10 tips for travelling to Canada’s true north

Whether you’re destined for Canada’s Arctic in Nunavut , the Northwest Territories or the Yukon — or a taste of all three — Canada’s North is expansive and wild, and it might take a little extra planning. To help prep for your northern adventure, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 tips.

1. Think big. The North is vast — more than 40% of Canada’s land mass lies north of 60 degrees latitude — and you just can’t see it all. Decide which communities, regions or features you most want to visit, and plan to stay awhile. You’ll get to know the people and you’ll see more wildlife.

2. Stay flexible. The tightly scripted it’s-Thursday-so-it-must-be-Luxembourg approach doesn’t work here. Keep your mind and your schedule open to “northern time” and you’ll better handle the spontaneous events and inevitable delays that result from weather or whimsy.

3. See the cities. It can be tempting to head straight to the Nahanni or spend your time out on the land with the Inuit. But Iqaluit, NU, Yellowknife, NWT, Whitehorse, YT and other northern communities have got great museums, festivals, cafés, quirky characters and other treasures that shouldn’t be missed.

4. Be safe. To quote Dorothy, you aren’t in Kansas anymore. Spend your time in the northern wilds with guides who know the landscape. If you’re planning to travel on your own in the wilderness, make sure you’re well prepared and leave your route and itinerary with someone reliable.

5. Be sensitive. Finding out about local customs is not only rewarding, it’s respectful. Northerners are generous and welcoming, and they’ll appreciate your presence that much more when you attune yourself to their ways. For example, some northern communities are “dry” (no alcohol), and sometimes visitors are discouraged to visit certain sacred places.

6. Embrace the cold. It probably goes without saying, but if you come to Canada’s North, you can expect it to be colder than where you came from, right? So embrace it! Be one with the cold! Relish spectacular experiences found only in the North: caribou migrations, wild rivers, inukshuks, dog mushing , scarlet-hued fall tundra.

7. Dress in layers. If there’s one thing the travel-packing gurus are right about, it’s layer, layer, layer. The northern climate is variable and the weather can be changeable, so pack a range of layers that, in combination, mean you’re ready for anything.

8. BYO darkness. The northern summer means long hours of daylight, or sometimes no night at all! Many people feel a boost of energy with all this invigorating light, and some find it harder to sleep. If you’re used to sleeping in the dark, bring a sleeping mask.

9. Know your camera. If you dream of photographing the aurora borealis, polar bears and other Arctic winter phenomena, learn how to shoot in the cold and in the dark. Bring enough camera supplies and batteries with you.

10. Read the local literature. Order a stack of northern books and dive in. Get your hands on natural history guides for the area, read about its cultural and human history, and find out about emerging writers. Check out northern magazines Yukon, North of Ordinary, up here and above & beyond.

www.nunavuttourism.com/

www.spectacularnwt.com/

travelyukon.com/

Photo by R Postma

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission