Arctic Bay (Ikpiarjuk)

A Small Inuit Hamlet In A Sheltered Bay Below Tall Limestone Cliffs, A Base For Floe Edge Trips, Narwhal Viewing And Sirmilik And Lancaster Sound Expeditions. Nanisivik, The Former Mine Site On The Inlet, Lies Nearby. Summer Is Brief And Bright, With Ice And Snow Most Of The Year, And Visits Are Arranged Through Local Outfitters · Arctic Bay, Nunavut

Arctic Bay, Ikpiarjuk in Inuktitut, is an Inuit hamlet of about 900 people tucked into a sheltered bay on Admiralty Inlet at the north end of Baffin Island, far above the Arctic Circle. Tall limestone cliffs stand behind the gravel streets, and the bay is frozen for most of the year. Visitors come for the floe edge in spring, narwhal and open-water boat trips in summer, and expeditions toward Lancaster Sound and Sirmilik National Park. The former Nanisivik mine site lies on the same inlet. This is not a sightseeing town: a walk takes you around it in under an hour, and the real experiences are arranged with local outfitters and the Hunters and Trappers Organization. It suits expedition travellers, researchers, photographers and people already working in the north. It is worth the trip in late spring or midsummer, with a guide booked in advance and a budget of several thousand dollars. Scheduled flights come from Iqaluit and commonly cost CAD 1,000-2,500 return, so confirm routes and fares first.

Arctic Bay, a hamlet of about 900 people on Admiralty Inlet at the north end of Baffin Island, reached by scheduled flight from Iqaluit; coordinates approximate, Arctic Bay, Nunavut, Canada

There are no fixed visitor hours in Arctic Bay. The hamlet is lived in all year, but a visit depends on the season and on what your outfitter can run. Floe-edge trips on the sea ice usually run from about April to June, and boat trips on open water from about July to September; between those windows the ice is unsafe and trips are normally closed. The co-op store, hamlet office and community hall keep their own local hours and may close early, on Sundays and on holidays - confirm on arrival. Walking the streets and the shore is free at any hour. In midsummer the sun stays up around the clock; in winter there is a long polar night with little daylight.

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