12 Day Beaufort Sea Kayaking Tour

This is our most adventurous sea kayaking tour. Our itineraries are customized to each groups abilities and desires as well as the weather and ice conditions once we arrive. We offer several itinerary choices that range from base camping / photography tours that explore protected regions to outer coast itineraries that explore extensive sections of the coast and require previous sea kayaking experience. If you are a first time paddler don't worry, we can provide a destination that is perfect for you! We provide all your transportation from Fairbanks to the Beaufort Sea.

Itinerary:

Day Before:
Arrive in Fairbanks Alaska. We'll meet you today at your hotel or Bed & Breakfast to pack your clothes into dry bags and to answer any last minute questions.

Day 1 :
We will pick you up at 7 am and drive to the airport for a scheduled, commercial flight to Kaktovik, a small native village located on Barter island and the shores of the Beaufort Sea. Once in Kaktovik we will transfer to a chartered bush plane for a one hour flight, usually to Demarcation Bay, located on the Alaska - Canada border. We do offer other destinations if you prefer.

If all goes as planned we should be on the beach by 2 pm. We will set up camp, assemble the kayaks and start exploring. The hiking is just as good as the kayaking!

Day 2 - 10:
Explore the ANWR coastline by foot and kayak. Your guide has a degree in biology and will share with you his knowledge of the plants and animals as well as the cultural history of the region.

Base camping ~ Demarcation Bay:
This tour is perfect for those with no previous kayaking experience. Demarcation Bay attracts a very large number of animals and is more protected from adverse weather and thick ice floes. The hiking is exceptional as well. The region was favored by ancient native hunters as a summer camp as well as turn of the century whalers. You will have the opportunity to enjoy the arctic as only the very few have. For those lucky enough to have plenty of time and money we offer this tour in conjuntion with our rafting trip on the Kongakut river.

More advanced itineraries:
On our more advanced routes we often sea kayak from Demarcation Bay back to Kaktovic. We occasionally have the thrill of seeing polar bears on this trip as we spend time on the outer barrier islands and exposed open ocean beaches that occasionaly attract polar bears. You'll have the option of exploring several very rich river deltas on this tour. Its a tour de force of the best of the Beaufort sea. We do require previous kayaking experience for this tour.

Bear Protection:
We carry a shotgun and use elecric fences around our tent camps while we sleep on all our Beaufort sea tours. We store food in bear proof containers and in a seperate camp from where we sleep. Your safety is our highest priority and seeing bears in the wilderness, safely, is often a highlight of our tour.

Far more common visitors are the snowy owls, caribou, arctic fox, loons and sandhill cranes. Nesting waterfowl congregate in very high numbers all along the Beaufort sea. The beautiful eider's are one of our favorites! Your guide, Wade, will photograph and video tape the trip so you will have plenty of pictures to share with your friends and family.

We provide all your camping equipment including tents, sleeping bags and a wide range of paddling accessories that includes gore tex paddling jackets and top of the line Feathercraft folding kayaks. For a complete list click here:

We Provide

Day 11:
This will be our last day in the field. We'll either be picked up by bush plane if base camping or we will paddle into Kaktovic. Once in Kaktovic we will celebrate an amazing adventure at a small hotel in Kaktovic. After a long overdue shower you can explore the Kaktovic area and meet the locals. We have several good friends in the village. We will spend the night in Kaktovik . Lodging and meals are provided tonight.

Day 12:
Today we will board the scheduled, commercial flight back to Fairbanks, arriving around 4 pm. We provide transportation to your hotel and will be more than happy to join you for a big celebration dinner at one of the fine restaurants in Fairbanks. Lodging and meals in Fairbanks is not included in the tour price.

Difficulty : Moderate - Strenuous
(No previous experience required)

Possible Weather Delays:
Fog is a persistant adversary when traveling along the Beaufort Sea coast and sometimes it can not only delay our bush flight but the commercial flight to Kaktovic as well. Should we be delayed by weather we will overnight at a small hotel in Kaktovic and enjoy visiting the locals or posssibly just stay in Fairbanks. Lodging for weather delays is not included in the tour price. We suggest travelers budget for lodging and expenses in the event of a weather delay due to fog.

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