Canada's insider blog

Step into a private bush plane and hopscotch across Northern Manitoba and Nunavut with a small group on an exclusive 10-day Arctic Air Safari. It’s an intense, fast track glimpse into the North’s history, culture and natural world.

Every July, trips start in Winnipeg, Manitoba exploring early Hudson’s Bay Company history at former trading posts like Lower Fort Garry and, a short flight north, remote Norway House and York Factory where a grand white 1830s warehouse squats on the tundra, the remains of the HBC’s biggest outpost.

Overnight in the quirky polar bear capital of Churchill watching for pods of beluga whales en route to Prince of Wales Fort, a star-shaped 18th-century HBC rampart. Cross over the Arctic Circle spotting walrus colonies basking on Coats Island, and fly on to experience Inuit life in the community of Repulse Bay.

Hop across to Igloolik, Nunavut’s cultural hotspot, keeping an eye open for bowhead whales, narwhal and killer whales in the waters below. Soar even further north up Baffin Island across the snowy peaks and ribbons of glaciers of Bylot Island, home to massive bird colonies including snow geese. Then finish up your northern immersion in Pond Inlet, visiting a local museum, strolling the streets chatting with elders and carvers in the light of the Midnight Sun.

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