Gateway To The Northwest Passage: Greenland And Canada

HIGHLIGHTS

• Venture into the dramatic high Arctic islands, up to the ice edge and learn dramatic stories of explorers and adventurers who sought this remarkable, icy frontier
• Glide between soaring icebergs at the mouth of Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site
• Explore Ellesmere Island with binoculars at the ready to spot polar bears, walruses, ringed seals, belugas, bowhead whales, and the elusive narwhal
• Visit Pond Inlet, a small Inuit community known for its friendliness and world-renowned soapstone carvings
• Marvel at the unique volcanic black-sand beaches, hot springs, and waterfalls of Disko Island

Join National Geographic Expert Wade Davis on the Aug. 21, 2024, departure
      Ethnobotanist, writer, photographer, and filmmaker

ITINERARY

DAY 1

Reykjavík, Iceland
Arrive in Reykjavík. Take a tour to see Iceland’s hot springs, beautiful Icelandic Horses, and a fascinating power plant. After lunch, check in to our centrally located hotel.

Arrival Time: Arrive before 10:00 a.m.
Arrival City: Reykjavík, Iceland

DAY 2

Reykjavík / Kangerlussuaq, Greenland / Embark Ship
The morning is at leisure followed by lunch and a tour of the city ending at either the National Museum or the Whale Museum. Transfer to the airport for a chartered flight to Greenland and embark our ship at the head of Kangerlussuaq fjord, a 120-mile-long waterway whose name means “large fjord” in Greenlandic.

DAY 3

Sisimut
Dozens of deep fjords carve into Greenland’s west coast, many with glaciers fed by the ice sheet that covers about 80 percent of the country. Discover this beautiful and rugged coastline in Zodiacs, keeping an eye out for humpback and minke whales. At Sisimiut, a former whaling port, visit the museum and stroll around a picturesque jumble of historic and modern wooden buildings.

DAY 4

Ilulissat
Sail into Qeqertarsuup Tunua, also known as Disko Bay, to explore the World Heritage site of Ilulissat Icefjord, a tongue of the Greenland ice cap that extends to the sea. Take an extraordinary cruise among towering icebergs at the mouth of the fjord. Visit the town of Ilulissat and walk to the archaeological site in Sermermiut, an abandoned valley previously inhabited by several distinct Inuit cultures.

DAYS 5-7

Exploring Eastern Baffin Island
We continue our exploration of the Canadian High Arctic with a visit to the small Inuit community of Pond Inlet, Nunavut. Explore some of the beautiful bays and inlets along Baffin Island’s Lancaster Sound, a favorite Inuit hunting and fishing location for hundreds of years. Carved by Ice Age glaciers, Lancaster Sound is also the eastern gateway to the Arctic Archipelago, where European explorers like William Baffin first ventured in the 17th century to search for the Northwest Passage. Our days here are spent searching for ringed seals, arctic foxes, walruses, and polar bears, as well as beluga and bowhead whales. Visit Devon Island and take a walk with our ship’s archaeologist to learn about the Thule people—ancestors of the modern Inuit—that once inhabited this region.

DAYS 8-11

Exploring the Queen Elizabeth Islands
We explore the ice-laden channels and glacier-carved islands that stretch for hundreds of miles—a stunning display of raw geology. We explore the rocky, Mars-like terrain of uninhabited Devon Island. We take our cues from nature: following wildlife, stopping for hikes on the tundra, dropping anchor in a beautiful fjord or an iceberg-strewn bay to explore and kayak beneath massive ice sculptures and soaring cliffs. Sail past the northernmost part of mainland North America in the Bellot Strait, one of the narrowest and most infamous of the passage. We learn about the Inuit peoples who have hunted and fished here for thousands of years. As well, we are on the lookout for the animals that call this region home such as ringed seals, arctic foxes, musk oxen, walruses, and polar bears, as well as beluga and bowhead whales.

DAYS 12-19

Exploring Ellesmere Island
Heading ever northward, we make our way up the beautiful and remote east coast of Ellesmere Island. Cruise along scenic Smith Bay (a.k.a. Skog Inlet) bordered by a steep wall of mountains, with a glacial ice tongue which pours down the mountains on either side. Be up on the Bridge as we search for a patch of “polar bear ice,” the mixture of first-year and multi-year sea ice that is the preferred habitat of the ice bears. Our binoculars seek out any small ivory-colored dot on an otherwise white ice surface. We strain to see the dot move. With luck, it is a bear, spotted at a considerable distance. We approach, ever so slowly, stalking the polar bear much as the bear stalks seals on the ice. At the end of the bay, we go ashore to hike or kayak in picturesque surroundings. Ice is always present here.
We continue to explore north, ice conditions permitting. We take full advantage of our “human resources”—our experienced captain, expedition leader, and naturalists—as well as our technological resources. We chart where the ice is impenetrable and where there are leads guiding us to exciting discoveries.

