We strongly recommend that you arrive in Toronto at least one day before your trip is due to begin to mitigate against any potential flight or baggage delays and to allow yourself time to relax and explore before your trip begins!

Today is free to explore the city of Toronto at your leisure. A hotel is included in the city tonight.

This morning you will fly to Kangerlussuaq on Greenland’s west coast and will enjoy a short tour of the town before you are transferred to your expedition ship for embarkation. Be sure to spend some time out on deck as you sail out of Søndre Strømfjord, with its towering mountains on both sides it certainly is magnificent. 

*2025 departures will fly to Nuuk for embarkation

Evighedsfjorden, or Eternity Fjord, is one of the more spectacular fjord complexes in west Greenland. Here you can hope to witness hills become towering snow-capped mountains as countless glaciers pour down from sheer cliff walls. Occasionally, the thunderous sound of a calving glacier breaks the silence in a place where you are unlikely to see another soul.

Known as the ‘birthplace of icebergs’, this region produces some of the most dazzling icebergs found anywhere on earth. Hike to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Icefjord and stand in awe of its immensity. Sermeq Kujalleq, also known as Jakobshavn Glacier, is the most productive glacier – not only in Greenland but the entire Northern Hemisphere. It produces 20 million tonnes of ice each day, all floating into the Ilulissat Icefjord and Disko Bay. 

Conditions permitting, you can enjoy a Zodiac cruise at the mouth of the fjord. Those who have joined the onboard kayaking programme can kayak through sea ice and icebergs. An optional 90-minute helicopter flight (not included in your voyage price) over the icefjord is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

This compelling island seems to have more in common with Iceland than Greenland. While most of the interior is mountainous and glaciated, its beautiful shorelines boast black sandy beaches, unusual basalt columns, hot springs and dramatic lava formations. On a guided hike, you can enjoy a diversity of arctic flora. You can also hope to take a zodiac cruise in Disko Bay, a hotspot for marine life including humpback, fin and minke whales.

You will spend today at sea, crossing from West Greeland to Baffin Island. Your onboard team of experts will entertain you with informative talks about wildlife, geology and epic tales of early explorers such as Franklin and Amundsen. Be sure to spend some time out on deck keeping watch for humpback, sei, sperm and fin whales, as well as various species of seals such as ring and harp seal.

Farther north along the east coast of Baffin Island lies Isabella Bay, an important summer and autumn feeding ground for a large population of bowhead whales. Stacked side-by-side, numerous soaring cliffs of Sam Ford Fjord make for a majestic site as you sail by. One of the most isolated places on the planet, this big-wall playground attracts climbers eager to scale the sheer rock faces that seem to shoot straight out from the sea. 

In the afternoon, you will sail around Sillem Island, with glacial features on all sides. A slow cruise offers the chance to see many glaciers as well as a variety of seals and other arctic wildlife.

Pond Inlet, overlooking Eclipse Sound, is surrounded by scenic mountain ranges and numerous glaciers and fjords. You will spend some time today exploring the town and can visit the Natinnak Center to see exhibits showcasing the culture and history of the local Inuit people.

In the afternoon, you will plan to sail along coastline of nearby Bylot Island. Covered with mountains, icefields, steep cliffs, snowfields and glaciers, Bylot provides nesting habitat for large numbers of thick-billed murres and black-legged kittiwakes. A total of 74 unique species of arctic bird thrive on this island. A large portion of the island was also included in the Sirmilik National Park, established in 2001.

At a latitude almost 75° degrees north, you are now truly in the High Arctic. Here, nutrient-rich waters support an abundance of wildlife, giving the area the moniker ‘wildlife super highway’ of the Arctic. This important wildlife habitat is now part of Tallurutiup Imanga, one of Canada’s newest National Marine Conservation Areas.

Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island on earth with flat-topped mountains and glacial valleys giving Devon Island its unique character. You may explore Croker Bay or Maxwell Bay, both offering opportunities for Zodiac cruising. Dundas Harbour offers walks on undulating tundra and birdwatching opportunities. A dilapidated Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost and remnants of a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post can be found here. In the bay, walruses are sometimes present.

At the western end of Devon Island lies Beechey Island. Named after Frederick William Beechey, the island is a designated Canadian National Historic Site. During the Franklin expedition of 1845–46, Franklin attempted to sail through the Northwest Passage with HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with perilous results – three of his men died here. Roald Amundsen landed at Beechey Island in 1903, during the first successful voyage by ship to fully transit the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

You will spend these 5 days exploring in the Northwest Passage. In true expeditionary style, your itinerary for the following days is heavily dependent on unpredictable sea ice. The following places are where you can hope to visit:

Prince Leopold Island
On the southern side of Lancaster Sound from Beechey Island lie the towering bird cliffs of Prince Leopold Island, a historic site where in 1848, English explorer James Clark Ross overwintered during the search for the missing Franklin expedition. Prince Leopold Island is the most important bird sanctuary in the Canadian Arctic, with approximately 500,000 birds nesting here in summer. Ringed seals are often spotted on the sea ice around the island and polar bear often lurk nearby. The shallow gravel beds attract beluga whales, who come to moult in this part of the Arctic each summer.

Cunningham Inlet
On the north coast of Somerset Island, when factors such as weather and whale behaviour align, you might see the spectacle of hundreds of beluga whales shedding their skin on shallow sandy banks. The local scenery makes for excellent guided walks, where waterway trails lead to waterfalls and higher ground.

Prince Regent Inlet, Fort Ross
Sailing down the east coast of Somerset Island, you might spot beluga whales and narwhals as they feed on the large numbers of arctic char that enter Creswell Bay in late summer. An important bird area, the bay also attracts such species as black-bellied plovers, king eiders and white-rumped sandpipers. At Fort Ross, see an abandoned Hudson’s Bay Company trading outpost founded in 1937, which closed in 1949 because supply ships could not get through the thick sea ice. Here you can hope to enjoy guided walks on the tundra.

Bellot Strait
A deep and windy waterway bordered by steep slopes, Bellot Strait is characterised by strong, swirling, tidal currents that require navigation to be undertaken close to times of slack water (four times a day). Point Zenith, the most northern continental point of the Americas is located in the strait. 

Important Note: Due to swirling currents up to 10 knots, Bellot Strait is better transited during eastbound voyages because if it is blocked, there is the alternative to continue north through Peel Sound. On a westbound voyage, it would be necessary to make a long detour back north through Prince Regent Inlet.

Coningham Bay
Across from Victoria Strait, Coningham Bay lies on the shores of Prince of Wales Island. This is a polar bear hotspot where the majestic creatures come to feast on beluga whales often trapped in the rocky shallows at the entrance to the bay. It is not unusual to find the shoreline littered with whale skeletons – and very healthy-looking polar bears!

King William Island
In 1859, a Franklin expedition tent camp was discovered at Cape Felix. Remains attributed to the Franklin expedition have been found at 35 locations on King William Island and on nearby Adelaide Peninsula. South of Cape Felix, in Victoria Strait, you can hope to visit Victory Point and get close to where the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were abandoned in 1848.

You will disembark in Cambridge Bay this morning, bidding farewell to your crew and expedition team as you take your final zodiac trip to shore. You will be transferred to the airport for your charter flight to Calgary, where a final hotel night at an airport hotel is included.

You can depart Calgary at any time today, though we do recommend an afternoon or evening flight to mitigate against any potential delays in returning from Cambridge Bay. Or consider extending your time here to see more of the city.