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Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

Starting from INR 600075

Spend a week exploring the Canadian Arctic at this unique wilderness lodge and world-class beluga whale observation site on Somerset Island in Nunavut, Canada.

  • Duration
    10 days
  • Group Size
    2 to 10
  • Difficulty
    Moderate
  • Season
    June - August
Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

Situated 500 miles (805 km) north of the Arctic Circle, the lodge offers guests fully guided opportunities for diverse adventure activities, and extraordinary polar photography thanks to 24 hours of daylight. Observe the elusive musk ox, polar bear and more wildlife in their natural habitat and enjoy comfortable accommodations and superb food, all accessible via a scenic flight from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Your Hosts: Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge is a family-run basecamp, hosted by arctic enthusiasts Josée Auclair and her husband, Richard Weber, along with their two sons, Tessum and Nansen. They are distinguished across the Canadian High Arctic as polar experts, particularly in Nunavut, and specialize in North Pole and arctic tourism. Additional expertise comes from veteran polar expedition team members, Niki Trudeau, and Dave Allcorn.

Highlights: Encounter rarely seen and iconic arctic wildlife and their habitats: polar bears, muskoxen, ringed seals, bird cliffs, fox dens and much more Visit the Cunningham River estuary, seasonal home to hundreds of beluga whales Take advantage of included equipment and activities such as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), a Mercedes Unimog, kayaking, rafting, fishing and hiking Visit Cape Anne Thule sites with ancient stone and bone houses Enjoy unique photography opportunities Make the most of optional activities such as fishing for arctic char, and the Beechey Island fly-in excursion

The tour package inclusions and exclusions at a glance
Whats included in this tour Items that are covered in the cost of tour price.
  • Pre-expedition hotel night in Yellowknife and breakfast
  • Group transfer to and from charter flight to Arctic Watch lodge
  • Charter flight from Yellowknife to Arctic Watch lodge (return)
  • Post-expedition hotel night in Yellowknife and breakfast
  • Group transfers from your hotel to the airport for your charter flight (return)
  • Cost per person: $1,895 USD

IMPORTANT: The itinerary outlined s only a sample of a typical week at Arctic Watch Lodge. Day-to-day activities may vary and are also weather dependent.

Dates of charter flights may be altered due to weather conditions. Please keep this in mind when making international flight arrangements. Consider purchasing flexible, changeable airline tickets or booking a one-way flight home after completing the expedition, to help reduce ticket change fees. These delays may not be covered by travel insurance.

Whats not included in this tour Items that are covered in the cost of tour price.
  • Everything which is not mentioned in Inclusion.
  1. Day 1 — Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

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    Enjoy an included night in Yellowknife and meet your fellow travelers at a welcome expedition briefing, followed by boot and signature Expeditions parka distribution.

  2. Day 2 — Yellowknife and Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    Today, board our private chartered plane to fly the 1,000 miles (1,500 km) to the Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge. During the four-and-a-half-hour flight, you’ll pass over the treeline as you cross the Arctic Circle. Following a refueling stop in the community of Cambridge Bay, you’ll circle above Cunningham Inlet. Enjoy aerial views of the lodge below, before landing on the private airstrip on Somerset Island. A half mile (900 metre) walk across the tundra—and a 110 yard (100 metre) raft ride across the Cunnigham River—will bring you to the lodge. After a tour of the facilities, you’ll be escorted to your cabin. Upon settling in, meet your hosts for a safety briefing and overview of the exciting activities and options ahead.

  3. Day 3 — Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge, Somerset Island, Nunavut

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    After a hot breakfast, a typical first morning at the lodge may include receiving a hands-on introduction to driving all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), which are easy and fun to operate. Later, you may take a short hike to the Cunningham River estuary to spot beluga whales frolicking in the shallow water only a few yards offshore. After lunch, there may be an opportunity for a hike to Triple Waterfalls, a five-story torrent of free-falling water. There, you can see nesting peregrine falcons and other birds such as loons, snow buntings, sandpipers and rough-legged hawks. Exploring this canyon introduces you to the delicate beauty of wild arctic flowers. Encounters with muskoxen are common.

    During your gourmet dinner, pair your meal with a fine Canadian bottle of wine from the Northwest Passage Wine and Spirit List. After dinner, there’s free time to explore in and around the lodge. The library has a broad selection of arctic and polar titles. The interpretive center contains collections of local fossils, the skeletal remains of arctic fauna, and a collection of traditional Inuit clothing from Canada, Greenland and Siberia.

  4. Day 4 — Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    After a full breakfast, you’ll travel by ATV, crossing the Cunningham River delta and driving along the Muskox Ridge Trail, which provides a scenic overview of the entire area. It’s very likely that you’ll see muskoxen and pass by an impressive arctic fox den, where you may have the opportunity to watch fox cubs at play.

