From Yellowknife, Canada board the private charter at approximately 2PM today for the two-hour flight to Arctic Haven.  Travel to the Arctic used to mean sleeping in a tent on the frozen tundra but not at Arctic Haven. The lodge is a post and beam structure that was designed to have minimal impact on the environmentally fragile area yet provide guests with a high standard of accommodation and comfort while visiting Nunavut. The 12 private guest room lodge is  Nunavut’s only green-energy-powered lodge.

Upon arrival at the lodge, guests will meet the team and be giving a short introduction on what to expect for the adventure ahead.  Dinner will be served followed by time to walk the tundra, unwind in the wood-fired sauna, and take in the Northern Lights.

Breakfast is served at 8:30 am followed by a water safety briefing before heading out for our day out on the water. We head to the northern reaches of Ennadai Lake high above the tree-line where numerous islands are used by migratory wildlife. Spot Qamanirjuaq caribou, wolves, and wolverines.

After a picnic lunch on the beach, you will have time for hiking and visiting archeological sites where the Ahiarmiut in the area have camped for hundreds of years. The Ahiarmiut are the Inuit people who lived on the shores of Ennadai Lake until the 1950s.

Enjoy an informal lecture by Richard Weber tonight and a gourmet meal. Unwind in the wood-fired sauna after dinner and admire the Northern Lights before drifting off to sleep.

Today starts with a helicopter flight to the top of the Blind Hill esker. The scenery changes from the soft, wet, blueberry flats to an ancient, dry caribou trail and finally to an open tundra ridge overlooking the lakes and land below.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in a sheltered forest gully and then hike across rolling terrain to reach an ancient stone Inuit hunting blind. Take in the breathtaking autumn colors.

Search for a variety of berries – lingon, crow, and blueberries to take back to the lodge for the culinary team to incorporate into one of your upcoming meals.

Return to the lodge by boat at the end of the hike for another delicious dinner. A presentation of the Ahiarmiut (people of the deer) will be given after dinner.

Depart this morning by boat for the far reaches of Ennadai Lake where caribou are most frequently seen on land or swimming between islands.  The beach on Paradise Island will be the picnic location today. Arctic Haven has a remote camp in this area so staying the night is this stunning location is an option. (must be pre-booked in advance).

Take a short hike up to the highest point on the island which is called Big Bear for a fantastic vista.

After returning to the lodge, Nansen Weber will give an informal lecture on his experience photographing the Barren Lands followed by dinner and the option to enjoy a sauna and/or the Northern Lights.

Heli-fishing adventure! For fishing enthusiasts, today offers the opportunity to try to land a grayling. Grayling are stunning fish with an impressive dorsal fin that are known to be tenacious fighters that are highly sought after by anglers. This area is accessible only by helicopter and it is possible to enjoy a full day casting into the steady and even current of the small, Arctic stream.

After a freshly caught fish lunch and a full day outdoors, an informal presentation on the Mythology and Folklore of the Northern Lights will be given.

Today will be an active day of fat biking along the expansive northern esker. An esker is a long, winding trail of sand that was deposited by the glaciers of the last Ice Age. Eskers offer a great vantage point over the surrounding scenery and wildlife. Well-drained due to their elevation and sandy composition, eskers are also popular locations for animals to den.  We leave the lodge by bike and return by boat.

For those who don’t wish to bike today, there is the option of a sea kayak excursion amongst the caribou islands on Ennadai Lake. This is another excellent place to observe wildlife.

Tonight will include an informal workshop on local edible tundra-sourced items.

On this final day, enjoy a short boat ride up the Kazan River. The landscape changes from tundra to the forest where birch, black spruce, and tamarack trees dominate the landscape. Moose and tundra swans are often spotted in this area.

Enjoy a hike along the Kazan River or take another turn at fishing for grayling. This afternoon, depart Arctic Haven bound for Yellowknife for overnight or continue home.

Notes:

Weather and wildlife in the Arctic can be unpredictable therefore the itinerary is a suggested outline. Most activities will happen, the order however could likely change.  Arctic Haven Lodge is in a remote location at 60 degrees North in Nunavut, Canada.

Per person, price starts at $7400USD per person. Subject to change and based on exchange rates of CAD$ to USD$.