When our customers start planning a trip to see the northern lights, Iceland is often one of the second best destinations. It has built an entire winter travel experience around the aurora and remains one of the best-known places in the world to see it.
Ungava Polar Eco-Tours is always grateful to see and welcome adventurous travelers in Nunavik during the winter so they can experience the northern lights on an Inuk-guided tour, just like the Inuits did 1000 years ago.
From October to March, the landscape becomes a vast stretch of snow, frozen tundra and dark northern sky. This is where we live, where we guide, and where we take travelers who want to experience the North rather than simply look at it.
And yes, the northern lights are part of it.
But they are only the beginning.
Why Compare Nunavik to Iceland in the First Place?
Iceland has shown how the northern lights can turn a northern destination into a journey people dream about long before they book it. The aurora may be what first draws travelers north, but the experience becomes much bigger than what happens in the sky.
That is where Nunavik belongs in the conversation. Seeing the northern lights here is only one part of the journey. Nunavik offers the chance to experience the Arctic around them, its landscapes, wildlife, food, culture and way of life, rather than travelling north for the aurora alone.
What Makes it Worth the Journey North
1. The Northern Lights, With Nothing Between You and the Sky
When you experience the Arctic with our eco-tours, you get to see what our [the Inuits] land has to offer, whether it is the food that we gather or the nature that surrounds the camp.
In Nunavik, northern lights fanatics are immersed in Mother Nature’s spectacle. The Ungava Bay is surrounded by frozen tundra, open horizons and a winter landscape that stretches far beyond the town itself. When conditions are right, Ungava Polar Eco-Tour’s guides will take you on a little walk, away from the camp’s lights, to watch the northern lights where the sky is darker and the landscape around you is completely untouched.
That setting changes the experience. There is no crowded viewing platform, no city skyline in the distance and no quick drive back to a completely different environment once the aurora disappears. You are standing in the tundra, surrounded by a rare silence and Arctic wilderness, watching ribbons of green and violet move across the sky.
2. You Get the Full Arctic Winter Experience
Our winter adventures take place in March and April, when the land around Kuujjuaq is still covered in snow and the Arctic winter is very much alive. Instead of spending the day waiting for the next aurora forecast, you are outside experiencing the territory itself: travelling across the frozen tundra with our guides, looking for muskox, caribou, Arctic foxes and other wildlife, or learning how to build an igloo alongside local experts.
These are not activities added to an itinerary simply to keep you busy. They are different ways of experiencing a place where winter has shaped how people travel, build, adapt and live. Following a dog team across open tundra feels very different from driving between sightseeing stops. Looking for wildlife means learning to notice tracks and movement across a landscape that can appear completely empty at first. Building an igloo turns something most travelers have only seen in photographs into something you understand with your own hands.
By the end of the day, you have not simply passed the time until darkness returns. You have spent the day experiencing the same Arctic environment that makes the night sky feel so extraordinary in the first place.
3. You Experience Nunavik With People Who Call It Home
A place like Nunavik is very different when you experience it with people who know the territory as home rather than simply as a destination.
Our guides, James May and Jonathan Grenier, are both Inuit and were born and raised in Kuujjuaq. Jonathan has spent more than a decade working as a local guide on the Koksoak River, while James has extensive experience working with tourism outfitters in the region. Their knowledge of Nunavik comes from years of living, travelling and spending time on the land.
That knowledge becomes part of the trip naturally. It can be as simple as noticing tracks in the snow and understanding what left them, knowing how changing conditions may affect the day or explaining something about the landscape that you would have passed without a second thought. Conversations about the land can easily become conversations about wildlife, food, family or what everyday life actually looks like this far north.
This is also what makes the cultural side of the experience feel different. Inuit culture is not presented as something separate from the rest of the trip or added to the itinerary for an hour. It is connected to the territory you are exploring and to the people showing it to you. You are not simply learning facts about Nunavik; you are spending time with people who can help you understand the place from the inside.
For many travelers, that becomes just as memorable as the landscape itself. The Northern Lights may be visible in many northern destinations, but the people you experience them with can completely change what you take away from the journey.
4. You Discover an Arctic Destination Most Travelers Don’t Know Yet
Ask most travelers where they would go to see the Northern Lights and the same destinations usually come up: Iceland, Norway, Finland, Yellowknife or Whitehorse. Nunavik is rarely one of the first places mentioned, even though it offers the kind of Arctic experience many of those travelers are looking for.
