Ellesmere Island and North Greenland: Journey to the Top of the World

Beneath the lingering glow of the Arctic summer sun, Qausuittuq, “the place with no dawn,” welcomes you to the High Arctic. Set amid gravel flats and rolling moraine, this community carries stories of adaptation and renewal, from relocation in 1953 to its role today as a gateway for Arctic research and travel. Take time to orient yourself to the land and its stories before embarking aboard the Ocean Nova. The North awaits. 

Enter Tallurutiup Imanga, one of Canada’s largest marine protected areas, where nutrient-rich waters support whales, walrus, seals, and immense seabird colonies beneath towering cliffs and across deep fjords. On Devon Island, the world’s largest uninhabited island, glaciers meet the sea and archaeological traces reveal thousands of years of Inuit and earlier human presence. 

Set against a backdrop of mountains and drifting sea ice, Qaanaaq is one of the world’s northernmost towns and a centre of Inughuit culture. Here, longstanding skills and modern life flow together with the rhythms of the sea ice. Traditions such as dog sledding and hunting remain vital parts of community identity, reflecting deep connections to place. Meeting the people of Qaanaaq offers a glimpse of extraordinary adaptation and continuity, with life still shaped by ice, animals, and seasons. 

Sail into Kane Basin, where Ellesmere Island and Greenland nearly meet. Across two days, the scale of this High Arctic waterway unfolds through towering mountains, immense glaciers, drifting sea ice, and light that continually transforms the passage. Changing conditions reshape the view from hour to hour, revealing new coastlines, channels, and possibilities for wildlife.

Long travelled by Inuit, these waters later became a principal route for expeditions seeking the lost Franklin expedition and a way to the North Pole. The basin bears the name of American explorer Elisha Kent Kane, who crossed it in 1854 during his search for Franklin. Few waterways bring the scale of the High Arctic and the history of polar ambition into such powerful focus. 

Set foot on Tartupaluk, a place few will ever visit. Perched in the middle of Nares Strait between Canada and Greenland, this small, rocky island marks a remarkable meeting point between nations. In modern times, it became the focus of a good-natured yet symbolically important territorial dispute between Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark.

In 2022, an agreement divided the island along a natural ravine, creating one of the world’s newest international land borders. The agreement also maintains access and freedom of movement across the entire island for Inuit and local people from Nunavut and Greenland, recognizing connections to these waters that long predate the border itself. With one foot in Canada and the other in Greenland, Tartupaluk offers a memorable example of sovereignty resolved through cooperation. 

Venture through Smith Sound, the dramatic channel connecting Baffin Bay with Kane Basin and part of the greater Pikialasorsuaq region. Pikialasorsuaq means “great upwelling” in Kalaallisut and is known in Nunavut as Sarvarjuaq.

Recurring open water within the surrounding sea ice makes this the Arctic’s largest polynya and one of the most biologically productive regions north of the Arctic Circle. Nutrient-rich waters sustain an extraordinary abundance of life, drawing whales, seals, and millions of seabirds to this vital Arctic ecosystem. 

Set between the mountains of southern Ellesmere Island and the waters of Jones Sound, Ausuittuq (Grise Fiord) is Canada’s northernmost civilian community. Its Inuktitut name means “the place that never thaws,” a reference to the enduring ice above the community.

Ausuittuq was established through the High Arctic Relocations of 1953 and 1955, when the Canadian government moved Inuit families from Inukjuak and Mittimatalik, in part to reinforce Canadian sovereignty. The hardship and injustice of that history remain part of the community’s story, commemorated by a monument overlooking the shore. Today, family, language, harvesting, and community life give this small and remarkable Inuit hamlet its enduring character. 

Vast and elemental, Devon Island reveals a world shaped by ice and time. Here, broad valleys and exposed rock tell of ancient forces, while bursts of Arctic wildflowers bring unexpected colour to the tundra. Along the shore, traces of Inuit presence remind us that even in the quietest landscapes, human stories endure. Immense views, striking geological formations, and profound silence combine to make this one of the most atmospheric stops of the journey. 

Beechey Island holds one of the most tangible chapters in the Franklin mystery. HMS Erebus and HMS Terror spent the winter of 1845–46 here before sailing south and disappearing. The graves of three crew members, remains of the winter camp, stone cairns, and traces left by later search expeditions still mark its narrow, windswept shore.

Protected as part of Beechey Island Sites National Historic Site, these remains capture the expedition at the threshold of mystery. The island later became a base for the vast search effort that helped map much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. 

The expedition concludes in Qausuittuq, set on gravel flats and moraine beneath an immense Arctic sky. Its Inuktitut name means “place with no dawn,” a reference to the long polar night. Established through the Canadian government’s High Arctic Relocation of 1953, Qausuittuq has become an important centre for northern research, transportation, and travel.

After disembarking, transfer to the airport for the charter flight to Ottawa. Here, at a crossroads of High Arctic travel, the sea journey ends and the route turns south.