A short guide about Northwest Territories
Anytime is a good time to visit the Northwest Territories (NWT). The long days of summer allow a variety of activities and spring is ideal for trips to the edge of the ice flow. Autumn and winter are the time to experience the amazing Aurora Borealis. The Aurora Borealis is also called the Northern Polar Lights, as it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The Aurora Borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April.
Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories and has air connections to the major Canadian cities and to destinations throughout the territories. Geographical features include the vast Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes, as well as the immense Mackenzie River and the canyons of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. These lakes and rivers of the territory have large stocks of prize fish and this is also where you’ll find the true brown (or grizzly) bear. They are found mostly in British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The Grizzly bear shares a love for scavenging food from campers, but will generally try to avoid human contact unless threatened or angry.
The famous Nahnanni National Park is a beautiful mountain reserve and there is a new national park at Tuktut Nogait, which is a haven for wildlife including caribou, muskoxen and birds of prey. Territorial islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago include Banks Island, Borden Island Prince Patrick Island, and parts of Victoria Island and Melville Island. The highest point is Mount Nirvana near the border with Yukon at an elevation 2,773 metres (9,098 ft).
There are several archaeological sites including Auvalik which existed over 3000 years ago and this area also includes two of Canada's three diamond mines at Ekati and Diavik. Tourabout has quite a large range of tours travelling across Canada through the Northwest Territories featuring a selection of categories, such as scenic train journeys to the adventure junkie.