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Narwhal & Polar Bear Safari
« All Arctic Tours by Land cruise options
| Dates | Deck + Cabin Type |
| Custom Base Camp Accommodations | |
| May 22 '13 May 30 '13 Jun 6 '13 Jun 14 '13 Jun 21 '13 |
$9,700 |
| Please note: rates are based on Canadian Dollars. Please contact us for exact quote in US dollars based on current exchange. Internal Flight package: $3856 CAD |
|
Please Note:
These itineraries are not based off of a small ship, but rather are land-based explorations of the Arctic. Accommodations are in luxury custom-built base camps.
Important Pricing Notice:
Rates based on current exchange rate Canadian Dollars (CAD) to US Dollars and do not include tax (varies by itinerary but generally 5%). Please contact us for current exchange rates.
Deposit & Payment These itineraries are not based off of a small ship, but rather are land-based explorations of the Arctic. Accommodations are in luxury custom-built base camps.
Important Pricing Notice:
Rates based on current exchange rate Canadian Dollars (CAD) to US Dollars and do not include tax (varies by itinerary but generally 5%). Please contact us for current exchange rates.
Day 1 Ottawa to Iqaluit
Depart Ottawa for Iqaluit in the morning. You will change planes in Iqaluit, departing to continue onto Pond Inlet. Upon landing at Pond Inlet, you be welcomed by your local coordinator and transferred to a comfortable hotel. During dinner, your expedition leader and lead Inuit guide give a briefing and gear check. The evening will be yours to relax, enjoy and explore Pond Inlet and the not too distant mountains of Bylot Island under the midnight sun.
Day 2 Travel to basecamp
After breakfast, you will meet your guides on the beach (yes! There are sand beaches in the Arctic as well!) in preparation for your departure to southeast Bylot Island and the floe-edge. You will be traveling traditional Inuit-style by komatiq and snowmobile across the sea ice. Your route of approximately 90km will include tea-stops at historic grave sites, hanging glaciers, and abandoned whaling stations and hunting cabins. The final destination will be the ice floe edge where a base camp will be set up just back from the ice edge (conditions permitting).
Days 3-6 Arctic Exploration
Your ice floe edge base camp will enable you to enjoy the warm spring weather and engage in a variety of activities both on land and at the floe-edge. Wake up mornings to the smell of fresh coffee and the sounds of narwhal resting just off the ice edge. From camp and the floe-edge you can expect to see icebergs, and ‘bergy-bits’, and drifting pack ice with playful seals poking their heads up out of the water and looking directly at you. Plenty of time will be provided for unhurried observation and photography.
On the floe-edge, the likelihood is high that you will see narwhals, bowhead whales, polar bears on the prowl for seals sunning themselves, and possibly walrus and beluga whales. The majority of migratory birds are in abundance. Pure white ivory gulls, gaudy king eider ducks, low flying northern fulmars, thick-billed murres, Kittiwakes, and greater snow geese (kanguq) are just a bird species to be seen. Ice conditions permitting, there will be a visit to the bird colony with 20,000 plus birds nesting not far away.
On the land, you will have the opportunity to track land mammals with your camera, see ancient Thule culture sites, see traditional tent rings and learn the history of the area. Bylot Island’s uplands are home to Arctic foxes and hares, weasels, collared lemmings, snowy owls, rough-legged hawks, and gyrfalcons.
Day 7 Pond Inlet
After breakfast, break camp and reload the komatics for your return journey to Pond Inlet. Stop at a 100 meter stepped waterfall for tea made with the glacier run off. Once again you will cross about 90km of sea ice by snowmobile, lead by your Inuit guides.
In the evening, you are free to explore the village of Pond Inlet. The Nattinnak Visitors Centre, located on the bluff, houses an excellent exhibit of the region’s natural history including a full size narwhal with a tusk hanging from the ceiling. The Co-op store (which typically has a selection of carvings and other crafts) and the Northern store (historically known as “The Bay,” derived from the famous Hudson’s Bay Company stores) are worth visiting. You may also have the opportunity to buy carvings directly from local artists. Accommodations and dinner will be at the Bed and Breakfast lodge.
Day 8 Return home
After an early breakfast, transfer to the Pond Inlet Airport for your flight to Iqaluit. On arrival in Iqaluit, you will immediately change planes and continue on to Ottawa, arriving at (16:50). Extra days in Ottawa can be arranged by request.
Itinerary Notes
Please note:All rates are posted in Canadian Dollars (CAD) and do not include 5% GST (2.5% for non-Canadian residents). Please contact us for current exchange rates.
Included
- The services of highly qualified Inuit Guides and Arctic Kingdom Expedition Leader
- Unlimited use of kayaks
- All transportation for duration of trip
- All accommodations from Pond Inlet - 2 nights Pond Inlet, 5 nights arctic luxury base camp
- All meals
- Hotel transfers in Pond Inlet
Not Included
- Flight to Pond Inlet from Ottawa (ask about special rates)
- Hotel in Ottawa
- Tips/Gratuities , Personal Expenses
- Travel, Medical and Search and Rescue Coverage
- Additional costs associated with weather and/or layovers in Pond Inlet, Iqaluit or Ottawa
Deposit & Payment
Initial deposit is $2000 CAD, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, and Discover. Alternatively, you can send a check to our Missoula, Montana, office or register online at: https://www.adventure-life.com/forms/fourways.php
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure.
