Reviews of Boreal Kennels - Dog Sledding & Fishing Tours (Travel Agency)

Uta Roehrig

Going dog sledding was always my dream and I knew it would take my out of my comfort zone, but it's just one of these things you have to do. Lovely welcome with a cup of tea and a safety briefing that's absolutely necessary because us soft Europeans didn't have a clue about the beauty and the challenge of the wilderness. I came of the sled (only once) and hit a few trees on the way, but I had an absolute blast. The beauty of this part of the world is outstanding and the dogs are lovely, very well looked after and do an absolute amazing job to get you where you need to be. Bertrand and his team are outstanding in supporting you all the way, and if you had too much, you can always get a ride on the snowmobile. I am glad that we booked the whole 5-day experience as every day you learn more and you discover this amazing territory more and more. We say some dall sheep and moose out in the wild which was one of the best experiences I every had. Another favourite day out was the snow shoeing, I am still so happy that I had the chance to do it. Back in Carcross the welcome, food and drinks were overwhelming, the hospitality is outstanding and even know back at work in the normal routine this memory keeps me happy. I would love to go back in the summertime for a canoe trip as well. Thank you so much for an absolute outstanding adventure.

Peng Wei

I came here at Christmas. It was very fun.

Bryan Pritz

It's hard to put into words at how amazing our trip was with Boreal Kennels. I searched all over Canada and the US for an experienced dogsledding outfitter that would provide a unique and custom dogsledding experience in the Canadian Mountains. We ruled out the dogsledding in Algonquin Park because it seemed too commercial and didn't have the rustic mountain setting we were looking for. Something about dogsledding the Yukon near Whitehorse seemed much more authentic and more of an experience. After narrowing our list down from 30 guides/companies we finally got the list down to 5. After evaluating all 5 companies we just had that gut feeling about Boreal Kennels that drew us to them. Something about what they had to offer seemed more authentic than the other companies and as our group of 4 would come to find out, it was exactly what we were looking for. Spending 5 days dogsledding the Yukon wilderness comes with some hesitations on safety, cold weather, not having the correct gear, etc. Our group came from San Diego where the weather never get's below 50 degrees F so knowing the temps can get down to -30 F was a bit scary. Boreal Kennels - Bert and Anthony were our guides for the trip and were spectacular. They do everything to make you comfortable, well fed, safe and having a good time. They picked us up from the airport and took care of everything until they dropped us off at the airport on our departure day. They went above and beyond what we would have expected from a guide. Safety - Bert is a wilderness expert, I remember him talking about having search and rescue experience or something similar and the moment we stepped into the wild we felt totally safe. Not one moment through the whole trip did we feel like we were in danger. Food - Not exactly sure how they were able to serve us such delicious meals, but I think I ate better than I do at home. Tent/Accommodations - One of the things we really wanted was a winter camping experience. We were blown away by the comfort of our accommodations at night. I don't want to give too much details as I think one of the exciting parts about a trip like this is the unknown. Just know that we stayed warm and were much more comfortable than we could have imagined on a trip like this. Dogs - What an incredible group of animals. I wanted to take them all home with me. It got really cold with whiteout conditions one day and even with icicles forming on their mouths they were having the time of their lives. They truly love to pull the sleds and love people too. We got to help with harnessing them and helping out when we wanted. If you don't want to help out, Bert and Anthony took care of everything. Gear - I don't even own a jacket, so was super worried about not having proper gear for this. Boreal Kennels recommended we rent the Arctic Package from Men's World in Whitehorse and it was amazingly comfortable and warm. It came with all the outer layers (Boots, Snowpants, Jacket, Hat & Gloves) designed for super freezing temperatures. They had our gear waiting at our hotel upon our arrival and everything fit perfectly and worked out great. We brought all our own underlayers (wool base layers and some mid-layers) as well as goggles (recommended), hand warmers (recommended), a balaclava (recommended) and all our normal camera's, phones, a solar charger, etc. We thought our 5 day trip was pretty crazy but we came to find out people do 14-day adventures, 30 day adventures and everything in between. They will customize the trip based on what you want to do and what you want the experience to be like. We are thankful we found these guys and the experience of a lifetime they created.

CellF CARE

I'm not a fan of dogs being captive. Was quite saddened to see.

Ray Galindo

Without a doubt, if I had to choose a company again to do my tours, I would always be with them, they are a wonderful family, they make you feel part of them, they listen to you and they do their best to make your trip a unique and wonderful experience. , make every moment worthwhile! The best company in all of Whitehorse with which you can be sure that you will have enough time for your activities, without hassles or anything for them, the most important thing at that moment is you! so do not hesitate!

