May 23-30 is Tourism Week, an annual celebration of our tourism industry and its importance to our lives in the North.
In partnership with Northwest Territories Tourism, we are marking Tourism Week with a thank you to the many NWT residents who have supported our industry’s operators (and our territory’s overall health and safety) by Staycationing.
How far do you have to travel to experience a memorable vacation?
For Amanda Reynolds and her colleagues, it was just two hours. They spent a teacher’s wellness break at the Arctic Chalet this year, just outside of Inuvik.
With travel restricted by the global pandemic and strict isolation requirements in place, Amanda was looking for a local way to take a break.
“We wanted to relax and kinda be away from everything. In the summertime, Inuvik is a flight or a boat ride away; but in the winter, the ice road is open. The Arctic Chalet was a perfect place to escape to nature. It has everything you need in a vacation – and it was only a two-hour drive away.”
“It was wonderfully rustic and remote; surrounded by nature and hiking trails. Obviously, in the summer you would have the opportunity to hike, explore or go canoeing. We had decided on dog sledding and snowshoeing but the day we got there, it was -50 degrees and too cold for the dogs. But apparently not for us! They snowmobiled us up into the hills and we went snowshoeing. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We had three to five layers on each! If you looked at some of the pictures you can actually see icicles on our eyelashes. That night, in particular, it was super cold but the view of the unpolluted lights was incredible. The Aurora that night were the best I’ve ever seen.”
Surrounded by nature, the Arctic Chalet is a perfect representation of the best the North has to offer. The Chalet is dedicated to providing visitors and business travelers with comfortable accommodations in the midst of a truly northern setting. Constructed traditionally from scratch, their cabins are part of the authentic northern experience they offer. From winter dog sledding and ice road tours to summer hiking and helicopter tours, the Arctic Chalet has something to offer everyone.
The global pandemic has put travel on hiatus and while everyone is counting the days until global travel is safe once again, Amanda and her colleagues are a testament to the fact that you don’t need to put fun and adventure on hold. Our north is vast and there are exciting once-in-a-lifetime adventure vacations waiting for you – even just hours away!
We are inviting residents to share their Staycation experiences at Instagram.com/spectacularnwt
You can find these stories on the ITI newsfeed or read them here.