USA Today Logo New York Times Logo Outside Magazine Logo Conde Nast Traveler Logo National Geographic Traveler

Walrus and Bowhead Safari

« All Arctic Tours by Land cruise options
A good looking fellow|^|Arctic KingdomFlocking together|^|Arctic KingdomThis is what I call sledding!|^|Arctic KingdomKayaking - Arctic Kingdom.|^|Arctic KingdomQuiet observation|^|Arctic Kingdom
Dates Deck + Cabin Type
Custom Base Camp Accommodations
Jul 5 '13
Jul 12 '13
$8,610
Please note: rates are based on current exchange rate (CAD/USD). Please contact us for exact quote in US dollars.
Internal Flight package: $3063 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

Request More Information

First Name
Last Name
Email
Phone
Tell us more. We will customize a brochure to your preferences.

Day 1 Ottowa to Iqaluit

After an early breakfast, guests head to the Ottawa airport and take a flight to Iqaluit – capital of Nunavut and the gateway to Nunavut. From there you will take another flight to Igloolik – oldest Inuit settlement in Canada. Meet for an orientation talk and equipment check. Depart on a 30min to 1 hour trip to camp via snowmobiles and qamuitk. After unloading your equipment, settle into your tents and meet for a hot meal. Your Expedition Leader will explain the itinerary for the following day.

Day 2 Floe Edge

The next six days will vary completely based upon weather, interests and animal movements. The following is purely representative, yet each day outlined describes a day that actually occurred on a previous expedition to this beautiful location:

Take your first visit to the floe edge and familiarize yourselves with this new environment. Take a boat ride out into the Arctic Ocean to look for Bowheads. Some expedition members observe quietly, while others take photographs from the boat.

Day 3 Foxe Basin

Travel by boat far out into the Foxe Basin where you may come upon a pair of walrus huddled on the ice pack. Quietly watch these enormous animals and take photographs from both the ice and boat getting as close as your expedition leaders and Inuit guides will allow. Enjoy a hot lunch on the very same piece of ice as the walrus, which are not at all concerned by your presence. On the journey back spot a few Bowhead whales cruising the icy waters.

Day 4 Walrus Spotting

Journey out again by boat. The bright sun reflecting off the crystal-clear flat waters is simply magical. Come upon four large floating islands of ice covered with Walrus. At least a hundred animals sit on each island. Steam rises from the group as they sun themselves. Observe the walrus diving for clams and repeatedly hauling themselves out of the water and back up onto their resting platform on the ice.

Days 5-6 Excursions & Encounters

Daily boat excursions (can be up to 10 hours per day with lunch stops and wildlife viewing) with local Inuit boats and guides out into the waters of the Foxe basin in search of walrus, bowhead whales. If lucky, spot polar bears swimming among the ice.

Day 7 Return to Iqaluit / Ottawa

Pack up your gear and travel back to Igloolik for an 11am departure for Iqaluit. Your plane departs in the afternoon and you arrive back in the early evening in Ottawa.

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 a highly qualified, English speaking expedition leader
- All accommodations in itinerary (6 nights in AK base camp)
- Local hunter/fisherman guides
- All meals listed in itinerary
- For snorkelers / Divers: Drysuit (if you do not bring your own), tanks, weights, mask, snorkel, fins and airfills)
- Airport transfers in gateway community

Not Included:
- Airfare from home to gateway community
- Expenses incurred to weather delays and/or flight schedule changes/delays.
- Hotel accommodations in 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 departureFee
90 daysDeposit
89-61 days50% tour cost
60-0 days100% tour cost

Arctic Tours by Land

Arctic village|^|Arctic KingdomArctic village|^|Arctic KingdomArctic village|^|Arctic KingdomArctic village|^|Arctic KingdomLooking forward|^|Arctic Kingdom
    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
Base Camp lodgingCustom Base Camp Accommodations
Relax after a day of exploration in your custom-built base camp, with raised beds, private washrooms and custom designed tents.

Request More Information

First Name
Last Name
Email
Phone
Tell us more. We will customize a brochure to your preferences.

Newsletter

Questions about a tour?
Contact us with your questions.

Technical Problem?
Contact the webmaster
for assistance.

Are you a Travel Agent?
Click here to Contact us.

Call Us
800-344-6118 (Toll-free)
406-541-2677 (Outside US)
406-541-2676 (Fax)

Adventure Life
712 W Spruce St., Suite 1
Missoula, MT 59802

Share