Into the Northwest Passage

One of the world’s greatest voyages is calling!


Canadian Arctic and Greenland
ADC ©Agustin Ullmann

Duration: 17 days
Starts: Toronto, ON*
Ends: Yellowknife, NV**
Language: English Speaking Voyage

*Northbound Charter Flight: price $1,375 USD Toronto, ON to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Early-morning departure.
**Southbound Charter Flight price $1,320 USD Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU, Canada to Yellowknife, NT, Canada. Evening arrival.




Included
Optional


Pristine fjords. Looming glaciers. Jagged icebergs. Grand vistas, historic sites. Marine mammals, bears, and birds. Find a warm welcome in Nunavut’s communities, and enjoy Greenland’s geology, geography, and culture with a European flair.
Every day is a new adventure in the Northwest Passage: hiking, photography, birding. Learning with our experts. Meeting the people who call the Arctic home. Sailing the passage at the top of the world!

HIGHLIGHTS
• Cross the Arctic Circle as you sail the length of Søndre Strømfjord—168 kilometres!
• Cruise among icebergs at Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Spend three days in Canada’s second largest National Marine Conservation Area, Tallurutiup Imanga, searching for marine life
• Visit Queen Maud Gulf, home to the wrecks of the Franklin ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror
• Seek polar bears, seabirds, and other Arctic wildlife in pristine natural environments
• Retrace the historic route of European Explorers, who for centuries picked their way through ice in hopes of finding a sailing route through the passage
• Transit Ikirasak (Bellot Strait), the narrow and dramatic waterway at the very northern tip of continental North America

Itinerary

ADC ©Agustin Ullmann
ADC ©Agustin Ullmann
ADC ©Agustin Ullmann

Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
Cross the Arctic Circle
After your charter flight from Toronto, ON, you’ll transfer to the Ocean Endeavour by Zodiac.

Begin your journey by sailing down Kangerlussuaq Fjord (Søndre Strømfjord), a 190-kilometre-long fjord surrounded by mountains and glaciers, and cross the Arctic Circle on your way.

Kangerlussuaq, the settlement at the head of the fjord, is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub.

Day 2: Sisimiut Coast
Witness Stunning Glaciers, Islands, and Fjords
Explore West Greenland’s complex coastal waterways that includes glaciers, islands, and fjords against a towering mountain backdrop, with plentiful opportunities for hiking and Zodiac cruising.

Learn about the Saqqaq, Dorset, Thule, and modern Inuit cultures that have called the Sisimiut region home for the past 4,500 years.

The waters are relatively warm here, due to the West Greenland Current and the subarctic location.

Day 3: Ilulissat
Take a Zodiac Cruise Around Towering Icebergs
Visit the town of Ilulissat, with splendid museums, cafés, craft shops, and a busy fishing harbour.

View the icebergs from shore on a hike along the boardwalk at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, then board a Zodiac to cruise your way among them!

Ilulissat translates literally to “iceberg”—an apt name for this site at the mouth of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, a source of many of the icebergs in the North Atlantic.

Day 4–5: Western Greenland
Hike the Tundra
Choose the activity you like best during an expedition landing on Greenland’s stunning west coast.

Whether you prefer hiking, walking, photography, or sitting contemplatively, you’ll be delighted!

Admire the mighty mountains and the tiniest tundra flowers—a stop in this area will offer many outstanding features to pique your interest. 

Day 6: At Sea — Davis Strait
Learn Onboard
Deepen your understanding of the Arctic as we steam across the Davis Strait towards Nunavut, Canada.

Enjoy workshops and presentations, watch a documentary, and get out on deck with your binoculars to look for whales, seabirds, and marine wildlife.

Day 7: Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), NU, Canada
Experience Inuit Culture
Attend a cultural performance put on by the talented Tununiq Arsarniit Theatre Group, featuring drum dancing, throat singing, and storytelling.

Mittimatalik is a busy Arctic community in a beautiful setting—the views of nearby Bylot Island are stunning!

Enjoy exploring the town and take the opportunity to purchase unique handcrafted mementos when available, too.

Day 8–10: Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound) & Devon Island
Seek Whales, Seabirds, and Polar Bears
Spend three fun-filled days exploring Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound), one of Canada's newest National Marine Conservation Areas.

Cruise by ship and by Zodiac in search of narwhal, beluga, and bowhead whales that transit and feed in this area.

Admire Devon Island’s unique geological character, with its flat-topped mountains, glacial valleys, and substantial ice cap. At the northern edge of Tallurutiup Imanga, it’s the largest uninhabited island on Earth at over 50,000 square kilometres.

Hike the tundra, cruise a glacier face, and keep your eyes peeled for polar bears and other wildlife from ship and from shore.

Visit archaeological sites with expert interpretation to learn about the human history of Inuit and their ancestors who once lived on this now-abandoned island.

