Natural wonderland

Swiss ski resorts bounce back

Those are just a few of the fun facts McLeod has come to China to share about his province. For experienced tourists who are eager to escape the rat-race of big cities, McLeod promises a "magical" hunting or fishing adventure, or a wilderness tour by snowmobile, or grandly silent paddling by canoe under the midnight sun - any or all possible from a beautiful remote lodge that's warm and comfortable.

And all with those amazing Northern Lights overhead.

"There are other places that offer tourists a chance to see the aurora," says David Ramsay, the NWT's minister for tourism, "but we believe Yellowknife, our provincial capital, is the best place to see it in the world." That's not just homeboy bragging: A Japanese meteorologist's study indicates that Yellowknife offers a 92 percent likelihood to see the Arctic light show in season. That's because Yellowknife is far enough from the sea that cloud cover is rare.

"That means if you are in Yellowknife for two or three days at the peak viewing time, you are guaranteed to see it," he says. "You can sit in your hot tub at your lodge, or relax in a heated chair on a 360-degree viewing deck.

"And you don't have to come in winter - you can see the lights in late summer, the end of August and all of September - so you can relax on a lodge deck to watch the show wearing shorts and drinking a beer."