Mutehekau Shipu (Magpie River) Rafting Expedition

Highlight

• Learn about Innu culture with locals in Ekuanitshit at the start of the trip
• Travel through the heart of one of the largest tracts of roadless boreal forest in the world
• Explore the rugged coastline and charming villages of Quebec’s Cote Nord region
• Raft world class, fun whitewater, with expert guides
• Camp along the river at spectacular spots
• Optional activities: fish for speckled trout, side hikes, learn whitewater and expedition skills
• Become rejuvenated in a way you only can on a remote wilderness trip, disconnected from our devices and surrounded by fresh water and the splendour of nature.

Itinerary & description

Day 1

We meet in the coastal Innu village of Ekuanitshit (Mingan) at 4pm on day 1. If you need a ride from Sept-Îles, we’ll pick you up from there by 1pm free of charge (Air Canada has several daily flights between Sept-Îles, Montreal, and Québec City). Welcome dinner and orientation to our campsite set-up will happen this night. We will camp overnight in Ekuanitshit.

Day 2

This morning, we visit the Innu cultural Centre with local guide Lydia Mestokosho. We’ll learn about Innu history, the community, and Lydia and her family’s connection with the land and river.

In the afternoon, we make final preparations and pack-up for the river expedition. Dinner is followed with an optional walk on the coast and a campfire.

Day 3

We fly to the river trip starting point by float plane or helicopter. We fly over lakes, rivers, cliffs, and rugged hills to our starting location, where the Mutehekau Shipu (Magpie River) flows out of Lac Magpie. It’s an amazing and peaceful feeling as we watch the aircraft leave us and we realize how deep into nature we are, and what a special and magical place we’ve come to.

The guides give a thorough whitewater briefing, followed by practice paddling in the rafts. We paddle a short way to our first camp, or camp at the landing spot.

Day 4 to 8

We get into the flow of the river and expedition.

Mornings at camp are quiet, watching the mist rise off the river with a steaming coffee or tea, and a hearty breakfast.

The days are full of excitement and exploration. Your guides will teach you how to read the river and maneuver, as we continue to build up our teamwork and coordination in the rafts. The Mutehekau Shipu is amazing for rafting because of the continuous nature of the whitewater. Days are action-packed, with rapid after rapid and little flat water in between.

Big waves lift us airborne into smile-inducing drops. It’s a sporty, splashy, and refreshing bit of fun and challenge.

We paddle 14′ to 16′ self-bailing ‘paddle rafts’. Each raft has a professional guide steering and providing instructions at the back. One of the guides rows all of the food and equipment in a ‘gear raft’ with long oars. Another guide paddles a hard-shelled whitewater kayak and acts as a safety boat and also a guide for participants who choose to kayak.

There are three giant rapids / chutes that are too big to raft down. Here, the guides are usually able to ‘line’ the boats — send them down without people on board with ropes attached to pendulum them back to shore — an exciting spectacle to observe!

There are several optional side hikes along the way that take us up the hills to great vantage points. While walking, we can have a closer look at the plants and flowers, look for animal tracks, find blueberries, and collect Labrador Tea.

Meals are a highlight of these trips. Our guides double as chefs as they whip up unreal meals featuring Quebec produce and meat from organic farms and locally sourced seafood. We grill on the fire, saute and boil on camp stoves, and bake desserts and lasagnas in dutch ovens.

Evenings around the fire are a time to relax, break out the guitar (Boreal River Expeditions Director and Head Guide Ty Smith has an amazing repertoire and the voice of an angel), talk about the day’s adventures, and gaze at the star-filled sky. August is usually the time for meteor showers and if we’re lucky, dazzling displays of northern lights.

On the last two days, we see the river cascade through thundering falls. On the last night, we camp at Magpie Falls, a spectacular 100′ waterfall.

Day 9

This morning we paddle our last stretch together, to of where the river reaches the sea. There’s a feeling of satisfaction and joy — looking forward to a hot shower and back to a surviving, great river.

After lunch and goodbye’s, you can get back into your vehicle and keep exploring the coast, take the road-trip home, or we can drive you back to Sept-Îles.