"Promoting "Amazing Adventure Destinations Across Northern Canada"
The following is set out for sample purposes only and is not a guaranteed itinerary. Destinations and durations may change at last minute due to Arctic weather or other operational conditions. All guests must embark on these expeditions fully prepared for changes and delays.
We can arrange flight departures from virtually any major airport throughout the USA. Our standard departure cities are Chicago and New York departing at 7 am and flying non stop to Toronto Ontario where you will clear Canadian Customs.
After clearing Canadian Customs the flight north to Iqaluit will be scheduled for a 10 am. departure. Iqaluit is located 1450 miles north of Toronto on the southeastern tip of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Depending on wind and weather conditions the total flying time will be between 5.5 - 6 hours, however the flight will make a fuel stop at the half way point - which is a great opportunity for you to get out and stretch your legs.
You will be flying in pressurized comfort of a modern Turbine powered Pilatus PC12 aircraft which has a service ceiling of 30,000 ft and a cruise speed of over 300 mph The Pilatus PC12 has a standard seating capacity of 9 passengers. However, for these missions, the aircraft has been reconfigured for just 6 seats to ensure maximum leg room and comfort for each passenger.
Arrival in Iqaluit is scheduled for 5 pm that afternoon.
After flying for hours over miles of remote wilderness, far beyond the realms of every day civilization - you will be surprised to find that a modern city called Iqaluit exists in the middle of the Canadian Arctic. There are no highways connecting Iqaluit with the outside world. Everything you see here has arrived by either aircraft or ship.
Your biggest surprise of all will come when your ground transportation pulls up to your hotel. Depending on availability, you will normally be booked in at either the Frobisher Inn or the Capital Suites. Either of which would rival any big city hotel back home for size, comfort, amenities and dining.
After check in you will be anxious to head for the dining room - have a great meal and meet with your local guide and outfitter to review your planned activities for the next 4 - 10 days of your Canadian Arctic Adventure. Depending on your comfort level preferences and the time of year and weather conditions, you can spend your entire stay at one of these great hotels, or if you have the spirit for adventure, you can arrange with your guide and outfitter to spend two or three nights camping out on a canoe trip, a hiking or fishing trip or other expedition.
Scroll down to review all the amazing activities and attractions that await you in and around Iqaluit and the Canadian Arctic
Links & Videos For Iqaluit Hotels
The activities you choose will depend on the amount of time you plan to spend in the area, the physical stamina required for some activities such as hiking, canoe trips or camping out. Activities should always be booked well in advance of your arrival and we suggest direct communications with your guide and outfitter prior to booking your trip to ensure all activities you plan are well within your capabilities. We provide contact information for suggested guides and outfitters for your convenience.
Iqaluit is an Inuit word meaning "place of many fish" and is aptly named for the great abundance of sport fish in the area - in particular Artic Grayling. Iqaluit is the capital city of the Territory of Nunavut and has a population of just over 7,000 residents. It was previously known as Frobisher Bay.
Many visitors who have come here for the first time, spend their first full day exploring the community, meeting many of the local residents and learning first hand about the amazing history and rich traditional culture of the region. You can easily spend a full day exploring the town, local landmarks, artisian shops and museums.
Located just a short distance from the center of town is the picturesque Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. Here visitors will be inspired by the majestic landscapes, breathtaking views and the fast moving Sylvia Grinnell River which will provide the sport fishermen great opportunities to land a few Arctic Grayling.
Dog sledding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are very popular activities in Iqaluit within the months of November to June. May and June is especially popular as the weather is beginning to warm up, but you can still take advantage of the many winter activities. During the months of July, August and September you can book boat tours for both fishing and sight seeing, river rafting adventures, cnaoe and kayak expeditions
Iqaluit Videos
July and August is the best time to be visiting Iqaluit if Arctic Char fishing is on the top of your activities list.
If you are visiting Arctic Bay between early May and the first week of August, your first night may take some getting used to as the region enjoys 24 hours of daylight from May 6th to August 6th.
There are several options for you to choose from. If you enjoy coming back to the comforts of your first class hotel room each evening, you can take one day fishing excursions out to the numerous rivers that surround the Iqaluit region. Some great fishing spots are less than a mile away while others may take an extended boat ride
for the serious fishermen, with a spirit for adventure, you can have your guide and outfitter pack up the boat with camping gear and supplies for two or three day expedition to distant fishing spots. With an average of 18 - 20 hours of daylight in the region during the summer months - you will have plenty of time to fish.
Arctic Char Fishing Videos & Links
Inukpak Outfitting offers a very unique arctic experience that for many is the highlight of the entire trip. For this adventure, you will travel by snowmobile to Inukpaks Outfitting's remote cabin site. Here you will begin building an igloo with the help and instruction of your experienced guide. Take a break to enjoy a warm meal of Tuktu (Caribou) stew in the nearby warm cozy cabin.
