Northwest Passage - Through the Arctic Labyrinth (Greenland to Alaska)

Welcome to the capital of Greenland

Today begins with a flight from Reykjavík to Nuuk, Greenland’s colourful capital. It has a population of 18,000, and features a striking mix of old and new buildings.

If time allows, we’ll explore this fascinating city, comparing the old buildings – such as Hans Egede House and Nuuk Cathedral – with the ultra-modern architecture of the Parliament of Greenland building.

Your ship awaits you in Nuuk harbour. After collecting your complimentary expedition jacket, it's time to check out your cabin, meet the Expedition Team and explore the ship as we set sail on this epic voyage through the Northwest Passage.

Perched on the seaside in the shadow of ice-capped Sermitsiaq Mountain, Nuuk is the world’s smallest capital city by population, with some 19,000 inhabitants experiencing tremendous cultural and economic growth. Watch for harp seals as you enter the harbor, and hear from local residents to learn how the community has changed over the generations. At the National Museum, examine the extraordinary 15th-century Qilakitsoq mummies found near Uummannaq—a discovery that was featured in a National Geographic magazine cover story in 1985. The Arctic ice preserved these mummies so well that researchers have been able to study their tattoos, their medical conditions and even what they ate.

Discover the magical beauty of West Greenland

The first chapter of our journey encompasses the majestic coast of West Greenland.

Over the next three days you’ll experience some of the most iconic sites in all of Greenland. Our objectives include:

Evighedsfjord

As we head north, we plan to offer an exploration day in the magical and pristine Evighedsfjord near Maniitsoq. We'll determine on the day what adventures we can take part in.

The 'Fjord of Eternity' is fed by an ice cap that calves huge icebergs into its 2,300 ft deep waters. It's surrounded by mist-cloaked mountains with beautiful white ridges, punctuated by crystal blue ice caves.

Sisimiut

Sisimiut is Greenland’s second city, situated in a spectacular location just above the Arctic Circle. This area has history spanning more than 4,500 years, and old traditions are alive and well.

Learn more about ancient Saqqaq artifacts in the local museum or stretch your legs on a hike. If you're looking for a special souvenir, pick up a scarf, hat or mittens made of qiviut, the inner wool of the musk ox that’s said to be 10 times warmer than sheep’s wool.

Ilulissat

Nestled at the edge of the magnificent Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Ilulissat. Here you’ll find an ever-changing gallery of passing icebergs set against a backdrop of colourful houses. In town you can visit a multitude of shops selling local crafts, and on the outskirts walking trails take you along the epic icefjord.

Evighedsfjorden, also called “Eternity Fjord,” is a dramatic fjord located on the eastern coast of Greenland. It features steep, glaciated cliffs and deep, icy waters, typical of Greenland’s rugged fjord landscapes. The fjord is largely uninhabited and remote, offering pristine scenery and opportunities to observe Arctic wildlife such as seals, seabirds, and occasionally whales. Its isolation and striking natural beauty make it a destination primarily for adventurous explorers and scientific research.

Located just north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is the northernmost town in Greenland where the port remains free of ice in the winter. Yet it is also the southernmost town where there is enough snow and ice to drive a dogsled in winter and spring. In Sisimiut, travelling by sled has been the primary means of winter transportation for centuries. In fact, the area has been inhabited for approximately 4,500 years. Modern Sisimiut is the largest business center in the north of Greenland, and is one of the fastest growing Greenlandic cities. Commercial fishing is the lead economy in the town‘s thriving industrial base.

Known as the birthplace of icebergs, the Ilulissat Icefjord produces nearly 20 million tons of ice each day. In fact, the word Ilulissat means “icebergs” in the Kalaallisut language. The town of Ilulissat is known for its long periods of calm and settled weather, but the climate tends to be cold due to its proximity to the fjord. Approximately 4,500 people live in Ilulissat, the third-largest town in Greenland after Nuuk and Sisimiut. Some people here estimate that there are nearly as many sled dogs as human beings living in the town that also boasts a local history museum located in the former home of Greenlandic folk hero and famed polar explorer Knud Rasmussen.

