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The Delta-Beaufort region centres on the planned government-built town of Inuvik , embracing the mighty delta of the Mackenzie River , North America's second longest river, and reaching across the Beaufort Sea to Banks Island, the most westerly of Canada's Arctic islands. The delta ranks as one of the continent's great bird habitats, with swans, cranes and big raptors amongst the many hundreds of species that either nest or overfly the region during the spring and autumn migration cycles. It also offers the chance of seeing pods of beluga whales and other big sea mammals, while local Inuit guides on Banks Island should be able to lead you to possible sightings of musk ox, white fox and polar bears. After Inuvik and the two villages on the short NWT section of the Dempster - Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic - the area's other four settlements are fly-in communities reached from Inuvik. Two of them, Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk , are near - at least, by NWT standards - and are the places to fly out to if you want a comparatively accessible taste of aboriginal northern culture. Sachs Harbour (on Banks Island) and Paulatuk lie much further afield, and are bases for more arduous tours into the delta and Arctic tundra. Inuvik, along with Yellowknife and Fort Smith, is one of the key centres of the accessible north, and one of the main places from which to make, take or plan tours further afield. Two major - and several minor - tour companies run a wide variety of boat and plane tours to all four destinations , varying from reasonably priced day-trips to full-on expeditions. Having come this far it's well worth taking one of the shorter tours to the fly-in communities for a taste of Arctic life, and to enjoy the superb bird's-eye view of the delta and surrounding country from the air.
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