Nunavik: Wildlife & Inuit Culture

Fly from Montréal to Quaqtaq. You will be met upon arrival at Quaqtaq by your guide, and transferred to your hotel. There will then be time to freshen up before the group meets for a detailed trip briefing which will focus on your activities over the next few days. After this enjoy an informal walk, with your guide, through the village. You will visit Cape Hopes Advance, the abandoned weather station that operated from 1928 until 1970. From the top of the hill you may be able to spot some splendid icebergs that often drift past at this time of year. This will be followed by dinner at your hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, and at high tide, travel by motorised freighter canoe to beautiful Diana Island. On the way keep a look out for jellyfish, seals or even minke whales. Having landed, you will then take a leisurely walk, of between one and two hours, across Diana Island, which is a landscape of gently rolling hills and dry, spongy tundra. The island is home to a population of musk oxen so do keep a look out for these shaggy, almost prehistoric-looking Arctic beasts. As you walk you may find small tufts of musk oxen hair which is very fine and soft. The terrain will be peppered with a variety of delicate and pretty Arctic flowers which your guides will point out to you. You will also see how the Inuit delicately remove the down from nests of eider ducks that they use to make their warm parkas. A picnic lunch will be served on the island, often in sight of musk oxen, and if you are very lucky you may see beluga whales off-shore. After a day of exploration, return by motorised canoe to Quaqtaq.

Fly to Kangirsuk where you will be met and transferred by motorised canoe to Kangirsuk Camp. Your route takes you along the beautiful fjord of Payne River where you are likely to see caribou roaming, or even crossing the river. The exact route will be determined by local tides and times. When you disembark, your guides will set up a temporary camp and light a fire to cook lunch that includes fresh local fish and bannock bread. Afterwards there is time to go for a walk with your guides on the spongy tundra, which is an experience in itself. Musk oxen have begun to return to this area so do keep a look out for them as well as foxes, Arctic hares, wolves, black bears and many species of birds. In the evening, when the wind has subsided, you will marvel at the utter silence and think how precious moments like these are away from everything. You will be transferred to your hotel where, this evening, dinner will be served.

After breakfast this morning you will set off in motorised canoes to travel the waterways of the Payne River. Your guides will try to locate the caribou migration routes which provide many superb photographic opportunities. A temporary camp will be made for a traditional Inuit picnic lunch of local fish and meats. After lunch, continue your exploration by motorised canoes whilst looking out for Arctic foxes, musk oxen, Arctic hares, wolves, and caribou. You will return to your hotel in Kangirsuk in time to freshen up before dinner and after this there will be a demonstration of throat singing by local Inuit women.

In the morning your guides will take you out for a hike on the spongy tundra. You should have a good opportunity of seeing birds and the fresh Arctic air is intoxicating. Musk-oxen are slowly establishing themselves in this area and you may once again have the chance to see these fascinating animals. Keep a look out for foxes, Arctic hares, wolves and black bears too. You will return to Kangirsuk later in the day to take your flight to Tasiujaq.

This morning, after breakfast, your guide will transport you to the dock where, at high tide, your local Inuit guides will be waiting for you with their large open-air motorised canoes. Your full day adventure takes you along the southwest coast of Ungava Bay, an area renowned for its high concentration of polar bears and high tides. With luck you will have good opportunities to see these magnificent bears in this breathtaking and pristine environment. A picnic lunch will be served and then you will continue to explore along the shore, going in and out of bays and fjords by motorised canoe, looking for further polar bear viewing opportunities. Return to your hotel in Tasiujaq for dinner.

Fly from Tasiujaq to Kuujjuaq. Upon arrival there is time for a tour of the town and to buy some souvenirs of the north at Tiwi Galleries. All of their items are locally produced, and include Inuit sculptures, 'nassaq' (Inuit hats), mittens, slippers, Ungava cream made with Nunavik algae extract, Ookpik (owl figurines) made of seal skin, prints, jewellery, and Inuit clothing. Lunch will be taken at the Kuujjuaq Inn and you will then be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Montréal.

The day is free to go shopping or explore cosmopolitan Montréal. The city boats a huge range of restaurants and cafés and we suggest you work up an appetite by taking a walking tour of old Montréal with its historic port and warren of cobbled streets. Don't miss a visit to lively Place Jacques Cartier, the spectacular Basilica Notre Dame, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Parc du Mont Royal. In addition, don't miss a Bateau Mouche cruise on the St. Lawrence River, the Botanical Gardens, the Biodome and the Planetarium. This evening board your onward flight.