Watch for wildlife and get involved in Citizen Science

Leaving Greenland behind, we spend two days at sea crossing Baffin Bay towards Nunavut.

Gain authentic insight into Inuit culture and heritage with our onboard Cultural Ambassadors. Their stories reveal the Inuit people’s profound connection to the land, shaped by generations of tradition and resilience.

Meanwhile, your Expedition Team leads lectures on topics such as Arctic wildlife and the history of exploration in the region. You can also take part in Citizen Science, such as the GLOBE Program, where you’ll observe clouds to help scientists study our climate.

Baffin Bay is a vast Arctic waterway known for its dramatic ice formations, towering glaciers, and extraordinary polar wildlife. Located between Canada and Greenland, it offers rare opportunities to witness icebergs, whales, seals, and migrating seabirds in a remote and pristine environment. Its raw beauty and ever-changing sea ice create a powerful sense of exploration at the edge of the Arctic world.

Baffin Bay is a vast Arctic waterway known for its dramatic ice formations, towering glaciers, and extraordinary polar wildlife. Located between Canada and Greenland, it offers rare opportunities to witness icebergs, whales, seals, and migrating seabirds in a remote and pristine environment. Its raw beauty and ever-changing sea ice create a powerful sense of exploration at the edge of the Arctic world.

Entering into the Northwest Passage

Following our crossing of Baffin Bay, we find ourselves in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. The main waterway of this area is Lancaster Sound (Tallurutiup Imanga), the eastern gates to the Northwest Passage.

This chapter of our exploration is likely to be action-packed, with excursions planned on each of the four days we hope to spend in and around this area. Remember, all our excursion plans are weather and ice dependent but, conditions permitting, our days will be filled with excitement and discovery.

Excursion stops and local highlights we hope to share with you include:

• Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik)

• Dundas Harbour

• Croker Bay

• Beechey Island (Iluvilik)

• Prince Leopold Island (Appait)

• Fort Ross

Located in northern Baffin Island, Pond Inlet is a small, predo¬minantly Inuit community, with a population of roughly 1,500 inhabitants. In 1818, the British explorer John Ross named a bay in the vicinity after the English astronomer John Pond. Today Pond Inlet is considered one of Canada's "jewels of the North" thanks to several picturesque glaciers and mountain ranges nearby. Many archaeological sites of ancient Dorset and Thule peoples can be found near Pond Inlet. The Inuit hunted caribou, ringed and harp seals, fish, polar bears, walrus, narwhals, geese, ptarmigans and Arctic hares, long before European and American whalers came here to harvest bowhead whales. Pond Inlet is also known as a major center of Inuit art, especially the printmaking and stone carving that are featured in the town’s art galleries.

Dundas Harbour is located in the southeast of Devon Island, Canada’s 6th largest island. It is a forlorn but starkly beautiful spot. The island was first sighted by Europeans in 1616 by the English explorers Robert Bylot and William Baffin. But it did not appear on maps until after explorer William Edward Parry’s exploration in the 1820’s. Parry named it after Devon, England. In the local Inuktitut language, the place is called Talluruti, which translates as “a woman’s chin with tattoos on it.” This refers to the deep crevasses and streaks on Devon Island, which from a distance resemble traditional facial tattoos. On land there are remains of a Thule settlement dating back to 1000 A.D., including tent rings, middens and a gravesite. There are also much more recent remains a Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost. The first post was established in 1924 to monitor and control illegal activities, such as foreign whaling, in the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage. But conditions were so isolated and severe that the post was abandoned in 1933. It was reopened in 1945, but again closed, this time permanently, in 1951. Today, Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island in the world.

Croker Bay is a remote Arctic bay located on the southern coast of Devon Island, one of the largest uninhabited islands in the world. The bay is surrounded by stark tundra and rugged cliffs, offering dramatic Arctic landscapes. It is visited occasionally for scientific research, particularly studies on geology, glaciology, and climate, due to its pristine, isolated environment. Wildlife in the area includes polar bears, Arctic foxes, and migratory seabirds, making it an important site for Arctic ecology.

