23-Day Journey Across The Northwest Passage

ITINERARY

Day 0 :  Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavík, established by Viking settler Ingólfur Arnarson around 870 C.E, is the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland. The census of 1703 recorded that Reykjavík had 69 residents and consisted of a farm and a church. The impressive statue of Leif Erikson, in the center of town, reminds all of Iceland’s Viking heritage. Its name translates to ‘smoky bay’, due to the geothermal nature of the surrounding area.

Today about 200.000 people live in the Icelandic capital, roughly 60% of the country’s population. It has evolved into a sophisticated city. The northernmost national capital in the world is also one of the cleanest, greenest, and safest on Earth.  Walking Reykjavik streets one will find rich culture, history, music, shopping and in the late hours vibrant night-life. Colorful rooftops and the elegant spire of Hallgrímskirkja Church dominate Reykjavik’s skyline. Known for its arts, Reykjavik hosts a number of internationally recognized festivals, notably the Iceland Air music festival, Reykjavik Arts Festival and the Reykjavik International Film Festival.

Day 1 : Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
In October, 1941 the United States Army Air Force constructed an airbase at the site of Kangerlussuaq. It served as a refuelling stop for single-engine military aircraft being flown to Britain during World War II. From their last port of call, Goose Bay, Labrador, it was 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to Kangerlussuaq until they could refuel. Kangerlussuaq fjord (‘Big Fjord’), is 170 kilometers (105 miles) long and was often shrouded in fog, providing a serious navigation problem for those aircrews.

Today, with the use of modern technology, navigation is no longer an issue. The landscape was ideal for the site of an airport. A large alluvial plain, deposited by the nearby glacial-outflow river, provided a perfectly flat environment for an airport. Kangerlussuaq is the largest commercial airport in Greenland and supports a population of 500. A little known fact, from 1971 to 1987, 33 missiles from various countries, were fired from Kangerlussuaq for upper atmospheric scientific research.

Day 2 : Days At Sea

Day 3 : Ilulissat (Jakobshavn), Greenland
There is no other place on Earth, other than Ilulissat, Greenland that can define itself by the size and volume of its icebergs. The name Ilulissat, in fact, is the Greenlandic word for ‘Iceberg’. This is truly an iceberg paradise! Despite its proximity to huge glaciers, people have lived here in excess of 4,000 years. The modern town of Ilulissat was founded in 1741 by the Danish merchant, Jacob Severin. With a current population of 4,500 it is the third-largest city in Greenland. The narrow inner harbor is lined by a kaleidoscope of colorful houses so typical of Greenlandic villages.

The mass and sheer volume of icebergs from nearby Jakobshavn Glacier has made Ilulissat the most popular tourist destination in Greenland. Moving at up to 45 meters (150’) per day, when averaged annually, the glacier drains 6.5% of the Greenland ice sheet and produces about 10% of all icebergs. For this reason, Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 4 : Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Greenland
Located 24 miles (40 km) north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is “rough, real and remote.” These three words cut to the core of Sisimiut’s reputation as an outdoor adventure-travel hub. It’s the second-largest city in Greenland with 5,600 inhabitants and was founded in 1756 under the leadership of the Danish missionary, Hans Egede. The name is Greenlandic meaning ‘place of fox dens.’  The area has been inhabited for 4,500 years, first by the Inuit peoples of the Saqqaq culture, Dorset culture, and then the Thule people, whose descendants comprise the majority of the current population.

One of the most picturesque towns in Greenland, Sisimiut  is set in a tranquil fjord perched on bare outcrops of rock. Mount Nasaasaaq, 2,572’ (784 m) tall, is the backdrop for the town, where colorful houses of bright red, yellow, green and blue stand out in stark contrast to a landscape of gray and white. The Sisimiut Museum hosts a traditional Greenlandic peat house and the remains of an 18th century kayak.

Day 5 : Days At Sea

Day 6 : Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Canada
As we approach the Inuit town of Pond Inlet, we transit through ice-speckled scenic Eclipse Sound set against the backdrop of the tall glaciated peaks of distant Bylot Island. The town was named in 1818 by explorer Captain John Ross for John Pond, an English astronomer. With over 1,600 inhabitants, Pond Inlet is one of northern Canada’s most interesting, culturally rich and welcoming communities. A walk through town immerses one into the life of the modern Inuit. Caribou antlers and skulls hang from private homes. The hides of seals, caribou and maybe even a polar bear hang on racks drying in the sun. At the local market can be found, parts of seal, whale, caribou and a huge variety of fish. Wooden sledges known as qamutiqs, now towed by snowmobiles rather than dogs, sit idle in front yards awaiting the first snow. At the local museum and cultural center, enjoy a cultural performance showcasing unique Inuit throat-singing with dancers dressed in traditional sealskin anoraks and mukluks.

