Experience the wild Arctic tundra on this 8-day Arctic tour! View the shy beluga whales, muskox, and polar bears as your explore the Arctic via raft, kayak, and ATV. Abundant in adventure, this tour will delight and thrill travelers time and time again.
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive at the hangar in Yellowknife early in the morning and board a comfortable and privately chartered plane to Arctic Watch. This 4-hour flight passes over the vast and changing landscape as you fly 1,000 miles across trees and the impressive holes in the earth dug for the Diavik mine. The flight stops in Cambridge Bay to refuel. In the afternoon, land on a private airstrip next to Arctic Watch on Somerset Island. Take a short walk across the tundra and an even shorter raft ride across the Cunningham River before arriving at the lodge. Settle into your cabin before enjoying dinner in the lodge’s cozy dining room.
Following breakfast, attend a hands-on introduction to driving all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), which are easy and fun to drive. The ride takes anywhere between 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on your preference. Take a short-distance hike to the Cunningham River estuary to watch beluga whales frolic in the shallow water. In the afternoon, hike to Triple Waterfalls, a five-story torrent of free-falling water. View nesting peregrine falcons, loons, snow buntings, sandpipers and rough-legged hawks. Explore the canyon and hope for an encounter with a muskox. The evening is yours for self-exploration. Relax in the library or visit the interpretive center, which contains local fossils, skeletal remains of Arctic fauna, and a collection of traditional Inuit skin clothing from Canada, Greenland and Siberia.
After breakfast at the lodge, travel by ATV over the Cunningham River delta and along the Muskox Ridge Trail, which provides a scenic overview of the entire area. To date, every excursion to this location has resulted in a muskox encounter. Pass an impressive Arctic fox den and hope to view wild fox cubs at play. Enjoy a picnic lunch at Arctic Watch’s shelter at Inukshuk Lake before experiencing a “catch-and-release” fishing opportunity for Arctic Char. Return by ATV on an alternate route along the River Trail. In the evening, attend an informal lecture by Richard Weber, and internationally recognized polar explorer and owner of Arctic Watch.
In the morning, kayak in the Arctic’s Cunningham Inlet. All equipment and basic instructions are provided. Paddle among icebergs, ring seals and bearded seals, keeping a sharp eye out for beluga whales. Enjoy lunch along the shoreline and take a small hike to explore a local canyon, aptly named “Kayak Falls.” Take in the stunning views of the Northwest Passage and hope to see polar bears. This kayaking trip lasts between 30 minutes and 4 hours, depending on your preference. In the afternoon, return to the Cunningham River estuary to watch the beluga whales. The area is known for its beluga encounters. Guests can stand along the river banks as the whales frolic in the shallow water. To better appreciate the underwater calls, a hydrophone (underwater microphone) is used. In the evening, attend a lecture on beluga research.
Following breakfast, cross the Cunningham River delta for a trip to Flatrock Falls. View the stunning Somerset Island canyons, which were formed as the result of shifting fault lines. Their most vertical walls vary in height from 200 to 1,000 feet. Millions of fossils of prehistoric plants and animals litter the ground. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the flat rocks that surround the canyon, then travel to Gull Canyon to see the striking biological contrasts between barren canyon and lush gull rookery. In the evening, attend a lecture by Arctic Watch’s house scientist.
Take an ATV to Cape Anne to visit five Thule sites along the coast and to look for polar bears. The ride includes scenic vistas, icebergs, ancient Inuit campsites and prehistoric giant whale bones. The Thule culture was based around bowhead-whale-hunting, and were the ancestors of today’s modern Inuit. The Cape Anne Thule site is the largest in the area and includes the remains of 15 stone and bone houses. Polar bears can be often seen on the shoreline as they wander the coast. In the evening, relax and attend a lecture by Richard Weber which includes stunning images and fascinating stories of Arctic expeditions to Baffin, Ellesmere and other High Arctic islands.
Begin the day either rafting or kayaking on the Cunningham River. Typically, the final 3.7 miles of this trip requires a hike through the Badlands which passes the skeletal remains of two bowhead whales, dated at eight thousand years ago. The trip includes encounters with muskox, snow geese, jaegers, arctic fox, sandpipers and rough-legged hawks. Savor a picnic lunch on the beach beside the river before either taking a kayak or raft back to the lodge. The river is swift-flowing, crystal-clear water and doesn’t have any difficult sections or rapids. Travelers can expect to be on the water for 2-3 hours.
Spend the morning relaxing at the lodge and enjoying conversation with your fellow travelers. In the late afternoon, take a chartered plane back to Yellowknife.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Notes
Select a Date
Please add 5% GST for Canadians and 2.5% for non-Canadians, from Yellowknife, NT, Canada. Any two consecutive weeks for $11,990 per person plus 5% GST
Please add $1690 for the mandatory two-night transfer package from Yellowknife
We recommend purchasing a pair of Muck Boots for your trip to Arctic Watch.
Initial deposit is $2200, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 130 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
This was my first experience with Adventure Life - and I couldn't have been more pleased with the trip. The guides and local staff in both Buenos Aires and Uruguay were terrific - extremely helpful and accommodating. I really enjoyed meeting the friendly staff in Buenos Aires in person (I left my bags with them for the afternoon).
Karen Snider
TrustScore 4.8 | 135 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 135 reviews on
8 hours ago
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.