Canadian Arctic: Thomsen River Kayaking on Banks Island

The gently flowing Thomsen River offers an unparalleled experience of high Arctic wilderness in a location visited by very few people on earth. We will put in near 73°North latitude, taking 12 days to kayak down approximately 90 miles of the world’s most northerly navigable river. We paddle northward to Castel Bay on the north coast of Banks Island, fifth largest island in Canada. Though it has always existed as a place on the outer edge of civilization, people have lived in this part of the Arctic for nearly 4,000 years, and we find frequent signs of ancient habitation throughout our journey.

As the river flows north across the treeless plain, hills become decidedly higher and the terrain becomes ever more lush. There is no actual whitewater on the river, though there are a few minor stretches of faster water. We will plan on five camps —wind and weather permitting—paddling 3 to 4 hours a day between them. Our relaxed schedule and the perpetual daylight allow us plenty of time for hiking through expanses of blooming flowers, exploring the rolling hills and broad vistas, and observing permafrost features, archeological sites and prolific wildlife. Anglers may wish to take along a pole and tackle to fish for arctic char along the way.

More than half the world’s population of musk oxen resides on Banks Island -- some 70,000 animals. About 25 percent of this population grazes along the lush valley corridor of the Thomsen River in Aulavik National Park. Just 70 years ago, musk oxen were on the brink of extinction, their numbers depleted by hide hunters, whalers, explorers and subsistence hunters. Today the musk ox -- Oomingmak in Inuktitut, meaning “the bearded one”—has made a remarkable recovery, re-colonizing much of its historic range on Banks Island and elsewhere in Arctic Canada.  

Endangered Peary caribou also live within the park’s boundaries, which emcompass a variety of landscapes from fertile river valleys to polar deserts, buttes and badlands, and dramatic coast. Snow geese, sandhill cranes, rough-legged hawks, peregrine falcons, snowy owls, sabine gulls and yellow-billed loons are some of the tundra-nesting bird life we may see along the route, while roaming wolf packs, Arctic fox, Arctic hare and ermine are sometimes in view on the landscape. Above the banks of the river, signs of people who came centuries and even millennia before us are evident. Ancient stone meat caches, tent rings and scattered remains speak of the adventurous spirit of those who first explored and lived in this land of solitude.

Explorers' Corner is the only adventure tour operator licensed to run trips on the Thomsen River. Time in this magnificent Arctic sanctuary offers a profound sense of discovery and wild beauty as we join the ranks of the select few who have traveled in this extraordinary area.

15 Days

2012 Dates

Jun. 17-Jul. 1

Jun. 29- Jul. 13

Trip Difficulty: Level 3

2012 Fees
Land Cost*

Group size 8-10: $9,990

Small group surcharge: $500 (6-7)

Park Fee
$150
 

Internal Flights
$795 Edmonton, Alberta to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada

*A 5% “Goods and Service Tax” (GST) will also be applied. Visitors to Canada are eligible for a 50% refund on the GST. Price does not include international airfare or mandatory trip insurance. Prices are given in U.S. dollars.