Northwest Territories

Travel to Northwest Territories

Climate

The climate of the Northwest Territories is diverse, which is not surprising when one considers that the province occupies a large portion of land. The southern part of the province is more temperate, with mild, long summer days and short, very cold winter days.

The northern part of the province experiences arctic and subarctic conditions in winter and temperatures are far more extreme. Temperatures at Yellowknife reach a maximum average of about 68°F (20°C) in July and a minimum average of about -26°F (-32°C) in January. July and August are the wettest months.

Health Notes when travelling to Canada

No vaccinations are necessary for travel to Canada. Medical care is excellent but expensive, so medical insurance is advised.

Safety Notes when travelling to Canada

Most visits to Canada are trouble-free. The country is politically stable but does share the common international risk of terrorism. The crime rate is low but travellers are advised to take sensible precautions to safeguard their belongings, as they would anywhere. Canada is prone to tornadoes between May and September.

Customs in Canada

Smoking bans have been implemented in Canada in enclosed public places such as restaurants, bars, and shopping malls.

Duty Free in Canada

Travellers to Canada are allowed to enter the country with the following items without incurring custom duties: gifts to the value of C$60 per recipient (excluding advertising material, tobacco and alcoholic beverages); 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos and 200g of tobacco or 200 tobacco sticks; 1.14 litres of liquor or wine or 24 x 355ml bottles or cans of beer or ale. There are strict regulations governing the import of the following: explosives, endangered animal and plant species, items of heritage, fresh foodstuffs and weapons. The plant Qhat (Khat) is illegal in Canada and prison sentences are heavy.

Doing Business in Canada

Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal are the main business centres. English is the language of business except in French-speaking Quebec, where all written material and business cards should be in French. Business cards are not traditionally exchanged during an initial meeting, but at some appropriate time thereafter; it is best to wait for the host to offer theirs first.

A firm handshake is used by way of greeting, and meetings tend to begin on time so punctuality should be taken seriously, as should appearance. Canadians dress conservatively and smartly for business meetings and suits are the norm. Gifts can be given in conclusion to celebrate a deal, but should be understated; taking someone out for a meal is a popular way to conclude business dealings.

Canadians are reserved and frown on emotional outbursts. Business is based on facts and figures rather than relationships, so it is best to be as prepared as possible for meetings. Hours of business are usually 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Communication in Canada

The international access code for Canada is +1. The outgoing code is 011 followed by the relevant country code. The outgoing code is not necessary for calls to the US and the Caribbean. Hotels, cafes and restaurants offering free wifi are widely available. As international roaming costs can be high, purchasing a local prepaid SIM card can be a cheaper option.

Tipping in Canada

There is no service charge added to restaurant bills in Canada and staff expect a tip of around 15 percent. Hairdressers and taxi drivers are also usually tipped at the same rate, while bellhops, doormen, porters, and similar service providers at hotels, airports, and stations are generally paid at the customer's discretion. It has become more common for places with counter service to display tip jars, but in such cases tipping is not necessary.

Passport/Visa Note

All visitors must hold a valid passport. We recommend that passports always be valid for six months after intended period of travel. Visitors are required to hold onward or return tickets, all documents needed for the next destination and sufficient funds to cover the period of intended stay.

Travellers from most visa-exempt countries arriving in Canada by air need to fill in an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) form online prior to travel to Canada. This is a new requirement implemented on 28 September 2016 and is applicable to all but U.S citizens and travellers with a valid Canadian visa. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, and Canadian permanent residents cannot apply for an eTA. As part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), all travellers travelling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel documents to enter or re-enter the United States. If departing from the USA a valid passport will be required by immigration authorities.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements for Americans:

US travellers should have a valid passport if departing from the USA, otherwise other proof of citizenship is accepted in the form of a birth certificate, a US certificate of citizenship, or US certificate of naturalisation. More suggestions would include a NEXUS card. A visa is not required for a stay of up to six months.

Entry requirements for UK nationals:

UK nationals must have a passport valid for the period of intended stay. A visa is not required for a stay of up to six months. However, the individual must have Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

Entry requirements for Australians:

Australians must hold passports valid for period of intended stay. Nationals of Australia with an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) are visa exempt for a maximum stay of 6 months.

Entry requirements for Irish nationals:

Irish nationals must hold a passport valid for the period of intended stay. A visa is not required for stays of up to six months. However, the individual must have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

Entry requirements for New Zealanders:

New Zealanders require a passport valid for the period of the intended stay. No visa is required for stays of up to 6 months. However, the traveller requires an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

Entry requirements for South Africans:

South African nationals must be in possession of a passport valid for the period of intended stay. A visa is required. South African temporary passports are not recognised. Passports, identity or travel documents of Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda are not accepted.

Currency

The currency used is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). Banks and bureaux de change will change cash, as will some hotels. Major credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs are widespread. US Dollars are widely accepted.