Then catch a glimpse of more recent history when you visit the remains of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Hudson's Bay Company site at Dundas Harbour.

Day 11: Beechey Island
Visit a Franklin Expedition Historical Site
Pay your respects at this haunting memorial to Sir John Franklin’s failed expedition.

Learn the compelling history of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror’s attempts to sail through the Northwest Passage.

Franklin’s crew overwintered at Beechey Island, where three of his men died, and numerous search parties later used the spot as a depot and rendezvous. Thomas Morgan of the HMS Investigator was buried here in 1854 alongside Franklin’s men.

Visit their graves and the ruins of nearby Northumberland House while contemplating the poignant history.

Day 12–13: Prince Regent Inlet
Enjoy Birdwatching & Zodiac Cruising
Search this area rich in marine and avian life for the thick-billed murres, ivory gulls, beluga, narwhal, and bowhead whales who reside in the ice-strewn waters.

Delve deeper into the exploration of the Northwest Passage and the mercantile efforts of the Hudson's Bay Company at intriguing expedition landing sites.

Day 14–16: Kitikmeot Region
Sail the Northwest Passage
Navigate the ice-strewn waters of this infamous waterway in search of wildlife. Although this is Nunavut’s least-populated region, wildlife abounds here both in the sea and on land.

Call in at Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven), home of the Guardians of Terror Bay.

Listen to the stories shared by locals of Roald Amundsen, who overwintered in the bay for two years while searching for the Northwest Passage. Amundsen became the first European to cross the Northwest Passage, thanks to the knowledge and largesse of Inuit.

Visit the excellent cultural centre, well-known for carvings and wall hangings.

Day 17: Kugluktuk, NU, Canada
Wave a Fond Farewell
Say your goodbyes to the Arctic in Kugluktuk, the westernmost community in Nunavut, located at the mouth of the Coppermine River.

Known for many years as Coppermine, the community reverted to its original Inuinnaqtun name—meaning “place of moving waters”—on January 1st, 1996.

Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), NU, is an alternate disembarkation point, and may be used based on sea, ice, and weather conditions.

Disembark the Ocean Endeavour and transfer by Zodiac to shore for your charter flight to Yellowknife, NT.

Itinerary

Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
Cross the Arctic Circle
After your charter flight from Toronto, ON, you’ll transfer to the Ocean Endeavour by Zodiac.

Begin your journey by sailing down Kangerlussuaq Fjord (Søndre Strømfjord), a 190-kilometre-long fjord surrounded by mountains and glaciers, and cross the Arctic Circle on your way.

Kangerlussuaq, the settlement at the head of the fjord, is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub.

Day 2: Sisimiut Coast
Witness Stunning Glaciers, Islands, and Fjords
Explore West Greenland’s complex coastal waterways that includes glaciers, islands, and fjords against a towering mountain backdrop, with plentiful opportunities for hiking and Zodiac cruising.

Learn about the Saqqaq, Dorset, Thule, and modern Inuit cultures that have called the Sisimiut region home for the past 4,500 years.

The waters are relatively warm here, due to the West Greenland Current and the subarctic location.

Day 3: Ilulissat
Take a Zodiac Cruise Around Towering Icebergs
Visit the town of Ilulissat, with splendid museums, cafés, craft shops, and a busy fishing harbour.

View the icebergs from shore on a hike along the boardwalk at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, then board a Zodiac to cruise your way among them!

Ilulissat translates literally to “iceberg”—an apt name for this site at the mouth of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, a source of many of the icebergs in the North Atlantic.

Day 4–5: Western Greenland
Hike the Tundra
Choose the activity you like best during an expedition landing on Greenland’s stunning west coast.

Whether you prefer hiking, walking, photography, or sitting contemplatively, you’ll be delighted!

Admire the mighty mountains and the tiniest tundra flowers—a stop in this area will offer many outstanding features to pique your interest. 

Day 6: At Sea — Davis Strait
Learn Onboard
Deepen your understanding of the Arctic as we steam across the Davis Strait towards Nunavut, Canada.

Enjoy workshops and presentations, watch a documentary, and get out on deck with your binoculars to look for whales, seabirds, and marine wildlife.

Day 7: Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), NU, Canada
Experience Inuit Culture
Attend a cultural performance put on by the talented Tununiq Arsarniit Theatre Group, featuring drum dancing, throat singing, and storytelling.

Mittimatalik is a busy Arctic community in a beautiful setting—the views of nearby Bylot Island are stunning!

Enjoy exploring the town and take the opportunity to purchase unique handcrafted mementos when available, too.

Day 8–10: Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound) & Devon Island
Seek Whales, Seabirds, and Polar Bears
Spend three fun-filled days exploring Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound), one of Canada's newest National Marine Conservation Areas.

Cruise by ship and by Zodiac in search of narwhal, beluga, and bowhead whales that transit and feed in this area.

