France Lake Wilderness Lodge
Yukon Wilderness Lodge

Your Hosts







Frances Lake in Canada's great north is our home. We — Andrea and Martin Laternser — are your personal hosts, caring for your wellbeing and guiding you around on daytrips, as well as on multi-day canoe and hiking tours. Only at busy times do we occasionally hire assistants, such as professional chefs or qualified guides. Natives of Switzerland, we came to Canada years ago and are excited to run the lodge — which has been serving guests since 1985 — with personal commitment and dedication.

As owners and operators, we manage our lodge according to ecological principles. We take pride in offering first-rate service to guests from around the world. We are fluent in English, French and German, are wilderness first aid-certified, and experienced in many outdoor pursuits. This guarantees a trouble-free wilderness experience for you. We are both very familiar with the land and waterways around Frances Lake, and it's our great pleasure to share with you our extensive knowledge about the fascinating nature and life in the wilderness.




Martin Laternser

Martin holds a doctorate in natural sciences (specializing in glacier, snow and climate research), has participated in two Greenland expeditions and has been involved in research projects throughout the Swiss Alps, France, Kazakhstan and Turkey. He is also a passionate mountaineer, long-time mountain guide and an avalanche specialist. He enjoys exploring the world on extensive adventure and mountaineering trips and has many years of experience as photographer and tour guide (Antarctica, Canada/Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Sahara Desert). Having traveled in many countries around the globe, he now feels most at home in Canada's true north — the Yukon! He gladly shares his scientific expertise and his extensive outdoor skills with his guests.



Andrea Laternser

Andrea's professional background includes work as a kindergarten teacher and as a business administrator (hospitality management). During her time spent working on a renowned cruise ship, she gained invaluable experience in the gastronomy and food service industry, in addition to the opportunity to travel the world. In her leisure time, she enjoys Nordic skiing, orienteering and swimming, though her great passion is roaming through pristine wilderness and experiencing nature with all her senses and in all seasons. She loves both manual and organizational work and is happy to spoil her guests with her extensive culinary skills.


For further information, feel free to browse through our Newsletter Archive, which provides good insight into our life in the Yukon wilderness.