Although the tundra of northern Canada is not necessarily a popular destination for travelers, the area is rich in culture, wildlife and wide-open spaces waiting to be explored. The Canadian tundra covers an area of 307,500 square miles and is one of the least populous places on Earth, with only one person for every 63 miles, but what it lacks in population density it makes up for with unconventional activities and a wealth of attractions.
Polar bear viewing is big business in the area around Churchill, Manitoba, which has been called the "Polar Bear Capital of the World." In November, when the ice begins to form around Hudson Bay, hundreds of visitors flock to the area to watch the gathering of polar bears as they begin their hunting season. Tundra buggies, a specially-designed type of transportation, are used when tour groups venture out onto the ice for the spectacle. Frontiers North Adventures is the oldest tour company to take visitors out for an up-close-and-personal viewing of polar bears in their natural habitat. The company has several tour outings in October and November, aboard either a tundra buggy or in their tundra buggy lodge, which is a mobile accommodation, complete with beds, for around the clock polar bear viewing.
Frontiers North Adventures
Box 40063 RPO Lagimodiere
Winnipeg, MB
Canada R2C 4P3
800-663-9832
tundrabuggy.com
The northern region of Canada is mostly undeveloped, with long stretches of open country and pristine wilderness. Camping is a popular pastime in the region, although few developed campsites exist. As an alternate to pitching camp in the sometimes dangerous wilderness of the tundra, Qausuittuq Inns North has developed an alternate for those seeking an unconventional excursion into the heart of the far north: igloo camping. The Inuit people of northern Canada have relied on igloos for centuries, but for visitors to the area it is an entirely new experience. Qausuittuq Inns North offers both solo igloo camping and a culturally-oriented igloo experience whereby visitors stay with an Inuit family, sharing their meals and observing their culture, such as the creation of traditional crafts and hunting. In addition to the igloo experience, visitors are taken on treks into the wilderness to view local wildlife, such as polar bears, muskoxen, narwhal and seals.
Qausuittuq Inns North
Resolute Bay, Nunavut
Canada
888-866-6784
innsnorth.com
Danoja Zhou Cultural Center is dedicated to preserving, promoting and educating the public about the history and culture of the Tr'ondek Hwech'in people of Yukon. Danoja Zhou means "Long Ago House," a place where the traditions of the past are kept alive through museum exhibitions, cultural activities such as dances and storytelling, traditional crafts and lectures. The innovative design of the center, which mixes modern and heritage architecture with inspiration drawn from salmon-drying racks and winter shelters of the Tr'ondek Hwech'in people, has won the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia's Medal in Architecture. The center offers tours of the Hammerstone Gallery, which shares the native perspective on the gold rush era, as well as a gallery of notable works of art by First Nations people. A gift shop at the center sells handmade goods, music and books pertaining to the history and culture of local native people.
Danoja Zhou Cultural Center
1131 Front St.
Dawson City, Yukon YOB 1G0
867-993-6768
trondekheritage.com