Robert Cole

???? Bert and his family took care of my wife and I on our first full day Dogsledding adventure! ???? This is exactly what we had hoped for, staying away from commercialized adventure tours, and helping local family businesses. Bert's dogs looked well cared for, and were very friendly. We were picked up in Whitehorse, served coffee in Bert's home, and helped setup the sleds. From there, we crossed the highway into the backcountry where breath taking views and the sounds of the dogs paws digging in the snow. It does require a bit of physical stamina, but for the most part was very easy to learn and control. Bert was very thorough on teaching us techniques that would better your experience as well as protect his dogs from harm. We had a light lunch provided with a bottle of water half way thru the tour. Overall, we couldn't have been happier ???? This is one of those tours I highly recommend ✌️ If my review helped, please give me a ???? Cheers! ????

Michael Yi

Hands down, if you're going to the Yukon and you want any of outdoor activity planned, Boreal Kennels should be your first and final stop. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do during my trip and emailed Bertrand letting him know that I was interested in going mushing (dog sledding) along with a list of other things I wanted to do so I could make sure everything fit in my schedule. I got a response very quickly letting me know that he could help with everything! The extent of customer service and care was beyond anything I could have imagined. From picking me up in Whitehorse (he's based out of Carcross), dog sledding, show shoeing, snowmobiling, hiking, nature preserve, hot springs, every thing! If you're doing activities that will take multiple days, he has accommodations (with an amazing family and staff), incredible home cooked, fresh meals catered to my weird diet, and a genuine love and interest with nature and animals. tl;dr: check out Boreal Kennels for the time of your life.

Zoe Tr.

It's great to meet the friendliest and the warmest host. Wonderful Experience.

Sharon MJ

Outstanding!! I can’t thank Bertrand, Julie, Alex, and their four legged companions enough for an experience of a lifetime. My husband and I, and I expect also our two good friends whom we travelled with, will be talking about our 5 day/4 night dog sledding adventure for many years to come. Beautiful tranquil landscapes, gorgeous friendly dogs, and the BEST guide and hosts you can imagine. And to top it off we were privileged to witness the magic of the Northern lights on our last night. Dog sledding with Boreal Kennels was truly a unique and authentic experience and we loved every minute of it. Going with Boreal was a brilliant choice and I would love to do this again some time with Bertrand and his team. I highly recommend a dog sledding trip with Boreal Kennels to anyone who has an adventurous spirit. What more can I say. Fantastic!!

Barb C

(Translated) Frankly, going with them was our living experience in the Yukon! Thank you dogs, Bertrand, Antho and Julie! I got to know Bertrand and his family (with Julie, their children and their 35 Siberian huskies) almost two years ago. So when my own family told me they were coming to see me in March in the Yukon, the first thing we decided was to go for 4 days with Boreal Kennels! My family just loved it (not to mention me!). It was a unique experience to travel by sled with a super motivated team of dogs who just wanted to go on an expedition! The landscapes of frozen lakes, forests and mountains were magnificent in addition to the great weather we had all along. At one point, we even followed wolf tracks on Tagish Lake. A real first for my parents and my brother! Julie, as usual, cooked up her best dishes for us! (Merciii Julie!) Bertrand has a real passion for his dogs and the outdoors (his dogs too! ... that's good!), Which is his element. He knows so much about the surroundings, history, flora and fauna ... Ask, you will see! Anthony was very helpful to us all along. They made a perfect team. - - - - We really enjoyed our time with them. This was our once a life Yukon experience! Never going to forget it! I met Bertrand and his family - Julie, their children and their 35 Siberian huskies - about 2 years ago. So when my own family told me they’d come and visit me in March, the very first thing we did was booking a 4 day trip with Boreal Kennels! My family just loved it - so did I! It was a real winter camping experience while traveling with a sled and our own team of dogs. Those are just fantastic! They just love to go! Landscapes of frozen lakes, forrest and mountains were amazing. The actually entire experience was amazing! Julie baked us her best recipes. So neat to enjoy hot homemade meals out in the bush! Bertrand loves to live in the wilderness. His dogs love it as much as he does! Plus, he knows a lot about the area's history and wildlife. So interesting! Anthony helped us along the way. All of them did an excellent team work! (Original) Franchement, partir avec eux a été notre expérience de vie au Yukon ! Merci les chiens, Bertrand, Antho et Julie ! J’ai connu Bertrand et sa famille (avec Julie, leurs enfants et leurs 35 husky sibériens) il y a presque deux ans. Alors quand ma propre famille m’a annoncé qu’ils venaient me voir en mars au Yukon, la première chose qu’on a décidé c’était de partir 4 jours avec Boreal Kennels ! Ma famille a juste adoré (sans parler de moi !). C’était une expérience unique de voyager en traîneau avec une équipe de chiens super motivée qui n’a qu’une envie : partir en expédition ! Les paysages de lacs gelés, forêts et montagnes étaient magnifiques en plus du super temps qu’on a eu tout le long. À un moment, on a même suivi des traces de loup sur Tagish Lake. Une vraie première pour mes parents et mon frère ! Julie, comme d’habitude, nous a concocté ses meilleurs plats ! (Merciii Julie !) Bertrand a une vrai passion pour ses chiens et l’extérieur (ses chiens aussi ! ...ça tombe bien !), c’est là d’ailleurs son élément. Il en connaît tellement sur les environs, l’histoire, la faune et la flore... Demandez, vous verrez ! Anthony nous a bien aidés tout le long. Ils ont fait une parfaite équipe. - - - - We really enjoyed our time with them. This was our once a life Yukon experience! Never going to forget it! I met Bertrand and his family - Julie, their children and their 35 Siberian huskies - about 2 years ago. So when my own family told me they’d come and visit me in March, the very first thing we did was booking a 4 day trip with Boreal Kennels! My family just loved it - so did I! It was a real winter camping experience while traveling with a sled and our own team of dogs. Those are just fantastic! They just love to go! Landscapes of frozen lakes, forrest and mountains were amazing. The actually entire experience was amazing! Julie baked us her best recipes. So neat to enjoy hot homemade meals out in the bush! Bertrand loves to live in the wilderness. His dogs love it as much as he does! Plus, he knows a lot about the area’s history and wildlife. So interesting! Anthony helped us along the way. All of them did an excellent team work!

