Whale Cove (Tikirarjuaq)

A Very Small Inuit Hamlet On Hudson Bay, Near A Large Beluga And Seal Area And The Qamanirjuaq Caribou Range, With Carving, Sewing And Local Outfitters. Visitors Come By Air, Mostly On Guided Or Research Trips, And Services Are Minimal · Whale Cove, Nunavut

Whale Cove, Tikirarjuaq in Inuktitut, is a very small Inuit hamlet of about 450 people on the west coast of Hudson Bay, a short hop north of Arviat and south of Rankin Inlet. The name points to the belugas that gather off the shore in summer, and the people of the hamlet have hunted, fished and followed the Qamanirjuaq caribou herd across the barren lands for generations. The hamlet is reached only by scheduled flight, normally from Rankin Inlet, and it is not a sightseeing town. There is no tour desk and no fixed programme. Visitors who come are mostly on guided or research trips, arranged through local outfitters and the Hunters and Trappers Organization. Services are a co-op or store, a small lodge or guest house and a few takeaway counters (confirm). The reward is a quiet, flat coast of tidal flats, boulder shores and open water. Plan with patience, because weather and ice decide each day.

Whale Cove, a hamlet of about 450 people on the west coast of Hudson Bay, reached by scheduled flight from Rankin Inlet; coordinates approximate, Whale Cove, Nunavut, Canada

Whale Cove keeps no visiting hours because it is a living community. The store, the lodge or guest house 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. Sea-ice trips run roughly April to June while the ice holds, and boat trips for belugas and seals run roughly July to September in open water. Winter is dark, cold and quiet with very few services for visitors. Walking the shore costs nothing at any hour. Sundays and public holidays are quiet, so buy food and fuel the day before.

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