Beechey Island is a small island off the southwest coast of Devon Island, separated by a narrow waterway called the Barrow Strait. Captain William Edward Parry was the first European to visit the island in 1819. His lieutenant, Frederick William Beechey, named the island after his father, the artist William Beechey (1753–1839). Beechey Island played a significant role in the history of Arctic Exploration. During the winter of 1845-46, Sir John Franklin and his men camped on the island as part of their ill-fated quest to find the Northwest Passage. Mummified remains of three of Franklin’s crew were discovered, giving a better understanding of what happened before the disappearance of the expedition. In 1850 Edward Belcher used the island as a base while surveying the area. Later, in 1903, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen stopped at the island at the beginning of his successful voyage in search for the Northwest Passage. Subsequently, Beechey Island has been declared a "Territorial Historic Site" since 1975 by the Northwest Territories government

Prince Leopold Island is a remote and uninhabited island located in the Canadian Arctic, at the northeastern entrance of Prince Regent Inlet in Nunavut. Known for its dramatic cliffs and rich wildlife, it is one of the most important bird habitats in the Arctic.

The island is characterized by towering limestone cliffs rising straight from the sea, forming a striking and rugged landscape. These cliffs provide ideal nesting grounds for vast colonies of seabirds, making the island part of the protected Prince Leopold Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Each summer, hundreds of thousands of birds—including murres, kittiwakes, and fulmars—gather here to breed, creating one of the densest seabird populations in the Canadian Arctic. The surrounding waters also support marine life such as seals, whales, and Arctic fish species.

Due to its ecological importance, access to the island is restricted, and it is rarely visited except by researchers or specialized Arctic expeditions.

Fort Ross is a remote, uninhabited former trading post on Somerset Island in the Canadian Arctic. Established in 1937 by the Hudson's Bay Company, it was one of the northernmost trading posts ever operated. The harsh conditions and ice-choked waters of the Bellot Strait made it difficult to supply, leading to its closure in 1948. Today, the remaining buildings stand as a historic site, reflecting the challenges of Arctic trade and exploration.

Navigate the dividing line between East and West

The ‘Rubicon’ of the Canadian Arctic, dividing East from West, is the infamous Bellot Strait. This narrow body of water separates the northernmost part of mainland North America from Somerset Island, one of the largest islands in the Canadian Arctic archipelago.

Bellot Strait is approximately 15 nautical miles long and just over half a mile wide at its narrowest point. Our ability to navigate this passage will be determined by ice and weather conditions.

Coningham Bay is a remote Arctic bay in northern Nunavut, part of the intricate waterways around Prince of Wales Island in the heart of the Northwest Passage. It’s known for its stark, pristine Arctic scenery and sheltered waters set amid isolated islands and shoreline. The area is rich in marine life, with nutrient‑rich currents that can attract beluga whales and, in some seasons, polar bears along the coast.

Spendeight days exploring the Western section of the fabled Northewest Passage

Over the next eight days in this section of our voyage we’ll transit through three distinct regions - Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon – and two traditional Inuit Territories – Inuvialuit and Nunavut.

During our time here, we anticipate up to five days of shore excursions and four transit days. Excursion stops and local highlights we hope to be able to visit include:

• Gjoa Haven (Uqsuqtuuk)

• Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq)

• Coronation Gulf

• Ulukhaktok

• Smoking Hills

• Herschel Island

Gjoa Haven is a small Inuit community on King William Island, closely tied to Arctic exploration history. It’s named after the ship Gjøa, used by Roald Amundsen during the first successful navigation of the Northwest Passage. The area is rich in Inuit culture and oral history, including knowledge connected to the fate of the Franklin Expedition. Today, it offers stark tundra scenery, abundant wildlife, and a strong sense of traditional Arctic life.

Cambridge Bay is a growing Arctic community on the southeastern coast of Victoria Island along the historic Northwest Passage. It serves as a regional hub for research and transportation, with facilities like the Canadian High Arctic Research Station supporting Arctic science. The area is rich in Inuit culture and history, with nearby archaeological sites and traditional hunting practices still central to life. Visitors are drawn to its wide tundra landscapes, northern lights, and wildlife such as caribou, muskoxen, and Arctic char.