Once your igloo is complete, large tuktu skins (caribou skins) will be laid out on the floor of your igloo where you will spend a memorable night cocooned in your sleeping bag. Wake up to the aroma of hot coffee, have a hearty breakfast and prepare for the snowmobile trip back to Iqaluit. What a great and memorable experience!
This adventure is availabe from March through April
Building An Igloo in Iqaluit Video
From July through September you can plan a one day / two day or three day sea kayak adventure. Whether you choose a one day or just a few hours of kayaking, your will find it to be an exhilerating experience as you glide across the open water of Frobisher Bay all within site of Iqaluit exploring and photographing the many sea banks and marine life you may encounter.
If you have a more adventurous spirit for adventure, you may choose to take a two or three day kayaking expedition. On this adventure, you will be accompanied by your experienced guide as you glide across the coastal waters. This trip will include one or two nights camping out under the stars and if your lucky the northern lights. Depending on your preferences and the weather, you may set up a tent or take advantage of one of Inukpak's Outfitters fully equipped cabins.
Canoe & Kayak Adventures in Iqaluit Nunavut Videos and Links
Inukpak Outfitting offers a canoe expedition down the Soper River which is located in the middle of the Meta Incognita Pennisnusla inside the Katannilik Territorial Park. This is not an add on adventure to an existing trip but rather a dedicated 6 day canoe adventure. You will need to fly from Iqaluit to the headwaters of the Soper River where you will begin your journey down the Soper River. You will raft down the last 60 kilometres of the Soper River using inflatable canoes. Experienced guides supplied by Inukpak Outfitting will accompany you, ensuring the safety of the trip. Throughout the trip, you will paddle down sections of white water, rapids and cascades, and sections of flat water, ending your journey in the picturesque hamlet of Kimmirut. At this point the aircraf will pick your group up and fly you back to Iqaluit.
Soper River Canoe & Kayak Adventures and Links
If you have never witnessed a dazzling display of the Aurora Borealis - The Northern Lights, you will find it to be an awe inspiring experience and Iqaluit is one of the best places on earth to enjoy this magical light show. The best time to visit is from October to April. Best of all, there is no admission fee - you simply stand outside under the clear night sky and allow yourself to be mesmerized by the continual ribbons of coloured lights as they swirl across the night sky.
This phenomenon actually begin 60 to 250 miles high in the earth's atmosphere and occur when charged particles from the sun become trapped in the earth's magnetic field causing them to glow intensly in a spectacular display across the Arctic sky.
As the season progresses into mid summer, the daylight hours become longer and the northern lights are not visible against the backdrop of the sunlit sky.
Northern Lights In Iqaluit Night Sky Videos
When someone mentions a trip to the Canadian Arctic - usually two iconic images come to mind - Igloos and dog sledding. When you visit Iqaluit, you can experience both between the months of November to June. As with most adventures available throughout the region, you will have options to take a half day / full day or overnight dog sledding adventure.
If you enjoy the comforts of returning to your fully modern hotel room each evening, you can experience a 4 - 8 hour dog sledding experience as you sit comfortably in the traditional qamutic which is the traditional Inuit sled. Stop for a short break for some hot tea and biscuits - then mush your way over the frozen snow packed tundra, back to Iqaluit and the kennel where the dogs will be fed and groomed - eager to head out for their next trail run.
During the months of February to June, those that have a spirit for a more challenging adventure experience can take an overnight / multi day dog sledding expedition that can include a number of additional activities such as igloo building and overnight camping under the stars or in the warmth and comfort of a remote cabin heated with a wood burning fire.
Iqaluit Dog Sledding Videos
If you are visiting Iqaluit between the months of November to June you will have a wide choice of snowmobile adventures and excursions to choose from. Here again, if you enjoy the comforts of returning to the conveniences of your modern hotel room each evening, you can take a half day snowmobile excursion in and around the immediate Iqaluit area which will take you over the sea ice, over mountains, lakes and the frozen tundra.
For a full day of snowmobile adventure - but still returning to Iqaluit at the end of the day, you can take Inukpak Outfitting's Polynya Excursion which takes a 90 minute snowmobile ride across the frozen Frobisher Bay to the Polynya which is an oasis of open water surrounded by the frozen ocean. Hedre you will have the opportunity to photograph seals or other marine life as well as Inuit hunters on their way to traditional hunting grounds in search of seals, polar bears and other game. Let your camera capture the beauty of the surrounding majestic landscapes as you enjoy hot tea and snacks. Then begin the journey back to Iqaluit.
