Qikiqtarjuaq
A Hamlet Formerly Known As Broughton Island, The Closest Community To Auyuittuq National Park From The East Side, A Base For Davis Strait Floe Edge Trips, Whale Watching, Iceberg Viewing, And For Ski And Boat Trips To The Sam Ford Fjord And Penny Highlands. A Small And Distant Hamlet Visited Through Local Outfitters · Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut
Qikiqtarjuaq is an Inuit hamlet of about 600 people on Broughton Island in Davis Strait, off the east coast of Baffin Island, and was known as Broughton Island until the name changed. It is the closest community to Auyuittuq National Park from the east side, and it is reached only by scheduled flight, normally from Iqaluit. It is not a sightseeing town: there is no old quarter, no tour desk and no fixed programme. What it offers is access to a big seascape of icebergs, whales and fjords. Local outfitters and the Hunters and Trappers Organization take small parties onto the sea ice in spring to the floe edge, onto the water in summer for whales and icebergs, and by snowmobile or boat toward Sam Ford Fjord, the Penny Highlands and the park. Services are a co-op store, a small lodge or hotel and a few takeaway counters (confirm). The season is short and the costs are high. Book early and keep spare days for ice and weather.
Qikiqtarjuaq, a hamlet of about 600 people on Broughton Island in Davis Strait off the east coast of Baffin Island, reached by scheduled flight from Iqaluit; coordinates approximate, Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada
Qikiqtarjuaq keeps no visiting hours because it is a living community. The co-op store, the lodge and any community hall keep their own hours, often a weekday pattern of roughly 9 to 5 with shorter days at weekends - confirm by phone. Floe-edge and ski trips run roughly April to June while the ice holds, and boat trips run roughly July to September in open water. Winter is dark, cold and quiet with few services for visitors. Walking the shore costs nothing at any hour, and the sun stays up for weeks around midsummer. Sundays and public holidays are quiet, so buy food and fuel the day before.