Canoe Expedition in the Yukon Wilderness

Welcome to Whitehorse! Your host will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your downtown hotel. In the afternoon there will be time to check out the city, have a gear check with your guides and a chance to pick up any last-minute supplies while in town.

Jump in the van and head south along the Alaska Highway to reach the put-in spot at Johnson’s Crossing. Your guide will show you the ropes with some paddling techniques before it’s time to hit the river. Your first day is a short paddle to one of many potential camp spots along the river. The river is slow and gentle in this area, making it a safe and comfortable place to learn.

Get stuck into the expedition with your first full day on the river, winding through a mix of gentle currents and some faster sections and riffles – these are all less than Class 2 and your guide will show you how to navigate them safely. The Teslin River is part of the homeland of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation, for whom the river is still an important source of fish and moose.

Tuck into breakfast on the banks of the river and pack down camp before putting in again. Getting deeper into the river ecosystem, keep scanning the banks as you paddle further down the Teslin for sightings of the many bears, moose, caribou and eagles that call this area of the Yukon home.

You'll be settled into the rhythm of life on the river by now, enjoying the rituals and roles that come with a wilderness camping expedition. Tuck into lunchtime picnics in amazing scenery while stretching the legs in between paddling stints. Each evening you'll enjoy a quintessential wilderness campfire dinner before bedding down in your tent to the gentle sounds of the river and the forest.

Today the Teslin flows into the Yukon River at the abandoned trading post at Hootalinqua. For the rest of the adventure you'll be paddling on the Yukon’s most famous river. History is tangible as you pass relics of paddle-wheelers, trapper’s cabins, mines, and trading posts, now overgrown and returned to a state the first newcomers to the territory might have recognised.

The Yukon River travels more than 3000km from its source lakes south of Whitehorse, all the way to the Bering Sea in north-west Alaska. Paddle long a remote section of the river today on the lookout for a good camp spot.

Continue along the remote section of the Yukon River, soaking up the feeling of being disconnected form the outside world for nearly a week already. Throughout the expedition your guides will be on the lookout for chances to get off the water and stretch the legs with hikes up to lookout points or epic sunset spots, giving you a fresh perspective on the Yukon off the water. On trips later in the summer you can look for wild berries to pick to add to that night's dessert or tomorrow's breakfast.

Your last full day and night on the river today as you soak up the wilderness you've been calling home for a week now. A lot of wildlife is commonly spotted on the banks around here, including black bears and moose, so keep your senses alert. Tonight will be a celebration with one final night out camping in the wild beneath skies that don't ever get dark this far north in summer.

One last push today as you paddle the final part of your journey. After a week on the river, with very few signs of civilisation, you'll arrive at the small native village of Carmacks, where you'll unload the canoes and hop in the waiting van for the two-hour drive back to Whitehorse. Warm showers are the order of the day before a night on the town to celebrate the completion of an epic adventure.

Your Canadian wilderness odyssey comes to an end today as your host drops you off at Whitehorse Airport in time for your onward flight.