That is part of what makes coming here so special. Kuujjuaq is not a place you pass through on the way somewhere else, and there is no road connecting it to southern Quebec. Reaching Nunavik is a deliberate decision to travel north into a region that remains unfamiliar to many Canadians and Americans.
Once you arrive, that feeling of discovery continues. The landscape is vast, communities are small and the tourism experience has not been built around moving large numbers of visitors from one attraction to another. You are coming to experience a place that still feels closely connected to the land around it rather than shaped around tourism.
For travelers who have already seen the same northern lights destinations appear again and again online, that matters. There is something exciting about going somewhere your friends may need you to point out on a map, and returning home with an experience that does not look exactly like everyone else’s winter vacation.
You are not coming here because Nunavik is another Iceland. You are coming because it is distinctly Nunavik.
5. For North American Travelers, a northern lights Trip in Canada Doesn’t Require Crossing the Atlantic
When people start thinking about a northern lights trip, Iceland often comes to mind first. But if what you are really looking for is snow-covered tundra, dark northern skies, Arctic wildlife and the feeling of travelling somewhere completely removed from everyday life, you do not necessarily need to cross the Atlantic to find it.
Our winter adventures use Montreal as the gateway to Kuujjuaq. For Canadian travelers, that means experiencing the Arctic within their own country. For American travelers, it means reaching a major Canadian city first and then continuing north into Nunavik.
Staying on this side of the Atlantic does not make the experience a compromise. You are still travelling into a remote northern region, spending time on Inuit territory and experiencing a winter landscape shaped by the Arctic itself.
That makes a northern lights trip in Canada much more than a convenient alternative. It makes it a destination worth considering on its own.
So what does a northern lights trip in Canada actually look like once you decide to travel this far north?
What a Northern Lights Trip in Canada Looks Like in Nunavik
There is no single way to experience Nunavik in winter. Weather, wildlife and conditions on the land can influence how a day unfolds, and that flexibility is part of travelling in the Arctic.
What stays consistent is the rhythm of the trip. Days are spent outside, discovering the winter landscape and experiencing a region that feels very different from southern Canada. Depending on where you travel and the experiences you choose, that can mean crossing frozen tundra, looking for Arctic wildlife, spending time with local Inuit guides or learning skills connected to life on the land.
With Ungava Polar Eco-Tours, activities can include dog teaming, wildlife viewing and igloo building around Kuujjuaq. There is time to stop, ask questions and understand what you are seeing rather than moving quickly from one attraction to another.
As daylight disappears, the focus naturally shifts toward the sky. Kuujjuaq is already far north, but getting outside town brings you farther from artificial light and into the open Arctic landscape. When conditions are right, this is where we head to look for the northern lights.
Sometimes the aurora appears quickly. Other nights require patience. Either way, by the time darkness arrives, you have already spent a full day experiencing Nunavik. The northern lights become one of the highlights of the journey rather than the only reason the day mattered.
If that sounds like what you are looking for in a northern lights trip in Canada, the next step is understanding what it actually takes to travel this far north.
Planning Your Northern Lights Trip in Canada
Nunavik is remote, and that is part of its appeal. There are no highways connecting its communities to southern Quebec, distances are large and winter conditions shape how people move through the region. That means a trip here requires more planning than booking a hotel and renting a car. It does not, however, mean that travelling to Nunavik has to be complicated.
When to Visit
For travelers hoping to see the northern lights in Canada, Nunavik offers the added experience of a true Arctic winter. The aurora can be visible when the sky is dark enough and conditions cooperate, while winter brings the snow-covered tundra, frozen landscapes and long northern nights many travelers imagine when they picture a trip to the Arctic.
At Ungava Polar Eco-Tours, our winter adventures are offered specifically in March and April. These months allow guests to combine northern lights viewing with the winter experiences available around Kuujjuaq.
For travelers planning a northern lights trip in Canada that goes beyond the aurora itself, this is the period our winter adventures are built around.
The best time to visit Nunavik also depends on what you hope to see. Other seasons offer different wildlife viewing opportunities across the region, and the calendar below shows when some of Nunavik’s most iconic wildlife and natural phenomena are at their best.
