08-Days | Yukon Northern Lights Safari

Travel with a small group and a bi-lingual tour guide (English & German) through the winter wonderland of northern Canada's Yukon Territory. You'll visit some remarkable areas, enjoy excellent sightseeing and meet locals who live here under very extreme climatically conditions. Upon arrival transfer from the airport to your hotel located within the city of Whitehorse. In the afternoon city-tour and visit of the Beringia Museum and Interpretive Center (included) - a voyage into the past gold rush days - and the SS-Klondike (Included) - a sternwheeler which represents an age when Whitehorse served as transport hub for the entire region taking miners on the Yukon River to the goldfields around Dawson City. Overnight in Whitehorse.

Today we drive 420 km of the famous Alaska Highway towards Watson Lake. Photo stops along Marsh Lake, the first nation village of Teslin and the Rancheria Mountains. Since there are still a lot of trappers in the Yukon we stop at the cabin of trapper Don on the Tootsee River. In the afternoon arrival in Watson Lake and check-in the hotel. Watson Lake is well known for its "Signpost" started in 1942 by a homesick US Army Soldier. The 1996 build Northern Lights Space and Science Center boasts a State-of-the-Art panoramic video and surround-sound system. It incorporates interactive displays explaining science and folklore of the Aurora, along with the latest information about the Canadian Space Program. The nightly skies are illuminated by spectacular Northern Lights displays. Overnight in Watson Lake.

Trip to the Liard Hot Springs. One of the best stops on the entire Alaska Highway are the fabulous Liard River Hot Springs, located in the Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park - north of Muncho Lake. Relaxation seeps into your body as you ease into the second largest hot spring in Canada. In a natural boreal forest surrounding a soak in these Hot Springs is an exceptional experience in an incredible winter wonderland. Watch out for Moose frequently seen in the area. There are two hot springs at Liard, with water temperatures ranging from 42-52 degrees C (107-126F). The nearest is the Alpha pool, and half a mile beyond that is Beta pool, which is larger and deeper, and is likely to have few other people there. Return to Watson Lake. In the evening we will go curling in the Watson Lake Recreational Centre. Overnight in a hotel in Watson Lake.

After Breakfast we leave Watson Lake and visit on snowshoes the Rancheria Falls. We plan a lunch stop in the native village of Teslin - bordered by the waters of the Nisutlin and Teslin Rivers - or in Johnsons Crossing. By 1903 the Hudson Bay Company closed the important trading post. The Teslin Lake is 125 km long with a depth of nearly 213 meters. After dinner in Whitehorse we will drive up for 25 minutes to a heated cabin - away from the disturbing city lights of Whitehorse -  on Fish Lake to observe spectacular Northern Lights displays. There will be a campfire outside around and roast marsh mellows and enjoy the quiet and clear winter night. Return to the city. Overnight in a hotel in Whitehorse.

We'll drive up north for 530 km along the Klondike Highway to the famous gold rush town of Dawson City. Interesting stops at Braeburn Lodge and the first nation village of Carmacks - both are serving also as checkpoints for the famous Yukon Quest Sled Race, Five Finger Rapids and the Dempster Highway Crossing. Upon arrival in Dawson we visit the famous local bar "The Pit". Dawson City is a well preserved, living and breathing cultural and historic oasis tucked away in the middle of the Yukon wilderness.  Once referred to as the "Paris of the North", its name is synonymous with the 1898's Klondike Gold Rush. This "must see" northern icon should be included in any Alaska/Yukon itinerary. Overnight in a hotel in Dawson.

Usually the Yukon River freezes solid around November/December and an ice bridge is built which we will cross with the Van. An excursion to the Bonanza Gold fields and to the Midnight Dome will follow. Later on we invite you to a snowshoe tour to "Cave Man Bill" who lives in a cave on the western shore of the Yukon River. Or you can discover Dawson on your own. The City of Dawson and the nearby ghost town of Forty Mile are featured prominently in the novels and short stories of famed American author Jack London, who lived in the Dawson area from October 1897 to June 1898. During these days Dawson City was a thriving city of 40.000 In 1899 the gold rush was over and the population dropped to 8.000 One of the books it's been featured in is the beloved book "The Call of the Wild". Overnight in a hotel in Dawson.

We drive back on the Klondike Highway to Whitehorse. Short before we are arriving in Whitehorse we will visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, which features an array of local wildlife. During a visit of Takhini Hot Springs about 30 Km from Whitehorse - also known as the "Yukon Hotspot" you can relax and soak in the warm spring water without any sulphur smell and with a wonderful view of the snow covered mountains around you. The hot springs are offering a range of recreational activities on over 300 acres: x-country ski trails, two connected hot pools with 35-40 degree water temperature and of course - perfect Aurora viewing from October to March. Return transfer to Whitehorse and overnight at a hotel in Whitehorse.

Whitehorse is located at Historic Mile 918  of the Alaska Highway and is the former terminus of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway from Skagway, Alaska. At the head of navigation on the Yukon River, the city was an important supply and centre during the Klondike Gold Rush. It has been the territorial capital since 1953, when the seat was moved from Dawson City after the construction of the Klondike Highway. Whitehorse is in the mountain climate region, the tundra soil region, the Arctic vegetation region, and the boreal cordillera eco zone. The city gets its name from the White Horse Rapids, which were said to look like the mane of a white horse. Alternate stories have the rapids named after a First Nations Chief who drowned while crossing the rapids. Our tour ends in the morning of day 8 with a complimentary transfer to the airport.