Three Day / Two Night Kimmirut Expedition, March and April. If you have the endurance and a high spririt for unique winter adventure you can set out on this specatcular guided three day / two night snowmobile expedition to to Katannilik Territorial Park where you can drink from waterfalls, then continue as you descend into the Soper River Valley and spend the night in a large, heated cabin. The next day on to the village of Kimmirut on the southern tip of Baffin Island. Then retrace your route back to Iqaluit with one more overnight in the heated cabin at the half way point.
The activities you choose will depend on the amount of time you plan to spend in the area, the physical stamina required for some activities such as hiking, canoe trips or camping out. Activities should always be booked well in advance of your arrival and we will assist with direct communications with your guide and outfitter prior to booking your trip to ensure all activities you plan are well within your capabilities. We provide contact information for suggested guides and outfitters for your convenience.
For this expedition you will fly to Iqaluit, spend one night at an Iqaluit hotel, meet with your guide and outfitter to review the plans for the following 5 nights / 6 day adventure to the Auyuittuq National Park. The following day you will fly 185 miles north of Iqaluit to the community of Pangnirtung where you will check in with the Park Office and begin your expedition into the spectacular Auyuittuq National Park which offers some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes and scenic views on earth.
This expedition does require physical stamina and you should be able to comfortably walk rough terrain with a 30 - 40 pound backpack up to 8 hours a day. You may encounter glacier rivers that you will be required to wade across with water that is sometimes knee high. Participants should have basic camping experience and be ready to spend 5 nights sleeping in tents in all weather conditions.
On the 6th day you will fly back to Iqaluit and the much anticipated comforts of your modern hotel room. Rest up and then take your return flight back home the following morning.
The following links will provide you with additional information as well as videos which will give you a more in depth introduction as to what to expect.
Arctic Bay Videos
If you have an appreciation for Inuit Art you may want to take a one day side trip flight from Iqaluit to Cape Dorset which is known as the Canadian Epicenter of Inuit Art. Cape Dorset is 250 air miles from Iqaluit and is located on Dorset Island adjacent to Foxe Peninsula at the southwestern tip of Baffin Island. The region has been inhabited by native peoples for three thousand years, with many believing that the original people of this land were perhaps the first North Americans ever encountered by Europeans who visited Baffin Island sometime before 1000 AD. From this you can undestand the the community is very rich in culture and history.
The West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in Cape Dorset has earned a worldwide reputation for the quality and originality of limited edition prints made by its member artists and your first stop upon arriving in Capte Dorset will be the Kinngait Studios which is the longest continuous running print studio in Canada. Here local inuit artists not only display a wide selection of local art, but you can watch local artists and print makers hard at work creating original works of art and limited edition prints.
Cape Dorset is also world famous for its amazing carvings depicting regional wildlife as well as ways of life for the Inuit community. You can watch as rough blocks of a regional stone called serpentinite is cut and prepared for carving.Using electric grinders the rough shape takes form then fine details are added using rasps and files The finished product is then buffed with a little wax or oil to give it a nice shine.
You can purchase items to take back home as a life long reminder of these amazing and resiliant people of the north. Typically, you will spend 4 - 5 hours in Cape Dorset returning to Iqaluit and the comforts of your hotel later that afternoon.
Cape Dorset Links & Videos
When you are a couple thousand miles from home in the remote and isolated Canadian Arctic - you will have the confidence and peace of mind knowing that your private charter aircraft and professional flight crew remain in Iqaluit and are on 24 hour stand-by. This is not only important in case you decide to make a last minute side trip to a distant community - but also allows you to enjoy a stress free vacation knowing that you have the ability to return home on a moments notice, should an emergency arise.
Air Bravo is the primary Air Charter Services provider for flights to all adventure destinations featured. They operate one of the largest fleets of the high performance, turbine powered Pilatus PC12 aircraft in Canada. The PC-12 has been designed to operate in the unique Canadian Arctic Environment.
The Pilatus PC-12 is a 9 place aircraft. The Arctic Tour Aircraft however have been configured with just 6 seats to ensure maximum comfort and personalized service. All tours require a minimum of 4 paying passengers with a maximum of 6. We can book two groups of 2 together if dates are compatible.
European Departures If you are travelling from a European Country, we suggest you book your overseas flight into Toronto, Ontario and we will provide a quote for a direct flight to Iqaluit Nunavut from Toronto.
CharterFlights To Adventure.com is not a charter service provider. We do not own nor operate any aircraft. All charter quotes are generated by our charter network partners and forwarded directly to you for review. Should you decide to book a charter flight, you book directly with the charter network partner of your choice and all flight arrangements and payments are made directly with the airline.