DAY 20

Kiatassuaq Island, Greenland
Marking the southern border of Melville Bay, Kiatassuaq Island means “a large torso” in the Greenlandic language. Known as an important area for whaling in the 19th century, we spend the day exploring the southern reaches of Melville Bay and shores of the island, marveling at the ice dispatched from the Greenland Ice Cap as well as being on the lookout for whales and other marine life.

DAYS 21-22

Disko Island / Exploring
Continue south, stopping to explore the volcanic Disko Island, home to isolated Greenlandic settlements, dramatic cliffs laced with waterfalls, and black-sand beaches.

DAYS 23-24

Kangerlussuaq / Disembark Ship / Reykjavík, Iceland
Sail back into Kangerlussuaq and disembark the ship. Take an evening charter flight to Reykjavík and transfer to the overnight hotel close to the airport. On our final morning, transfer to the airport for flights home. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included on Day 23; breakfast is included on Day 24.

Departure Time: Depart anytime after 10:30 a.m.
Departure City: Reykjavík, Iceland

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• Excursions, hotels, and airport transfers, as indicated in the itinerary 
• Selection of exploration tools curated to your destination, such as Zodiacs and glass-bottom boats, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, snorkeling equipment (including wetsuits, masks, and fins), and other state-of-the-art gear
• Guidance and company of our leading expedition staff 
• All meals as indicated in the itinerary, both aboard and onshore. Meals are inspired by regional cuisine and locally sourced where possible. 
• Hors d’oeuvres inspired by regional cuisine and locally sourced where possible
• 24-hour access to snacks, premium coffees and teas, non-alcoholic beverages, and filtered water
• Beer, wine, cocktails, and spirits aboard the National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Orion, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II, Lord of the Glens, and The Jahan. We are also pleased to offer a selection of super premium wines and liquors, available for purchase.
• Beer and wine on all 2023 departures aboard National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, and National Geographic Sea Lion, and specialty cocktails with meals aboard Delfin ll.  Starting in 2024, spirits and cocktails are also included aboard these ships, with super premium wines and liquors available for purchase.
• Beer and wine with meals aboard Oberoi Philae and Sun Goddess. Additional alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.
• Crew gratuities aboard National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Orion, Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II, Lord of the Glens, Oberoi Philae, Sun Goddess, and The Jahan.
• Laundry services aboard Oberoi Philae and Sun Goddess.
• Free Wi-Fi aboard Lord of the Glens and The Jahan.
• Free Wi-Fi, up to one hour a day per person, aboard National Geographic Islander II and National Geographic Endeavour II 
• Lindblad Expeditions is currently activating Starlink-enabled internet on each of our ships, enabling us to offer free Wi-Fi—in addition to paid tiers for faster internet speeds—to all of our guests fleetwide by the end of 2023.
• Presentations on your destination by expedition staff and expert guest speakers 
• Complimentary reusable water bottle to fill at onboard water refill stations
• The services of a physician, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or paramedic 
• Morning stretch classes and 24-hour access to exercise equipment where available 
• 24-hour access to lounges, observation decks, library stocked with regionally relevant literature, and other shared spaces 
• Complimentary Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic parka or jacket on select Arctic and Antarctic voyages
• Assistance by the onboard National Geographic Photography Expert (National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Orion, National Geographic Resolution) and Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic certified photo instructor (all ships) 
• Access to the OM System Photo Gear Locker with the latest gear to try out on loan (all Lindblad-National Geographic ships except in Galapagos)
• Park and site entrance fees, special access permits, and port taxes 

Pricing Does Not Include

• Airfare (except flights when indicated as included), pre- and post-expedition extensions, additional hotel nights, and private transfers
• Travel protection plans and passport, visa, and immigration fees
• Laundry, spa treatments, scuba diving, Wi-Fi, and phone services (except when indicated as included)
• Crew gratuities aboard National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, National Geographic Sea Lion, and Delfin II

Unused services or items included in our programs are non-refundable.