The Northwest Passage: From Greenland to the Bering Sea

Arrive in New York City and transfer to your hotel. Later, gather for a welcome dinner, where you meet your fellow guests and members of your Expedition Team.

Transfer to the airport for an early morning charter flight to Western Greenland, arriving at Kangerlussuaq at the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Later, board your luxury expedition cruiser and enjoy the thrill of setting off for sea. This evening, join fellow guests and your Expedition Team for a welcome reception.

In 1906, Roald Amundsen became the first polar explorer to successfully cross the entire Northwest Passage. Begin as he did, venturing along Greenland’s stunning West Coast and north into Baffin Bay for the next five days. Your Captain and Expedition Team determine the day’s best excursions, which may include the following areas: Sisimiut: North of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is the northernmost city in Greenland able to maintain a year-round, ice-free port as well as sufficient snow for dogsledding in winter and spring. Visit the local museum and enjoy an Inuit sea kayak demonstration. Disko Bay & Ilulissat: Cruise into the wide inlet of Disko Bay, first explored by Erik the Red in 985. Discover the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the mouth of one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world, Sermeq Kujalleq. Take a walking tour of Ilulissat, visit its history museum, and meet with villagers to learn about local life. Conditions permitting, board a local vessel for an iceberg cruise of Disko Bay. Uummannaq Fjords: North of Ilulissat, this geological wonder teems with marine life. Visit Karrat Fjord to see the iceberg-clad bay and the remains of ancient huts, built by Thule hunters (Inuit ancestors) more than 500 years ago. Kullorsuaq: Translated as “Big Thumb,” Kullorsuaq remains one of the most traditional hunting, fishing and trading villages in Greenland.

Cruise into the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut and enter the heart of the Northwest Passage. As your luxury expedition cruiser winds through legendary channels and inlets, A&K’s enrichment specialists continue to spark captivating discussions that enhance your discovery. Your crew and Expedition Team determine your itinerary, which is dependent on weather, sea, ice and wildlife conditions. Exciting excursions may include: Pond Inlet: “Place of Mittima’s Grave,” Pond Inlet is the gateway to the Northwest Passage and a rich archaeological site. After clearing customs formalities, embark on a shore excursion to an area once inhabited by the ancient Thule. Visit the Nattinnak Visitor’s Center or Toonoonik Sahoonik Co-op, where you may shop for handcrafted goods. Lancaster Sound: Situated between Devon Island and Baffin Island, this body of water is home to an abundance of Arctic cod and seasonal populations of Beluga and bowhead whales, black guillemots, Arctic terns and other wildlife. Beechey Island: Historic moments in Arctic exploration define this island. Beechey is best known for providing a safe haven to British explorer Sir John Franklin in 1845, who took shelter for two years before his ill-fated attempt to conquer the Northwest Passage. See the grave markers for three of his men and visit Franklin’s cenotaph. Fort Ross: Abandoned in 1948, this former trading post at the tip of Somerset Island was used by trappers to barter Arctic fox pelts in exchange for necessities. Explore its remaining structures and perhaps take a Zodiac excursion as your naturalists share stories about its residents. Gjoa Haven: During his attempt on to cross the passage on ‘Gjoa’, Roald Amundsen took respite in this natural harbor as he waited for ice conditions to improve. For two years, he lived with the Netsilik Inuits and learned survival skills that later proved invaluable on his South Pole expedition. Victoria Island: Cruise the south coast of Victoria and through Queen Maud Gulf, Dease Strait and Coronation Gulf. Expedition stops may include bird sanctuary Jenny Lind Island and Johansen Bay.

Enter Canada’s Northwest Territories and continue through the heart of the Northwest Passage, where you may experience exciting excursion opportunities that include: Ulukhaktok: Visit with the local Inuit of Holman Village, experiencing drum dance, and tastings of fresh char and bannock rings (fried dough) prepared over an open fire. Tour the town art center and discover Ulukhaktok’s beautiful printmaking tradition, carvings and hats made of coveted musk oxen wool. Banks Island: The fourth largest island in the Canadian Archipelago, Banks is home to deep Inuit history and a population of about 60,000 musk oxen. Franklin Bay: Discover the “Smoking Hills,” cliffs of bituminous shale that endlessly combust and burn. This geological phenomenon has likely been occurring for millennia and is a rare sight to see.

On expedition in 1826, Captain Franklin was the first European to lay eyes on this unique island at the northernmost point of the Yukon Territory. Herschel supports numerous wildlife and is one of the only places on earth where you may see a grizzly bear, black bear and polar bear. Evidence of the island’s whaling culture and Thule ancestors remains along its coastline, now greatly affected by sea erosion and climate change.

Typically dense with ice floes and fog, the Beaufort Sea opens up a 60-mile-wide coastal pass from August to September. As your expedition ship cruises into the U.S. and clears at Point Barrow, Alaska (U.S. Customs clearance only), continue participating in lectures led by your Expedition Team. Relax on your private balcony or join fellow guests on deck where, with some luck, you may spy beluga whales, which travel in numbers here, and the northern lights in autumn. Your luxury expedition ship also enters the Bering Sea. While cruising its waters and conditions permitting, experience close views of Fairway Rock, known for its breeding colonies of auks and puffin, and remote King Island. The island was once home to a community of 200 Inupiat; today, all that remains is an abandoned stilt-house community.

Arrive and disembark in Nome, Alaska, among the wildest reaches of America. Try your hand at gold panning, experience a dogsled demonstration and see the Bering Sea Land Bridge National Monument. Later, transfer to the airport for your chartered flight to Anchorage, and then continue on with your homebound flight.