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From beautiful National Parks to fascinating traditional Inuit culture, those looking to explore the Canadian territory of Nunavut are in for a real treat.
As one of the world’s most remote and sparsely populated regions, Nunavut is most known for its incredible natural scenery, which gives visitors opportunities to see many bird species, as well as caribou, narwhals, killer whales, seals and even polar bears. But there’s more to Nunavut than just scenery and wildlife!
In this post, we’ll be sharing our top picks for places to visit in Nunavut, including the best national parks and islands to explore.
We hope you enjoy learning about this amazing territory and be sure to let us know in the comments which Nunavut must-sees we should add to our list!
Iqaluit
As the capital city of the territory, Iqaluit is the starting point for most visitors and is home to many main Nunavut tourist attractions.
Iqaluit is the northernmost city in Canada, located on Baffin Island and only accessible by sea or air as there are no roads or railway lines connecting it to other cities. It’s freezing cold and snowy in winter (this is an Arctic climate after all!) but significantly greener and warmer in summer, with some great hiking opportunities outside the city.
The main sights in Iqaluit include Saint Jude’s Cathedral, shaped like an igloo, and the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, which showcases art and traditional tools of the Inuit peoples.
Most visitors also like to get a photo with a sign for the Road to Nowhere, an actual road name for a road which indeed, doesn’t go anywhere!
Sirmilik National Park
For some of the most epic Nunavut scenery, you shouldn’t miss out on visiting the stunning Sirmilik National Park.
Sirmilik National Park comprises part of the north tip of Baffin Island (the Borden Peninsula), as well as most of Bylot Island and the Kangiqłuruluk (formerly Oliver Sound) inlet.
The name Sirmilik means “place of glaciers” in the Inuit language of Inuktitut and awe-inspiring glaciers are some of the natural sights you can see here.
The waterways in this national park are some of the best for spotting whales, seals and polar bears, as well as thousands of birds which nest in the area. Aside from ‘just’ sightseeing, this area also offers plenty of opportunities for mountain climbing, ski touring, sea kayaking and visiting archaeological sites.
Somerset Island
Somerset Island might be uninhabited but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most fascinating Nunavut places to visit – if you can get there that is!
Cunningham Inlet on Somerset Island is one of the best places in the world to see Beluga Whales since they come there in their droves every summer to moult, play and nurse their young. Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge is located here and is the world’s most northerly fly-in lodge.
A stay at the lodge will not only provide visitors with opportunities to see the Beluga nursery but is also a great base for spotting Woolly Muskox, snowy owls, lemmings, Arctic foxes and perhaps polar bears.
There are also options for using kayaks, paddleboards, river rafts, ATVs, and fat bikes to explore the area. With 24 hours of sunlight in summer, you could pack a lot in!
Igloolik
Igloolik is an Inuit hamlet located on an island and one of the most interesting places to visit in Nunavut.
Located between the Canadian mainland and Baffin Island, Igloolik is often thought of as a cultural center of Nunavut.
This small island is home to both Artcirq, the only Inuit circus troupe in the world and local filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk, whose film Atarnarjuat (about Inuit life before European contact) won numerous awards including the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival.
While exploring Igloolik, visitors are bound to see walruses, whales, polar bears, caribou, and seals. The Rockin’ Walrus Arts Festival is held here every summer, with performances by Artcirq a highlight of course.
Igloolik is also a great spot to see the Northern Lights, go dog-sledding and explore 3,000 years of Inuit culture.
Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti (formerly Sam Ford Fjord)
The Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti is a long fjord that’s one of the most popular places to go in Nunavut for climbers, or just those who want to see some spectacular scenery.
Located on the northern side of Baffin Island, this Arctic fjord provides sights of stark granite cliffs rising above the water, glaciers and the summits of numerous mountains. One of the most famous things to see is a vertical wall that drops 1,368 meters (4,488 feet) straight down to the fjord’s waters.
Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti is a traditional hunting area for the Inuit and was named for the Inuk linguist Sam Ford (who died in a helicopter crash) for some time, before reverting back to its traditional name.
Auyuittuq National Park
Located on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baffin Island is Auyuittuq National Park, another stunning area of Nunavut with terrain encompassing fjords, glaciers, and ice fields.