These periods reflect typical seasonal patterns in Nunavik. Wildlife sightings and northern lights are never guaranteed, as conditions vary from year to year.
Getting to Kuujjuaq
One of the first things visitors need to understand is that you cannot drive to Kuujjuaq from southern Canada. There is no road connecting the community with Montreal or the rest of southern Quebec.
You arrive by air.
Kuujjuaq is the largest community in Nunavik and acts as an important gateway to the region. For our winter adventures, the journey north begins in Montreal, which makes planning relatively straightforward for Canadian and American travelers.
If you are coming from elsewhere in Canada or from the United States, your first step is getting to Montreal. From there, the northern portion of the trip can be organized with us through your return from Kuujjuaq.
The flight north is also part of realizing just how far you are travelling. Southern roads and cities disappear, the landscape opens up beneath you and, when you arrive, there is very little doubt that you have entered a different part of Canada.
Where You Can Stay
Travelling to the Arctic does not necessarily mean giving up comfort. In Nunavik, the type of accommodation depends largely on where you are travelling and the kind of experience you are looking for.
With Ungava Polar Eco-Tours, accommodation is included as part of the experience and differs between our winter adventures around Kuujjuaq and our trips to the Gyrfalcon Islands.
During our winter adventures in March and April, guests can choose between different levels of comfort and immersion. You can stay in a hotel in Kuujjuaq, spend a night in a heated Arctic Oven tent, or sleep in an igloo built alongside local experts. The accommodation is selected as part of your customized winter package, depending on the experience you want to have.
For our trips to the Gyrfalcon Islands, guests stay at our remote camp directly in the wilderness. The heated shelter pods are designed for Arctic conditions and include beds, heating, a toilet and vanity sink, giving guests a comfortable place to stay while remaining immersed in the landscape.
For travelers planning a northern lights trip in Canada, the winter option offers the chance to experience the aurora alongside the snow-covered landscapes and winter activities around Kuujjuaq. The Gyrfalcon Islands offer a different way to experience Nunavik, with a greater focus on remote wilderness and Arctic wildlife.
If you would like to experience Nunavik for yourself, we invite you to send us your travel request. Our team at Ungava Polar Eco-Tours will help you choose the experience that best matches the season and type of trip you are looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to see the northern lights in Nunavik?
Northern Lights can be visible during the darker months of the year when conditions are right. At Ungava Polar Eco-Tours, our winter adventures are offered specifically in March and April, when guests can combine aurora viewing with the full winter landscape around Kuujjuaq.
These are the months to plan around if you want to experience the northern lights as part of one of our winter trips.
How much does it cost to see the northern lights in Nunavik?
The cost of a northern lights trip with Ungava Polar Eco-Tours depends on the experience you choose. Our winter adventures in Kuujjuaq are fully customizable, with options ranging from hotel stays to heated Arctic tents and igloo experiences. Once you send us your travel request, our team builds a package around your preferences and provides a detailed quote.
For reference, our separate All-Inclusive Package to the Gyrfalcon Islands is currently $14,400 CAD, but this is a different experience from our customizable winter adventures.
Do you need to leave Kuujjuaq to see the northern lights?
The northern lights can appear above Kuujjuaq, but getting away from artificial light can make the night sky easier to appreciate. When conditions are favourable, we guide guests just outside town, where the surroundings are darker and the Arctic landscape becomes part of the viewing experience.
For us, that setting is one of the things that makes seeing the northern lights in Canada so memorable.
Can you photograph the northern lights in Nunavik?
Yes. Many guests want to photograph the aurora during their trip. Modern phones with a night mode can capture northern lights, while a camera and tripod give you more control in low-light conditions.
Whatever equipment you bring, learn the basic settings before travelling north and remember that batteries drain faster in cold temperatures. And when the aurora appears, take a few pictures, then look up without the screen too.
Is Nunavik the same as Nunavut?
No. Nunavik and Nunavut are two different regions of Northern Canada, although both are home to Inuit communities and both extend into areas where travelers may experience the aurora.
Nunavik is the Inuit region of northern Quebec and includes Kuujjuaq, where our winter adventures take place. Nunavut is a separate Canadian territory. If you are researching destinations for a Canada northern lights tour, the similar names can make them easy to confuse.