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Nunavut

Picture a treeless, ice-encrusted wilderness lashed by unrelenting weather with a population density that makes Greenland seem claustrophobic. Add polar bears, narwhals, beluga whales and a scattered Inuit population who have successfully mastered a landscape so harsh that foreigners could not colonize it.

Nunavut is Canada's largest and most lightly populated subdivision, a mythical assortment of uninhabited islands and frigid ocean that exists on the planet's climatic and geographic extremes. Visitors here face multiple obstacles, not least perennial blizzards, no roads and massive travel costs. But those that do get through have the benefit of welcoming communities and awe-inspiring natural wonders, as well as the privilege of joining a small band of intrepid trailblazers, safe in the knowledge that they are setting foot where few have trodden before.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Nunavut.

  • See

    Kenojuak Cultural Centre & Print Shop

    Though many Inuit communities now generate world-class artworks, Cape Dorset's remain the most revered. The new Kenojuak Cultural Centre, named after Kenojuak Ashevak, is split into exhibition space and a state-of-the-art print workshop where you can watch artists work. The most activity occurs from September to May; manager Joemee is happy to explain the stonecut, lithograph and stencil techniques in the print shop and there's a good selection of prints and souvenirs for sale.

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    Quttinirpaaq National Park

    The northernmost and most mountainous of Nunavut's national parks, 37,775-sq-km Quttinirpaaq is Canada's second-largest, way up on Ellesmere Island. Now the mass of frozen crags, topped with age-old ice caps, deep fjords, vast glaciers and sheltered valleys are home to musk ox, wolverine and Peary caribou. Highlights include 24-hour daylight, Mt Barbeau (2616m), eastern North America's highest peak, and Lake Hazen Basin. Multiday treks are offered by Black Feather, which also runs a joint trip with Parks Canada.

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    Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts & Crafts

    Pang is famous for its lithographs, prints and tapestries, and this extraordinary place brings it all together. There are few tapestry studios in the world, but one is here and you can watch the weavers at work. Artists create prints via a variety of techniques in the adjacent workshop, and there's a stunning archived collection available to browse and buy. Famous crocheted hats and hand-woven scarves are another highlight, as are the soapstone, marble and bone carvings and jewelry.

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    Auyuittuq National Park

    Among the globe's most flabbergasting places, Auyuittuq (ah-you-ee-tuk) means 'the land that never melts.' Appropriately, there are plenty of glaciers in this 19,500-sq-km park, plus jagged peaks, vertiginous cliffs and deep valleys. Hikers trek the 97km Akshayuk Pass (crossing the Arctic Circle) in summer, when it's snow-free. Access is by boat either from Pangnirtung (per person one way $150) or Qikiqtarjuaq ($275); arrange pickup in advance. Camp in any safe, windproof, ecologically appropriate spot. Nine emergency shelters dot the pass. Register and pay park fees at Parks Canada.

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    Katannilik Territorial Park

    Near Iqaluit and one of Nunavut's finest parks, Katannilik means 'Place of Waterfalls' and comprises two main features. A Canadian Heritage waterway, aquamarine Soper River splashes a navigable 50km through a deep, fertile valley, past cascades, caribou, gemstone deposits and dwarf-willow forest to Kimmirut, attracting paddlers. Hikers and skiers take the Itijjagiaq Trail, a traditional 120km route (one week) over the tablelands of the Meta Incognita Peninsula and through the Soper valley to the Frobisher Bay trailhead, 10km west of Iqaluit.

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    Ukkusiksalik National Park

    Surrounding Wager Bay, a vast inlet off Hudson Bay, Ukkusiksalik National Park comprises 20,500 sq km of bleak uninhabited tundra and is one of the world's best places to observe polar bears as well as other arctic wildlife. July and early August are best for visits and an Inuit guide is highly recommended. Charter flights from Baker Lake or motorboats from Naujaat (formerly Repulse Bay) are the way in: Rankin Inlet has flights to both. Boat trips offers terrific wildlife-watching opportunities.

  • See

    Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum

    This friendly little museum in an old Hudson's Bay Company building showcases an engaging permanent collection of traditional Inuit clothing, tools, children's toys, weaponry and methods of transport, including a full-size sealskin canoe, plus splendid soapstone and whalebone carvings. Upstairs are Thule artifacts (including some early snow-goggles) dating back hundreds of years.

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    Qausuittuq National Park

    The name means 'Where the Sun Doesn't Rise' – appropriate for a location that sees several months of total darkness each year. Encompassing over 11,000 sq km of pristine arctic wilderness, including some frozen islands and the snow-covered mountains and cliffs of the northern half of Bathurst Island, it is home to the endangered Peary caribou, polar bears and other wildlife. Accessible from early June until late September, the park is accessed by charter flight from Resolute; register with Parks Canada.

  • See

    Sirmilik National Park

    Pond Inlet is the base for visits to this spectacular park, a breeding ground for countless seabirds including the planet's largest flock of snow geese. The park has three main areas: Bylot Island, a glacier-draped bird sanctuary; Oliver Sound, a fjord with exciting canoeing; and Borden Peninsula with its striking hoodoos (eroded red sandstone towers). Sirmilik's logistics are challenging, so most people choose to go on some kind of tour. Contact the Pond Inlet parks office for info and to register.