Map of Canadian Arctic Express: The Heart of the Northwest Passage including Canada

Tackle the fabled passage on this essential Arctic journey

Discover the essential heart of the Canadian High Arctic on this nine-day expedition, including five days spent exploring at sea. Spot musk oxen and polar bears among the otherworldly landscapes in places like Arctic Bay, Beechey Island and Croker Bay. Explore the heart of the fabled Northwest Passage and attempt to traverse the Bellot Strait, the narrow pass that wasn’t navigated by Europeans until 1937. Travel with an expert crew of seafarers, academics, scientists and locals who grew up in the region to get the most out of your journey.

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Terms & Conditions

Start
Calgary, Canada
Finish
Calgary, Canada
Destination
Canada
Style
Comfort
Theme
Polar, Wildlife
Code
BQMHP
Physical rating
Ages
Min 8
Group size
Min 1, Max 200

Why you'll love this trip

  • Spot incredible wildlife on land and on Zodiac excursions. Canada’s High Arctic is home to fantastic beasts like polar bears, musk oxen, narwhals and caribou.

  • Traverse the waterways of the so-called Northwest Passage, with possible landings in Lancaster Sound, the Bellot Strait and Port Leopold Island.

  • Discover the immense beauty of ancient glaciers, house-sized icebergs, granite mountains and epic tundra that extends as far as the eye can see.

  • With two helicopters on board, you’ll get the chance to take included flights to soar above the Arctic landscape and make landings at otherwise inaccessible areas.

  • Explore parts of the Nunavut region with Inuit guides and learn about the people who have lived in the world’s most difficult environments for thousands of years.

Is this trip right for you?

  • You will be supplied with an expedition parka and waterproof boots that are sturdy and warm. Please see the ‘Packing’ section of the Essential Trip Information for a detailed guide on what to bring with you.

  • The plan is to hop into Zodiac boats quite regularly to explore and search for wildlife. It can get very cold and wet on the Zodiac.

  • Sturdy sea legs are needed for wet and dry landings by Zodiac, and you will hike on steep terrain, snow and other uneven surfaces.

  • The weather plays a pivotal part in this adventure and, although there’s an itinerary in place, there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to do everything that is planned for. A level of flexibility and openness to embracing the unexpected are important in expedition travel, especially in such a remote area.

Boats

Ultramarine boat on a tour

Ultramarine

If you’re looking to take your polar adventure to the next level, Ultramarine is designed to help you discover amazing new places.

Itinerary

This itinerary is valid for departures from 02 Sep 2024 to 10 Sep 2024.
View the 2023 itinerary
Your Arctic expedition begins in Calgary. Explore this vibrant city on your own before spending the night enjoying the comfort and amenities of your designated hotel.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
This morning, board your charter flight to Resolute, Nunavut. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your ship via Zodiac or helicopter (depending on ship location and weather conditions).
Accommodation
  • Expedition Cruise Ship (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
Winding your way around the remote islands of the Canadian High Arctic aboard Ultramarine, the newest ship in our fleet, you’ll navigate the same icy inlets, channels and bays that fascinated legendary explorers of long ago as they searched for the fabled Northwest Passage, the great sea route at the top of the world. Designed to give polar adventurers unprecedented access to the hardest-to-reach places on the planet—and equipped with two onboard twin-engine helicopters for unparalleled access to areas only Quark Expeditions can bring you—this one-of-a-kind ship will take you beyond the familiar in polar exploration. Throughout your journey, your Expedition Team will work hard to give you a taste of the best the Canadian Arctic has to offer, immersing you in the heart of the Northwest Passage in under a week. You’ll quickly get a sense of one of the true wonders of the Canadian High Arctic: its staggering remoteness. It is here, in these rugged landscapes thousands of kilometres from civilization that so few outsiders have visited, that you’ll experience the true essence of the remote High Arctic.

While this waterway is known to European cultures as the Northwest Passage, these lands and waters have nurtured and sustained the Inuit and their predecessors who have called these shores home for almost 5,000 years. Moving through these remote landscapes you will be traveling through Inuit Nunangat, the ancestral homelands of the Inuit. Local guides will enhance the guest experience onboard and during shore excursions as they share their Inuit history and traditions. Nunavut is an Inuktitut word meaning “our land” and the Nunavummiut (the people of Nunavut) are renowned for their incredible resourcefulness, hospitality, good humor, and a deep knowledge of the land and animals that has allowed them to thrive in the far north for millennia.

Remote and rich in history, the Canadian High Arctic is as awe inspiring as it is informative. Your days spent exploring this mysterious region will have you traveling back in time to the Age of Exploration. While following in the footsteps of renowned explorers like Sir John Franklin and Roald Amundsen, you’ll navigate the waters and visit the historic sites in the area around Lancaster Sound that were key to the discovery of the Northwest Passage. You’ll also learn about the scientific, cultural, geopolitical and environmental aspects of the route from our world-class experts, guides and the local communities. Reaching remote lands that have lured adventurers for centuries will be an experience you’ll never forget.

Wildlife sightings are likely, as many of the areas we hope to explore are home to a surprising number of birds and mammals that thrive in this challenging environment. You may see polar bears, muskoxen and several bird species, such as gyrfalcons and thick-billed murres. If you’re lucky, you may even spot the elusive narwhal or a bowhead whale, though sightings of these iconic creatures in the wild are rare, even in places where we have the greatest chances of encountering them.

