Day 1 - (Sunday) - Yellowknife/ Blachford Lake, NWT

Fly into Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories on the remote shores of Great Slave Lake. At the airport, meet your private guide for a tour of the city. Take in the old town's vestiges of gold-rush history as you wander the tangled streets of rustic wooden shacks, stop to chat with the friendly locals, and then enjoy a leisurely lunch in the old town. Visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre on the shores of Frame Lake and learn about the history and characteristics of the Dene and Inuit peoples, the Métis, and the early pioneers. This evening, board your charter bush plane (outfitted with skis for the winter in order to land on snow and ice) for the flight into the wilderness from Yellowknife and travel to the magnificent post-and-beam masterpiece that is Blachford Lake Lodge, one of the Arctic's best fly-in wilderness lodges. Settle in to your luxurious room and then toast your day's activities in front of a blazing fire with a glass of champagne while you admire the lodge's collection of historic photos and local artefacts. Relax over dinner in the cozy and elegant dining room and enjoy the local delicacies of Canada's North, ranging from poached Arctic char to pepper-crusted tenderloin of bison. Hotel - Blachford Lake Lodge. Meals - LD.

Day 2 - (Monday) - Blachford Lake/ Wilderness Camp, NWT

Sleep late beneath the warmth of a luxurious down duvet, enjoy a hearty breakfast, and then stroll the groomed nature trails through the surrounding forest, try your hand at ice fishing, sample the cross-country skiing trails or take a spin on the natural ice rink on the lake. If you are feeling especially inspired, grab a cured seal skin and head for the nearest hill to sample the sport of tobogganing in its original form. In the afternoon, bundle up in specially-provided winter expedition gear and set out from Blachford beneath the blankets on a traditional dogsled with your personal guide and dog-musher. Skim silently across the frozen lakes and through hushed forests, spotting wildlife ranging from barrenland caribou and elegant mink to the elusive red fox and fierce wolverine. Arrive at your own private campground where your guide will set up camp and start the fire in your insulated prospector's tent. Take a walk through the silent snow and then warm up by the fire with a cocktail while your chef prepares a sumptuous meal of local delicacies. Tonight, gaze up at the most spectacular natural lightshow, the Northern Lights, from their most dramatic vantage point, and then retire to the comfort of your double down sleeping bags laid out on a soft bed of spruce bows and caribou skins. Hotel - Luxury Wilderness Camp. Meals - BLD.

Day 3 - (Tuesday) - Wilderness Camp/Blachford Lodge, NWT

Sleep late and wake to the sounds of ptarmigans chortling and ravens cawing in the woods. After a campfire breakfast, try your skills at snowshoeing as you explore the deep and silent forest with your guide, searching for animal tracks in the snow and learning about the delicate ecological balance in the North. After lunch, fine-tune your ability to steer the dogsled as you return to your wilderness oasis of Blachford Lodge. Recover from a day of active adventure with a glass of wine in the outdoor hot tub or ease your muscles with a dry sauna before enjoying another delicious gourmet meal and a restful sleep. Hotel - Blachford Lake Lodge. Meals - BLD.

Day 4 - (Wednesday) - Blachford Lake Lodge/Yellowknife, NWT

Talk the kitchen staff into serving breakfast in bed, and then spend the morning at leisure in the lodge. Curl up in the lounge with a long neglected book, check out the traditional tipi on the grounds, take a walk through the woods, or simply sit before the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and the backgammon board. After lunch, board your private bush plane and depart for Yellowknife. Keep an eye out for wildlife on the flight and consider a diversion to land on a frozen lake in the middle of a vast wilderness to see a herd of migratory caribou up close and personal. In Yellowknife, check into your elegant suite at the comfortable Explorer hotel (the best in town) and spend the rest of the evening at leisure exploring this fascinating diamond capital. Dine tonight overlooking the lakes and sample the local delicacies such as bison, musk-ox, caribou and arctic char. Return to your suite to relax in the bath by the light of the fireplace or head out on the town to sample some of the local entertainment. Hotel - Explorer Hotel. Meals - BL.

Day 5 - (Thursday) - Yellowknife, NWT

Visit the world-renowned Aurora College for a brief and fascinating education on diamonds from Mike Botha, a transplanted South African and one of Canada's leading diamond cutters and educators. Let Mike bring to life the journey of these precious gems from their mineral origins to their mining, and finally the process that transforms them from a dull gravel stone into a brilliant lustrous jewel. From the college, head over to the fine jewellers at the Gallery of the Midnight Sun and meet your own personal diamond connoisseur and consultant. Discover the different cuts and carats of diamonds and conceive your ideal design and setting for your future jewel. Learn the art of cutting and polishing on site, and if you are up for it, have a try at polishing one of these treasured stones. Over dinner, mull over your days activities and contemplate your diamond creation. After dinner, head out of town to Aurora Village and experience the gracious hospitality of a Dene native community. Warm up by the wood fire in the giant traditional tipi and then enjoy a final opportunity to watch the magical Northern Lights illuminate the vast horizon. Hotel - Explorer Hotel. Meals - B.

Day 6 (Friday) - Yellowknife/Home

After breakfast, visit the diamond factory and choose from a selection of stones in various stages of maturity. Finish the unique journey of your diamond from rough, lacklustre pebble to sparkling masterpiece by choosing the design and having your name laser-engraved for eternity on the base of the stone before it is registered with Gemprint for insurance and legacy purposes. Celebrate your choice over a casual lunch on the old town with a bottle of champagne on ice. In the afternoon, say your goodbyes to the Canadian north and transfer to the Yellowknife airport for your flight home. Meals - B.