Services

Witness the migration of theNorthwest Arctic Caribou herd
Speak with village elders, visit an archaeological site

The Kobuk River Tour is sponsored by Lorry and Nellie Schuerch if Kiana. The village of Kiana is located on the Kobuk River in Northwestern Alaska, approximately thirty miles north of the Arctic Circle, in “The Land of the Midnight Sun.” The Kobuk Valley is home of the Kobuk River Inupiat Eskimos and there are five major Inupiat settlements along the river banks.

While touring this sparsely inhabited wilderness, it’s likely you will see caribou, moose, brown and black bears, foxes, wolves and ravens. The Kobuk is home to untold amounts of wild birds, including the Arctic Tern, which migrates from Antarctica to the Arctic each summer to nest.

All of our equipment is modern and dependable and our tour boat is fully enclosed and heated. Your skipper is a Coast Guard licensed river boat captain who is familiar with the language, philosophy and customs of the Eskimo people.

Weather permitting, you might visit one of the most important archeological sites in Alaska! There is an extensive series of historical housepits along the Kobuk River, evidence of the Woodland or Neo-Eskimo people of 1250 AD, the forefathers of today’s “Kuuvangmiit” (Kobuk River People).

Witness the migration of the Northwestern Arctic Caribou herd, totaling approximately 500,000 animals. This impressive concentration of bulls, cows and calves band together in the fall to travel south to their winter feeding grounds, and then return north in the springtime to calve.

Participate in the harvesting of white fish, sheefish and salmon. Witness the unique method of preserving this valuable food, a staple in our diet for the long winter months. Berry picking is a favorite autumn treat.

peak with our elders of the severe winters and coping with the hot and harsh summers in the Kobuk River Valley, then listen to their stories of the explorers, the gold miners of the gold rush, the traders and the missionaries who came and changed our people forever.

Visit the trading posts in the village of Kiana for souvenirs, hand-made tools, clothing and handicrafts. Mingle with the people and learn how we are able to subsist off the land by harvesting its abundant wild game and clothing. Learn how we are able to thrive in this harsh environment and wonder why we live here; it’s our home!

Come! We’d like to share it with you. Sharing is an old Eskimo tradition.