Experience Québec
Discoveries
Nunavik, land of caribou
Surrounded by Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait, Ungava Bay and Labrador, Nunavik is a polar paradise with a territory of close to 507,000 km2 - almost as large as France. Renowned worldwide for its caribou hunting, this stunningly beautiful land offers visitors a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience. This is Nordic adventure at its best!
Before you, an endless horizon. At your feet, the frozen tundra. Above, the azure sky of the Arctic. Listen to the echo of the fjords of Ungava Bay, admire the sparkling water in the Pingualuit crater, answer the call of Mont D’Iberville, the highest mountain in Quebec... The air you are breathing is the air of Nunavik.
Welcome! Along the way, you will meet the inukshuks (the Inuktituk word for "standing man"). These are stone monuments used as markers by hunters and travellers in the Far North. The inukshuks are saying: "You have been this way before. You are on the right path." This is very useful and reassuring in a blizzard! Moreover, the inukshuks are constructed so that they point to places where "the caribou walk in large numbers" or toward a lake teeming with fish.Majestic herds
The largest herds of caribou ever detected (close to one million animals) live in the vast Nunavik territory, mainly near the shores of George River, Aux Feuilles River, and in the Mount Torngat vicinity.
The migration of these immense beasts is a breathtaking sight in the fall. You may be a hunter, you might be a photographer, but either way, this a unique opportunity to observe the kings of Nordic fauna. Be ready to keep up with their pace, though: they can travel more than 50 kilometres per day!Long, cold, magical nights
Until April, Nunavik, like the rest of the Far North, is dark for much of the day. It is a startling phenomenon to experience. As though blown by the wind, the multi-coloured Aurora Borealis moves like curtains in the sky. Some Inuit legends say that these arsaniit are sky spirits that play in the winter dusk and that one can make them dance by whistling loudly.
Come admire this celestial magic...
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Guillaume Rivard
Photos: Société Kativik, Tourisme Québec
2009-05-20
