Overview
Take a trip to Yellowknife on your Canada Vacation
Resting peacefully on the shores of the vast Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife is the vibrant capital of the Northwest Territories. As the cultural and economic hub for the vast territory, Yellowknife is a modern city with a friendly community spirit, featuring everything you could possibly need in the Great North. Many are surprised at how cosmopolitan the city feels, from a diverse selection of international and regional cuisine to stunning collections of art. A number of eclectic festivals keep locals moving and grooving throughout the year, celebrating uniquely Northern events like ice carving, dogsledding, or dancing all night long under the midnight sun.
Outdoor activities abound in Yellowknife no matter the time of year. As the deepest lake in Canada and one of the largest in the world, Great Slave Lake presents myriad opportunities to be explored, from boating to swimming to paddleboarding in summer. Bush planes soar over the lake, giving you a unique perspective on the forested land and Yellowknife’s rich mining history below. The lake is frozen most of the year, during which you can snowmobile out across its icy surface with a blanket and hot cocoa to carve out your own spot to view the magical Northern Lights. Yellowknife is one of the best cities in the world to view the dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis, which take you to the skies in the colder months for an experience you’ll never forget.
At a Glance
Languages
English, FrenchCurrency
Canadian Dollar (CAD)What do the experts say?
Try and visit the Quebec Winter Carnival. It’s one of the biggest and most famous winter festivals in the world, with snow sculptures, ice canoe races, night parades, and plenty of traditional Quebecois food and music.
Visitors to Canada just do not understand how different each region can feel, it’s almost like visiting several countries in one. Beyond the big cities and famous sights, there are countless small towns, Indigenous communities, and local traditions that give you a whole new perspective on the country.
Most Popular Time to Travel
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Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
YellowknifeMostly Sunny
28°C / 83°F
14mm / 0.6"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,258 ReviewsTouching base after our trip. As usual you did a great job helping plan and execute an amazing travel experience!! Everything was fantastic. Especially our hotel location. Since it's connected to the Victoria station it made getting around very easy. Thanks again for your help I'm sure we'll be booking our next trip soon...Leigh FerrisThe trip was planned perfectly, with the support of knowledgeable and dedicated local staff during any critical point of the trip.
The accommodations, transfers, transportation, guides' input and visits' setup met the highest standards and expectations.Nadia & Cristian We recently completed a trip to Crete, Greece - our third trip with GoWay - and I have run out of superlatives to laud their efforts. This was a self drive trip, and as has been our experience with GoWay, we were permitted to customize the standard offered itinerary to suit our personal preferences. Brooke, our agent on this trip, went the extra mile to make all the adjustments we requested, including providing for an English-speaking guide at the Phaistos archeological site. The hotels which Brooke booked on our behalf were truly excellent, and - again, per our wish - just outside of the urban chaos of Heraklion, Rethymno and Chania, but close enough to readily access the cities' benefits. Each hotel was a beachside sanctuary, and we spent several serene, idyllic days never leaving the hotel, and yet there was plenty of time for more distant and adventurous sight seeing.
I cannot overstate how happy we have been with our GoWay experiences - most notably in their willingness to listen to our preferences and make those manifest in the itinerary - and this most recent trip just confirms our already positive opinion of GoWay, and we will be certain to consider them again for our next travel adventure.Frank VenutiVenessa Lloyd at GoWay organized a trip to Africa for us- We just returned last week. It was very well organized and included everything we requested, and more. We did two safaris - one in Tanzania and one in South Africa. They were both excellent, with first class accommodations and guides. We absolutely would recommend GoWay and Vanessa to anyone. SandraOverall, the hotel and tours were amazing. We had issues with communicating with the driver. At times I was asked where, I was gone. The local company handled the situation and there were minor issues after. I would recommend a local English-speaking guide every day. My clients loved the trip. The area we stayed in had many restaurants and local markets nearby. I recommend the cooking class, flamenco dance show, wine tasting and taps tour, and the city tour. Jolynn TizenoAni M was absolutely amazing to work with! I actually chose Goway for our group trip because of her recommendations. She was the only agent who took the time to explain that we really needed to split our travels into two separate trips if we wanted to experience everything on our wish list, and I really appreciated her honesty and guidance.
Throughout the planning process, Ani was incredibly helpful and answered ALL of my questions, even when I asked the same ones more than once! She was patient, knowledgeable, and always willing to help. I enjoyed working with her and her team so much that I already have another group trip planned with her, and I expect we'll be planning another one soon!
The guides during our Scotland trip were wonderful as well. Ian Short was the BEST! He was professional, knowledgeable, and made sure everything ran smoothly so we could simply enjoy the experience. He even worked in sightseeing stops we didn't know we needed to see, and those little extras made the trip even better.
The entire experience was absolutely wonderful from beginning to end. I'm already looking forward to our next adventure to Ireland with Goway and working with Ani and their team again!Angela ButlerMichael was informative and answered all my questions.
Flexible with package details and accommodated changes we preferred with activities. He put together a superb tour with transportation and guides that were very knowledgeable. Would book with them again on next trip to Europe.Christopher CareyWe recently traveled to Portugal and had the most wonderful experience. As our first venture overseas, we decided to search online for travel assistance. We happened across Goway Travel and are so glad we did!
Michael Keon, our Destination Specialist, is extremely proficient and knowledgeable in his profession. "Thorough" is an understatement. He assisted every step of the way from the moment we stepped on our flights, transfer arrangements, hotel accommodations, train travel and multiple tours/outings tailored to our specific needs/wish list.
He provided unparalleled guidance and support during the planning process and was always available to discuss any questions/concerns. His communications were always prompt and concise.
Without a doubt, our best trip to date...there will be no hesitation to contact Mr. Keon for future travels.
Joanna Lynn Mays
Michael Andrew Mays
Joanna MaysWhat made this experience great was Cedric Wai. Had a client going to Asia and this is Cedric's wheelhouse since he is from there.
Everything was wonderful. Everything went smoothly. The individual tours were wonderful and all the guides were exceptional. A lot of traveling-the flight was very good on Cathay Pacific would highly recommend their airline seats were comfortable and spaced well. Being on an airplane for 16 hours sucks in general, but other than being a little sore from being stuck in one place all was good.
Thank you so much for all your help and the trip was wonderful and everything that it should be! Next trip will be much more relaxing, sitting still for a while on a beach somewhere ha ha!Careen SullivanAndrea Paredes helped me plan a last minute Colombia trip for my clients who had never been! They loved every minute of it. The hotels, history, excursions, and flights went very smooth. They were so happy with all their tour guides. Deanna Frisbie Borrego
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