Sledding the Arctic Circle

Great Canadian Travel Company is launching an Arctic Circle Snowmobile Safari

by Kirsten Armleder

Photo of two sledders crossing ice in the Arctic near an open section of water.
According to Max Johnson, owner of Great Canadian Travel Company, the scenery in the north consists of barren landscape, shorescapes and rocky terrain. Nunavut Tourism photo

Forget jumps and ascents—snowmobiling across the frozen Arctic is something you can really brag about to your buddies. In April 2013, Great Canadian Travel Company in Winnipeg, Manitoba, will be launching an eight-day snowmobile tour that begins at Repulse Bay, Nunavut—which is located on the Arctic Circle—and takes riders to the small village of Kugaaruk. 

The tour is led by local Inuit guides, who speak Inuktitut and English. Riders will meet in Winnipeg on the first day and fly to Repulse Bay where they will spend the night. In the morning, they will be introduced to their guides, who will help them get outfitted with snowmobiles and proper equipment. Participants are expected to bring their own riding gear and clothing but everything else will be supplied.

On Day 4, the tour will head north to Kugaaruk. Along the way, riders will travel across terrain that is above the treeline and consists of rockscapes, shorescapes and barren land. According to Max Johnson, who is the owner of Great Canadian Travel Company, participants may also see wildlife, such as muskox and caribou.

The tour group will spend two nights in Kugaaruk at the Inukshuk Inn and a day exploring the area for historical artifacts from 17th- and 18th century Arctic expeditions—including Captain John Franklin’s expedition that got lost the mid-1800s. Johnson said the time spent in Kugaaruk will allow visitors to learn more about the unique culture of the Inuit people. He said the residents of Kugaaruk are friendly and will probably invite members of the tour group into their homes.

On Day 6, the group will head back to Repulse Bay, stay overnight there and depart for Winnipeg in the morning.

“It’s a real adventure,” said Johnson.

Weird and wonderful travel

Johnson started Great Canadian Travel Company 31 years ago while he was still attending university.

“The idea of getting a conventional job was deeply unappealing (so) I thought I would start something weird and wonderful in travel,” he said.

The company started offering polar bear tours in northern Canada and it expanded over the years to offer a wide variety of sightseeing tours in Africa, Asia, Scotland, Australia, Europe and beyond.

Johnson has travelled around the world but his heart is in the North.

“I like the idea, in general, of odd things—and to most of us who live in the major communities of the world this idea of people who live and thrive in places like Arctic Canada and Greenland—that absolutely fascinates me,” he said. “And the people who I have met up there have been just wonderful. The scenery is interesting and the culture is interesting.”

See the company’s website for more information about the Arctic Circle Snowmobile Safari. 

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