Ocean Endeavour: Into the Northwest Passage

Day 1: Kangerlussuaq

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, Greenland

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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 (Coppermine)

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.

• Shipboard accommodation
• All meals, teas and snacks during the voyage
• All shore excursions, activities and Zodiac cruising
• On-site archaeology workshops
• Program of lectures by noted naturalists
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials
• Service charges and port fees
• All park and museum entry fees

• Air transportation 
• Passport, visa and immigration fees
• Airport arrival/departure taxes 
• Travel protection plan
• Additional hotel nights
• Discovery Fund Fee US$250
• Additional excursions not included in program
• Possible fuel surcharges
• Gratuities