Sanikiluaq and the Belcher Islands

An Inuit Hamlet Of About 900 People On An Island Group In The South Eastern Part Of Hudson Bay, Known For Eiderdown And For The Community'S Work With Eider Ducks, Soapstone Carving And A Nearby Polynya, Where Open Water Stays Through Winter. A Remote Place Visited Mainly By Researchers And Adventurers, With Small Seasonal Visitor Services · Sanikiluaq, Nunavut

Sanikiluaq is the southernmost community in Nunavut, home to about 900 people on Flaherty Island in the Belcher Islands of south-eastern Hudson Bay. No road reaches it. You arrive by scheduled flight, commonly from Montreal or Winnipeg through Kuujjuarapik, and weather can change the plan. The islands are known for eiderdown and for the community's long work with eider ducks, for soapstone carving and for a polynya, a patch of sea that stays open through the winter and feeds seals, birds and the people who hunt them. Be honest about what this is: not a sightseeing town, with no old quarter, tour bus or cafe street. It suits adventure travellers, researchers and people already in the north, and the short summer season runs through local outfitters and the Hunters and Trappers Organization. Food and fuel are expensive, mobile coverage is limited, and visitors should ask before photographing anyone and confirm all local rules before travelling.

Sanikiluaq, the southernmost community of Nunavut, on Flaherty Island in the Belcher Islands of Hudson Bay, reached by scheduled flight from Montreal or Winnipeg through Kuujjuarapik; coordinates approximate, Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Canada

Sanikiluaq keeps no visitor schedule, since it is a working Inuit community. The co-op store, the hotel or guest house, the community office and any carving or craft outlet set their own hours, commonly weekdays from roughly 9 to 5 with shorter hours on weekends - confirm by phone before you fly. Boat trips and land trips run mostly from about late June to September, depending on ice, wind and what the Hunters and Trappers Organization advises. Winter brings long dark days, hard cold and few visitors. Walking the town is free at any hour, and the sky can be bright until late in midsummer. Holidays are quiet, and flights are few, so check the weekly schedule first.

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