FOR WOMEN ONLY
Dates:
July 19 - Aug 01, 2002
(14 days/13 nights)
Aug 02 - Aug 15, 2002
(14 days/13 nights)
This northerly corner of the world is 'where the mountains meet the sky'. Canada's True North is the territory where caribou outnumber people five-to-one. Our northern adventure includes visits to Whitehorse, Carcross, Skagway, Alaska Dawson City. Try your luck panning for gold where miners still find gold a century after the great Klondike gold rush. Go rafting where wild waterways, rugged mountains and unexplored wilderness await in Kluane National Park, a Natural World Heritage Property. Step back into the times of the 'Gold Rush' and visit restored buildings including 'Diamond Tooth Gerties' Saloon. Sample delicious arctic char and salmon. Encounter First Nations cultures, languages, artists, musicians and craftspeople. Catch sight of bear, moose, fox, coyote, muskox, mountain goats and migrating birds in their natural habitat. Whether it's the Yukon's impressive wildlife or stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks scenery, prepare to be amazed.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
Meet in Whitehorse and transfer from airport to hotel. Nestled on the banks of the Yukon River and surrounded by mountains and clear northern lakes, Whitehorse lies in the midstof spectacular scenery of the traditional territory of two First Nations - the Kwanlin Dun and the Ta-an Kwachan. Whitehorse boasts a vibrant arts and cultural community, colourful festivals and events, and impressive historic and heritage attractions. Welcome and orientation dinner.
Overnight in Whitehorse
(D)
Day 2:
After breakfast we take a tour of Whitehorse. We will make a stop at the Visitor Reception Centre, SS Klondike (sternwheeler) and McBride Museum where we will learn how to pan for gold. Lunch will be at the historic Klondike Salmon & Rib House. Afterwards we enjoy a gentle guided walk through historic sites, buildings and features of Whitehorse including high tea in a beautiful tea garden. We end the day with dinner and the Frantic Follies vaudeville revue. Come with us to the great Klondike Gold Rush where you can imagine yourself a Sourdough in from the creeks, loaded with gold and eager for entertainment.
Overnight in Whitehorse
(B) (L) (D)
Day 3:
We spend the morning touring the Beringia Centre and try our hand at spear throwing and a mock archeological dig. After lunch we will visit three Yukon artists and have tea with a First Nations Storyteller. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be at your leisure.
Overnight in Whitehorse
(B) (L)
Day 4:
After the morning at your leisure we meet for lunch before transferring to our motor coach via the Klondike Highway to meet the White Pass &Yukon Route. This incredible railway, begun in the scramble of the 1898 Gold Rush, allowed early miners access to their dreams of gold. The classic narrow gauge railway traverses some of the worlds most breathtaking terrain. It is unrivaled for its natural spectacles, and its man made wonders, including towering bridges, cliff hanging roadbeds and tunnels bored through solid granite. We travel comfortable in its refurbished Gold Rush era coaches to Skagway.
Upon arrival in Skagway we transfer to our hotel. The rest of your day and evening is at your leisure. Stop by the Visitors Information Centre (Arctic Brotherhood Hall) for a convenient source of local maps, information and free guides (open 8:00 - 6:00 daily).
Overnight in Skagway
(B) (L)
Day 5:
After breakfast we will start our day with the Days of 98 Show at 10:30 am. After this, you are free to shop and explore the sites of Skagway. Picturesque Skagway is where gold hungry miners first poured off the ships. The first tourists arrived with the gold rush, but the first tourist boom was in the 1920 when sailing the inside passage became popular. It is a Skagway tradition to welcome visitors with open arms. Wander shop to shop along the boardwalks of the historic business district, and you will retrace the steps of earnest stampeders as they outfitted for the Klondike. Shopping in Skagway is the best in Alaska featuring the work of local artisans specializing in ivory, wood, gold, silver, clay, pen & ink, oil and watercolour. Skagways restaurants offer dining experiences ranging from informal to elegant. In addition, Skagways saloons and lounges feature live music ranging from ragtime to jazz to rock & roll.
Overnight in Skagway
(B)
Day 6:
This morning we depart Skagway en route to Haines Jct. We make a stop at Carcross / Lake Bennett. Carcross is an abbreviation of Caribou Crossing, the original name given to this site by earliest prospectors, for the herds of woodland caribou that swam the narrows. The town is home to the Carcross-Tagish First Nation. We will include a stop at the Visitors Centre and the Carcross Barracks for a talk about trade beads by Calamity Jan, The Carcross Desert is the Worlds smallest desert - actually a glacial lakebed.
We will stop for lunch in Whitehorse and continue on to Haines Jct. and take a guided nterpretative walk before dinner.
Overnight in Haines Jct.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 7:
Haines Jct. serves as the headquarters of Kluane National Park part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This community is backed by breathtaking scenery and boasts a wilderness adventure playground in its backyard. We will spend the day whitewater rafting on the upper canyon of the famous Tatshenshini River with the Yukon oldest and most established rafting company. Under the direction of our experienced guide we will flow through a canyon with 500 ft. walls, stop for lunch and run the rapids, a continuous thrill on one of the Yukons most magnificent rivers. Later we gather for dinner to share our experiences of our exhilarating day.
Overnight in Haines Jct.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 8:
Today is a travel day and after breakfast we drive to Beaver Creek with stops along the way. In the morning we will visit Sheep Mountain Visitors Centre and Observation deck.
View Dall sheep through the spotting scopes on the deck of the Interpretative Centre.
After a picnic lunch we visit the Kluane Natural History Museum in Burwash Landing specializing in wildlife exhibits. Located beside the museum is the worlds largest gold pan, 28 feet high. Burwash landing is a lakeside community with a panoramic view of Kluane Lake. After transferring to our hotel in Beaver Creek, we will enjoy the Rendezvous Dinner Theatre. Dinner and evening entertainment of music and skits depicting the history of the Yukon will be held in a log frame theatre with an open-air fire pit.
Overnight in Beaver Creek
(B) (L) (D)
Day 9:
Another travel day, as we make our way over the Top of the World Highway enjoying its spectacular views. Lunch in downtown Chicken, Alaska will be memorable! Heading to Dawson City, we may stop to pan for gold along the way. After arrival in Dawson City we travel by boat to Ancient Voices Wilderness Camp. Our adventure will take place in the heart of Yukons wilderness and we will experience Northern First Nations traditional way of life. After a special dinner, evening camp activities may include fireside stories, legends, games, songs, dances and a steam sauna.
Overnight at Ancient Voices
(B) (L) (D)
Day 10:
Today, while at the camp we experience First Nations Traditional methods of tanning hides, smoking and drying of fish and game and preserving local plants and berries. A nature walk will introduce us to the medicinal secrets of local plants, trees and roots. Watch a fish wheel in action and view First Nations arts and crafts. Our return trip back to Dawson City along the mighty Yukon River will give us views of Moosehide Village and the Steamboat Graveyard, windows to another time. After transferring to our hotel, the rest of the day and evening is at your leisure.
Overnight in Dawson
(B) (L)
Day 11:
After breakfast we walk to the Dawson City Visitors Centre for an informative film and information of the surrounding areas. Come with us to the Claim #6 and try your luck and pan for gold on Bonanza Creek. Any gold you find is yours to keep. Lunch will be at Klondike Kates in the heart of downtown Dawson. Next we visit Pierre Burton House, Robert Service Cabin and Jack London Cabin for viewing and a reading. Use the rest of your day to explore Dawson. We meet again for the Gaslight Follies, a high energy, period-themed musical comedy. The theatre is the Grand Opera House opened in 1899, after which it became The Palace Grand.
Overnight in Dawson
(B) (L)
Day 12:
The morning is at your leisure to explore Dawson City. For a brief period at the end of the 19th century it was the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle, boasting a population of 30,000. Stroll the boardwalks lined with restored building, which was hastily constructed with elaborate false fronts. The young Klondikers came to Dawson for gambling, dancing girls and saloons. In the afternoon we meet for a guided tour of downtown Dawson City, followed by a tour of the Commissioners Residence and ending with afternoon tea on the veranda. We meet again for evening performance at Diamond Tooth Gerties with its frolicking entertainment reminiscent of the great Klondike Gold Rush. Gertie and her cancan dancers perform nightly. Try your hand at black jack, roulette, poker or the slot machines.
Overnight in Dawson
(B)
Day 13:
Today we travel to Whitehorse, stopping along the way for a picnic lunch. Enjoy this magnificent territory where visitors regularly spot Dall sheep, black and grizzly bears, moose, fox, coyote and marmot. Perhaps we will be lucky! The Yukons short, intense summer brings a constantly changing carpet of colour. The roads and trails are lined with crimson purple bear root, feathery fox tail grass and pink fireweed. Fireweed is the floral emblem of the Yukon and is a hardy plant, which gets its name from its appearance after wild fires. Many Yukoners harvest it for use in soaps, jellies and even to cook. The bright flowers frequently adorn the art of local potters, painters and crafts people.
Our farewell dinner will be in Whitehorse.
Overnight in Whitehorse
(B) (L) (D)
Day 14:
After breakfast we transfer to airport.
(B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices Quoted in US Dollars.
INCLUDED:
* All participants will share a room, twin beds. There is no single supplement.
* All meals listed in the itinerary (B - Breakfast, L ELunch, D EDinner)
* All listed transportation during the tour, guides, equipment and all activities.
* Transfers to and from airport.
NOT INCLUDED:
* AIR FARE
* Travel Insurance
* Departure tax payable locally
* Tips for guides/drivers (discretionary)
* Items of a personal nature including alcohol, laundry, drinks etc.
Also see tour packages in:
North America
Canada
Sweet Harmony
Women Tours
Wildlife Viewing
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