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Photo Credit: © MTOQ / Edgar, Robin
Photo Credit: © MTOQ / Gignac, Marcel
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this area is best explored in winter when frozen tundra lends itself to travel by snowmobile. Tour guides are available to lead explorers who want to venture out and sample the exceptional fishing or catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. The region is best suited for explorers looking for an adventure in Canada’s north, but the region is home to several communities each with their own special heritage and draw. The Robert-Bourassa Hydroelectric Generating Station on the La Grande River is the largest underground powerhouse in the world. A four-hour guided tour covers a 25km (15mi) route and includes a bus ride, a drive along the edge of a 53-storey dam and going underground through a tunnel two thirds of a mile long. Another of this region’s impressive features
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is the James Bay Road. This 381km (238mi) long road is the longest service-free stretch of road in Canada and begins in Matagami. The road travels along the taiga landscape and crosses some impressive rivers. A sight not to be missed along this route are the rapids of the Rupert River. Further north, about 88km (55mi) from the village of Kangiqsujuaq is the Pingualuit Crater. This basin of water was created by a meteor 1.4 million years ago. The 3.4km (2.1mi) diameter crater rises 160m above the surrounding tundra and is 400 m deep. It contains some of the purest water in the world. In 1999 the crater was re-named “Pingualuit”, which means “where the land rises” in the local Inuit language.
Photo Credit: © MTOQ / Delisle, Marie-AndrÈe
owhere is the wild, expansive wilderness of the Canadian north more impressive than in Northern Quebec. As far as the eye can see, tundra stretches on into the expanse, broken by small Inuit communities and some of the most spectacular natural wonders in the country. The wildlife reserves, thundering rivers and boreal forests of the Baie-James territory stand side by side with hydroelectric plants and gold, silver, copper and zinc mines. More than 12,000 Cree call the Baie-James area home and the village of Ouji Bougoumou is one of only 50 villages recognized by the United Nations for blending modern life and Native tradition. For those who crave a true northern experience, Nunavik’s 500,000 square kilometres is sure to challenge. Accessible only by airplane,