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A mother polar bear and her young relax on the Arctic landscape

Out of the Northwest Passage

Example 17 Day Cruise aboard Ocean Endeavour
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Embark on a captivating 17-day Arctic expedition, beginning in Kugluktuk, Canada. Discover the enchanting Kitikmeot Region over the next three days, embracing its awe-inspiring landscapes and immersing yourself in the local culture. Witness the pristine beauty of Prince Regent Inlet on day five, followed by a visit to the historic site of Beechey Island. Prepare to be amazed as you sail through Tallurutiup Imanga, or Lancaster Sound, encountering a wealth of Arctic wildlife. Next, arrive at Ausuittuq, also known as Grise Fiord, and delve into the fascinating Inuit traditions. Experience the majesty of Smith Sound for the next two days, as you navigate through dramatic fjords and ice-filled waters. Enjoy a day at sea before venturing into Northwest Greenland, where untouched wonders await. Visit the captivating towns of Ilulissat and Sisimiut before concluding your voyage in Kangerlussuaq.
A local stands in traditional dress for the arctic.Colorful homes in GreenlandThe White-Beaked Dolphin swimming by the Greenland coast.Midnight sun light, IlulissatA mother polar bear and her young relax on the Arctic landscape
Highlights
  • Travel the route that obsessed explorers for centuries
  • Enjoy the legendary hospitality of vibrant Inuit communities
  • Visit the historic graves of the ill fated Franklin Expedition
  • Find and photograph the wild creatures of the Arctic wilderness
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU, Canada

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

The Coppermine River is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Your charter flight lands in Kugluktuk and embark the Ocean Endeavour by Zodiac to commence your trip!

Day 2-4: Kitikmeot Region

  • Ship
  • 3 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners
Navigate the ice-strewn waters of this infamous waterway in search of wildlife. Although this is Nunavut’s least-populated region, wildlife abounds here both in the sea and on land.

Listen to the stories shared by locals of Roald Amundsen, who overwintered in the bay for two years while searching for the Northwest Passage. Amundsen became the first European to cross the Northwest Passage, thanks to the knowledge and largesse of Inuit.

Day 5: Prince Regent Inlet

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Search this area rich in marine and avian life for the thick-billed murres, ivory gulls, beluga, narwhal, and bowhead whales who reside in the ice-strewn waters. Delve deeper into the exploration of the Northwest Passage and the mercantile efforts of the Hudson's Bay Company at intriguing expedition landing sites.

Day 6: Beechey Island

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Pay your respects at this haunting memorial to Sir John Franklin’s failed expedition. Learn the compelling history of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror’s attempts to sail through the Northwest Passage.

Franklin’s crew overwintered at Beechey Island, where three of his men died, and numerous search parties later used the spot as a depot and rendezvous. Thomas Morgan of the HMS Investigator was buried here in 1854 alongside Franklin’s men.

Visit their graves and the ruins of nearby Northumberland House while contemplating the poignant history.

Day 7-8: Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound)

  • Ship
  • 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Spend two fun-filled days exploring Tallurutiup Imanga  (Lancaster Sound), one of Canada's newest National Marine Conservation Areas. Cruise by ship and by Zodiac in search of narwhal, beluga, and bowhead whales that transit and feed in this area.

Admire Devon Island’s unique geological character, with its flat-topped mountains, glacial valleys, and substantial ice cap. At the northern edge of Tallurutiup Imanga, it’s the largest uninhabited island on Earth at over 50,000 square kilometers.

Hike the tundra, cruise a glacier face, and keep your eyes peeled for polar bears and other wildlife from ship and from shore. Visit archaeological sites with expert interpretation to learn about the human history of Inuit and their ancestors who once lived on this now-abandoned island.

Then catch a glimpse of more recent history when you visit the remains of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Hudson's Bay Company site at Dundas Harbor.

Day 9: Ausuittuq (Grise Fiord), NU

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Feel welcomed into Ausuittuq, where you will have a chance to meet members of the community, learn about their way of life, and hear their stories. The hamlet, whose name means “place that never thaws,” sits 1,150 kilometers above the Arctic Circle.

Learn about the significance of the origin of Canada’s northernmost community; during the Cold War in 1953, Inuit from Inukjuak, Québec and Mittimatalik were relocated under false pretenses by the Canadian government with the aim of asserting Canadian sovereignty.

Be sure to take a walk up to the touching sculpture memorializing the community’s history.

Day 10-11: Smith Sound

  • Ship
  • 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Break your personal record of latitude in Smith Sound, an ancient Inuit travel route that divides Ellesmere Island from Greenland. Learn the stories of Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares, Elisha Kent Kane, and other explorers and adventurers searching for the North Pole, who traveled these waters with varying degrees of success.

Day 12: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Deepen your understanding of the Arctic as we steam towards Greenland. Enjoy workshops and presentations, watch a documentary, and get out on deck with your binoculars to look for whales, seabirds, and marine wildlife.

Day 13-14: Northwest Greenland

  • Ship
  • 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Choose the activity you like best during an expedition landing on Greenland’s stunning northwest coast. Whether you prefer hiking, walking, photography, or sitting contemplatively, you’ll be delighted!

