Northern Lights Cruise from Greenland to Canada

Arrive in Reyjavik, relax, and spend the overnight here preparing for your adventure.

*Specific hotel and location to be announced

Visit Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, where nearly half the country’s population lives. Walk through the city’s cultural landmarks, including the Greenland National Museum, which holds the famous Qilakitsoq mummies. Explore the busy harbor with its mix of old wooden buildings, Nuuk Cathedral, and modern design. Use Nuuk as your base to access Inuit traditions and explore nearby fjords and rugged landscapes.

The northernmost city in Greenland, just above the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut remains remarkably ice free in winter and is known as an adventure sports hub all year round. Inhabited for more than 4,500 years by the Dorset, Thule and eventually the Inuit people, dog sledding remains a vital form of transportation. The area is home to humpback whales and Arctic foxes in their summer coat.

Included Excursion:

Local cultural event incl. entrance to the Old Museum area
02 h 00 m

• Savor authentic Greenlandic delicacies in a tasting tent, showcasing the region's rich culinary heritage.
• Share camaraderie through song, where you'll have the chance to sing along in Greenlandic to familiar melodies
• Meet the amazing Greenlandic dogs and learn more about their significance to the Greenlandic people

Known for its Inuit culture, whales and icebergs, Disko Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Western Greenland. The bay is also home to the Ilulissat Icefjord, one of the fastest-moving glaciers in the world. First visited by Europeans in 1596, in search of a Northwest Passage to Asia, it has been an Inuit home for millennia. The village of Qeqertarsuaq embodies thriving Inuit traditions, preserving the cultural legacy.

Included Excursion:

Cruising among the spectacular icebergs
01 h 00 m

• Near Ilulissat, the famous Icefjord calves the most impressive icebergs of the northern hemisphere
• The Sermeq Kujalleq is the biggest glacier and biggest ice stream outside Antarctica. As soon as you look onto the bay, these big icebergs are omnipresent.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

The views of snow-capped mountains have given Pond Inlet in northern Baffin Island the name of Canada’s ‘jewel of the north’ and the area is a prime breeding ground for narwhals - toothed whales with a distinct large tusk. The traditional Inuit community living in the hamlet of Mittimatalik are renowned for their craft skills from printmaking and stone carving.

Included Excursion:

Pond Inlet Discovery & Community Activities
03 h 00 m

• Journey by zodiac to this traditional Inuit community located on the northern tip of Baffin Island near the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage
• Attend a captivating performance that weaves together Inuit language and tradition at the Community Hall
• Enjoy an opportunity to hike with the group to Salmon Creek to see the archaeological site and sod houses near the river

Gracing the eastern high Arctic, Croker Bay, a mesmerising Arctic waterway, carves its way into Devon Island within the vibrant Qikiqtaaluk Region. This deep inlet, an extension of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait, unveils a landscape of captivating beauty. The Devon ice cap feeds the huge South Croker Bay Glacier that calves into the bay.

Included Excursion:

Zodiac Tour with Swan Hellenic Expedition Team
01 h 00 m

• Embark on a thrilling discovering of this spectacular tidewater glacier that’s fed by the expansive Devon Island ice cap
• Your expedition team will navigate close to the face of the glacier to admire the striated, white, blue and grey slave of ice
• Along with the many birds you might encounter around the area, you might also be greeted by seals and even the occasional walrus

This area is closely associated with the exploration of Canada’s High Arctic and the Northwest Passage. Much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was mapped while searching for the missing crew of British explorer Sir John Franklin’s fateful 1845-46 Northwest Passage Expedition. Radstock Bay sits below the mighty Caswall Tower mountain and hides many secrets, with evidence of sledge tracks, camps and food tins that may help reveal what happened.

Included Excursion:

Nature & Discovery Walk with Swan Hellenic Expedition Team
01 h 00 m

• Take off on an exploration of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago accompanied by your expert Expedition Team
• Unveil the many mysteries of Radstock Bay like the sledge tracks, camps and food tins that give insight into the early Thule settlements
• Once ashore, take some time to visit the Quarmat homes which are common among Thule and Inuit settlements

Beechey Island Sites, five historical locations in Canada’s High Arctic, mark where Sir John Franklin wintered in 1845–46 during his ill-fated Northwest Passage expedition. The search for his crew led to much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago being mapped. Nearly six decades later, in 1903, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage.

