Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA INUIT ARTIST, DORSET ISLAND • NU TOURISM places, plants & fl owers, wilderness lodges, wildlife-viewing, snowmobiling and boating. Whew! Stop a moment and catch your breath. If you need more convincing, just glance at the schedules for any of Nunavut's special events. Consider this partial list of activities for the annual summer Alianait Arts Festival: circus workshop, poetry jam session, drum dancing, art exhibits, concerts, throat-singing workshop, cabaret, kids' fest, salsa dance workshop, story- telling, battle of the bands, songwriting & recording workshop, Greenlandic mask dance, Canada Day parade, fi ddle workshop and fi lm night. Most of the events are free ( www.alianait.ca ). CANADIAN SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES Destination Canada has added several Nunavut tours to its Canadian Signature Experiences collection of best things to see and do in Canada (caen- keepexploring.canada.travel/travel-info/ what-canadian-signature-experiences- collection). They include a narwhal and polar bear safari that departs from Pond Inlet on Baffi n Island (www.arctickingdom.com ) and cruising in the wake of polar adventur- ers and Inuit through the Northwest Passage (www.adventurecanada.com ). Any of these once-in-a-lifetime trips are guaranteed to quell any remaining misconceptions that you may have about Nunavut. WHAT'S NEW? A new international airport is being built in Iqaluit. The expected completion date is late 2017 (www.gov.nu.ca/edt/ documents/iqaluit-international- airport-project). The Government of Canada has intro- duced a Bill to establish Qausuittuq National Park on northern Bathurst Island as Canada's 45 th National Park. It will protect wildlife, including the endangered Peary caribou (www.parkscanada.gc.ca/ eng/progs/np-pn/cnpn-cnnp/qausuittuq/ ne/2015.aspx). A new Canadian Signature Experience is a spring caribou migration tour. Participants travel by snowmobile to search for the 350,000-member Qamanirjuaq caribou herd under the midnight sun. During the 14-day trip, there are opportunities to view eagles, grizzly bears and wolverines and try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice fi shing ( www.arctichaven.ca). CITY LIGHTS Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, can easily be covered on foot. The Iqaluit Visitors Guide provides information on attractions, local events and places to stay, eat and shop (iqaluitvisitorsguide.nnsl.com). The Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre features wildlife and cultural exhibits. The Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum displays Inuit artefacts and photos portraying the history of Iqaluit and the Qikiqtaaluk Region. The Nunavut Legislature building displays excellent examples of northern art, including a mace made from a carved narwhal tusk, local silver and gemstones. THE GREAT OUTDOORS Nunavut has four national parks, four heritage rivers, 20 territorial parks and special places, nearly 24 existing and proposed national wildlife areas and 11 migratory bird sanctuaries. Adventures range from mountain climbing to white- water rafting. Winter sports include cross-country skiing, dogsledding and snowmobiling. The main whale watching months are May to September, but you can potentially view whales year-round. You'll never forget the sound of a 91,000-kg (100-ton) bowhead whale, exhaling through its blow spouts, only metres away. You may also see narwhals and belugas, called sea canaries SPECIAL EVENTS APRIL • Hamlet Day, Most communities • Nattiq Frolics, Kugluktuk • Nunavut Quest, Dogsled Race • Toonik Tyme, Iqaluit MAY • Omingmak Frolics, Cambridge Bay • Pakallak Tyme, Rankin Inlet • Spring Fest, Arviat JUNE • National Aboriginal Day, Territory-wide • Rockin' Walrus Arts Festival, Igloolik JUNE JULY • Alianait Arts Festival, Iqaluit • Northwest Passage Marathon and Ultramarathon, Somerset Island JULY • Canada Day festivities, Territory-wide • Nunavut Day, Territory-wide AUGUST • Kitikmeot Arctic Sports, Cambridge Bay OCTOBER • Inuumariit Music Festival, Arviat www.nunavuttourism.com QUICK FACT NO ROADS CONNECT NUNAVUT'S COMMUNITIES. NOR ARE THERE ANY ROADS CONNECTING NUNAVUT WITH THE REST OF CANADA. NUNAVUT