Enjoy your first Zodiac ride to the Silver Explorer, waiting at anchor. Once all guests have embarked, you will attend a mandatory safety drill before we depart on your exciting expedition – North Atlantic Adventure. This evening, you will be introduced to your Expedition Leaders and attend a mandatory Zodiac briefing.

Located just north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is the second-largest as well as the northernmost town in Greenland where the port remains free of ice in the winter. Yet it is also the southernmost town where there exists enough snow and ice to drive a dogsled in winter and spring. In Sisimiut, traveling by sled has been the primary means of winter transportation for centuries. The Greenlandic sled dog has been bred to be amongst the strongest working dogs in the world and can be seen all over town. Sisimiut has been used by different cultures and groups for almost 4500 years. Ruins of early settlements can still be seen west of the town. The Sisimiut Museum houses part of its collection in Greenland’s oldest surviving church as well as in a peat house. For those interested in tasting some of the local delicacies, the museum has prepared Greenlandic soup, shrimps, and dried fish which you can taste while visiting the museum. Another typical and iconic ‘vehicle’ of transportation is the qajaq (better known as ‘kayak’) and although most Greenlandic hunters or fishermen use modern boats, many still have a qajaq. You can hope to see a qajaq demonstration in Sisimiut’s harbor.

As we continue our exploration of the Disko Bay area, we stop of at one of the smallest settlements that we will come across during our voyage. During our visit we will share with the locals, learning more about their culture and lifestyle. There might even be some beadwork for sale as a souvenir. Before departing we will enjoy a Zodiac tour of the rugged coastline and the many icebergs that get stranded here after breaking off from the Jakobshavn Glacier. During the afternoon we will cruise past Arve Prinsens Island to reach one of the glaciers north of Ilulissat. This is where Paul-Emile Victor started in 1948 to reach the icecap. The glacial front still has a length of almost 4 kilometres and calves several times a day. We hope to be there and witness a calving from a safe distance –be it on board Silver Explorer or in a Zodiac.

Just after sunrise, be out on deck to see the northern hemisphere’s most active glacier – the Jakobshavn Glacier. Known as the birthplace of icebergs, the Ilulissat Icefjord produces several million tons of ice each day. Its entrance is often surrounded by icebergs in all shapes and sizes and in varying shades of white and turquoise. The town of Ilulissat is known for its long periods of calm and settled weather, but the climate is a bit colder due to its proximity to the fjord. While here, you may have the opportunity to see a demonstration of ancient fishing methods and enjoy some locally caught and prepared fish. During your guided walking tour of Ilulissat, you will visit the local history museum, which used to be the home of famous arctic explorer Knud Rasmussen. South of town are several trails leading to the Icefjord, one of them a boardwalk. The afternoon tour continues via fishing boat, as you navigate amongst the many icebergs at the fjord’s entrance. Alternatively, guests have the option to purchase an exciting helicopter excursion to see the magnificent Jakobshavn Icefjord by air.

Binoculars and camera in hand, head out on deck to watch for seabirds and marine mammals. Attend informative lectures that will prepare you for the upcoming ports-of-call in Canada and the adventures that lie ahead. Peruse an array of titles and topics in the well-stocked Library, enjoy a fine cognac at the Connoisseur’s Corner or indulge in any of the other special amenities offered aboard ship.

Your first foray into Canada begins in the town of Iqaluit located at the head of Frobisher Bay, an inlet of the North Atlantic extending into south-eastern Baffin Island. The Bay is so long that it was first taken to be the possible entrance of a Northwest Passage. During the morning you will cruise towards Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut -Inuktitut for “our land”. Nunavut is the least populated, but largest of Canada’s provinces and territories, and is filled with culture and charm. After completing formalities associated with customs and immigration, you go ashore and explore the edges of Canada’s “true north”. Depending on the tides (Iqaluit has a maximum tidal range of almost 12 meters) you will either have a dry landing on a pier or a wet beach landing. The ship’s experts along with local guides will lead you through the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum and the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building, both housing incredible collections of Inuit artwork. The museum shop has some very interesting local prints for sale. Before returning to Silver Explorer you will enjoy a performance of traditional throat-singing.

Today you will search for Ursus maritimus, the polar bear, which the native Inuit refer to as Nanuk or Nanuuq. The Lower Savage Islands are a small group of islands off of the south-eastern tip of Baffin Island, and a common location for polar bears to be found during the summer months. With plenty of land to roam while giving each other a wide berth, plus opportunity for the odd feed, it seems many bears locate here as the ice vanishes with the season’s warming temperatures. Your Zodiacs will allow you to cruise through the narrow channels between the islands to search for wildlife among the unusual rocky formations.

Today you explore around remote Akpatok Island at the northernmost extremity of the Labrador Peninsula. Steep and sheer limestone cliffs jut out of the icy waters. Encased in snow and surrounded with sea ice in the winter months, this uninhabited island lures huge amounts of wildlife, most notably the world’s largest population of breeding Thick-billed Murres, also known as Brünnich’s Guillemots (Inuktitut name: Akpatok), estimated at well over a million birds. These auks flock to the bare cliffs of the island between June and September, and murres incubate their single pear-shaped egg on the cliff’s ledges. Glaucous Gulls can be seen soaring above looking for unguarded eggs and chicks, while Black Guillemots paddle around on the nearby sea. Akpatok Island is also a favourite summer home for polar bears as they wait for the winter ice to form.

