Canada’s Greatest Locations to Witness the Northern Lights, In line with a High Journey Advisor

I’ve all the time had a lust for far-flung locations and exploring the cultures that inhabit them. I discover the methods of life in distant locations fascinating: how individuals survive in harsh situations, purchase meals, entertain themselves, elevate kids, and protect their historical past and non secular beliefs.

Canada’s northern territories ship this and extra. So far as it’s, the area supplies a lifetime of exploration. Plus, it provides an unobstructed vantage level to witness the northern lights greater than 200 nights a 12 months. Listed below are two exhilarating winter journeys I like to recommend: one to the Northwest Territories and one other to the Yukon Territory. 

Yukon Territory

Straight north of British Columbia and east of Alaska lies the Yukon Territory. It is almost the dimensions of Spain, however with solely 45,000 inhabitants, 1 / 4 of whom are indigenous. The province has a wealthy historical past and spectacular surroundings: towering mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and dense forests. 

After arriving within the capital, Whitehorse, start your journey with a go to to a distant lodge on the shores of Tagish Lake. Winter actions embrace ice fishing, snowshoeing, canine sledding, and snowmobiling on the frozen lake and surrounding trails. At evening, marvel on the northern lights, whereas keeping track of forecasts and apps that predict aurora visibility.

Following three nights on the lake, journey to Dawson Metropolis, a city made well-known by the Klondike Gold Rush. Right here, you’ll study concerning the first gold discovery at Bonanza Creek in 1896 and the way Dawson Metropolis swelled from 500 to 100,000 individuals in simply three years. A gathering with an area First Nations elder provides perception into how the gold rush impacted its tradition and freedom.

The journey to Dawson Metropolis is additional highlighted by a flight over Tombstone Territorial Park and a return journey alongside the famed Dempster Freeway. And, in fact, there’s extra northern lights viewing from a secluded yurt, free from mild air pollution.

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories supply an expertise in contrast to some other. The epic geography of this area, a lot of it above the tree line, has formed how its inhabitants have lived for generations. Half the territory lies inside a polar local weather and borders the Arctic Ocean, the place frozen sea ice stretches from October to June. Every winter, ice highways emerge, making distant villages accessible. 

After an evening in Yellowknife, the capital, take a ski-plane to Blachford Lake Lodge and land on the frozen lake itself. You’ll spend your days having fun with delicate adventures equivalent to snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling on close by trails. Evenings are reserved for the northern lights (seen right here as much as 240 days a 12 months), which you’ll take pleasure in in silence underneath the crisp, starry skies.

Subsequent, journey to Inuvik, the place native Inuit hosts share their conventional lifestyle. Study life on the traplines, witness an igloo-building demonstration, and have the chance to strive muktuk (whale pores and skin and blubber), a conventional Inuit meals.

The journey’s crescendo is a non-public flight over the Richardson mountain vary to Tuktoyaktuk, an Inuit hamlet on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. It’s the one Arctic neighborhood linked to the remainder of Canada by freeway, and life right here feels otherworldly. Bruce Noksana, an Inuvialuit canine musher, will lead an exciting canine sledding expertise and welcome you into his residence, sharing native bounty and tales of his individuals’s traditions and life on the tundra.

Whereas many come to see the northern lights, vacationers in these distant territories are rewarded with one thing deeper: significant connections to the individuals, tradition, and land.

Marc Telio is a member of Journey + Leisure’s A-Record and, because the founder and president of Entrée Locations, makes a speciality of journeys to Canada and Alaska. You’ll be able to create a tailored itinerary with Telio by contacting him at marc@entreedestinations.com.