Final payment by bank transfer, check or Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Amex. Credit Card payments subject to 3% convenience fee and maximum $15,000 charge.
Booking last minute? No problem! Please contact one of our trip planners, and we can get you on your way if booking less than 100 days prior to departure.
Click here to see a copy of our Terms and Conditions.
Cancellation Policy
| Days Prior to departure | Fee |
|---|---|
| 90 days | Deposit |
| 89-61 days | 50% tour cost |
| 60-0 days | 100% tour cost |
Arctic Tours by Land
- Ship Highlights
- Passengers : 12
Think African Safari…in the Arctic
These land based trips are operated from either cabins and lodges, safari style camps located on the sea ice within a safe distance from the floe edge, or on a flat expanse of pebbly beach. Many of these locations have been used by Inuit for generations and are still used to this day.
Each trip begins in a local Inuit community, where you will meet soap stone carvers, Inuit throat singers or drum dancers, and learn how seal skins are made into traditional clothing. Here you can ease into the Arctic environment welcomed by the friendly, local community.
Arctic land tours local guides and elders have been traveling and living on the land all their lives. This knowledge is built into every one of these trips. Combine this traditional knowledge with the very latest in expedition equipment including satellite imagery for ice and wildlife tracking, rigid polar bear proof structures and the latest spotting scopes to ensure a safe and memorable Arctic experience.
Utmost Comfort
Remote camps are ready for you upon arrival and designed to provide you with ultimate comfort and functionality. Custom built base camps vary but typically consist of a kitchen structure for your gourmet chef to call home, and a large central meeting and dining location. Separate washroom facilities provide a private spot to freshen up with running water, washbasins and hot showers.
These tours define comfort as lounging on raised beds, dining on the freshest foods and relaxing in custom designed tents. This is what sets these land tours apart from the rest – a luxury experience in the Arctic.
Small Groups
By traveling in small groups of 6-12 people, passing silently by glaciers and below towering fiords, you truly embrace the Arctic wilderness. This allows you to enjoy the Arctic at your own pace, without the rumbling of engines and crowds of people nearby.
Unparalleled Knowledge
Your team operating the Arctic land tours have aerially scouted the far reaches of the Arctic for hundreds of hours, have a decade’s worth of wildlife expeditions under their belt, and worked with the world’s leading wildlife and culture filmmakers. .
Unparalleled Access
Not from the deck of a ship, but from the land. For years they have worked closely with
Inuit guides and developed lasting friendships, to bring the best of the Arctic to you. Through these friendships you will gain access to knowledge of the best locations, wildlife colonies and safe passageways, passed on through generations. You’ll also make new friends, while sharing stories, tracking wildlife and scanning the horizons for polar bears.
Peace of Mind
Your safety is taken very seriously. For every expedition there is a thorough Arctic Safety Plan complete with training, field support and top of the line equipment. With a mix of traditional survival and modern technology, staff are well prepared to handle minor to major emergency scenarios. Expedition leaders are highly trained professionals, equipped with instant communication to headquarters and local response teams.
Arctic Experiences - Four Distinct Styles
Arctic Safaris
Designed to allow travelers to spend as much time as possible experiencing Arctic wildlife. This could be on the floe edge, in a zodiac boat, on foot, or by snowmobile. All safaris have been carefully researched to offer the very best of polar wildlife and scenery. Your expert team has scouted the locations, consulted with scientists, and worked hand-in-hand with local Inuit guides to bring the best the Arctic has to offer to you.
Great Migrations
The mass movement of animals from one region to another is one of nature’s most astounding natural phenomenon. At the root of every migration is the need to mate, to seek nourishment or to escape extreme weather. So while fascinating, migration is crucial to survival for many animals. Great Migration expeditions are land-based safari-style trips timed to coincide with such migrations, including the Narwhal, as they travel south for the summer, or the Bowhead Whale as they move further north to feed. These floe edge Great Migration trips also offer opportunities to see Polar Bears and Walrus.
Grand Odysseys
Grand Odysseys are defined by unprecedented access, demanding logistics and the overall sense of exploration. These trips utilize years of experience planning and operating major scientific and film expeditions, and take advantage of the full range of activities possible, including hot air ballooning over the sea ice, snow surfing, kite skiing, snowmobiling, and the ultimate Arctic experience, a North Pole flyover.
Arctic Diving Safaris
What first inspired the creation of these tours was a trip to Igloolik to dive with Walrus and Bowhead whales under the ice. Since then your expert team has lead hundreds of dive trips, and are always eager to talk about their first love. From rebreathers to open circuit, and under ice diving, with exotic Arctic wildlife, they are the experts in Arctic diving. A scuba diving information kit is available upon request, which includes dive policies, operations, supplied gear and required gear list.
| Cabins | |
|---|---|
 | Custom Base Camp Accommodations Relax after a day of exploration in your custom-built base camp, with raised beds, private washrooms and custom designed tents. |
