7 minute read
Canada's Arctic
MICHeLLe VALBeRG
GREAT Explorations
From visits to Inuit villages and walking with polar bears to intrepid cruises and ice road journeys, there’s much to explore in Canada’s Arctic region, says Karl Cushing
MICHeLLe VALBeRG MICHeLLe VALBeRG
Pond inlET, nunAvuT
Once the preserve of remote indigenous communities, whalers an intrepid explorers, the natural wonders of Canada’s vast Arctic region – which spans more than 40% of its landmass – are more accessible than ever before as they’re now served by airports such as Iqaluit and small ship expedition cruises.
even the fabled Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean to the Pacifi c, which eluded explorers such as Sir John
Franklin, a British Royal Navy offi cer and Arctic explorer, now lies open.
Best tackled during August, sailings in 2022 include Quark expeditions’ 17-day Northwest Passage: epic High Arctic, aboard Ultramarine, departing Toronto on August 30, and Hurtigruten’s 26-day In the Wake of the Great explorers aboard MS Roald Amundsen, departing Vancouver on August 23.
ZodiAC boATS in buCHun gulF SEE THE CAnAdiAn ARCTiC by SnowmobilE
Learn the ropes
Arctic Kingdom’s website (arctickingdom. com/for-travel-agents) is a good starting point for agents looking to get to grips with available options. As well as showcasing its roster of trip options – including yearround polar bear viewing – it features a raft of handy advice and useful information to get agents up and selling.
Highlights among the 36,000 islands of Canada’s Arctic region include Baffi n, home to Auyuittuq National Park and wildlife like Arctic foxes, polar bears and caribou.
The island stars on many tours, including Swoop Arctic’s (swoop-arctic.com) sevenday Narwhals, Bears and Ice, which spends fi ve nights at Arctic Camp and one in Pond Inlet, and includes snowmobile safaris and kayaking. Prices start from £12,493pp, with departures in May and June.
Baffi n combines naturally with nearby islands such as Beechey, which houses the graves of some of Franklin’s doomed expedition crew, plus tours of Greenland — as off ered by the likes of Chimu Adventures.
Other stand-outs include Prince Leopold, its cliff s alive with birdlife, while beluga whales and narwhal are among the prized sightings when sailing Lancaster Sound.
Longer, more comprehensive voyages are likely to be in big demand, such as Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ sold out 18-day ‘From Kangerlussuaq to Kangerlussuaq’ cruise aboard Hanseatic Nature, departing August 25, 2022 (hl-cruises.com).
Other Canadian Arctic explorations departing from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland include Ponant’s 13-night Baffi n Bay Secrets, from £13,380pp, departing July 27, 2022, and 16-night expedition to the Thule Region, from £13,490pp, departing August 25, 2023 (ponant.com).
“It’s the combination of wildlife, culture
Simon Evans, Tailor-Made Manager, Intrepid Group
and scenery [that sets such sailings apart],” says Stephen Winter, Ponant’s International Sales Director. Highlights include the stellar wildlife watching opportunities and the interactions with local Inuit.
“They will share with guest their millennial old techniques for surviving in this very harsh environment and bring home the reality that our actions can have a very direct eff ect on their lifestyle and livelihood, reinforcing that we are all connected,” Winter adds.
Another operator leveraging the popularity of Canadian Arctic cruises is Intrepid Group (intrepidgroup.travel), whose polar and tailor-made manager Simon evans enthuses: “The Canadian Arctic off ers everything you could wish for on an Arctic expedition: Inuit culture, rich history, breathtaking scenery and amazing wildlife”
He adds: “Voyages along the Northwest Passage see clients following the footsteps of famous explorers such as Franklin and Amundsen and encounter many of the islands and channels in the archipelago, and their splendours.
“With wildlife including walrus, beluga whales, polar bears, musk ox and the elusive narwhal for the really lucky ones, the High Arctic provides a complete Arctic experience.”
Hit the road
Yukon’s Dawson City is the starting point for road trippers striking north on the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, in the Northwest Territories (NWT), which along with Nunavut province comprises the bulk of Canada’s Arctic. While it off ers an all-season highway link to the region, most tackle the Dempster between May and September. Operators advise taking at least four or fi ve days to make the return journey, exploring spots such as eagle Plains along the way.
Inuvik is a great place to learn about Inuvialuit culture. Plus, from the Western Arctic Visitor Centre and photogenic igloo church to the golf course and year-round Boot Lake Trail there’s much to do, with calendar highlights including January’s Sunrise Festival.
Those who don’t fancy the drive can fl y in from destinations such as Dawson and Yellowknife. Once there, local operators such as Tundra North (tundranorthtours. com) off er everything from wintertime Dempster day drives to trips along the all-season highway to the Inuvialuit community of Tuktoyaktuk.
A two-hour fl ight from Winnipeg, Manitoba’s provincial capital Churchill, may lie below the Arctic Circle but it’s still the world’s undisputed polar bear capital.
Come October or November and a
number of hungry polars head towards town by padding across the freshly frozen Hudson Bay – which offers visitors superlative photo-calls from their secure, open-air viewing vehicles.
Local polar bear safari specialists include the award-winning Churchill Wild (churchillwild.com), whose popular lodges are featured by several operators.
Another major draw are the beluga whales. These fascinating cetaceans mass in Hudson Bay every July and August to give birth.
Close-up encounters with belugas are possible in the Churchill River on kayaking or ‘AquaGliding’ tours.
Offered by Lazy Bear Expeditions (lazybearlodge.com) the kayaking experience involves donning a wet-suit, snorkel and mask and lying face down on floating mats, peering into the ocean, while being towed by zodiac boats. A three-hour trip costs around $250pp, plus tax.
See the light
During the long winter nights the region’s dark skies provide the perfect stage for the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. Arctic areas offering accessible viewing include Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, from where clients can follow in the footsteps of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and fly into the high-end Blachford Lake Lodge. Activities on offer a pick-up game of pond hockey, broomball or curling More pocket-friendly options include the Indigenous-owned Aurora Village, with its 28 Aurora cabins that offer a spectacular panoramic view to the Northern sky from the comfort of your bed. (auroravillage. com).
Offering a shuttle service from
FRANK B e RGDOLL
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Yellowknife’s hotels, its Aurora viewing experiences are offered from midNovember to mid-April and feature comfortable heated teepees.
Clients can upgrade to the ‘V.I. Teepee’ experience or add activities such as dogsledding and snowmobile tours in winter, or hikes and cruises on Great Slave Lake from mid-August to mid-October.
With its photogenic floating houseboats the picturesque lake is one of Yellowknife’s big draws, while Slave River Rapids offer world class whitewater.
Festivals and fish
Visit Yellowknife in March and you can join the locals as they celebrate the Snowking Festival — or alternatively experience the Katlodeeche First Nations’ K’amba Carnival
Stephen Winter, International Sales Manager, Ponant
MICH e LL e VALB e RG
in nearby Hay River.
Great Slave Lake is also one of the North West Territories’ premier angling spots, including ice fishing excursions in winter. Nunavut province is awash with prime, year-round fishing hotspots, with excellent fly fishing in the warmer months.
But whether your clients go fishing or not, the chances are they will definitely be hooked on Canada’s Arctic region and the once-in-a-lifetime set of memories and photographs it will provide.
G e BROVSKA MARTINA
