The icy tundras of the Arctic, a land where light splinters from sharp white into a multi-coloured expanse, may strike you as unreachable.
But regular flights from Ottawa and Montréal travel there, and from April to October, visitors can take a two-hour flight from Nuuk, Greenland.
During the summer months, you can reach this realm of frost-shattered peaks, lumbering polar bears and free-roaming caribou via boat.
For those in search of solitude and soul-searching discovery, Nunavut has no equal. Travellers will be humbled by its vastness: its landmass dwarfs Mexico, though its population is smaller than Monaco. You can lose yourself in the immense, peaceful silence of a wide-open dreamscape.
A living culture
But it is not just an option for those looking to seek a profound connection with nature; it will also appeal to those wishing to embrace a unique society, one that has thrived for thousands of years.
The culture of the Inuit is vibrant and alive. “Nunavut” means “Our Land” in Inuktitut, and as 85% of the population are Inuit the name rings true.
The region is home to one of the most unique Indigenous experiences on Earth. Learn to ice fish with locals, dine on delicacies such as maqtaaq (whale fat), pipsi (dried Arctic char) and seal, or swaddle yourself in blankets at night to watch the green and violet swirl of the Northern Lights (aqsarniit) overhead, as elders enthral you with ancient stories, tales of creation and mythical creatures.
Arctic wildlife spotting
Blizzard-wracked Nunavut’s wilderness is captivating in its own right but it also serves as a blinding stage for some of the planet’s most iconic wildlife. Spy a polar bear – a mountain of muscle – or prowling the sea ice, a flash of ivory in a world of blue and white, the mythical, or the spiral tusk of a narwhal breaking the ocean’s surface. Inland, herds of caribou thunder across the tundra.
Seasonal shifts
When you choose to go will tune your adventure to a different frequency.
Visit in spring (April-May) and you will find a stunning, crisp world of snow and ice, with temperatures between −15°C and 0°C setting the scene for land-based journeys. Arrive for the milder summer (June-August), and Nunavut transmutes into a thawed, thriving landscape.
Temperatures between 4°C and 15°C are ideal for expedition cruises and wildlife spotting under the surreal blaze of the midnight sun.
A trip to Nunavut is not thoughtless tourism. It is a thread of unreal moments, of dreams realised. A real, raw encounter with the wild.
