About the Port
Isabella Bay, known in Inuktitut as Ninginganiq, lies along the rugged eastern shore of Baffin Island in Nunavut. Designated a National Wildlife Area, the bay and its surrounding waters form a critical summer feeding ground for bowhead whales, drawn by the nutrient-rich currents that also support seals, seabirds, and occasional polar bears. Ships reach these waters only briefly each year, as pack ice guards the coastline for most of the seasonal calendar and recedes just enough in August to allow safe passage.
Visitors arrive by tender or small boat, since no port infrastructure exists in this uninhabited stretch of coastline. The landscape is one of dramatic scale: steep cliffs, glacier-carved fjords, and open water alive with marine life set against the vast quiet of the high Arctic. Wildlife viewing from the deck or during zodiac excursions offers a rare, unfiltered look at one of the region's most ecologically significant marine habitats.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Isabella Bay .
Bowhead Whale Watching
Scan the bay's nutrient-rich waters from the deck or a zodiac for bowhead whales feeding near the surface, one of the densest summer concentrations in the Arctic. Bring binoculars and patience; sightings depend on ice and weather conditions.
Zodiac Cruise Along the Cliffs
Small-boat excursions thread past glacier-carved fjords and steep rock faces, offering close views of seabirds, seals, and shoreline detail impossible to see from a larger vessel. Dress in warm, waterproof layers, as no dock or shelter exists.
Scan for Polar Bears and Seabirds
Keep watch along the cliffs and ice edges for polar bears, seals hauled out on floes, and dense colonies of nesting seabirds drawn to this protected wildlife area.
Cruise Lines That Call Here
Cruises That Visit Isabella Bay
| Departs | Cruise Line | Ship | Itinerary | Nights | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2026 | HX | MS Roald Amundsen | 20 | $15,087 | |
| Apr 24, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 68 | $67,397 | |
| Apr 24, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 82 | $84,498 | |
| May 6, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 56 | $56,597 | |
| May 6, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 70 | $73,698 | |
| May 17, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 45 | $46,397 | |
| May 17, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 59 | $63,498 | |
| May 31, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 31 | $32,397 | |
| May 31, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 45 | $49,498 | |
| Jun 15, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 16 | $17,997 | |
| Jun 15, 2028 | Seabourn | Seabourn Venture | 30 | $33,297 |