Arctic Quest: Canada and Greenland

Itinerary

Day 1: Ottawa, Canada

Plan to arrive earlier enough to discover one of the world’s most beautiful capitals, Ottawa, Canada, home to over a dozen national museums and galleries.

Day 2: Embarkation

From Ottawa, you fly you above the Arctic Circle to the tiny community of Resolute on Cornwallis Island, where you board your icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov.

Days 3-4: Lancaster Sound

Sailing past Devon Island, watch for beluga and bowhead whales into Lancaster Sound the habitat of narwhals, polar bears and Arctic seals and about two-dozen species of birds. At Dundas Harbour, you go ashore to visit the remains of millennia old Early Thule winter houses. The icebreaker negotiates iceberg dotted Melville Bay icebergs en route to Cape York, Greenland.

Days 5-6: Qaanaaq

You continue along the western coast of Greenland, past steep fjords and gigantic blue-white icebergs. Narwhals may reside in this area at this time of year. The plan is to sail Murchison Sound to Qaanaaq, the world’s northernmost municipality. You'll push north into Smith Sound, then into Kane Basin. The ultimate goal is the Lincoln Sea at the top of Greenland, often impassable due to pack ice. So as usual everyone must be flexible--and on the alert for wildlife.

Days 7-9: Eastern Ellesmere Island

On the eastern shore of Ellesmere Island you may land at Fort Conger, before exploring Buchanan Bay and its massive twin glaciers. In Alexandra Fjord, visit Skraeling Island, where archeologists have unearthed artifacts of Small-Tool cultures dating to 4500 BCE. A landing (if conditions permit) is planned at Starvation Camp, Pim Island, where members of Adolphus Greeley’s 1881–84 expedition died.

Days 10-11: Coburg Island

At Coburg Island, Zodiacs cruise the base of towering cliffs revealing fledged murres diving in fish-filled waters. Bylot Island is a vast migratory bird sanctuary with a diverse avian community, including Greater Snow Geese, Snowy Owls, Peregrine Falcons and Gyrfalcons. You may land on the southern shore then end our exploration of the region with a visit to the picturesque hamlet of Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik).

Days 12-16: Baffin Island

You sail the steep-sided fjords of northeastern Baffin Island, where mountains tower above the sea. Narwhals and beluga are known to inhabit the nutrient-rich waters. Caribou roam the endless tundra. The ship continues southward, crossing the Arctic Circle, rounding the headland into Cumberland Sound. At Pangnirtung you meet local artists famed for the prints and beautifully woven tapestries they create. En route to Iqaluit there will be more landings, taking advantage of local conditions.

Days 17-18: Iqaluit to Ottawa

Disembark Kapitan Khlebnikov at Iqaluit to fly back to Ottawa to spend your final night at the Fairmont Château Laurier.