Ulukhaktok is a small Inuvialuit community located on the west coast of Victoria Island in the Canadian Arctic. Formerly known as Holman, it is renowned for its distinctive printmaking and carving traditions, which reflect local culture and Arctic life. The area offers striking tundra landscapes and opportunities to see wildlife such as muskoxen, Arctic foxes, and seals. Its remote setting and strong cultural heritage make it an important center for Indigenous art and northern traditions.

Herschel Island—also known as Qikiqtaruk—is a remote Arctic island in the Beaufort Sea and part of a territorial park. It was once a major hub during the late 19th-century whaling boom and still has preserved historic buildings from that era. Today, it’s valued for its rich wildlife, including caribou, muskoxen, and migratory birds, as well as its importance to the Inuvialuit people. The island’s tundra landscapes and rapidly eroding coastline also make it an important site for studying climate change in the Arctic.

Science and wildlife watching at sea

As we navigate the Beaufort Sea and Bering Strait, these days at sea provide the perfect opportunity to reflect on your journey and make the most of your ship’s facilities.

Immerse yourself in the onboard Science and Education programme and contribute to real-world research through Citizen Science. Or simply take time to relax – enjoy a drink with fellow explorers, watch the world drift by from the hot tub, or soothe your body and mind in the sauna.

Keep an eye out for bowhead and grey whales as we cross the Beaufort Sea to Point Barrow, the northernmost point of the United States. If sea ice is present, we may also see congregations of pacific walrus on the ice floes.

In the Beaufort Sea, seasonal sea ice can fluctuate. If the sea ice levels are greater than the seasonal average, it will likely affect the speed we can sail through. Expecting the unexpected is all part of the expedition experience.

The highlights of this transit include:

• The Beaufort Sea

• The Bering Strait

• The International Date Line

• Wildlife watching

Learn about Alaska’s ‘golden’ past

Prospectors first came to Nome in 1898, and people still hunt for gold here today. You'll see evidence of the Gold Rush era all around, including abandoned dredges, turn-of-the century steam engines and old railroad tracks, lending the town a unique and intriguing atmosphere.

Wyatt Earp, the famous sheriff, opened a saloon here. Nome was also the end point of three of Roald Amundsen's great polar expeditions.

From here you’ll take a flight to Seattle for an overnight stay.

Nome is located on the edge of the Bering Sea, on the southwest side of the Seward Peninsula. Unlike other towns which are named for explorers, heroes or politicians, Nome was named as a result of a 50 year-old spelling error. In the 1850's an officer on a British ship off the coast of Alaska noted on a manuscript map that a nearby prominent point was not identified. He wrote "? Name" next to the point. When the map was recopied, another draftsman thought that the “?” was a C and that the “a” in "Name" was an o, and thus a map-maker in the British Admiralty christened "Cape Nome." The area has an amazing history dating back 10,000 years of Inupiaq Eskimo use for subsistence living. Modern history started in 1898 when "Three Lucky Swedes”, Jafet Lindberg, Erik Lindblom and John Brynteson, discovered gold in Anvil Creek…the rush was on! In 1899 the population of Nome swelled from a handful to 28,000. Today the population is just over 3,500. Much of Nome's gold rush architecture remains.

End your adventure in the Emerald City

Waking up in your hotel in Seattle marks the end of your adventure through the Arctic labyrinth. After breakfast, and if you have time before your onward journey, why not explore the Emerald City and see what it has to offer.

Why not take a stroll through the nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Park for incredible views of Puget Sound and the surrounding mountains, admiring the work of renowned artists as you go. For a feast of the senses, visit the famous Pike Place Market. Operating for over a century, this lively farmer’s market boasts everything from buskers and bars to salmon-throwing fishmongers.

Seattle is a scenic seaport city in western Washington, situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east. It is the largest city in Washington. Five pioneer families from Illinois first settled the area in 1851, and named the town after a friendly Suquamish Indian chief. It was incorporated as a city in 1869, and grew quickly after the Great Northern Railway arrived in 1893, especially during the Alaska Gold Rush of 1897. When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, Seattle became a major Pacific port of entry, and today it is the region's commercial and transportation hub and the centre of manufacturing, trade, and finance, with an estimated 684,451 residents as of 2015.