Day 7 : Philpots Island, Baffin , Canada

Day 8 : Dundas Harbour (Devon Island), Nunavut, Canada
Croker Bay is a 35 kilometer (20 miles) deep fjord on the southern shore of Devon Island and is flanked by colorful 450 metre (1,500’) high table-like mountains. The tidewater glacier at its head descends 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the icefield at the center of the island and terminates in spectacular cliffs of ice. Some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) wide, the glacial front calves huge amounts of ice into the bay. Here polar bears, seals and even a pod of beluga whales can be seen travelling amongst the brash ice.

To the east is the abandoned community of Dundas Harbour. The derelict buildings of the R.C.M.P. post are all that remain and serve as a silent reminder to the 52 Inuit that came here in 1934. Here, set amongst a landscape aglow in the colors of Arctic Autumn, lay the stark white crosses and picket fence enclosure of one of the most northerly cemeteries on Earth. Nearby, 1,000 year old stone remains of earlier Inuit settlers can be found.

Day 8 : Croker Bay, Nunavut, Canada
Croker Bay is a fjord on the south coast of Devon Island on the Lancaster Sound. The island, named by William Baffin in 1616 for the Devon shire in England, has its own extensive ice cap, which feeds a glacier into Croker Bay. The bay itself was named by William Edward Parry in 1819 in honor of the First Secretary to the Admiralty. The glacier is receding, but still reaches the sea. The area is a breeding site for fulmars and kittiwakes, and seals are frequently sighted and occasionally walruses as well. The wide face of the glacier, backed by a spectacular stacked plateau of differently colored rock layers, makes a favorite photographic subject for visitors to the Nunavut region. It is possible to hike up onto the surface of the glacier.

Day 9-10 : Northwest Passage Experience
 Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.
The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:
Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.
Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.
Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.
Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

INCLUDED EXPEDITIONS:

• Zodiac Excursions
• Nature Hikes

OPTIONAL EXPEDITIONS (whenever possible):

• Kayak
• Submersible

Day 11 : Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, Canada

Day 12 : Northwest Passage Experience
 Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.
The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:
Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.
Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.
Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.
Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

Day 13 : Cambridge Bay Village , Canada

Day 14 : Northwest Passage Experience
 Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.
The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:
Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.
Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.
Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.
Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

Day 15 : Days At Sea

Day 16 : Northwest Passage Experience
 Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.
The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:
Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.
Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.
Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.
Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

Day 17 : Herschel Island , Canada
Nestled in Canada's Yukon territory, Herschel Island awaits travelers on Seabourn's ultra-luxury cruises, offering a glimpse into the Arctic's rugged beauty and rich history. As the ship docks, passengers encounter towering cliffs, vast tundra, and the icy Beaufort Sea. Once a vital outpost for Arctic exploration, Herschel Island preserves remnants of its whaling and trading past in well-preserved cabins and artifacts. Nature lovers can spot migratory birds, marine mammals, and Arctic wildlife on guided hikes across the tundra. The island's indigenous heritage provides insight into the traditional life of the Inuvialuit people, adding cultural depth to the experience. Departing Herschel Island, passengers carry memories of an unforgettable Arctic adventure, filled with stunning landscapes and encounters with Canada's northern frontier.

Day 18-20 : Days At Sea

Day 21-22 : Nome, AK, USA
As the locals like to say, “There’s no place like Nome.” Set at the southern tip of the Seward Peninsula and only accessible by air or the Bering Sea, this Arctic Alaska town offers a rich mix of gold rush history, Inupiat Eskimo culture, rugged adventure, and abundant wildlife. Gold was first discovered here in 1898; a year later, the population had ballooned to more than 20,000. (Nome has around 3,500 residents today.) Gold mining remained a vital industry well into the 20th century, and the region’s retreating sea ice has brought a new generation of treasure hunters who dredge in converted fishing boats just offshore. You can learn more at the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, and snap a selfie next to the “World’s Largest Gold Pan.” During the winter of 1925, a diphtheria epidemic raged among the area’s Alaska Natives; when fierce blizzard conditions prevented airplanes from leaving Anchorage with the life-saving serum, a rescue effort was organized to deliver it via dog sled. The annual Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race still follows the same path as those heroic mushers.

Day 22-23 :  Anchorage, Alaska, US
Alaska’s largest city lures with wild natural beauty, urban comforts, a rich Native heritage, and a thriving arts community. Set along the Cook Inlet with the Chugach, Kenai, and Talkeetna mountain ranges as a backdrop, Anchorage is the starting point for the annual Iditarod, the iconic dog-sled race that ends in Nome some 1,049 miles away. The city also serves as gateway to Denali National Park via domed railcar, as well as Seabourn expedition voyages in Far East Russia. Even if you’re just here for an overnight or to catch your homebound flight, take time to explore Anchorage’s vibrant downtown packed with interesting shops, public art installations, and homey restaurants where you can sample reindeer sausage and a locally crafted brew. Take a bike ride along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail or hike in Chugach State Park; anglers can reel in King and silver salmon along Fish Ship Creek. The Alaska Native Heritage Center offers a fascinating introduction to the state’s diverse Indigenous cultures.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Please Call Us to find out what is included in the fare

ADVENTURE OPTIONS

• Hiking
• Kayaking
  
• Cultural Tour
• Zodiac Cruising
• Submarine