Admire the glaciers and icebergs that abound here, as we seek opportunities to hike, Zodiac cruise, explore, and view wildlife as conditions allow.

Day 15: Ilulissat

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Visit the town of Ilulissat, with splendid museums, cafés, craft shops, and a busy fishing harbor. View the icebergs from shore on a hike along the boardwalk at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, then board a Zodiac to cruise your way among them!

Ilulissat translates literally to “iceberg”—an apt name for this site at the mouth of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, a source of many of the icebergs in the North Atlantic.

Day 16: Sisimiut

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Colorful Sisimiut is Greenland’s second-largest city. Access the extensive museum through a towering whalebone archway and be sure to stop in at the artisan’s co-operative for the chance to purchase outstanding handicrafts.

Traditional qajaq (kayaking) is in resurgence here, and there are plenty of other fun outdoor activities for the adventurous to enjoy.

Day 17: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland | Disembark

  • 1 Breakfast
Kangerlussuaq Fjord (Søndre Strømfjord) is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 190 kilometres of superb scenery. We end our adventure by sailing up this dramatic fjord.
Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern head, is a former U.S. Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub. Here we will disembark the Ocean Endeavour for our return charter flight to Toronto, ON.

Ship/Hotel

Ocean Endeavour

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Ocean Endeavour - Cat 1 Quad
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Quadruple - Category 1
Deck four: Interior cabin, four lower berths, private bath (separate shower room and powder room) - approx. 240 sq. ft.
Ocean Endeavour - Cat 2 Triple
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Triple - Category 2
Deck four: Interior cabin, three lower berths, two private baths - approx. 200 sq. ft.
Interior Twin cabin on the Ocean Endeavour
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Interior Twin - Category 3
Deck five: Interior cabin, two lower berths, private bath - approx. 125 sq. ft. (twin)/110 sq. ft. (single)
Exterior Twin Cabin on the Ocean Endeavour
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Exterior Twin - Category 4
Deck four: Porthole window, unobstructed view, two lower berths, private bath - approx. 100 sq. ft. (twin)/90 sq. ft. (single)
Exterior Twin Cabin on the Ocean Endeavour
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Main Twin - Category 5
Deck five: Picture window, unobstructed view, two lower berths, private bath - approx. 115 sq. ft.
Comfort Twin cabin on board Ocean Endeavour
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Comfort Twin - Category 6
Deck four: Two portholes windows, unobstructed view, two lower berths - 175 sq.ft. Deck seven: picture window, partial view, two lower berths- 135 sq.ft. Deck eight: Picture windows, obstructed view, matrimonial bed, pvt. bath, fridge - 160 sq.ft.
Top Deck Twin on the Ocean Endeavour
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Select Twin - Category 7
Deck five. Picture windows, unobstructed view, two lower berths, approx. 190 sq. ft. Deck eight: oversize windows, partially obstruction view, matrimonial bed, private bath, refrigerator - approx. 145 sq. ft.
Superior Twin on the Ocean Endeavour
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Superior Twin - Category 8
Deck five. Two picture windows, unobstructed view, two lower berths, sitting area- 210 sq.ft. Deck seven: forward-facing windows with unobstructed view, matrimonial, private bath w/full tub- 180 sq.ft. Deck seven midship: picture windows, partially obstructed view, matrimonial, private bath, fridge - 190 sq.ft
Ocean Endeavour Cabin Category 9
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Junior Suite - Category 9
Deck five: Picture windows, unobstructed views, matrimonial bed, sitting area- approx. 270 sq. ft. Deck seven: forward-facing picture windows, views, matrimonial bed, private bath w/full tub, sitting area, private bath, refrigerator - approx. 290 sq. ft.
Ocean Endeavour Cabin Category 10
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Suite - Category 10
Deck seven. Forward-facing picture windows, unobstructed view, matrimonial bed, private bath with full tub, refrigerator - approx. 310 sq. ft.

Notes

We have a limited quantity of cabins in category 3 through to category 7 with no single supplement! Once these cabins are sold, the single supplement fee (in order to secure a cabin to yourself) is 1.5 times the berth cost.

- Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy. Request the Twin Share Program where you are matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.

- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.5 times the double occupancy rate.
Included
  • 16 Breakfasts, 15 Lunches, 16 Dinners
  • 16 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Contribution to Adventure Canada's Discovery Fund
  • Complimentary Expedition Jacket
  • Pre-departure materials
  • Educational program
  • Applicable taxes and credit card fees
  • Guided activities
  • Sightseeing and community visits
  • Photo Equipment Trial Program
  • Interactive workshops
  • Evening entertainment
  • All shipboard meals
  • All port fees
  • Special access permits, entry, and park fees
  • Expert expedition team
  • All Zodiac excursions
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • It is mandatory to have emergency evacuation and medical insurance to travel with Adventure Canada. It is recommended to obtain a basic minimum coverage of $500,000 on all cruises.
  • Commercial and charter flights
  • Program enhancements/optional excursions (Must be pre-booked)
  • Additional expenses in the event of delays or itinerary changes
  • Mandatory medical evacuation insurance
  • Possible fuel surcharges and administrative fees
  • Pre- and post-trip hotel accommodation

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Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen

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