Day 1: Friday: Travel to Arctic Watch and Arrival
You have a morning departure from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on a private charter plane, leather seats, good food for the flight of 900 miles (1500 km) to Arctic Watch - arrives mid afternoon.
Tour of facilities; everyone is shown their cabin.
Briefing in Great Room. Meet the staff.
Dinner in Dining Room. Day 2: Beluga Whale Watching, Short Hike to Waterfall, ATV Driving Lesson
Breakfast is served at 8:00. There is a hands-on introduction to driving All Terrain Vehicles (ATV). These practical vehicles are easy and fun to drive. Then hike a short distance to the Cunningham River estuary for whale watching. Beluga whales frolic in the shallow water only a few yards off shore amongst the ice floes. This site is unique in the world because of the density of the whale population and their proximity to guests. Frequently guests can stand within a couple of yards of the whales, their communication calls clearly heard.
Buffet lunch typically includes: nutritious soups, such as French Canadian Pea, leek, potato, and cream of corn; freshly-baked sourdough and rye breads; specialty meats and cheeses; fresh vegetables; and homemade desserts.
In the afternoon, hike to Triple Waterfalls, a five-story torrent of free-falling water. There you will see nesting peregrine falcons and other birds such as loons, snow buntings, sandpipers, and rough-legged hawks. Explore the canyon and see wild arctic flowers. Encounters with muskox are common.
Evening meals typically include a main course of baked arctic char, grilled muskox, barbequed pork tenderloin, or other meat. Side dishes of oven-roasted vegetables, red and white wine, fresh bread and homemade desserts round out the meal.
Evening activities include free time for local exploration. The library has a broad selection of arctic and polar titles. The Interpretive Centre contains collections of local fossils, skeletal remains of arctic fauna, and collection of traditional Inuit skin clothing from Canada, Greenland and Siberia. Day 3: Look for Muskoxen, Foxes, Inukshuk Lake, Arctic Char Fishing, Evening Lecture
Breakfast, served at 8:00, typically includes fresh coffee, home-baked pastries, muffins, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, yoghurt, muesli, French toast or pancakes with Quebec maple syrup, eggs, double-smoked bacon, sausages and various other snacks. Afterwards, travel by ATV, crossing the Cunningham River delta, then along the Muskox Ridge trail. This affords a scenic overview of the whole area. To date, every excursion has encountered muskox. Pass an impressive arctic fox den, frequently watching fox cubs at play.
A picnic lunch at CAH's shelter at Inukshuk Lake is followed by the opportunity to fish for arctic char. Fishing gear is supplied. Returning on ATVs, take an alternate route via the River Trail, viewing hoodoos (sculptured sand pillars), and local coal deposits.
The evening begins with fresh arctic char sushi made from the day’s catch. Another fabulous dinner follows.
This evening, Richard Weber, internationally recognized polar explorer, offers an informal lecture on his North Pole adventures. His historic 1995 unassisted journey to the North Pole and back, a feat that has never been repeated, will be highlighted. Day 4: Sea Kayaking with Whales
Another hearty breakfast is served at 8:00am. Today’s focus is on sea kayaking in Cunningham Inlet. All equipment and basic instruction are provided. Paddle amongst icebergs, ring seals and bearded seals, watching for beluga whales. Frequent sightings of sea birds, including arctic terns and eider ducks, can be expected.
Lunch is a picnic on the shore, then it is back to the boats. Often the beluga whales will follow the kayaks, swimming under and around the boats. CAH uses a hydrophone (underwater microphone) to listen to their calls.
Evening meal and free time are the same as described in Day 2. Day 5: Hike or Drive to Flatrock Falls, Picnic Lunch, Gull Canyon
Please see Day 3 for outline of today’s hearty breakfast. Following breakfast, depart, crossing the Cunningham River delta, with the ultimate goal of Flatrock Falls. Guests have the option of hiking, or traveling by Mercedes Unimog truck, mountain bike, or ATV. Somerset Island canyons are as yet un-named. They were formed as the result of a shifting fault lines and their walls, mostly vertical, vary from 200 to 1000 feet. Millions of fossils of prehistoric plants and animals litter the ground. Today’s trip also offers opportunities to observe nesting sites of local birds including terns, plovers, and snow geese.
A picnic lunch is served directly on the flat rocks that surround this canyon. After lunch, everyone hikes to Gull Canyon, named by CAH for the striking biological contrasts between barren canyon and lush gull rookery. This spot was recently visited by the Canadian Wildlife Service, not only to view the gull rookery but also the presence of peregrine falcons. Their comments were that this spot is a unique and special micro-ecosystem.
Today’s eventful trek is followed by another exceptional dinner at Arctic Watch. This evening, guests have the opportunity to watch, or for the more adventurous, participate in, demonstrations of traditional Inuit games and throat singing. Throat singing is unique to the indigenous peoples of the polar regions of the world and is unlike any other vocal music in western culture. Day 6: Trip to Cape Anne Ancient Inuit Campsite and Tour of the Northwest Passage
Eight o’clock breakfast starts another day at Arctic Watch. Today’s excursion is by ATV to Cape Anne along the fabled Northwest Passage. Visit five Thule sites along coast. The ride includes scenic vistas, icebergs, ancient Inuit campsites and prehistoric giant whale bones. The Thule culture was a bowhead whale hunting culture, 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. Return trip is overland via the Red Valley and guests can expect to be inspired by the magnitude of the landscape.
At the end of a long day, enjoy another delicious dinner at Arctic Watch. This evening guests can relax with a lecture by Richard Weber. His presentation includes stunning images and fascinating stories of Arctic expeditions to Baffin, Ellesmere and other High Arctic islands. Day 7: Raft Float Trip on the Cunningham River
Begin this final day with one of Josee’s wonderful breakfasts. The first leg of today’s journey is covered by Mercedes Unimog truck. The goal is to reach the raft and kayak put-in on the Cunningham River, 20 kilometers from Arctic Watch. Typically, you'll hike the final six kilometers through badlands, passing the skeletal remains of two bowhead whales dated at four to five thousand years old. Not uncommonly, you encounter muskox, snow geese, jaegers, arctic foxes, sand pipers, and rough-legged hawks.
A picnic lunch is eaten on the beach beside the river, while the staff prepare the rafts and kayaks.
On the return to Arctic Watch, guests have the choice of paddling their own kayaks, or traveling by raft. The river is swift flowing crystal clear water with no difficult sections or rapids. The views are amazing and include steep canyon walls and at one point, a 180-degree turn. Guests can expect to be on the water for two to three hours.
Guests enjoy their final dinner and evening at Arctic Watch. Day 8: Last Day at Arctic Watch - Flight to Yellowknife, NWT
This is your last day in the High Arctic. By know you are familiar with northern Somerset Island. The last day is reserved for any activity that you may have missed or some activities that you particularly liked and want to repeat - such as a last visit to the whales - or maybe you want to watch those muskox again.
Late in the afternoon, your private plane will depart for Yellowknife. You are free to spend the night there or continue your journey south. |
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