This national park is very popular with hikers, skiers and climbers, although it can also be explored via dog sled or snowmobile. The 95-kilometer Akshayuk Pass (known locally as Pang Pass), is a traditional Inuit travel corridor that most visitors use to cross the park, or just to explore small sections.
Perhaps the most spectacular thing to see in Auyuittuq National Park is Mount Thor, a mountain which has the world’s highest vertical drop, at 1,250 meters (4,100 feet).
The twin-peaked mountain of Mount Asgard is also located here. It was used for filming the skiing off the mountain with a Union Jack parachute scene in the Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me as a stand-in for the Alps!
Baffin Island
Baffin Island is the largest island in Canada, containing some of the best places to visit in Nunavut, including the capital city of Iqaluit.
Aside from the other places we’ve talked about that are located on Baffin Island, there are a number of wildlife sanctuaries providing homes for wildlife such as caribou, polar bears, Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, lemmings, Arctic wolves, Baffin Island wolves and many bird species.
Baffin Island is also a prime viewing location for seeing migratory water wildlife including seals, walruses and whales.
And for those interested in art and culture, be sure to head to the West Baffin Eskimo Co-Operative Limited in Cape Dorset to see a 50-year-old Inuit art collective where local artists create carvings, etchings, and stone-cut prints.
Ukkusiksalik National Park
Ukkusiksalik National Park holds some conflicting titles – it’s both the smallest of Nunavut’s four national parks and the sixth-largest in Canada!
This just goes to show that Nunavut is home to some truly massive national parks, as Ukkusiksalik covers 20,885 square kilometers (8,064 square miles) of tundra and coastal mudflats surrounding Wager Bay. Since it’s part of mainland Canada, Ukkusiksalik is home to grizzly bears as well as polar bears, Arctic wolves, caribou and seals.
While the park is uninhabited, the Inuit lived there between the 11th century and the 1960s, with archaeological remainders dotted throughout the landscape. It can mostly only be visited for a few weeks in summer, either by plane or boat.
Quttinirpaaq National Park
The Quttinirpaaq National Park is located on Nunavut’s Ellesmere Island, the second-largest island in the territory after Baffin Island.
From Ellesmere Island, it’s possible to walk the 720 kilometers to the North Pole, although exploring Quttinirpaaq National Park is probably a little more attainable for most of us!
Only about 50 people visit Quttinirpaaq National Park per year, so this is one destination where you won’t be getting annoyed by other tourists. It’s also the second-largest national park in Canada, filled with glaciers and ice caps. Quttinirpaaq National Park is classified as a polar desert, so it’s both cold and dry.
Very adventurous backpackers can visit the park via Tanquary Fiord and Lake Hazen for backpacking through incredible landscapes almost completely untouched by humans.
Qausuittuq National Park
Another amazing national park for the intrepid traveler is Qausuittuq National Park, located on Bathurst Island, north of the Northwest Passage.
Featuring rolling hills and a cold, dry climate, Qausuittuq National Park protects important habitat for Peary caribou, a subspecies of caribou only found in the high Arctic islands of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Like many other parts of Nunavut, it’s also home to plenty of muskoxen, wolves and Arctic foxes.
The word Qausuittuq means “where the sun doesn’t rise” which is appropriate for this area which sees near total darkness through the winter months. If you want to visit then the best time is between June and September, when you can get charter flights into the park.
Naujaat (Formerly Repulse Bay)
One of the best places to see in Nunavut (especially if you’re hoping to do some bird-watching) is the hamlet known as Naujaat.
Naujaat means “nesting place for seagulls” in the local Inuktitut language and the town does sit near a cliff which is used for nesting by seagulls each June. It’s also located directly on the Arctic Circle, so make sure you stop by the Arctic Circle Monument for a photo opp to celebrate this!
In summer this is an excellent place to visit for exciting activities like fishing, ATV riding, hiking, kayaking, and, of course, birdwatching. Along with seagulls, this region is also populated by tundra swans, peregrine falcons, and snow geese.
Did We Miss Any of Your Favourite Places to Visit in Nunavut?
Let us know in the comments so we can add more amazing spots to our list!