Exchange rate for 1 CAD - Canadian Dollar
0.76 BMD Bermudan Dollar	0.68 EUR Euro	0.76 USD U.S. Dollar	0.53 GBP U.K. Pound Sterling	83.23 JPY Japanese Yen	0.76 CHF Swiss Franc
1.06 AUD Australian Dollar	19.19 UAH Ukrainian Hryvnia	258.11 KZT Kazakhstani Tenge	1,150.93 LBP Lebanese Pound	0.54 LYD Libyan Dinar	5.24 BOB Bolivian Boliviano
82.45 NPR Nepalese Rupee	0.29 OMR Omani Rial	2.78 QAR Qatari Rial	1.05 SGD Singapore Dollar	6.33 SEK Swedish Krona	5.07 TTD Trinidad Tobago Dollar
7.63 VEF Venezuelan Bolivar	35.03 DOP Dominican Peso	5.14 HRK Croatian Kuna	14.24 MXN Mexican Peso	448.12 XOF West African CFA Franc	2.42 PGK Papua New Guinean kina
0.77 BSD Bahamian Dollar	1.61 FJD Fiji Dollar	17.30 HNL Honduran Lempira	84.48 DZD Algerian Dinar	910.53 MMK Myanma Kyat	8.55 BWP Botswana Pula
2.58 PEN Peruvian Nuevo Sol	530.07 CLP Chilean Peso	365.42 AMD Armenia Dram	18.48 CZK Czech Koruna	15.27 MDL Moldova Lei	94.99 ISK Icelandic Krona
2,246.12 UZS Uzbekistan Sum	2.95 ILS Israeli New Sheqel	0.54 JOD Jordanian Dinar	0.23 KWD Kuwaiti Dinar	23.96 UYU Uruguayan Peso	27.15 MUR Mauritian Rupee
21.79 NIO Nicaraguan Córdoba	6.38 NOK Norwegian Krone	3.00 PLN Polish Zloty	2.87 SAR Saudi Riyal	111.60 LKR Sri Lanka Rupee	27.22 THB Thai Baht
2.81 AED U.A.E Dirham	2.75 BRL Brazilian Real	3.09 RON Romanian New Leu	5.94 HKD Hong Kong Dollar	449.13 XAF Central African CFA Franc	17,177.63 VND Vietnamese Dong
10.66 ARS Argentine Peso	2.06 XCD East Caribbean Dollar	5.99 GTQ Guatemalan Quetzal	7.47 MAD Moroccan Dirham	0.29 BHD Bahrain Dinar	0.77 PAB Panamanian Balboa
1.14 AZN Azerbaijan Manat	2,382.97 COP Colombian Peso	52.20 KGS Kyrgyzstan Som	213.82 HUF Hungarian Forint	6.02 TJS Tajikistan Ruble	10,458.13 IDR Indonesian Rupiah
6.79 EGP Egyptian Pound	910.37 KRW South Korean Won	4,333.19 PYG Paraguayan Guaraní	3.18 MYR Malaysian Ringgit	411.77 CRC Costa Rican Colón	1.12 NZD New Zealand Dollar
80.05 PKR Pakistani Rupee	51.05 RUB Russian Rouble	11.93 ZAR South African Rand	1.62 TND Tunisian Dinar	1.53 BBD Barbadian Dollar	1.34 BGN Bulgarian Lev
2.25 TRY Turkish Lira	35.63 PHP Philippine Peso	24.93 TWD New Taiwan Dollar	150.19 NGN Nigerian Naira	81.90 XPF CFP Franc	2.99 GHS Ghanaian Cedi
95.48 JMD Jamaican Dollar	1.38 ANG Neth. Antillean Guilder	1.05 BND Brunei Dollar	84.50 RSD Serbian Dinar	5.03 CNY Chinese Yuan	15,208.62 BYR Belarussian Ruble
5.08 DKK Danish Krone	2.63 TMT New Turkmenistan Manat	51.41 INR Indian Rupee

Airports in Northwest Territories

Yellowknife

Yellowknife is built on permafrost, but there is nothing cold about the welcome awaiting visitors who come to enjoy log buildings, luxury hotels, caribou steaks, caviar, and dog sled teams. This small but thriving city is the gateway used by those planning to explore other points in the Northwest Territories and the adjacent territory of Nunavut.

It serves as the kick off point for a variety of extreme adventure tours and unique vacations in the heart of the northern wilderness. The city is on the north shore of Great Slave Lake and offers its own attractions, like boating, fishing, hiking, birdwatching, canoeing, and walking tours. A popular attraction is the quaint Old Town section with its views, historic buildings, and the Wildcat Cafe where local and visiting musicians entertain with jam sessions.

In winter (September to April), the sky remains dark most of the day and the spectacular Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) appear. A good vantage point to view them is from the top of the Bush Pilot's Monument in Old Town, six storeys high with a 360 degree view. Located within what is known as the Aurora Oval, Yellowknife is one of the three best places in the world to view the Northern Lights. Fairbanks in Alaska and Lapland in Norway are the other two.

Located just 30 minutes from downtown Yellowknife, Aurora Village is fast becoming a major tourist attraction and offers visitors from all over the world a rare opportunity to see the luminous lightshow in a geographically perfect setting. Consisting largely of tepees (heated for your comfort), Aurora Village is a traditional-feeling, suitably ambient place to spend a cold winter's evening, spellbound by the incredible, colourful patterns that grace the night sky overhead.

Northwest Territories Attractions

Overview