Day 1

This evening we begin our 1,700 km. (1000 mile) adventure cruise of the river the Dené Indian call “Dehcho” (Great River) and spend the first night threading through the vast maze of the Mackenzie Delta.

Day 2

Today as we continue through the Mackenzie Delta area it is a good opportunity to learn the layout of the ship, get to know the crew and other guests.  The delta expands to 85 miles in width and stretches for 150 miles by the time it enters the Arctic Ocean.  Three main channels and endless lesser channels snake through a vast area of low lying islands, ponds, little lakes and peat bogs.  From the top deck of the ship, you can see over the river banks to a kaleidoscope of blue pools and green meadows.  We will have a brief stop in the native settlement of Tsiigehtchic, a community that stands almost at the gates of the Mackenzie Delta.  This is where the Dempster Highway crosses the Mackenzie with the end of the highway in Inuvik.  Here at the confluence of the Arctic Red River with the Mackenzie, there has been a native fish camp for centuries and today fur trapping is still the main economic pursuit in the community.  The highway was named after RCMP Corporal Dempster who traveled the route in 1911 by dog team along a trail used by the local natives.

Today, we will be traveling through the lower ramparts of the river, nicknamed the “Grand View of the Mackenzie”.  The river here is two miles wide.  Flowing northward between low lying banks, wooded in willow and spruce and clumped with purple fireweed and wild roses.

Day 3

Early in the morning, we will cross the Arctic Circle and by mid-morning will arrive at the native Hare Indian community of Fort Good Hope.  The community was first established in 1804 as a Roman Catholic Mission, it is also the oldest of the lower Mackenzie fur trading posts.  We will stop for a short visit to see the recently renovated “Church of Our Lady of Good Hope”, a national historic site famous for its interior that has brightly painted frescoes and ornate sculptures.  On departing we will pass through the “Upper Ramparts”, a section where the river banks are perpendicular cliffs that rise 200 feet from the river, at this point the river provides scenery that never fails to impress.  For seven spectacular miles, the Mackenzie narrows to a canyon only a quarter mile wide.  Look for the Madonna, a meter high statue, placed high up on a ledge to watch over all that travel the river.  See is you can spot the natural shaped pinnacles named “Three Sisters”.

Day 4

Early in the morning, we will transit the San Sault Rapids (Smelly Rapids) and travel through the day.  Late afternoon, we will arrive in the modern community of Norman Wells, the oil capital of the Northwest Territories.  Whereas, other settlements on the river originated as fur posts, the community of Norman Wells, is the first to owe its existence to the direst development of mineral resources, a refinery has been producing oil here commercially since 1921.  It is also a popular jumping off point for adventurers seeking to challenge the famous and grueling 600 mile Canol Trail over the Mackenzie Mountains to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory.  We will the community museum and visitor centre, which has a well-stocked bookstore, and be given a short tour of the community.

Day 5

Today, we arrive in the native community of Fort Norman for a short visit, a former fur trading post established in 1810.  The settlement is set dramatically against the striking backdrop of “Bear Rock”, a tower of limestone which rears 1550 feet above the confluence of the Mackenzie and its tributary, the Great Bear River.  Continuing up river, we will pass the Smoking Hills, coal scams along the river’s banks that occasionally catch fire.  This was noted by Alexander Mackenzie in the diary that he kept for his famed voyage, he reports “the whole bank was on fire for a considerable distance.  It proved to be a coal mine. The beach was covered in coal, the mineral which the native render their quills black”.   Locally the natives call it “The Smoke” or “The Burn”.

Day 6

Today we will be traveling through a narrow section of the river called the “50 miles of Blackwater” where the river’s current is very strong.  Late in the evening, we will pass by the native community of Wrigley the scenic surroundings of the community are considerably enhanced by the rock formation called “Roche Qui Trémpe A L’Eau” (Mountains with its feet in the water).  An impressive steep rounded rock that rises sheer from the waters edge to 1200 feet.  Look for falcons nesting on the ledges and the cliff hill homes of the Swallows that are their prey.

Day 7

Today we pass the area of Camsell Bend, this is where the great adventurer Alexander Mackenzie in 1789 discovered that the river makes an abrupt turn to the north, leading to the Arctic Ocean, and not the Pacific Ocean he had thought.  Here you will have a very commanding view of the Mackenzie Mountains, North Nahanni Range and Camsell Range.  The area is named after Julian Camsell, a chief factor for the Hudson Bay Co. between 1859 and 1900 and a man who hold the world record for the longest snowshoe tramp – 2,200 Km. between Fort Liard and Minnesota, USA.  Your hosts, the Whitlocks, are direct descendents of this famous northern pioneer adding a unique dimension to your Arctic Adventure Cruise.

Day 8

Today we will arrive at the oldest settlement still occupies along the river, Fort Simpson, once the hub for the fur trading activities and was established in 1820 by the Northwest Co.  For about 60 years prior to 1888 when progress brought steam, Fort Simpson was the wintering base for the captains of the York Boats that were used to transport freight and passengers on the river.  We can visit the community visitor centre and the Papal grounds where Pope John Paul visited in 1987.

Day 9

Late evening we will arrive at the last commmunity along the Mackenzie River, Fort Providence.

Day 10

This morning you will have time to take a walk around the small community of Fort Providence and check out the craft shop, later in the morning a tour bus will take you to Yellowknife, approximately 320 km through buffalo country. You will be given a tour of Yellowknife, then taken to the hotel of your choice or to the airport for your flight home.