Voyage to the Northwest Passage

The northernmost city in Greenland, just above the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut remains remarkably ice free in winter and is known as an adventure sports hub all year round. Inhabited for more than 4,500 years by the Dorset, Thule and eventually the Inuit people, dog sledding remains a vital form of transportation. The area is home to humpback whales and Arctic foxes in their summer coat.

Sailing through the iceberg capital of the world to Disko Bay, the Ilulissat Icefjord is one of the cruise highlights. Given UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the Ilulissat Icefjord is a popular tourist destination, and thanks to the productive Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, thousands of gargantuan icebergs calve from the Greenland ice cap into the sea. The city of Ilulissat is home to many sled-dogs.

Qeqertarsuaq is the largest town on Disko Island, Greenland’s largest island, on its west coast, part of Disko Bay, a UNESCO-listed site for its icebergs. The Lyngemark Glacier rises above the town. The area’s hills, basalt columns and black sand beaches reflect its volcanic origin. The area is fertile and home to species not found elsewhere in Greenland. Keep an eye out for its hot springs as we move through floating icebergs.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

The views of snow-capped mountains have given Pond Inlet in northern Baffin Island the name of Canada’s ‘jewel of the north’ and the area is a prime breeding ground for narwhals – toothed whales with a distinct large tusk. The traditional Inuit community living in the hamlet of Mittimatalik are renowned for their craft skills from printmaking and stone carving.

Dundas Harbour, the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage on Devon Island, Canada’s largest uninhabited island, shows signs of life despite the harsh terrain, with relics of a 1000 A.D. Thule settlement and a 1920s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) outpost for controlling illegal whaling. Nearby Croker Bay is on the shores of iceberg-laden Lancaster Sound. The Devon ice cap feeds the huge South Croker Bay Glacier that calves into the bay.

Gracing the eastern high Arctic, Croker Bay, a mesmerising Arctic waterway, carves its way into Devon Island within the vibrant Qikiqtaaluk Region. This deep inlet, an extension of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait, unveils a landscape of captivating beauty. The Devon ice cap feeds the huge South Croker Bay Glacier that calves into the bay.

This area is closely associated with the exploration of Canada’s High Arctic and the Northwest Passage. Much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was mapped while searching for the missing crew of British explorer Sir John Franklin’s fateful 1845-46 Northwest Passage Expedition. Radstock Bay sits below the mighty Caswall Tower mountain and hides many secrets, with evidence of sledge tracks, camps and food tins that may help reveal what happened.

Beechey Island Sites, five historical locations in Canada’s High Arctic, mark where Sir John Franklin wintered in 1845–46 during his ill-fated Northwest Passage expedition. The search for his crew led to much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago being mapped. Nearly six decades later, in 1903, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage.

Fort Ross on Somerset Island is the abandoned last trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The timber building that remains, built in 1937, formed part of the most northerly established fur trading post covering the Bellot Strait, before being abandoned due to severe ice-choked conditions at sea. One of the straits along the Northwest passage, the narrow 16-mile long Bellot Strait with steep cliffs, is windy with strong tidal currents. Connecting Brentford Bay to icy Peel Sound, the strait separates Somerset Island in the north from the Murchison Promontory on Boothia Peninsula to the south, where Point Zenith, the northernmost continental point of the Americas is positioned. It was also here on the 1829 Second Arctic expedition of Sir John Ross, that his nephew Sir James Clark Ross located the Magnetic North Pole.

As the ship crosses Lancaster Sound to Elwin Bay, it passes by Prince Leopold Island, which, in season, hosts over 500,000 nesting pairs of thick-billed murres, black guillemots, northern fulmars, and black-legged kittiwakes. Thousands of beluga bones scattered across the beaches serve as a poignant reminder of the area’s whaling history. The region was explored in the 1850s during the search for Franklin’s lost expedition.

The Bellot Strait, named in honour of the French explorer Joseph-René Bellot, is a narrow, 2.3-km-wide, and 25-km-long waterway. It separates Somerset Island to the north from the Boothia Peninsula to the south. This strait played a historical role during an expedition to locate Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition, tragically marked by Bellot’s death in the area in 1853.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

The dramatic landscape of Icy Arm, a narrow fjord on Baffin Island’s eastern edge, is a haven for arctic wildlife. Towering 1,000-metre cliffs plunge into deep waters where pods of narwhals thrive, while above, the area serves as a vital nesting ground for northern fulmars. On the nearby boggy tundra, ancient remnants of semi-subterranean Thule dwellings echo the region’s history.

Feacham Bay, in Nunavut’s Buchan Gulf, blends natural beauty and history. Towering 600m cliffs (The Mitres and The Bastions) surround the bay. Over 500 years ago, a Thule community lived here, leaving stone structures and remnants on the beach. The tundra landscape with glacial moraine, supports low-growing flora and plant life adapted to the harsh conditions like Arctic poppies and wintergreen.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

Qikiqtarjuaq is a remote, beautiful Baffin Island community surrounded by towering mountains and glaciers. The rugged landscape and pristine wilderness offer endless opportunities for outdoor adventure, from kayaking to wildlife watching. The town’s Inuit culture and traditions are still alive. But what sets Qikiqtarjuaq apart is the warmth and hospitality of its people, who welcome visitors and share their rich history and traditions with pride.

Today as you sail, you’ll bask in the endless comforts of your ship. From the deck, marvel at the dramatic sea views. Relax with a nurturing facial treatment or massage in the spa or delve into the ship’s learning resources. Or, simply take refuge in your cabin and enjoy the opportunity to rest.

Once a WWII airbase at the head of Kangerlussuaq Fjord, Kangerlussuaq’s history is told at the airport’s museum, showcasing Inuit artefacts. This ice-filled glacial area and tundra is a haven for wildlife, including reindeer, arctic foxes, arctic hare, gyrfalcons and around 10,000 muskoxen.