PERFECT ISLANDS
OPOPULATION 11,000
OSIZE 195,928 square miles
An island more than twice
the size of Great Britain with
a population a little smaller
than Boracay, Baffin Island
represents Canada’s Arctic
frontier at its wildest –
vertiginous peaks, creeping
glaciers, frozen plains where
winter temperatures routinely
sink below -30°C and a
coastline where tiny Inuit
villages huddle against cliffs
facing out over the ice floes.
The most spectacular corner is
Auyuittuq National Park, a
place as difficult to reach as it
is to spell, involving a two-day
trek from the hamletof Pangnirtung – itself only
accessible by many and
convoluted flight connections.
The reward, however, comes
when you find yourself in a
granite mountainscape in the
company of caribou, wolves
and bears. Be sure to travel
with a seasoned guide, lest you
experience the park from
within the cosy confines of a
polar bear’s stomach.
OGETTING THERE Baffin Island’s
small capital Iqaluit has flight
connections (from US$1,700; firstair.
ca) with Montreal. KLM flies to
Montreal from Singapore and Kuala
Lumpur with one stop in Amsterdam
(from US$1,000; klm.com).Best for Explorers
BAFFIN ISLAND, CANADA