In the Middle Ages, their tusks were mistaken for unicorn horns and were deemed so magical that Ivan the Terrible called for one on his deathbed – and even today, narwhal still retain a little of their ancient mystique. Among the deepest divers of all marine mammals, these whales are elusive, and little understood by science, says Phoebe Smith in Wanderlust – but they are not endangered, and if you time it right, in parts of Arctic Canada your chances of seeing one are not bad.
The best bet is Eclipse Sound on Baffin Island, where narwhal frequent the edge of the sea ice (the floe edge) in early summer. I had no luck on my week-long trip there with the tour operator Arctic Kingdom – but the adventure was worth it even so. Set between mainland Canada and Greenland, Baffin Island is more than twice the size of Great Britain. From Iqaluit, in the far south, Arctic Kingdom's guests fly to Pond Inlet, a small town in the north, from which they travel by qamutiik – a traditional wooden sled, pulled by a snowmobile – to base camp. It’s a further two hours to the floe edge. (The ice now melts so quickly and unpredictably, owing to climate change, that it's no longer safe to set up tents any closer.)
Most of the company's guides are members of the Inuit community, which still hunts narwhal, according to strict quotas. They are a good source of local lore, and are very knowledgeable about the region’s wildlife.
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On a misty day, we spent the afternoon wandering past icebergs like "frozen sculptures". On other days, we went kayaking, and I tried snorkelling in the –2°C water, wearing a black drysuit and "lobster-shaped" gloves. One day, a "huge" male polar bear passed right in front of us, and I saw plenty of other marvellous wildlife besides, including little auks, terns, skuas, a "curious" Arctic fox ("whose cheeks looked as though they had been painted with blusher"), and ringed seals "of every shape and size" leaping in and out of ice holes.
The week-long trip costs about £1,600. Visit arctickingdom.com for details.
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