Baffin Island - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Baffin Island

travel wonder in Canada

Why

Baffin Island

is special

This remote land in northern Canada has a spectacular arctic landscape that attracts adventure travelers.

Tips & insights

on Baffin Island in Canada

Auyuittuq National Park in southwestern Baffin Island is the leading destination for adventure travelers. It is noted for its impressive mountain peaks. Rock climbers and base jumpers love the vertical-drop cliffs, which are as high as 1,200 meters (4,000 feet).

Pond Inlet in northwestern Canada is another popular place for adventure travelers. The area offers pristine peaks, fjords and glaciers while the sea coast is home to whales and polar bears.

Baffin Island is 1600 kilometers (1000 miles) long and is the world's fifth largest island.

It has a population of about 10,000. Most residents are Inuits.

Two-thirds of Baffin Island lies north of the Arctic Circle. Consequently, that segment experiences 24-hour daylight around June and 24-hour darkness around December.

Iqaluit on the southern coast is the major town and serves as the capital of Canada's vast, cold and sparsely settled Nanuvut Territory.

Geologically, the western side of the island is mainly tundra. The eastern portion is lined with a rugged, ice-capped mountain range soaring over 2100 meters (7,000 feet).

The Inuits have inhabited Baffin Island for at least 1,500 years.

Some evidence suggests that the Vikings were the first Europeans to see Baffin Island, about 1,000 years ago.

The island was named for the 17th century British explorer William Baffin. He unsuccessfully sought the Northwest Passage.