Northwest Passage & Nunavut Expedition

You arrive in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, founded around 870 C.E and home to about 200,000 people. Transfer from the airport to your hotel and check in at the Reykjavik Charter Hotel or similar. Spend the day settling in, exploring nearby streets, and getting familiar with the city before your cruise departure.

You transfer from your hotel to the airport for a Reykjavik air charter to Kangerlussuaq. Upon arrival, take a school bus transfer to the embarkation point. Kangerlussuaq, Greenland’s largest commercial airport, sits on a flat plain formed by a glacial river and supports a small population of about 500. The area has historical significance as a former U.S. Army Air Force refueling base during World War II.

Greenland’s capital Nuuk, is a city of vitality and Greenlandic culture. It’s here that old traditions and modern influences combine to create a diverse population. Nuuk is the home of the University of Greenland with its 650 students and the Greenland National Museum with is its extensive historical archives and cultural displays. Also of interest are the Nuuk Art Museum and the Kayak Museum. The Art Museum holds a body of 300 paintings primarily featuring the work of traveling European artists, while the Kayak Museum houses a very impressive collection of sealskin kayaks and traditional hunting artifacts. The modest wooden frame of the Nuuk Cathedral, built in 1849, is a recognizable landmark on Nuuk’s skyline.

The site of Nuuk was occupied as far back as 2,200 B.C.E. by ancient pre-Inuit peoples from Canada. It was settled again in the 10th century by Viking explorers. The current city was founded in 1728 by Danish missionary Hans Egede. A statue of Egede stands adjacent to the cathedral.

You spend the day at sea, enjoying onboard amenities and preparing for upcoming Arctic destinations.

In 1576, English explorer Martin Frobisher sailed into Frobisher Bay in search of a route to China. What he “discovered” was a large inlet with numerous Inuit fishing and hunting camps along its shores. The name Iqaluit means ‘a place of many fish’ in Inuktitut. Although the Inuit people had been here for thousands of years prior, they hadn’t establish a permanent settlement. It wasn’t until 1942 that the first Inuit made Iqaluit home. They settled here to help service the U.S. Air Force base, which was used to ferry aircraft to Europe during World War II.

Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, has 7,700 inhabitants. Some 60% of its residents are Inuit. A highlight of a visit here is the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, with its beautiful displays of Inuit art, artifacts and dioramas of Arctic life. St. Jude's Cathedral, often referred to as the ‘Igloo Cathedral’ because of its unique architectural design, is likewise of interest to visitors.

Diana Island lies off the north shore of Quebec on the Southeast side of Hudson Strait, offering dramatic cliffs, nesting seabirds, and sweeping views of the Arctic Ocean. Its isolation makes it ideal for quiet exploration and wildlife photography.
Final itineraries are subject to weather, ice, and other conditions and are subject to change

Erik Cove is a secluded inlet near the northernmost tip of the province of Quebec, Canada, steeped in Arctic history and surrounded by tundra wilderness. Once home to one of the earlier outposts of the Hudson’s Bay Company, the site offers a glimpse into the region’s colonial past — the trading post here operated until its final closure in 1947. Today, remnants of that era still stand, weathered by time and framed by sweeping views of the entrance to Hudson Bay. The surrounding landscape is shaped by glacial forces, with rugged terrain and wide-open tundra that support a rich array of Arctic wildlife. Polar bears and belugas may be spotted offshore, while inland, ancient Inuit hunting sites speak to the enduring human presence in this remote part of the world.
 

Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.

The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:

Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.

Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.

Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.

Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

INCLUDED EXPEDITIONS:

Zodiac Excursions

Get an up-close perspective of this icy realm on regular Zodiac cruises, navigating huge icebergs and glacier fronts while your Expedition Team members point out marine mammals and wildlife ashore.

Nature Hikes

Set out on foot to explore beautiful, tundra-covered landscapes with your Expedition Team members, who delight in pointing out delicate plants and flowers that thrive in this hostile environment. You can hike to an ancient Thule settlement of stone pit houses on Devon Island, and encounters with arctic foxes, hares, and other wildlife are always possible.

OPTIONAL EXPEDITIONS (whenever possible):

Kayak:

Join your Kayak Team for a paddle along the shores wherever your expedition stops. The chance to experience this wild, remote place from a water-level perspective is a rare and special privilege.

Fury and Hecla Strait is a narrow and remote waterway in the Canadian Arctic, separating Baffin Island from the Melville Peninsula. It connects two significant bodies of water: Foxe Basin to the east and the Gulf of Boothia to the west, forming a vital link in the geography of Nunavut’s northern coastline. The strait was named after the ships HMS Fury and HMS Hecla, which were part of an early 19th-century British expedition led by William Edward Parry in search of the Northwest Passage. Though the expedition was ultimately blocked by ice, the naming commemorates their efforts to chart this challenging region. Navigationally, Fury and Hecla Strait is notable for its narrowness and shifting ice conditions, making it a fascinating passage for expedition vessels. From the deck, guests can take in sweeping views of the stark Arctic landscape and scan the horizon for wildlife — polar bears, walruses, and belugas are known to frequent the area, while seabirds soar overhead in search of open water.

Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.

The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:

Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.

Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.

Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.

Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

INCLUDED EXPEDITIONS:

Zodiac Excursions

Get an up-close perspective of this icy realm on regular Zodiac cruises, navigating huge icebergs and glacier fronts while your Expedition Team members point out marine mammals and wildlife ashore.

