The Arctic Experience

Experiencing nature at its extremes

Our Arctic Experience is a totally managed 10-day trip based around one of the remote Inuit villages in northern Québec. Ideally, one or two Guests (maximum group size of six) will explore the terrain with their Inuit guides on snowmobiles—or for the more intrepid, on sleds pulled by dog teams.

Guests will stay in traditional circular tents (the Inuit stopped using igloos years ago) and follow their guides as they roam the tundra near the tree line. You’ll learn how to set up your tent and properly lay the fur flooring, fish for arctic char in frozen lakes, hunt ptarmigan, track caribou, and observe wolves at close range.

Although a “starter pack” of provisions is supplied, all the food you will eat—mainly caribou and char—will be caught by the guides. Thus, a fondness for sushi is an essential asset.

Guests will learn the ancient Inuit techniques of survival in one of the most extreme environments on the planet, where springtime temperatures climb to an “almost-tropical” –20 degrees. However, you need not be concerned about the temperature since the air is very dry and appropriate gear and full outfitting is planned in advance.

Arctic Québec—an area far north of Montréal and several times larger than France—was the background for the landmark James Bay Agreement, reached after lengthy negotiation that followed the high-court injunction won by the native peoples.

This agreement established autonomous regions for the native Eskimos (“the Inuit”) and the Cree Indians, and provided for a one-time payment as well as substantial annual social service funds in return for allowing the Federal and Provincial governments to continue with the development of major hydro-electrical installations.

The Québec Inuit—along with their fellow Inuit in Nunavut (western Canada)—now enjoy a fair degree of autonomy and their own government: the Makivik. They live in twelve villages around Ungava Bay and in the village of Great Whale River on Hudson Bay.

To say that this region is remote would be an understatement! The journey to Kuujuaq, which is the southernmost village on Ungava Bay, takes three hours by jet from Montréal. The only access to the other villages is by infrequent flights via the Twin Otter–a very reliable twin-engine STOL. There are virtually no hotels for the public and quite simply, if one is not invited to someone’s home, there is no place to stay.

Guests will overnight at the Hilton in the glittering city of Montréal—renowned for its handsome, courteous men and stately beautiful women—before going on to Kuujuaq the following day by Nordair jet. From Kuujuaq, a 20-minute Twin Otter charter flight will convey you to your base village of Kangirsualuujuaq (George River).

George River (population 600) is situated on an inlet and located about four miles from Ungava Bay. The village is surrounded on both sides by high gray stone hills mottled with snow, providing a beautiful backdrop and much appreciated protection from the elements.

The first day will be taken up getting acclimated to the environment, learning to drive a snowmobile, and practicing how to load the sled with the tents and camping equipment.

Guests will spend about a week on the land around the Koroc River, a favorite winter camping area for the George River Inuit. The land here—low mountains and vast lakes—is spectacularly beautiful.

One week later, after a 40-kilometer moonlight ride back to George River, guests will return to Montréal via Kuujuaq.

Intimate contact with nature is perhaps the ultimate benchmark of what we can achieve, and this trip will certainly reveal what you are made of. It will test you physically and mentally.

But most of all, the trip will bring you the profoundly spiritually rewards that can only be had by experiencing nature at its extremes.