SMART SPLURGE: Baffin Island, Canada
Eclipse Sound is only penetrable by kayak in August, when a fleeting summer begins and the ice around Baffin Island splits. Explore Pond Inlet, an Inuit village on the island’s northern coast, on a tour led by Canada-based Black Feather – The Wilderness Adventure Company. The 16-day kayaking voyage gives showcases remote treasures – including vacated Inuit camps, secluded headways and, with luck, narwhals  - Arctic whales identified by their slender, pointed tusks. For experienced kayakers; from about $5,301 for 16 days, all-inclusive

GREAT VALUE: Suwanee River, Florida and Georgia
On this 7-day Sierra Club outdoor adventure through the Okefenokee Refuge, kayakers and canoers paddle down the Suwanee River, a fresh waterway tinged black by tannic acid from decomposing vegetation. Encounter black bears, otters, and alligators along the (mostly) calm shores. From $1,245 for 7 days, all-inclusive