Quttinirpaaq Basecamp Hike & Photography

Quttinirpaaq National Park is Canada’s most-northerly park. Situated on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, it is less than 500 miles from the North Pole. This is a vast land with fiords, mountains, glaciers, high arctic tundra, glacial streams, and one of the largest and deepest lakes in the Arctic. In places, we hike through fields of wildflowers and lichens. A strange "thermal oasis" at Lake Hazen, in the centre of the park, results in increased vegetation to support a higher density of wildlife. Muskoxen, arctic foxes and wolves, rare Peary caribou, herds of huge, white Arctic hares, and even polar bears, share the route. Humans are so rare that when you encounter the local wildlife they do not react in fear.

Over the last 4500 years, small groups of Dorset, and Thule people - in a series of epic migrations - traveled through the area to reach northern Greenland. Today the area is still so remote that only a handful of intrepid adventurers explore the park each year.

Our adventure will be based at Tanquary Fiord. There is a small facility here, which will allow us to set up a base camp and to explore the nearby environment of river valleys, mountain peaks, and icy glaciers. We'll have fascinating interpretation from Parks Canada staff, and do day hikes with many photographic opportunities. This trip is one of Parks Canada's iconic Canadian experiences and appropriate for any camper with a sense of adventure.