Arctic Coast Travel Guide

Canada's last frontier, the Arctic Coast encompasses the country's northern mainland coast from the Mackenzie to Baffin Island, and - as "coast" is a relative term in a region where the sea is often frozen - numerous islands too, most notably a large part of Victoria Island. It is barren, ice-carved country, comprising a wind-scoured landscape of chill lakes and low hills with not a tree to be seen: it's also nearly completely dark and frozen for nine months of the year, yet still boasts a permanent population of a few hundred. It is home to Inuit , who as recently as fifty years ago had known little or no contact with the outside world. Few explorers encountered them, and even the most determined of Western agencies - the church and the trading companies - have failed to compromise a people who are still extraordinarily isolated by climate, distance and culture. Today, however, few of the Inuit live according to the ways of popular myth. Except on the odd trapping party, for example, igloos have been replaced by government-built homes, and the bone tools, sledges and kayaks of a generation ago have been superseded by rifles, snow bikes and light aircraft.

You still have to be fairly determined, however, to reach any of the region's eight communities (five on the coast, three on islands), let alone explore the hauntingly beautiful ice fields and tundra. People up here are usually looking to spot wildlife, fish, or, more dubiously, to hunt for musk ox, caribou and for polar bears, a practice the government defends by claiming "It's done the Inuit way, using dog teams, on a demanding safari over land and sea ice": it also provides much-needed income for the Inuit, who have the right to sell the limited number of permits. Most visitors base themselves either at Kugluktuk (formerly Coppermine ) or at Victoria Island's Ikaluktutiak (formerly Cambridge Bay ), the transport and service capital. Each main Arctic coast community, remarkably, has accommodation , but reservations are vital and prices predictably steep. You need to come prepared: in some cases meals must be booked in advance. Basic groceries are usually available at stores, but there are no banks. As ever, various tour operators run trips to and from the main centres: for information, send for the Arctic Traveller Nunavut Vacation Planner before you go.