Aurora & Indigenous Culture: 5-Day Spring Journey in Yellowknife

Day 1: Arrive in Yellowknife

Welcome to Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories and the Diamond capital of North America! Yellowknife is a place where traditional indigenous culture blends together with modern amenities, for a truly remarkable experience while discovering the mystery of the Aurora Borealis. On spring nights the Aurora Borealis can still be well seen in the starry night sky. Far from city lights, watch the night sky light up. It’s a marvel that seems to embody the mysteries at the crossroads of Heaven and Earth in all its elegance and raw beauty. Upon arrival, please step outside the airport and look for the free airport shuttle service. Ensure to tell your driver which hotel you are staying at. Yellowknife is a very walkable city, with the city core being a 5-minute walk from your hotel.

Overnight: Yellowknife

Day 2: Yellowknife – City Tour and Aurora Borealis Viewing

You will begin your time in Yellowknife with a guided tour of the NWT Legislative Assembly Building, where you will learn about our consensus-style, non-partisan government, one of only a few in Canada. Following the Legislative Building, you will make your way to the site of Giant Mine. Rich in the history of Yellowknife’s gold mining days. There is an outdoor museum available to view. In the spring many of the displays are starting to have the snow melt off, but you will hear of history from the comfort of our vehicle. Then you will make a quick stop at YKEA and look for local treasures!! Next, you will drive to Buffalo Airway’s home of the popular TV series, Ice Pilots with the Star of the show being Buffalo Joe McBryan, owner of the largest DC 3 ‘s and DC 4’s in North America. You will visit the hangar filled with vintage aircraft. These are propeller operated WW2 legendary aircraft. You will return to the downtown core and stop in at the NWT Diamond Centre that showcases diamonds from two of NWT local mines. Next, you will drive to The Old Town / Latham Island and N’dilo. You will first visit Ragged Ass Road, the street immortalized by Tom Cochrane on his third album by the same name. You will drive past the thawing Great Slave Lake, which is the second-largest lake outside of the Great Lakes in Canada, the deepest lake in North America at 614 metres, and the tenth-largest lake in the world. You will get a close view of the colourful, local houseboats. You will continue the tour with a stop at Yellowknife’s first bank (Bank of Toronto) a privately owned, historic log cabin. Next is a photo stop at the Bush Pilot’s monument, Yellowknife’s most popular lookout rises above Old Town, providing a stupendous view over Great Slave Lake, Back Bay and the northern reaches of the city. The monument is high up on “The Rock,” and is accessed via a winding staircase to the top. It is dedicated to the bush pilots and engineers whose lives were lost as they flew the wilderness skies of the Northwest Territories. Finally, you will stop at at Weaver and Devore, Yellowknife’s first Trading Store and a local carver’s shop. Local artists will be invited to showcase their artwork. The tour ends at the Visitor Centre where you can get your Yellowknife pin and your North of 60 Certificate. You will visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, a museum that chronicles Aboriginal and European history in the North and features environmental exhibits. After dinner, you will head out for your first aurora viewing experience in a cozy intimate cabin located 15 minute drive away from Yellowknife in a private dark location. There will be a light midnight lunch of fresh local fish chowder, fresh bannock, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. There are a limited number of camera tripods which are available to share and there is a generator, so power is available to charge batteries. There is an outhouse for the washroom, which is heated. Return to your hotel around 1:00 am.

Overnight: Yellowknife

Day 3: Indigenous Story Telling and Aurora Hunting

This morning, you will begin your day by learning about Indigenous culture and history with a Dene guide on this personal and educational tour. Listen to stories about being raised in a traditional Dene lifestyle and early life living off of the land. You will go on a walking tour of the Indigenous exhibits at the Prince of Wales Heritage Museum as your guide interprets the exhibits as it relates to their life growing up as an Indigenous person in today's modern world. Next, you will go Aurora hunting. Yellowknife is the best place in the world to view Aurora! If skies are clear, you have a 98% chance to see Aurora! However, if skies are cloudy, the chances are low. We aim to increase our chances to see the aurora and go out and “hunt” for the aurora! When we reach a suitable viewing place, we park, and view and talk all about aurora, identify some stars, the Milky Way and maybe even see wildlife while driving from location to location! Each night we don’t exactly know where we are going, as it depends on the weather and the aurora, and where we go there is nothing but wilderness, wildlife, and Aurora. Depending upon weather conditions, we may choose to substitute our second or our last night’s Aurora viewing outings.

Overnight: Yellowknife

Day 4: Dog Sled Harnessing Lesson and Aurora Viewing in Skydome

We have an easy morning after our previous late-night aurora hunting excursion and drive out to a lakeside camp that belongs to a local Dene Indigenous family. Here we will hear stories about how the dog teams have played an important role in the daily lives of both the Indigenous peoples and western settlers in the old days, and how they have helped people survive. The dogs were like family and are still treated the same way today. This excursion to interact with the dogs and the family is carried out in collaboration with an indigenous family business that wants to keep the cultural traditions and teachings that they have learned from their grandparents and has decided to share them with others in an enjoyable way. Through their winter dog sledding, they aim to promote respect for Indigenous culture and share the survival ways of people living in the cold subarctic areas. We return to Yellowknife for some free time and dinner before we head out to experience an authentic Indigenous aurora experience. Tonight, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the mesmerizing beauty of the auroras from a Skydome, where you can relish the warmth of a wood-burning stove, unwind in comfortable seating, and delicious snacks. With big windows, you are able to see the aurora and starry night sky in comfort and style. Depart back to your accommodation around 12am.

Overnight: Yellowknife

Day 5: Depart from Yellowknife

Your northern Canadian Yellowknife experience comes to an end this morning. You will take the free airport shuttle from your hotel to the airport. Please check the shuttle schedule in your hotel lobby.