Northwest Passage: Epic High Arctic (Ocean Explorer)

Welcome to Canada! Your Arctic expedition begins in Calgary with a free day. You can arrive at any time and explore this vibrant city at your own pace, before spending the night at your hotel. Tomorrow morning, your adventure officially kicks off!

This morning after breakfast, you’ll board your charter flight to Resolute. When you arrive, you’ll have a chance to walk around this small Arctic town before heading out on your first (of many) Zodiac cruise transferring you to your ship. Tonight, you’ll settle into your home for the next two weeks – the Ocean Explorer!

Cruising around the remote regions of the Canadian Arctic aboard Ocean Explorer, the newest ship in our fleet, you’ll navigate the same icy inlets, channels and bays that fascinated legendary explorers in the past. Designed to give polar adventurers unprecedented access to the hardest-to-reach places on the planet, this ship is equipped with two onboard twin-engine helicopters. Over the next couple of days, you’ll explore Canada’s High Arctic.

Named after explorer Frederick William Beechey, Beechey Island is a Canadian National Historic Site. It’s an important stop on your voyage as this is the final resting place of three members of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated 1845-46 expedition to find the Northwest Passage. The graves were discovered in 1851 by the crew of British and American vessels searching for signs of Franklin’s lost expedition. You’ll also visit Radstock Bay – a popular research location for observing polar bears. For almost 5000 years, the hamlet of Arctic Bay and its surrounding area has been occupied by Inuit people who were previously nomads migrating from the west. Surrounded by cliffs teeming with seabirds, this is a great spot to go ashore and learn about the Inuit community’s traditional way of life.

The eastern end of Lancaster Sound affords hiking and cruising opportunities on Devon Island. At Dundas Harbour, trek along a beach to a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost. Anchor at Croker Bay and appreciate the splendour of glacial textures and calving ice while always keeping a lookout for Walrus. Canada’s most northern settlement, Grise Fiord, will be your final shore visit in the Canadian High Arctic. Now home to about 150 residents, the community was created in 1953 when the federal government forcefully relocated eight Inuit families from northern Quebec. Visit the monument to the first Inuit settlers, as well as the remnants of the old camp where they lived.

Before saying goodbye to Canada, your ship will try to cruise as far north as possible, exploring both sides of Smith Sound – the uninhabited passage between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. While cruising, you can also enjoy the onboard amenities and look out for wildlife.

Your first stop in Greenland is Qaanaaq – formerly known as Thule, one of the northernmost towns in the world. Here, local Inuit share their culture and traditions and the museum sheds more light on what it’s like living near the top of the world. Today, you’ll explore the area and learn about the history.

As you sail south along the west coast of Greenland, you’ll attend presentations by your onboard experts, preparing you for the adventures that lie ahead.

With spectacular glaciers, soaring fjords and vibrant communities, the west coast of Greenland will leave you breathless. Nuussuaq (formerly known as Kraulshavn) is the only mainland community in the Upernavik Archipelago. Founded in 1923 as a trading station, it’s one of the most traditional hunting and fishing villages in Greenland.

Visit Uummannaq – it’s not surprising that the red-hued, heart-shaped mountain that rises up behind gave this traditional village its name (Uummannaq means ‘heart-like’). As your ship approaches the shore, you’ll want to be on deck to take in the view of the twin peaks towering over the wooden houses dotting the rocky terrain. The settlement was established as a Danish colony in 1758 on the mainland, but it relocated five years later because seal hunting was more plentiful here.

In the nearby archaeological site of Qilaqitsoq, you’ll visit the ruins of an ancient settlement, where the remains of eight fully dressed mummies were discovered under a rock outcrop in 1972 by a pair of hunters. Cruising farther south, see Eqip Sermia – the jagged glacier soaring out of the icy waters is one of the most beautiful sights in Greenland, and you might even take a Zodiac cruise along its massive front from a safe distance.

Just south of Ilulissat (meaning iceberg), is the Ilulissat Icefjord. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to Sermeq Kujalleq – the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. As you take a Zodiac cruise at the mouth of the fjord, you may be lucky enough to witness the wonders of calving ice (listen to the loud roars as the ice breaks off). The town, which boasts more sled dogs than people, was the birthplace of explorer and anthropologist Knud Rasmussen – the first to traverse the Northwest Passage by dogsled in the early 1920s. Here, you can hike for views of the young icebergs as they float out the fjord to Disko Bay.

In Sisimiut, you’ll be treated to a traditional kayaking demonstration. The kayak (an Inuit word that the English borrowed) has become a national symbol of Greenland and has been used by Inuit hunters for thousands of years. Then, visit Itilleq just above the Arctic Circle – the southern limit of the Greenlandic sled dog. To keep the breed pure, the dogs are not permitted south of this community and all other dog breeds are prohibited this far north. It’s also known as a welcoming community, where you might experience kaffemik – a Greenlandic tradition of inviting visitors in for coffee, cakes and conversation. Explore the town’s wooden houses painted in a rainbow of colours, chat with the locals and maybe challenge them to a game of soccer.

Say goodbye to the Ocean Explorer as you head out on one last Zodiac ride to shore, where you’ll board your charter flight back to Reykjavik, Iceland. When you arrive, you’ll be transferred to your included hotel for a free night.

Today, your adventure comes to an end. You can make your way home or spend some time exploring this fascinating city at your own pace.