Canada's insider blog

Frontiers North, who brought polar bear peeping tundra buggies to Churchill, is introducing a new big-beast safari in Nunavut. Offshore of the community of Igloolik in late spring when the ice breaks up – June/July – Bowhead whales converge in Foxe Basin at the same time as the waters and ice floes teem with thousands of walruses, including moms and calves.

Based in a hotel, a maximum of eight wildlife lovers adventure across the tundra each morning – depending on weather – to a waiting boat for the one- to two-hour excursion with an experienced Inuit guide to reach the animals. Spend the day on the water where it’s not unusual to spot polar bears, bearded seals and other Arctic wildlife as well as the rare opportunity to see both walruses and Bowheads in a single day!

There is plenty of time to get to know your Inuit hosts in Igloolik, a traditional community of 1,700 and Nunavut’s cultural hub, home to the Inuit film production company, Isuma, which produced award-winning Atanarjuat The Fast Runner. Walk through town, meet locals, join in weekly square dances, shop for carvings and tour easily accessible Dorset and Thule archaeological sites.

The trip runs from July 2-8, 2011 and departs from Ottawa.