Arctic wildlife watching

As Channel 5 runs their daily Polar Bear Watch this week, what other ways or places are there to explore Arctic wildlife in Canada? A grizzly bear outside the window at breakfast. A herd of muskox thundering up a ridge after lunch. At night, the Northern Lights shimmying across the sky like nature’s multimedia extravaganza.

Set amid it all is Elu Inlet Lodge, an out-there retreat in the Nunavut wilderness for hiking, paddling, fishing, exploring archaeological sites — or simply hanging out near your cottage picking tundra blueberries. Start the adventure with a 25-minute float-plane flight from Cambridge Bay.

Simple but impeccable, Elu is a rarity in the North: an Inuit-owned-and-run lodge. That means days are spent with the locals, gaining insight into their culture, way of thinking and wicked sense of humour. Elu also has Canada’s northernmost hot tub, and is one of the few places above the Arctic Circle where you’ll be asked how you would like your steak done.

Peter Kapolak, a professional guide and teacher, pilots his motorboat to white-shell beaches left by retreating oceans that look like Caribbean strands — until you touch the icy water. Hike across ankle-high bonsai tundra to spy on a family of Arctic foxes or wolves, scale Mount Elu for a look at inukshuks*, fish for Arctic char or kayak the coastline past cliffs painted with technicolour lichen.

Return at the end of the day for dinner served on white linen, a feast prepared by Martina Kapolak, one of the territory’s best cooks. Top of her list: Arctic char chowder and fresh bannock bread. Then try your hand at traditional Arctic games: the high-kick or a bout of Inuit throat-singing.

But you won’t miss out if you just savour the silence and the wilderness lit by the midnight sun with not another human in sight. Just you and your camera.

For more information, visit Frontiersnorth.com.

*Inukshuk — an Inuit-constructed stone landmark used as a milestone or directional marker. Since there weren’t many distinguishing markings across the tundra, for travel purposes the Inuit would build inukshuks to help people navigate the land.