Itinerary

Day 1
Iqaluit, NU, Canada

Iqaluit, at the head of Frobisher Bay, is Nunavut’s capital. A population of nearly 8,000 calls Iqaluit home. Local attractions include the territorial Legislature, igloo-inspired St. Jude’s Cathedral, art shops, and more.

We will transfer by Zodiac to Ocean Endeavour through Iqaluit harbour.

Day 2
Frobisher Bay

We’ll be on the lookout for wildlife, of course, and our geologists will have you raving about rocks. Expect compelling scenery, and soak up the Arctic splendour as we go!

Day 3
Kimmirut (Lake Harbour)

Kimmirut means “the heel” in Inuktitut, referring to an outcrop of marble across the bay from the community.

Art aficionados may know the hamlet as Lake Harbour, home to one of the first Hudson's Bay Company outposts on Baffin Island. Art has played a major role in putting Kimmirut on the map. The hamlet of approximately four hundred is known for its ivory scrimshaw and jewellery making. The blooming tundra offers easy walking.

Day 4
Kinngait (Cape Dorset)

Kinngait was ground zero for the Inuit art market. In 1959, the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative was established—the oldest professional Inuit printmaking studio in Canada.

Old and new generations of outstanding artists, carvers, and printmakers continue to make Kinngait a proud centre for Inuit art. We’ll visit studios and meet the artists here—an opportunity to purchase outstanding works.

Day 5
Hudson Strait

Today we'll navigate the icy, fast-moving waters of Hudson Strait. Join our expedition staff on deck, scanning for polar bears, walrus, whales, seals, and seabirds.

Day 6–7
Ungava Peninsula, QC

Along the Ungava Peninsula, we explore an area of treeless tundra rich in geology and flora. We’ll enjoy hiking and a Zodiac cruise.

Day 8–9
Ungava Bay

Large and shallow, Ungava Bay is a rich ecosystem and home to a variety of wildlife, including an endangered Beluga population and Canada’s largest number of breeding Thick-billed Murres. Here we’ll use our Zodiacs to scout the shorelines and any outlying ice with hopes of seeing polar bears, walrus, and other marine life.

We’ll pay a visit to uninhabited Akpatok Island, the biggest island in Ungava Bay, at over nine hundred square kilometres. It’s named for the akpat—the Thick-billed Murres—that nest on ledges of Aktpatok’s lofty cliffs.

Day 10
At Sea – Davis Strait

Our resource staff will deepen your understanding of the Arctic as we steam across the Davis Strait towards Greenland. Enjoy workshops, watch a documentary—and get out on deck!

Keep your binoculars ready for minke and humpback whales, as well as the seabirds that are sure to accompany our ship.

Day 11
Nuuk, Greenland

Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, bridges old and new. The old harbour includes many buildings dating from Danish colonial days, while contemporary Nuuk is known for art, shopping, pubs and cafes.

The Greenland National Museum is one of Nuuk’s many outstanding features; the world-famous Qilakitsoq mummies are housed here.

Day 12
Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord

West Greenland’s complex coastal waterways include glaciers, islands and fjords against a towering mountain backdrop. The waters are relatively warm here, due to the West Greenland Current and the sub-Arctic location. We’ll explore this sublime landscape by ship, and by Zodiac.

Day 13
Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

In the early morning we’ll complete our overnight journey up Sondre Stromfjord—a 168-kilometre-long fjord surrounded by mountains and glaciers, bisected by the
Arctic Circle.

Kangerlussuaq, the settlement at its head is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub. We’ll transfer to shore by Zodiac, then bus to the airport for our charter flight to Toronto, ON.