Steeve Beaulieu

(Translated) Great experience with Bertrand and Anthony. Their professionalist and Bertrand's love for his dogs is fantastic. Homemade meals by the campfire complemented the fantastic day of sledding. Thanks to the team, we'll see you in 2019 or 2020 for another expedition. (Original) Super experience avec Bertrand et Anthony. Leur professionaliste et l amour de Bertrand pour ses chiens est fantastique. Les repas fait maison au coin du feu de camp completaient bien la journee fantastique passez en traineau. Merci a l equipe on se revoit en 2019 ou 2020 pour une autre expedition.

Neha Kulkarni

We went for a full-day dog sledding tour with Boreal Kennels and were really amazed by the experience. Our guide Bertrand (who is also the owner) and his assistant Paul made us feel safe throughout the day and helped us with tips and tricks with our sleds. With Bert, we felt the experience was authentic and could chat with him about lots of things. We also had a chance to meet with his wife Julie who had provided delicious lunch packs for us. The two of them have built a wonderful life in Yukon and we felt grateful that they allowed us to have a glimpse of it. Can't wait to go with Boreal Kennels again, hopefully for a multi-day tour!

Haris Khan

Fantastic experience! Bert is a gentleman! I booked a dog sledding/mushing tour with Boreal Kennels for myself and my family mid January 2017. We were greeted with a cup of hot drinks and Bert's warm and friendly family. We did snow shoeing for a while and then it was time for sledding. Bert and his super-nice assistant Barbara, showed my wife and I how to control the sleds and he led the way on his ski-doo. The trip was a lot of fun and quite a learning experience. Unfortunately, it was quite cold that day, -35 deg Celcius, so Bert took off his jacket and put it over my 10 year old daughter. Her heart melted and she said "Dad, Bert is such a gentleman"! We asked Bert to cut the trip short due to the cold and he was really nice about it. My recommendation: 1. You MUST book a trip with Bert if you are out in the Yukon - you won't regret it, and 2. Get good quality winter gear so that the cold does not interfere with your fun.

Glen Higgins

Wow wow wow Much more than just a holiday it was a fantastic adventure. We did the 5 day 4 nights out in the wilderness of the Yukon and BC If you are wanting the real deal and getting back to nature then this is the place to be, beautiful scenery, tranquil setting, fantastic guides and 6 of the best friends (dogs) you could wish to have Bertrand’s love and respect for his dogs is unbelievable. Julie, Bertrand’s wife provides the best food and plenty of it, from apple pie to quiche and much much more We were a party of four, 2 in our 50’s and 2 in our 60’s from Australia, leaving 35c temp in Australia to arriving in Whitehorse to -25c was to say the least a shock to the system. The care taken by Bertrand and Alex was unbelievable making sure were all looked after at all times with plenty of food and hot drinks. Bertrand had advised us to use Mensworld in Whitehorse for the hire of our clothing and he was 100% correct, Pat looked after us fantastically, she made sure everything provided to us was all we needed and more. All the clothing was in great condition and very warm. Alex is an amazing young man he too has an affinity with all the dogs his care for us was also amazing. His swimming skills are not the best but I would let him tell you about them, after all it was -15 at the time