Leonardo DiCaprio gives Canadian Arctic tourism boost
Leonardo DiCaprio spent a few days on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.
An outpost in Canada’s northern Inuit community has received a major celebrity endorsement from actor Leonardo DiCaprio after the Hollywood film star chose to holiday in Nunavut recently with a lady friend.
Far from the glitter of Hollywood, the A-list star flew into Qikiqtarjuaq during the Fourth of July weekend and camped outside Pond Inlet, a coastal community located in northern Baffin Island.
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Though not top of mind as a vacation destination for celebrities, Pond Inlet touts itself as one of Canada’s true “jewels of the north” for its wild landscape: mountain ranges in the distance, glaciers and fjords.
Between May and August, the area receives midnight sun — when the sun never fully sets — and temperatures hover between 5 and 15 C (41 to 59 F). July is the warmest month of the year.
It’s not entirely surprising that DiCaprio would be interested in the remote wilderness of the Canadian Arctic, given his outspoken advocacy as an environmental crusader and nature lover.
In summer, visitors can kayak among icebergs and take boat trips for sport fishing. Pond Inlet is also famous for its narwhal-watching; the marine animals are known as the unicorns of the sea for their long, pointy horns.
The region is also home to beluga and orca whales, ringed and harp seals, caribou, arctic foxes, wolves, ptarmigan birds and polar bears, as well as a migratory bird sanctuary, Bylot Island.
During winter months, the area is popular for cross-country skiing, igloo camping, snowmobile and dog team tours.