Admire Devon Island’s unique geological character, with its flat-topped mountains, glacial valleys, and substantial ice cap. At the northern edge of Tallurutiup Imanga, it’s the largest uninhabited island on Earth at over 50,000 square kilometres.

Hike the tundra, cruise a glacier face, and keep your eyes peeled for polar bears and other wildlife from ship and from shore.

Visit archaeological sites with expert interpretation to learn about the human history of Inuit and their ancestors who once lived on this now-abandoned island.

Then catch a glimpse of more recent history when you visit the remains of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Hudson's Bay Company site at Dundas Harbour.

Day 11: Beechey Island
Visit a Franklin Expedition Historical Site
Pay your respects at this haunting memorial to Sir John Franklin’s failed expedition.

Learn the compelling history of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror’s attempts to sail through the Northwest Passage.

Franklin’s crew overwintered at Beechey Island, where three of his men died, and numerous search parties later used the spot as a depot and rendezvous. Thomas Morgan of the HMS Investigator was buried here in 1854 alongside Franklin’s men.

Visit their graves and the ruins of nearby Northumberland House while contemplating the poignant history.

Day 12–13: Prince Regent Inlet
Enjoy Birdwatching & Zodiac Cruising
Search this area rich in marine and avian life for the thick-billed murres, ivory gulls, beluga, narwhal, and bowhead whales who reside in the ice-strewn waters.

Delve deeper into the exploration of the Northwest Passage and the mercantile efforts of the Hudson's Bay Company at intriguing expedition landing sites.

Day 14–16: Kitikmeot Region
Sail the Northwest Passage
Navigate the ice-strewn waters of this infamous waterway in search of wildlife. Although this is Nunavut’s least-populated region, wildlife abounds here both in the sea and on land.

Call in at Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven), home of the Guardians of Terror Bay.

Listen to the stories shared by locals of Roald Amundsen, who overwintered in the bay for two years while searching for the Northwest Passage. Amundsen became the first European to cross the Northwest Passage, thanks to the knowledge and largesse of Inuit.

Visit the excellent cultural centre, well-known for carvings and wall hangings.

Day 17: Kugluktuk, NU, Canada
Wave a Fond Farewell
Say your goodbyes to the Arctic in Kugluktuk, the westernmost community in Nunavut, located at the mouth of the Coppermine River.

Known for many years as Coppermine, the community reverted to its original Inuinnaqtun name—meaning “place of moving waters”—on January 1st, 1996.

Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), NU, is an alternate disembarkation point, and may be used based on sea, ice, and weather conditions.

Disembark the Ocean Endeavour and transfer by Zodiac to shore for your charter flight to Yellowknife, NT.


ADC ©Agustin Ullmann
ADC ©Agustin Ullmann
ADC ©Agustin Ullmann


INCLUSIONS

*Passage aboard the Ocean Endeavour
*Applicable taxes and Credit card fees
*Complimentary Expedition jacket (Ocean Endeavour only)
*Contribution to Adventure Canada's Discovery Fund
*Special access permits, entry and park fees
*Team of expedition staff
*Guided activities
*Sightseeing and community visits
*All Zodiac excursions
*Port fees
*Pre-departure materials
*Educational program
*Nikon Camera Trial Program
*Interactive workshops
*Evening entertainment
*All shipboard meals

EXCLUSIONS

*Commercial & charter flights
*Program Enhancements/optional excursions
*Gratuities
*Personal expenses
*Mandatory medical evacuation insurance
*Additional expenses in the event of delays or itinerary changes
*Possible fuel surcharges
*Pre- & post-trip hotel accommodation
* For the 2022 program there is a Fuel surcharge $44 USD per day per person


Dates & Rates


Ship: Ocean Endeavour | Date: 27 Sept 2024 - 12 Sept 2024 (2643)
Cat2 Triple Int
$15,995
Cat3 Twin Int
$17,995
Cat 4 Twin PH
$19,495
Cat5 Twin W
$22,495
Cat6 Comfort Twin
$22,495
Cat7 Twin W S
$23,995
Cat8 Superior
$25,496
Cat9 Junior S
$26,995
Cat10 Owners Suite
$28,495
Ship: Ocean Endeavour | Date: 16 Aug 2025 - 01 Sept 2025 (2645)
Cat2 Triple Int
$16,495
Cat3 Twin Int
$18,495
Cat 4 Twin PH
$19,995
Cat5 Twin W
$21,495
Cat6 Comfort Twin
$22,995
Cat7 Twin W S
$24,495
Cat8 Superior
$25,995
Cat9 Junior S
$27,495
Cat10 Owners Suite
$28,995

* The prices are per person in US Dollars, unless expressly specified in a different currency. In that case, payment will be in US dollars at the exchange rate of the day.
** All prices will be re-confirmed by email at the time of booking.
NOTE: 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.

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