IGLOOLIK WHALES AND WILDLIFE

Travel to Canada’s Arctic to Watch Whales and Other Sea Mammals and Enjoy Nature’s Dazzling Sky Show

BAFFIN ISLAND, NUNAVUT – In mid-summer, as the ice continues to break up around Baffin Island, it opens gateways to what many avid anglers consider to be the best arctic char fishing in the world. This game fish, closely related to both salmon and trout, has many characteristics of both and can weigh as much as 20 pounds.

For visitors who would rather catch the “big ones” with their cameras, there are opportunities galore for shots of spectacularly large sea mammals, such as massive bowhead whales. Also on view are marine mammals such as Atlantic walruses, narwhals, belugas and ring, harp and bearded seals that are abundant throughout the icy waters of the Foxe Basin. 

For bird-watchers, dozens of species of migratory birds travel to the region to lay their eggs and raise their young. These include loons, snowy owls, plovers, snow geese, eider ducks and snow buntings.

A new one-week tour program to Baffin Island, “Igloolik Whales and Wildlife”, will focus on wildlife viewing and afford an up-close encounter with the traditional lifestyle of the Inuit.

Nestled on a small island off the northwest coast of Baffin Island, Igloolik is Canada’s oldest arctic community. It still remains one of the most traditional communities in the Inuit world. Inuktitut, Igloolik’s native language, still is widely spoken, and the area is rich in culture.

Baffin Island, one of the world’s largest islands, lies within the Inuit territory of Nunavut in Canada’s remote northeast.  Nunavut means “our land” in the Inuktitut language.  It has been home to Inuit for millennia and part of Canada for more than a century. It was formerly part of the vast Northwest Territories before it was split off in April 1999.

With gorgeous scenery, Inuit culture, incredible wildlife watching—including large communities of seals, narwhales and walruses—and a well-known art colony, Baffin Island musters magnetism enough to make many a wish list. That’s even before you consider nature’s own shows, the aurora borealis (popularly known as the “Northern Lights”) that illuminate the sky spectacularly— and a virtual parade of icebergs.  It is for good reason Baffin Island is dubbed “Iceberg Capital of the North.”

Your base camp is located on the water’s edge of Igloolik Point, with fully guided boat expeditions provided daily. As you navigate through the ice floes in search of wildlife, you may spot one of the magnificent polar bears that roam the Canadian arctic.

This unique opportunity to visit Arctic Canada is offered by The Great Canadian Travel Company, North America’s foremost expert in travel to some of the world’s least-traveled regions.  For more than a quarter of a century, the company has provided a unique “Window to the Top of the World.” It has compiled the expertise and “insider” contacts to build its reputation as the specialist on travel to the north.

“Igloolik Whales and Wildlife” is a seven-day/six-night package priced at $4,999 per person (based on double occupancy). It includes airfare between Ottawa, Ontario and Igloolik, land-based accommodation in large, heated cabins or tents, and all meals while at the base camp. Also included are fully guided wildlife-viewing tours and round-trip transportation between Igloolik Airport and the base camp. 

Departures are Tuesdays and Fridays mid-June to late August.

Reservations and additional information are available from The Great Canadian Travel Company, 333 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 712, Chicago, Illinois 60601, 800-661-3830, www.greatcanadiantravel.com.

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