Into the Northwest Passage | Ocean Endeavour

Please make your own way to Toronto Airport for the early morning charter flight to Kangerlussuaq.

Kangerlussuaq is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub. After our charter flight from Toronto, we will be bused along Greenland’s longest road—less than twenty kilometres—to the port. Zodiacs will be waiting to transfer us to the Ocean Endeavour.

Sondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery. We begin our adventure by sailing down this dramatic fjord, crossing the Arctic Circle as we go.

People have lived in the Sisimiut area for 4,500 years. For the first 2,000 years, the people of the Saqqaq culture occupied the area. Approximately 2,500 years ago, new people brought the Dorset culture to the Sisimiut area. They lived here for 1,500 years and were followed by the people of the Thule culture—the ancestors of the current population. All these cultures came from Canada.

The people primarily lived on fish, birds and mammals such as whales and seals. The ice-free conditions in the sea around Sisimiut, including some of Greenland’s deepest fjords, allow us to sail in waters that are home to many whales and seals.

Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, an apt name for this site at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The icefjord is the outlet of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, source of many of the icebergs in the north Atlantic.

Here, we will cruise in our fleet of Zodiacs to appreciate the icebergs. And we’ll also visit the bustling town of Ilulissat, with its museums, cafes, craft shops, and busy fishing harbour.

Our adventure builds as we explore by ship and Zodiac along the west coast of Greenland. Here we find spectacular fjords, where we will be watching for marine life in majestic and inspiring landscapes dotted with icebergs.

We have numerous options for expedition stops, to make the most of weather and wildlife conditions. Departing Greenland, we cross Baffin Bay toward Nunavut, Canada. Our onboard presentation schedule will have us learning as we go.

As we steam toward Nunavut, our resource staff will deepen your understanding of the Arctic. This is an excellent time to enjoy workshops, watch a documentary, or get out on deck. Keep your binoculars ready for minke and humpback whales, as well as the seabirds that are sure to mark our passage.

Mittimatalik is a busy Arctic community in a beautiful setting, a fascinating place to wander. The cultural presentation at the Community Hall is not to be missed—arts and crafts may be available here too.

We will spend three days exploring Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound), one of the newest National Marine Conservation Areas in Nunavut. Narwhal, beluga, and bowhead whales transit and feed in this area. We’ll cruise by ship and Zodiac in search of wildlife.

On the northern border of Tallurutiup Imanga lies Devon Island, the largest uninhabited island on Earth at over 50,000 square kilometres. Flat-topped mountains, glacial valleys, and a substantial ice cap give Devon Island its unique character. We will hike the tundra, cruise a glacier face, and seek wildlife from ship and by shore. Archaeological sites with expert interpretation allow us to learn about the Inuit history of this now-abandoned island. We’ll visit the remains of an RCMP and Hudson's Bay Company site at Dundas Harbour.

In 1845, Sir John Franklin set out from England with HMS Erebus and Terror, attempting to sail through the Northwest Passage. Franklin’s party overwintered at Beechey Island—where three of his men died.

Numerous search parties later used Beechey as a depot and rendezvous. Amundsen, Bernier, and Larsen visited Beechey. Thomas Morgan of the HMS Investigator was buried there in 1854 alongside Franklin’s men. The graves and the ruins of Northumberland House are a haunting memorial.

This passage marks an area rich in marine and avian life. Thick-billed Murres, Ivory Gulls, beluga, narwhal and bowhead whales reside in the ice-strewn waters. In addition to abundant wildlife, we’ll delve deeper into the exploration of the Northwest Passage and mercantile efforts of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The Kitikmeot Region consists of parts of Victoria Island, the adjacent part of the mainland as far as the Boothia Peninsula, King William Island, and the southern portion of Prince of Wales Island. Its regional seat is Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), though it also contains five other hamlets.

Recently, the Kitikmeot Region has been in the news since the finding of the lost ships of the Franklin Expedition in its waters. It is Nunavut’s least-populated region, though wildlife abounds here both in the sea and on land.

Located at the mouth of the Coppermine River, Kugluktuk is the westernmost community in Nunavut. Known for many years as Coppermine, the community reverted to its original Inuinnaqtun name—meaning “place of moving waters”—on January 1, 1996.

The Coppermine River is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Today we will disembark the Ocean Endeavour and make our way to the airport to meet our charter flights to Yellowknife.