Coburg Island, for instance, is a wildlife reserve for such birds as thick-billed murres (Brünnich’s guillemot), black- legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars and black guillemots, while the impressive vertical cliffs of Prince Leopold Island are dotted with nesting seabirds like northern fulmars and black guillemots. The sheltered shores and steep cliffs of Arctic Bay, a hamlet located in Admiralty Inlet, provide an ideal nesting habitat for various High Arctic birds such as thick- billed murres (Brünnich’s guillemots) and kittiwakes. This community, whose inhabitants’ ancestors have lived a traditional Inuit nomadic lifestyle in the region for almost 5,000 years, is also an ideal spot to go ashore and learn more about the Inuit culture, sampling the local cuisine and mingling with artists, perhaps picking up carvings or other handicrafts as a memento of your polar adventure.

Devon Island is another possible locale for wildlife encounters, as walrus, polar bears and muskoxen inhabit the area, which is also the location of the remains of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost, established at Dundas Harbour in 1924 to curb foreign whaling and other activities. Here you’ll find a small cemetery, one of Canada’s most northerly, still maintained by the RCMP to this day. Another exciting excursion your Expedition Team might offer, conditions permitting, is the opportunity to fly up to explore the Devon ice cap, one of the largest in the Canadian Arctic.


At the western end of Devon Island, windswept Beechey Island might be small, but it’s steeped in history, as its broad shore and safe anchorage made a suitable stopover for Arctic expeditions. You’ll want to pay your respects to the ill-fated Franklin expedition of 1845–46 at the small marked graves of three crew members on the island, one of Canada’s most significant historical sites. This is also where Norwegian Roald Amundsen stopped to pay his own respects to his childhood hero, Franklin, during his 1903–06 voyage, which became the first successful transit of the Northwest Passage.

History buffs will be further intrigued by the chance to explore an abandoned Hudson’s Bay Company trading post at Fort Ross, at the southern end of Somerset Island.

Fort Ross is at the eastern entrance of Bellot Strait. One of the goals of this expedition is to transit this famous channel, one of the most narrow and challenging of the passage. If we’re successful, at the midpoint you’ll sail past Zenith Point, the northernmost point of continental North America. Named for Frenchman Joseph Bellot, one of several explorers who set out in the 1850s to search for Franklin’s doomed expedition, the strait separates Somerset Island from the Boothia Peninsula on mainland Canada. (On Beechey Island, you can visit the memorial to Bellot, who disappeared during his search for Franklin.)

Those looking for even more excitement may have the opportunity to cruise by Zodiac along the face of an active glacier near Croker Bay, Devon Island and possibly even witness the wonder of calving ice, at a safe distance. Listen closely for the steady crackle and loud roars as pieces of ice break off and crash into the water below. You’ll also want to be on the lookout for walruses that are occasionally spotted in this area.

There is no shortage of natural beauty, wildlife and history in Canada’s High Arctic. Each day, you’ll discover something new and inspiring, whether it is admiration of the tundra flora that survive here, a rare bird species soaring overhead, a polar bear on the hunt in its natural habitat, or the ancient remains of a Thule dwelling, ancestors of the Inuit.

Remember that no two polar voyages are alike, since each expedition presents new opportunities and different weather and ice conditions. While this voyage has no fixed itinerary, our objective is to visit as many of the incredible highlights the season has to offer, using the opportunities provided by the weather and ice to give you the best experience. Each day, your highly skilled Expedition Team will read the conditions and choose the best course to set, but despite their extensive expertise in these areas, each visit brings something new to discover. That said, our expeditions will have some elements in common, including daily Zodiac cruising, land excursions, a robust education program, a community visit and wildlife viewing opportunities. And thanks to our onboard helicopters, you’ll also discover the ultimate polar expedition experience: as stunning as polar landscapes are from your ship, they’re even more striking from the air! Conditions permitting, you’ll enjoy ultra-immersive activities like flightseeing (short sightseeing flights around your ship and surrounding areas), as well as kayaking, Zodiac cruising and hiking, to name a few.
Accommodation
  • Expedition Cruise Ship (5 nights)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast (5)
  • Lunch (5)
  • Dinner (5)
Special Information
Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy and excitement of expedition travel. When traveling in extremely remote regions, your expedition staff must allow the sea, the ice and the weather to guide route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed.
After disembarking in the Inuit hamlet of Resolute, you’ll be transferred to your charter flight to Calgary, where you’ll spend the night at your included hotel.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
Today, make your way to the airport to catch your homeward flights, or spend the day exploring this fascinating city.
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Meals

8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 6 dinners

Transport

Ship, Zodiac, Plane

Accommodation

Expedition Cruise Ship (6 nights), comfortable hotel (2 nights)

Dates & availability

Trip departures are unavailable.

There are currently no scheduled departures on our Canadian Arctic Express: The Heart of the Northwest Passage trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.

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Important notes

Inh 2024 this trip starts and finishes in Calgary, Canada.

Your voyage is operated by our sister company, Quark Expeditions. All accommodation and transfer arrangements as listed in the itinerary are also operated by Quark Expeditions or their local representatives.

BOOKING CONDITIONS
To confirm your reservation, a deposit of 25% (unless indicated otherwise at time of booking) of the total invoice amount is required at time of booking. Balances are due 120 days prior to departure.
Please refer to our "Booking terms and conditions" page on our website for all Quark Expedition terms and conditions. www.intrepidtravel.com/booking-intrepid/booking-conditions

COVID 19 VACCINATION
All customers must be vaccinated against covid 19 to join this voyage. You must present a copy of your Covid 19 proof of vaccination record from your government’s health authority prior to embarkation.

ADVENTURE OPTIONS
A full kayaking program and single session paddles are available to book on this voyage. They must be booked prior to departure and incurs an additional cost. Spaces are limited so please enquire at time of booking. To participate in the full kayaking program, previous, recent experience is essential. In addition, the Ultramarine offers included activities using the 2 on board helicopters such as flight seeing and landings from the helicopter.

Essential trip information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

View Essential Trip Information

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