2012

Oman	Georgia
Yukon	Nunavut

2011

Mozambique	Istanbul
Lithuania	Nova Scotia
Eastern Turkey

2010

Seoul	Ecuador
London	Cayman Islands
Madeira	South Korea
Bay of Naples

2009

Stockholm	Quebec
Utah	Munich
Las Vegas	Prague
Mauritius	Nile Cruise

You need Flash Player to watch this video

Miranda and the Essential team flew with Air Canada from London Heathrow to Ottawa www.aircanada.com
They flew from Ottawa to Iqaluit via First Air www.firstair.ca
In Iqualuit they stayed at the Frobisher Inn www.frobisherinn.com
and Discovery Lodge Hotel www.discoverylodge.com
They flew from Iqaluit to Igloolik via Canadian North www.canadiannorth.com
In Igloolik they stayed at the Tujurmivik Hotel www.tujurmivikhotel.com
For everything you want to know about Nunavut visit www.nunavuttourism.com
and Canada visit www.canada.travel

ESSENTIAL NUNAVUT

Until recently it’s an area of Northern Canada that’s lain hidden from the world, a vast, frozen tundra where temperatures can easily plummet to minus fifty.

But despite its climatic and geographical extremes, Nunavut has been home to the Inuit for thousands of years and provides a habitat for some of the planet’s most magnificent species as Miranda Krestovnikoff discovers on this unmissable adventure.

If you’d like to find out more about the places Miranda visited in the programme, then check out the following links:

IQALUIT: www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca
Iqaluit was founded in 1942 and is the territorial capital of Nunavut. The city is located in the south coast of Baffin Island. According to a population census taken in 2006, the city’s population is 6,184. With this number of residents, Iqaluit has the lowest population of any capital city in Canada. Iqaluit residents are called Iqalummiut. The city was originally built as an American military airbase during World War II. Canadian and American authorities named the town Frobisher Bay after the surrounding body of water, but traditionally the place was named by the residents of Nunavut as Iqaluit, which means ‘place of many fish’ and in 1987 the name was officially changed back to Iqaluit.

NUNAVUT DAY: www.timeanddate.com
Nunavut Day takes place annually on July 9th. It is a public holiday in Canada, but only in the territory of Nunavut. This holiday was created to celebrate the passing of the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act. These two acts combined allowed Nunavut to become its own Canadian territory. On Nunavut Day there are communal meals including pancake breakfast and barbeques. There are also speeches given by town and village leaders as well as games and dances that are traditional to Nunavut. During Nunavut Day there are presentations given to show the sustainability of Nunavut’s economy.

IGLOOLIK: www.nunavuttourism.com
The Chilkoot Trail is 33 miles long and trails through the Coast Mountains. The trail is a national historic site of Canada in British Columbia and is also a part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in the United States. The trail leads from Dyea, Alaska to the shores of the Southern Lakes headwaters of the Yukon River. To stop overuse of the trail, the National Park service and Parks Canada only allow up to 50 people to begin the trail each day. Originally the Chilkoot Trail was used by the Tlingit Indians as a major trade route.

ICE FLOES & WILDLIFE TRIP WITH FRONTIERS NORTH: www.frontiersnorth.com
The Bowhead Whales and Walrus of Foxe Basin trip with the company Frontiers North Adventures will allow guests to see ice floes as well as wildlife. Ice floes are large floating bodies of frozen seawater that can be up to 6 miles in length. A body of ice longer than 6 miles would be considered an ice field. This specific trip with Frontiers North is based in Igloolik. The ancient ways of the Inuit, the inhabitants of Igloolik, will also be a focus of this trip. The wildlife around Igloolik includes bowhead whales, walruses, bearded seals as well as many types of birds.

SYLVIA GRINNELL TERRITORIAL PARK: www.nunavutparks.com
Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park is a 30 minute walk west of Iqaluit (about one kilometre). The Sylvia Grinnell River divides the park in two. Arctic char swimming through the river attract fishermen to the park. In the winter and spring, arctic foxes and caribou can be seen in the park as well as many other species of birds. Hiking trails weave through the park inviting guest to explore the plants of the area including the woodsia fern which is one of the rarest plants in Canada. There is no fee to use the park for either day use or camping. The park is open year round though during the winter months the weather may make it impossible to travel on park roads.

FISHING FOR ARCTIC CHAR:www.arcticchar.ca
Arctic char, also known as Salvelinus alpinus, are both salt water and fresh water fish. The usual weight of an arctic char is 5-7 lbs, but some can range up to 15 lbs in specific rivers. The Canadian held world record for weight of an arctic char is 32 lbs 9 oz. Arctic char can be found all over the world, but are most numerous in northern Canada. Arctic char fishing adventures are available through many resorts in Nunavut.