    Following an outdoor lunch at Inukshuk Lake, we’ll supply gear for those who would like the opportunity to try catch-and-release fishing for arctic char. Returning on ATVs, the tour takes an alternate route via the River Trail, so you can view hoodoos (sculptured sand pillars) and local coal deposits.

    In the evening, after dinner, we’ll enjoy an informal lecture

  5. Day 5 — Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    One of today’s activities may be kayaking in Cunningham Inlet. Paddle among icebergs, looking out for beluga whales as well as ring and bearded seals. Sightings of seabirds, including arctic terns and eider ducks, can be expected. After a lunch served along the shoreline, you’ll take a short hike to explore a local canyon aptly named Kayak Falls. From there, you’ll enjoy stunning views of the Northwest Passage and the opportunity to see polar bears.

    In the afternoon, you’ll return to the Cunningham River estuary, a beluga whale migration site. This site is unique the world over because of the density of the beluga population and its proximity to our lodge. You may even be able to see the whales while you stand on the river banks, and be close enough to hear their calls. Guides will use hydrophones so you can also hear the whales’ underwater song.

    In the evening, following a five-star dinner, you’ll hear a lecture on the beluga research being conducted in Cunningham Inlet.

  6. Day 6 — Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    Following breakfast, you’ll depart for a trip to Flatrock Falls, crossing the Cunningham River delta. There, you’ll have the option of hiking or traveling by Mercedes Unimog (a multipurpose four-wheel-drive truck). You’ll visit the Somerset Island canyons, formed as the result of shifting fault lines. Their steep walls vary from 200 to 1,000 feet (61 to 305 meters). Millions of fossils of prehistoric plants and animals are scattered around the ground. You may also have the opportunity to observe nesting sites of local birds, including terns, plovers and snow geese. An alfresco lunch is served directly on the flat rocks that surround this canyon.

    After lunch, you’ll travel to Gull Canyon, where you can see the striking color contrasts between the barren canyon and a lush gull rookery. This spot was recently declared a unique ecosystem by the Canadian Wildlife Service due to the area’s gull rookery and the presence of peregrine falcons. In the evening, a Scientist in Residence will give an informal lecture.

  7. Day 7 — Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    Today, you’ll set out on an ATV to Cape Anne, where you’ll visit some Thule sites along the coast and look for polar bears. The Thule people were bowhead whale hunters, ancestors of today’s modern Inuit. The ride showcases scenic vistas, icebergs, ancient Inuit campsites and giant prehistoric whale bones. The Cape Anne Thule site is the largest in the area and includes the remains of 15 stone and bone houses. Polar bears can often be seen on the shoreline as they wander the coast, waiting for the ice to return. The return overland trip via the Red Valley will give us incredible views of the place we’ve called home this week.

  8. Day 8 — Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    Today’s full-day rafting adventure will begin after breakfast with a Mercedes Unimog truck ride to the Arctic Watch raft launch on the Cunningham River, 12.5 miles (20 km) from the lodge. Opt to hike the final four miles (6 km) through the Badlands, passing the skeletal remains of two bowhead whales that date back 8,000 years. On the way to the launch, you may encounter muskoxen, snow geese, jaegers, arctic fox, sandpipers and rough-legged hawks.

    You’ll savor a picnic lunch on the beach, beside the river, as the staff and guides prepare the rafts. Return to the lodge by raft on the swift-flowing, crystal-clear water of the gentle rapids. The views are amazing and include steep canyon walls that at one point make a 180-degree turn.

    Tonight, you’ll enjoy our farewell dinner and evening at Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge.

  9. Day 9 — Depart Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge

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    Today, you’ll bid a fond goodbye to the lodge team and the High Arctic. You may have time to take advantage of one last activity before you depart. In the late afternoon, you’ll return to Yellowknife. Upon arrival in Yellowknife, you will be transferred to your included hotel.

  10. Day 10 — Depart Yellowknife

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    After breakfast and boot return you can make your way home at your leisure or spend some more time in the Yellowknife area.

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Accomodation

As mentioned in Itinerary.

Medical Kit Required

Refund

Life is unpredictable and we understand that sometimes you have to cancel or change your trip dates and it is our endeavor to make it as easy as possible for you. However, please understand that we plan everything including guide fees, permits, accommodation and ration in advance. Therefore, any cancellation means inconvenience and certain losses to the people involved in various stages of the program. Keeping that in mind, our cancellation charges are as below,

  • Cancellations prior to 30 days from the start of the event: Full refund as cash.
  • Cancellations between 30 days and 15 days to the start of the event: 50 % refund as cash.
  • Cancellations less than 15 days to the start of the event: No refund.
  • Cancellations will be accepted only by email.

Note: We reserve the right to cancel a program before departure in the event of logistical problems arising due to natural calamities, strikes, wars or any other circumstances that make the event inadvisable. In this case, we will refund 50% of the event fees.