Must-dos - Arctic Canada
Watching whales, walking in the footsteps of the Vikings, exploring a wild region: a trip to the Canadian Arctic is an opportunity to discover nature at its most harmonious. The colours of the landscapes, the cries of the animals, the cracking sound of the snow and ice, the whispering of the wind, the fragrances of the ocean... A cruise in the Canadian Arctic heightens your senses and takes you off the beaten track.
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Essential Arctic Canada
To take a cruise around the Canadian Arctic is to explore the largest archipelago in the High Arctic These thousands of wild, unspoiled and secluded islands bordered by the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean serve as the gateway to the Northwest Passage. Their shores are home to an incredible range of wildlife as well as various Inuit communities who continue to practice traditional crafts passed down from their ancestors.
Read more
Must-dos - Arctic Canada
Watching whales, walking in the footsteps of the Vikings, exploring a wild region: a trip to the Canadian Arctic is an opportunity to discover nature at its most harmonious. The colours of the landscapes, the cries of the animals, the cracking sound of the snow and ice, the whispering of the wind, the fragrances of the ocean... A cruise in the Canadian Arctic heightens your senses and takes you off the beaten track.
See the iconic Arctic fauna
No one remains unmoved by the view of a majestic animal in their natural setting. To the east of Baffin Island, Auyuittuq National Park (accessible via Qikiqtarjuaq) contains various iconic species, such as the Barren-Ground Caribou, the Arctic Fox, the stoat, the seal, the narwhal, the beluga and the king of these lands: the polar bear. Immerse yourself into the heart of the preserved nature in the Nunavut lands for unforgettable moments.
Approach Bowhead Whale country
At first, it's like a mirage. The waves dance a little more irregularly, the silence seems to begin to lift. And then, jets of water leave you in no doubt: the bowhead whales have arrived! Isabella Bay is part of the Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area, Canada's largest national wildlife reserve. This protected zone covers more than 336,000 hectares, including undersea fault lines of more than 300 metres, providing significant food and refuge for cetaceans.
Touch the end of the world
Steep cliffs, impressive glaciers, high waterfalls, rocky plains, sparse tundra, deep waters... All this in a deafening silence. Looking like the end of the world, Sam Ford fjord inspires respect. Come here to experience the contrasting landscapes, where white and blue mix with grey in a whole palette of tones. Nature here is imposing but not overpowering, encompassing everything and opening up new views.
Walk in the footsteps of the Vikings on Pim Island
Walking on Pim Island (or Skraeling Island) is to go back in history. A history encompassing legend and adventures. It is here that in 1978-1979 the archaeologist Peter Schledermann found remains of the Thulé and Dorset civilisations, dating from 1270. Woollen clothes, fragments of chains, pieces of chain mail, wooden barrels and game pieces, proving that the Vikings adventured way beyond European lands and had exchanges with Inuits, beyond the 78th parallel North.
Approach sea birds' paradise
On Coburg Island, you must look up. To the cliffs, to the sky. This confetti of land is a paradise for bird lovers. An integral part of the Nirjutiqavvik National Wildlife Area, in Nunavut, this is one of the nesting places for the most important birds in the Canadian Arctic. Black Guillemots, Black-Legged Kittiwakes and Northern Fulmars share this land, 60% of which is covered in glaciers.
Essential Arctic Canada
To take a cruise around the Canadian Arctic is to explore the largest archipelago in the High Arctic These thousands of wild, unspoiled and secluded islands bordered by the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean serve as the gateway to the Northwest Passage. Their shores are home to an incredible range of wildlife as well as various Inuit communities who continue to practice traditional crafts passed down from their ancestors.
Fun facts
The “horn” that can be found on male narwhals in fact comes from the upper left incisor. It can measure up to three metres long. Until the 18th century, it was thought that this defence was related to the mythical unicorn.
Essential phrases
Hello / good evening: ullaakkut / ullukkut
Goodbye: tavvauvutit
Please: uqakkanniruk
Thank you: nakurmiik
Yes / no: ii / aagga
My name is... : uqaalaviginnga
Gastronomy
Beluga whale, seal, caribou make up the essential diet of the Inuits. The caribou is often cooked in a stew, with potatoes and carrots. Seal and Beluga whale are eaten raw.
Myths and legends
Inuit legends are full of supernatural beings. Among them, the demon Mahaha is the most shocking. They say that he tickles his victims to death. As for Qalupaliks, these are creatures covered in scales who take on human form to bring up children and then take them to the bottom of the seas.
In the spotlight
Currently located on Ellesmere Island, in Nunavut, the magnetic north pole is always moving. It drifts 55 km per year in the direction of Siberia. It should reach there by 2040. It was the British explorer James Ross who found it for the first time in 1831, and then the Norwegian Roald Amundsen in 1904. At that time, it was lower in the Boothia Peninsula, in Nunavut.
Culture
Recommended reading. An unwavering Arctic explorer, Jean Malaurie reminisces about the years he spent with the Greenland Inuits, in Siberia and Arctic Canada in Hummocks I and II (1999). As a knowledgeable ethnologist, he studied their way of life, surveyed their cultures and contemplated their future. A future where ancestral traditions mix with frantic globalisation.
Facts & Figures
40%The Arctic represents 40% of the Canadian landmass. 110,000 people live in this Great Northern region of Canada.
