Signature Arctic Tour

Boat Tour to the Arctic Ocean and Pingos

3–5

Guests Per Tour

Inuvik

East Channel Departure

Full Day

Arctic Ocean Experience

Jun–Sep

Open-Water Season

Full-Day Boat Tour

A Full-Day Journey from Inuvik to the Arctic Coast

Our Arctic Ocean and Pingos tour is a full day on the water that starts at our place on the East Channel of the Mackenzie River in Inuvik and finishes on the Arctic coast beside Tuktoyaktuk, where eight protected pingos rise straight out of the tundra. We take three to five guests at a time, the rate is $1,500 per person plus 5% GST, and the trip only runs during the open water season, roughly June through September.
  • 3–5 Guests
  • Locally Guided
  • Shore Picnic

Follow the River

The Run Down the Delta

We travel in an aluminum boat, which lets us read the channels the way our family always has and pick a route that suits the water and wind that day, rather than sticking to one fixed line. The Mackenzie splits into hundreds of channels below Inuvik, and as we work north the willows drop away, the banks flatten out, and the fresh water starts mixing with the Beaufort Sea.

Partway along we pass East Whitefish Station, the whaling camps where families from Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk still come to harvest beluga. We slow down and tell you what you are looking at, because those camps belong to people we know and they are working camps rather than a roadside stop.

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Watching for Whales

Once we are on open water, we start watching, and on a good day the whales are close enough that you hear them before you see them. We can't promise you whales, because nobody honest can, but we will have you on the right water at the right time of year with a guide who knows where they usually are.

Whales

Watching the Open Water

Local Knowledge

Guided by People Who Know the Delta

Arctic Scenery

Experience the Mackenzie Delta 

Arctic Landmark

The Pingo Canadian Landmark

The pingos sit on the tundra next to Tuktoyaktuk on the Beaufort Sea coast, not out in the ocean, and the ground they stand on has been protected since 1984 as the Pingo Canadian Landmark, Canada's only National Landmark. Parks Canada looks after eight pingos across about 16 square kilometres, and the largest of them, Ibyuk, stands 49 metres high, which makes it the tallest in Canada and the second tallest in the world.

A pingo is a core of ice that has pushed the tundra upward over centuries until it forms a hill you can see from a long way off, and once you know what you are looking at, the whole coastline reads differently.

Parks Canada does not allow anyone to climb the pingos, and recreational drones are not permitted inside the Landmark, so we photograph them from the ground and from the water. That is the better angle anyway, since from a distance you get the full shape of them against the sky.

  • Pingos
  • Ibyuk: 49 Metres
  • Tuktoyaktuk Coast

The Tours

Stand at the Arctic Ocean

For many guests, this is the moment they came north for. Stand at the edge of the Arctic Ocean, take in the view toward the pole, and, if you are brave enough, take off your boots and dip your feet into the cold water.

The Pingo Canadian Landmark

See eight protected pingos rising from the tundra beside Tuktoyaktuk, including Ibyuk, Canada’s tallest pingo at 49 metres. We view and photograph them from the water and shoreline while respecting the protections in place within the Landmark.

Lunch by the Pingos

We stop for a shore picnic near the pingos and cook over an open fire, often serving whitefish or inconnu. Depending on the day, there may also be moose ribs, muktuk and locally foraged tea to try.

What to Bring

Bring layers you can add and remove, a windproof and waterproof outer shell, a warm hat and gloves even in July, sunglasses and sunscreen for the long daylight, footwear you do not mind getting wet at the shore landings, and a camera with more battery than you think you need.

How Booking Works

We do not take payment online for this trip. Send us the dates you are looking at by email or give us a call at 867-678-0758, and Enoch replies personally to confirm whether the boat and the water suit those dates before anything is settled.

Request Your Tour Date

Frequently Asked Questions

There usually is limit of 3-5 people, but we make exceptions for bigger groups of up to 15-20 maximum. You must let us know first so that we can make the arrangements and quote accordingly.

Climbing the pingos and flying recreational drones inside the Landmark are both prohibited by Parks Canada, and we view them from the shoreline and the water instead.

The trip depends on open water in the Delta and along the coast, which usually means June through September, and freeze-up ends the season each year.
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