Nature Hikes

Set out on foot to explore beautiful, tundra-covered landscapes with your Expedition Team members, who delight in pointing out delicate plants and flowers that thrive in this hostile environment. You can hike to an ancient Thule settlement of stone pit houses on Devon Island, and encounters with arctic foxes, hares, and other wildlife are always possible.

OPTIONAL EXPEDITIONS (whenever possible):

Kayak:

Join your Kayak Team for a paddle along the shores wherever your expedition stops. The chance to experience this wild, remote place from a water-level perspective is a rare and special privilege.

You visit Cambridge Bay Village, Canada, where expedition activities may include Zodiac cruises, nature walks, or cultural experiences in cold Arctic conditions.

Sailing through the Northwest Passage is a rare travel experience that has been hundreds of years in the making. The passage — more specifically, a series of channels through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — extends approximately 900 miles from Baffin Island to the Beaufort Sea above Alaska. Your Seabourn ship spends nine days traversing this famed sea corridor, and while the exact route taken through the islands can vary, your expedition is sure to be one of contemplation and discovery.

The glacier-carved landscape here is dominated by sea ice, which is used as a platform by marine mammals such as walruses and Arctic ringed seals — as well as the polar bears that hunt them. Yet the region has experienced monumental change since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first mapped the Northwest Passage in 1906, and the rapidly shrinking sea ice coverage now allows ships to navigate the route year-round — while also creating existential challenges for the animals that rely upon the ice for survival. Many of the areas you pass through were traditional Indigenous hunting and fishing grounds, and archaeological discoveries show that the Pre-Dorset people occupied this region some 4,000 years ago.

Highlights along the Northwest Passage include:

Devon Island: The world’s largest uninhabited island, located west of Baffin Bay, is known as “Mars on Earth” for its barren, rocky terrain and polar desert climate.

Beechy Island: This tiny island, connected to Devon by a thin isthmus, is the final resting place for four members of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845.

Cambridge Bay: A visit to this small Inuit town — the administrative hub for Canada’s Nunavut territory — offers insight into how people survive in such a remote and harsh environment.

Bellot Strait: Steep slopes, strong currents, and thick sea ice make this narrow gap between Somerset Island and mainland Canada a navigational challenge. (Fear not, though: if it proves impassable, your Seabourn captain has other options!)

INCLUDED EXPEDITIONS:

Zodiac Excursions

Get an up-close perspective of this icy realm on regular Zodiac cruises, navigating huge icebergs and glacier fronts while your Expedition Team members point out marine mammals and wildlife ashore.

Nature Hikes

Set out on foot to explore beautiful, tundra-covered landscapes with your Expedition Team members, who delight in pointing out delicate plants and flowers that thrive in this hostile environment. You can hike to an ancient Thule settlement of stone pit houses on Devon Island, and encounters with arctic foxes, hares, and other wildlife are always possible.

OPTIONAL EXPEDITIONS (whenever possible):

Kayak:

Join your Kayak Team for a paddle along the shores wherever your expedition stops. The chance to experience this wild, remote place from a water-level perspective is a rare and special privilege.

 

You spend the next two days at sea, enjoying onboard amenities and preparing for the next Arctic and Greenland destinations.

Located 24 miles (40 km) north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is “rough, real and remote.” These three words cut to the core of Sisimiut’s reputation as an outdoor adventure-travel hub. It’s the second-largest city in Greenland with 5,600 inhabitants and was founded in 1756 under the leadership of the Danish missionary, Hans Egede. The name is Greenlandic meaning ‘place of fox dens.’ The area has been inhabited for 4,500 years, first by the Inuit peoples of the Saqqaq culture, Dorset culture, and then the Thule people, whose descendants comprise the majority of the current population.

One of the most picturesque towns in Greenland, Sisimiut is set in a tranquil fjord perched on bare outcrops of rock. Mount Nasaasaaq, 2,572’ (784 m) tall, is the backdrop for the town, where colorful houses of bright red, yellow, green and blue stand out in stark contrast to a landscape of gray and white. The Sisimiut Museum hosts a traditional Greenlandic peat house and the remains of an 18th century kayak.

Eternity Fjord, situated in the remote wilderness of Greenland, is a breathtaking natural wonder known for its awe-inspiring beauty and dramatic landscapes. Carved by ancient glaciers, the fjord is flanked by towering snow-capped peaks and sheer cliffs that plunge into crystal-clear Arctic waters, creating a majestic spectacle of contrasting colors and textures. The serenity of the fjord is punctuated by the occasional crack and groan of the icebergs as they calve and drift slowly towards the sea. This pristine and untouched environment offers a glimpse into the raw, untamed beauty of the Arctic, captivating visitors with its sense of timeless grandeur and an overwhelming feeling of being in the presence of an unspoiled, primordial masterpiece of nature.

You disembark in Kangerlussuaq and take a school bus transfer to the airport, then fly by air charter to Reykjavik. Upon arrival, transfer to the Reykjavik Charter Hotel or similar. Kangerlussuaq, Greenland’s largest commercial airport, sits on a flat plain formed by a glacial river and has a small population of about 500. The area was originally built as a U.S. Army Air Force base in 1941 to refuel aircraft during World War II.

You transfer from the hotel to the airport in Reykjavik. Steeped in history and bursting with contemporary flair, Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, was founded around 870 C.E, marking the birth of the first permanent settlement on this island nation. Today, it is home to approximately 200,000 inhabitants, making up nearly 60% of Iceland's population. Reykjavík holds the title of the world's northernmost national capital, and it takes pride in its reputation as one of the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities globally. Its commitment to sustainability and eco-consciousness is evident in every corner, from its energy-efficient buildings to its pollution-free skies.