Small-Ship Expedition

The Northwest Passage

©Dennis Minty

Overview

One of the world’s greatest voyages is calling! 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!

Into out NWP 2020 map

Into the Northwest Passage (magenta) and Out of the Northwest Passage expeditions map.

Highlights

  • Inuit Traditional Costumes

    Enjoy an Inuit cultural welcome in a Nunavut community

    Enjoy the warmth of an Inuit welcome as drum dancers, throat singers, and cultural ambassadors share their stories, songs, and connections to the land.

    • Explore the beautiful surroundings of an Arctic hamlet
    • Get to know local residents and learn about their ways of life
    • Purchase carvings and handicrafts to bring back home
  • Ilulissat Greenland Zodiac Icebergs

    Cruise among icebergs at Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

    Jacobshavn glacier, the fastest-calving glacier in the world, spills thousands of enormous icebergs every year into spectacular Ilulissat Icefjord in Disko Bay, Greenland.

    View the icebergs from the shore on a hike along the boardwalk in the town of Ilulissat—then board a Zodiac to cruise your way among them!

  • Polar Bear Northwest Passage

    Cruise Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Protected Area

    Lancaster Sound, the entrance to the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic archipelago is home to Canada’s newest National Marine Protected Area. Glacier-fed waters, mountain landscapes, plentiful wildlife, and rugged coastlines define this vast and beautiful place.

    • Visit unique cultural historical sites from the Thule period and the explorer era
    • Seek seabirds, marine mammals, and polar bears in this unique, protected habitat
  • Franklin Expedition Graves Beechey Islands Master

    Visit Beechey Island National Historic Site

    One of the most notorious sites in the Arctic, Beechey Island is famed as the site where the ill-fated Franklin Expedition overwintered, 1845–1846.

    The graves of three of Franklin’s men, along with a fourth man from a later Northwest Passage expedition are a haunting memorial to the heyday of Arctic exploration.

Ship

Ocean Endeavour Labrador

Ocean Endeavour

Our spacious, ice-strengthened vessel features twenty Zodiacs, advanced navigation equipment, and stabilizers. A doctor, paramedic, medical clinic, and enhanced health regime offer peace of mind. Roomy facilities offer comfortable travel with plenty of breathing room for all.

Learn more about Ship name

Travellers’ Testimonials

  • “I cannot speak highly enough about the staff.”

    Kathleen Henry-Parisi

    Out of the Northwest Passage

  • “I cannot begin to tell you how impressed we were with the staff. They were all so approachable and so giving of their time and knowledge. And they all had a great sense of humour!”

    Joyce McAlpine

    Into the Northwest Passage

  • “I came home feeling like I had a college education! So much knowledge presented in a fun and easily understandable way.”

    Amy Powers

    Out of the Northwest Passage