On your way south from Akpatok you will be travelling along the Torngat Mountains National Park situated on the eastern side of Labrador’s northernmost point –sometimes described as the “Eastern Rocky Mountains”. At Saglek Bay, the Torngat Mountains National Park has set up a Base Camp not just for visitors, but for rangers and the local Inuit as well. The park covers an area of 9.700 km² and is dotted with remnants of several cirque glaciers. Saglek Fjord has an outstanding array of geological features and the steep cliffs provide some of the best exposures to the earth’s geologic history. The name of the national park goes back to Torngarsoak, who was believed to control the life of sea animals and took the form of a huge polar bear. Inuit still have a strong spiritual connection to this “Place of Spirits”. Although polar bears are often seen hunting seals on the ice we are still too early in the season, but herds of Torngat Mountain and George River caribou migrate to and from their calving grounds and Inuit use the area to hunt, fish and travel throughout the year. Different animal groups will be making their migration and red and Arctic foxes will be looking for lemmings and voles. Harlequin Ducks, Peregrine Falcons, Barrow’s Goldeneye and Short-eared Owls are found within the park. While Minke whales tend to linger in bays, humpback and fin whales like to stay offshore. During the afternoon you will be following the coastline, looking for the different whales.

A leisurely day at sea can be used to exchange notes with fellow travelers. Enjoy a lecture about Canada’s natural history. An interesting book can be good company -or just relax in the comfort of your suite and watch a movie on the in-suite interactive television. As you make your way along Canada’s scenic coast, spend some time out on deck keeping an eye out for seabirds, dolphin, seals and migrating humpback, fin or blue whales, or listen to additional presentations by the expert natural history staff in The Theater or in the comfort of your own accommodation. Enjoy a fine cognac at the Connoisseur’s Corner or indulge in any of the other special amenities offered aboard Silver Explorer.

During the morning enjoy a lecture about the Norse voyages from Greenland to Canada and the sleuthing behind the search for their landing sites while we continue southward. An early lunch aboard Silver Explorer will give you more time to land like ancient Vikings albeit via Zodiac on the shores of L’Anse aux Meadows (“Jellyfish Bay”). After a short walk with your local guides, encounter the ruins of an entire Viking village dating back to the year 1000. Norseman Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, established this colony in the New World some 500 years before the likes of Christopher Columbus and John Cabot. In 1978, this village was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much of the L’Anse aux Meadows’ archaeological site remains natural and unspoiled. Three buildings have been reconstructed near the original site in order to provide visitors insight into the lifestyles of these hardy explorers.

Via Zodiac, go ashore for a morning of discovery at Gros Morne National Park, where you can actually witness the geological past of the planet. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both exceptional natural scenery and distinctive geological history, Gros Morne National Park provides some of the planet’s great geology lessons. This morning you will step on the earth’s mantle and experience the harsh landform – the Tablelands – that gave the park its World Heritage status. You also learn about the park and Newfoundland at Gros Morne’s Discovery Center (primary interpretation center). Here you can learn more about Newfoundland’s geology, plant and animal life, marine story and human history. Your adventure continues as you travel to the start of the Tablelands trail, where your guide will invite you to explore the landform’s unique biology and geology during a 30-minute exploration or you can accompany a guide along the 2½ mile round trip hike to the entrance of Winterhouse Brook Canyon. The geology here comes from the time when the Iapetus Ocean closed, pushing these rocks, originally buried deep beneath the ocean in the earth’s mantle, to their present position on land. You return to the Silver Explorer in time for a leisurely lunch and an afternoon at sea.

Although almost equidistant from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, the Iles de la Madeleine (or Magdalen Islands) belong to Quebec and most inhabitants speak French. The island Cap-aux-Meules is also known as Grindstone. The island is the gateway to the archipelago. Take a walk in Parc des Buck and you will come to a lookout point that reveals spectacular views of Cap-aux-Meules and the neighbouring islands. West of the town Cap-aux-Meules is L’Etang-du-Nord, a village with the second-largest wooden church still existing in North America. Struck several times by lightning it has in part been built from wood retrieved from shipwrecks. If you are more interested in flora and fauna you can explore the East Point National Wildlife Reserve with its typical dune environment and its bird life. There are two nature trails that will permit you to look for shorebirds and ducks that use the Reserve as an essential stopping point on their migrations.

Heading almost due east from Cap-aux-Meules leave Canada and reach France in less than 22 hours! With barely 6,000 inhabitants living on tiny St. Pierre (10 sq. mi) we are visiting one of the smallest French Overseas collectivities. The inhabitants are predominantly descendants of Normans, Basque and Bretons and the French spoken is closer to Metropolitan French than to Canadian French. Although Basque is not spoken any longer, the influence is still felt through sport and a Basque Festival. You will go ashore in the afternoon to have a look at this European enclave. Interestingly, this small island has two museums in part dedicated to the Prohibition and the Musée Heritage is St. Pierre’s newest museum with a focus on medical artifacts from the 19th and 20th century. Another claim to fame is a guillotine, the only one ever used in North America. If you want to send any mail, the Post Office can easily be found, as the Post Office clock tower is shaped like a praying monk. During the late afternoon you will continue on toward St. John’s. The on-board videographer will present his Voyage-DVD, a good opportunity to recall all the different impressions Greenland, Baffin Island and the Canadian coast had to offer.

After breakfast, disembark Silver Explorer.