Discovery Walk with Swan Hellenic Expedition Team
Included
01 h 00 m

• Visit the Beechey Island Sites National Historic Site of Canada, located primarily on Beechey Island, a rugged peninsula connected to Devon Island in the Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut
• Learn the fateful history of Sir John Franklin and his crew of expeditioners who went missing here and the role this played in mapping the much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
• As you tread the vast landscapes of Beechey Island, history unfolds before you, leading you to five historic sites that dot this area

Port Leopold is a place of raw, rugged natural beauty and landscapes that evoke a sense of awe and wonder. The pristine wilderness and untouched terrain create a feeling of remoteness and isolation, while the Arctic wildlife that calls this place home adds a touch of wildness and unpredictability. The area's history as a former Hudson's Bay Company trading post also lends a sense of nostalgia and intrigue.

Included Excursion:

Expedition Landing in Remote Port Leopold
01 h 00 m

• Explore the stunning and remote Port Leopold in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada at the northeast tip of Somerset Island
• Get to know the many historical figures who have put this port on the map, including John Clark Ross, Sir John Franklin, Prince Leopold and King Leopold I of Belgium
• The island is listed as a migratory bird sanctuary and terrestrial habitat site thanks to the many seabird species that live and breed here between late May and mid-September

Uninhabited Batty Bay, Nunavut, part of Prince Regent Inlet on Somerset Island, features dramatic cliffs and hills and is a historic Arctic site. It saw early explorers like Sir John Franklin and Captain John Ross, who left boats there in 1832. Batty Bay's history and pristine Arctic setting continue to attract explorers and researchers. While not a beluga hotspot, the wider region sees significant beluga migrations.

The Bellot Strait, named in honor of the French explorer Joseph-René Bellot, is a narrow, 2.3-km-wide, and 25-km-long waterway. It separates Somerset Island to the north from the Boothia Peninsula to the south. This strait played a historical role during an expedition to locate Sir John Franklin's lost expedition, tragically marked by Bellot's death in the area in 1853.

Strzelecki Harbor, on the east coast of uninhabited Prince of Wales Island, lies within Peel Sound opposite Bellot Strait. Its nutrient-rich waters attract arctic marine mammals like beluga whales and narwhal, while the surrounding low tundra offers occasional sightings of polar bears and muskoxen. This remote island was first encountered by Europeans in 1851 during Sir Francis McClintock's search for the lost Franklin Expedition.

Cunningham Inlet, on the eastern side of Nunavut's Somerset Island, draws crowds of beluga whales each summer. Up to 2,000 whales gather around the Cunningham River estuary. The whales come to the inlet to mate, raise their young, socialise and shed their old, yellowed skin in the warm, shallow waters, revealing their snow-white epidermis beneath. Observers can witness these activities firsthand, often enjoying close-up views from the shore.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

Buchan Gulf, a remote Arctic fjord on Baffin Island's northeastern coast, is one of the world’s most important nesting sites for northern fulmars, who roost on the towering cliffs and rocks. Polar bears roam the shores of Icy Arm, a narrow fjord with the relics of an ancient Thule semi-subterranean home sitting on the edge of the boggy tundra. Pods of narwhals are at home in the deep waters of this glacial fjord system on eastern Baffin Island.

Qikiqtarjuaq is a remote, beautiful Baffin Island community surrounded by towering mountains and glaciers. The rugged landscape and pristine wilderness offer endless opportunities for outdoor adventure, from kayaking to wildlife watching. The town's Inuit culture and traditions are still alive. But what sets Qikiqtarjuaq apart is the warmth and hospitality of its people, who welcome visitors and share their rich history and traditions with pride.

Included Excursion:

Discover the remote Inuit hamlet and the natural beauty of Qikiqtarjuaq
02 h 00 m

• Explore the picturesque and welcoming community of Qikiqtarjuaq, an Inuktitut word meaning ‘big island’
• The community is strategically located for iceberg viewing making it the perfect place to see them travel down the Davis Strait
• See some of the many emblematic specifies of Arctic wildlife that call the island home

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

Home to more than a third of Greenlanders, the capital of Greenland has a thriving cultural scene, including the Greenland National Museum, home to the world-renowned Qilakitsoq mummies. Also known by its Danish name of Godthåb (Good Hope), Nuuk's bustling harbour features Nuuk Cathedral and colourful wooden houses, alongside modern architecture. Nuuk also serves as a gateway to Inuit experiences and adventures in the surrounding fjords and mountains.