive in this northern environment.

We will have a breakfast in the hotel, followed by some free time before the boat tour.This afternoon, we head to the shores of the winding Mackenzie River. Our Indigenous guide will take us on a 4-to-5-hour long boat tour explaining how the river is used. From the community of Inuvik, we will travel by boat across the massive Mackenzie Delta. During this tour we will learn about the traditional use of the delta, fishing, hunting & trapping as we journey along the largest and longest river system in Canada. There will be a traditional lunch provided of Bannock, smoked tea, or coffee.Before our flight back to Whitehorse, we will have a walking tour of the town to see the Igloo church, maybe visit the community greenhouse if it is open, browse through the interesting craft store selling local artifacts and perhaps walk to the banks of the Mackenzie River. This far north, well within the Arctic Circle, there is no nighttime, and we will experience the midnight sun and 24 hours of daylight!

This morning, our adventure in the Yukon and Northwest Territories comes to an end. Following breakfast, you will depart the hotel and transfer to Whitehorse airport for onward flight and travel arrangements.