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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Resolute
Qausuittuq
Go only with a booked flight, bed and guided activity: 2–3 nights, Jun–Aug, no taxis, no walking beyond the hamlet.
Resolute is a hamlet of a few hundred people on Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, at almost 75°N — the most practical fly-in base for Canada's High Arctic. There is no road in, no taxi, and no reason to come without a booked flight, bed and activity. Two to three nights covers the hamlet, the beach and a guided day out; longer only if you are on a tour or expedition.
- Country
- Canada
- Local name
- Qausuittuq
- Best months
- Jun–Aug (24-hour daylight, temperatures briefly above freezing)
- Avoid
- Oct–May (deep cold, dark, flight and activity disruption)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$250–400 excl. bed · Mid C$400–700 excl. bed · High C$700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire and ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea at the co-op or hotel | C$3–6 |
| Simple meal (soup, sandwich, burger) | C$20–40 |
| Beer or wine (where available) | C$10–20 |
| Guided half-day activity | C$200–500 |
| eSIM or data, about a week | C$50–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YRB · Resolute Bay Airport
- About 5 km (3.1 mi) from the hamlet; hotels run shuttles.About 3.1 mi (5 km) from the hamlet; hotels run shuttles.
Typical fares
- Airport → hamlet, hotel shuttle
- usually included with your stay; check
- Guided snowmobile half-day
- C$200–500
- Canadian North Iqaluit → Resolute
- from about C$1,935 round trip, 4–6 h via Arctic Bay
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk on the hamlet's gravel roads, or ride a snowmobile or ATV with a local guide. There are no taxis and no rental cars. Hotels shuttle guests to and from the airport. Outside the hamlet, travel is guided only — sea ice, open tundra and polar bear country.
See and do
Known for
- High Arctic hamlet at 75°N
- Franklin expedition history at Beechey Island
- Beluga and narwhal from the beach
- Polar race and expedition staging point
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Beechey Island | Guided boat or snowmobile trip from Resolute, about 100 km (62 mi) eastGuided boat or snowmobile trip from Resolute, about 62 mi (100 km) east | Full day or overnight |
| Grise Fiord | Canadian North flight from Resolute, or a multi-day guided snowmobile journey over the ice | About 1.5 h by air; days by snowmobile |
| Qausuittuq National Park | Guided trip from Resolute | Full day or overnight |
Sleep
- Hamlet centre (Main Road)
- Narwhal Hotel and the co-op area; walkable to the beach and the store.
- South Camp Inn area
- South of the centre; hotel shuttle covers the airport run.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | ᐊᐃai |
| Thank you | ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃqujannamiik |
| Yes | ᐄii |
| No | ᓇᒃᑲᐅᔪᖅnakkaujuq |
| Where is the store? | ᓇᒥ ᓱᑲᖅᑎᐅᕕᒃ?nami sukaqtiuvik? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- Polar bears are present around the hamlet and on the sea ice: never walk out alone, and follow local advice.
- Weather can cancel or delay flights for days: build a buffer into any onward booking.
- There is no hospital; serious medical cases are evacuated by air.
- Fuel, food and alcohol are expensive and stock is limited: bring what you need and check what the co-op has.
- Do not walk on sea ice or tundra without a local guide.
Resolute is a small, safe hamlet, but the environment is the risk: polar bears, sea ice, extreme cold and weather that grounds flights for days. Travel with a local guide outside the hamlet and keep a buffer in your plans.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Resolute yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- High Arctic hamlet at 75°N
- Franklin expedition history at Beechey Island
- Beluga and narwhal from the beach
- Polar race and expedition staging point
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Travel Nunavut: travelnunavut.ca/
- Canadian North: canadiannorth.com/
- Wikivoyage: Resolute, revision 5337257 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5337257
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
ResoluteQausuittuq
ᐅᑎᖅᑲᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᖅ
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire and ambulance911
No embassies in Resolute; the nearest consular services are in Ottawa or Yellowknife.
Inuktitut spellings are approximate; ask locally.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/resolute). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.