Day 1.
Arriving in Whitehorse for the start of their Northern Lights adventure tour, guests are picked up at the airport and driven 25 minutes to the Uncommon Journeys Wilderness Lodge, “the Homestead”. After getting outfitted in dog sledding gear, guests enjoy a 2 hour dogsledding demonstration including a training run on an all terrain vehicle (ATV). We then go to Scout Lake for a couple hours of learning to paddle Canadian canoes, listening to the arctic loons and even trying some fishing for the huge rainbow trout that lurk in the deepest reaches of the lake. Dinner is followed by a lecture and video about the Aurora Borealis, and snacks and hot drinks are enjoyed later that evening during the aurora viewing. Tonight we sleep in log cabins or yurts with cozy duvets and stoves.
Day 2.
After breakfast, we have an ATV driving lesson, then drive 3 hours to our Wilderness Yurt Basecamp, stopping along the way to fish for arctic grayling and/or enjoy some time for photography and interpretive sessions about the flora and fauna of the Ibex Valley region. (All spin and fly fishing gear is supplied.)
The trail we take into the Yukon wilderness was once a trapper’s route decades ago and is truly spectacular, especially in the fall when the trees are in full color. Our journey culminates with an incredible view from the trail, halfway up Mount Ingram (3000 feet above the valley floor). After photos and a moment to relax and take it all in, we make our descent to our Wilderness Basecamp of Mongolian yurts located on the pristine Ibex River.
Tonight we have a delicious meal cooked on the woodstove, and then enjoy a well deserved sauna and shower and fireside drinks while aurora viewing. The Ibex River Valley is a fantastic place to watch the Aurora Borealis and we often lay out on the valley floor dressed in parkas while laying on sleeping mats, while watching the breathtaking dynamic show of the Northern Lights. Tonight you sleep in a warm yurt, with a 5 foot glass dome overhead so you may watch the Aurora Borealis from the privacy of your own bed.
Day 3.
Today we pack a lunch and go on an amazing Yukon hike for as long and as high as we desire. (Daypacks and water bottles are provided for each guest.) Some guests may prefer to stay around the camp, relaxing and reading their favorite book while enjoying appetizers around the fire or in the main yurt by the woodstove. Guests may also decide to try to catch some of the fine arctic grayling found in the ‘Home Pool” directly in front of the main yurt. We return in time for a sauna and shower, another fabulous meal and with any luck, more Northern Lights “slideshows”.
Day 4.
After brunch, we pack up our gear for the ATV drive back to our Wilderness Lodge at the Homestead. Following lunch, guests are driven into Whitehorse for a town tour which includes visiting the SS Klondike, a restored Klondike paddle wheeler, the MacBride Museum, an excellent display depicting all elements of Yukon culture, heritage and history, as well as the Beringia Centre, which provides a great introduction to the history of the region in the Yukon that escaped the Ice Age and was populated by Mammoths and Sabertooth Tigers.
Dinner tonight is a barbeque with mouth watering steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, field greens with fresh strawberries, pecans and feta, plus several varieties of great Yukon brewed beer, and Martha’s killer chocolate Bundt cake! In the evening guests may choose to watch the Aurora Borealis dance overhead from the comfort of our 6 person hot tub, sitting around the firepit, or wrapped in their night coats sitting on the porch of their cabin.
Day 5.
Today we drive to Kusuawa Lake and the beautiful Takhini River. At this time of year the colors are incredible and it is the time for the salmon to migrate up the Yukon River and eventually up the the Takhini. We enjoy the day floating down this Class I river with a guide in Canadian canoes that are joined together to form a stable catamaran which is perfect for standing up in for photography. (Guests with previous canoeing skills may choose to paddle in a solo canoe.) We will have a delicious fireside lunch at the one Class II rapid on the river, which guests may paddle, or walk around on the shore. We will return to the Homestead in time for dinner and more Northern Lights viewing that evening.
Day 6.
After breakfast guests are driven in to Whitehorse or to the airport to begin their journey home.
