Heart of the Arctic

Arrive in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, located at the entrance of a large fjord. The city has hillside neighborhoods with colorful buildings and views of the surrounding mountains. Daily life includes local cafés, art spaces, and residential areas that show a mix of older traditions and modern activity.

Visit the Greenland National Museum to see the Qilakitsoq mummies, an important archaeological discovery that offers insight into life along this coast. Walk through the old harbor area, where working docks, small shops, and cafés sit alongside historic structures. The area shows how past and present continue to shape daily life in the city.

Sail into Nuup Kangerlua, a large fjord surrounded by mountains and glacial water. The route passes between islands and floating ice, offering views that shift as the ship moves. Look for seals and seabirds along the way, and listen to information shared about the area’s geology and history of glaciation. The day progresses at a steady pace with time to observe the landscape and reflect on the surroundings.

As the ship crosses Davis Strait toward Canada, the open ocean becomes classroom and companion. Learn from Inuit cultural educators and scientists who share perspectives on climate, language, and life in the North. Join an Inuit games workshop or simply watch the horizon, where whales surface in slow arcs and seabirds follow the wake. The crossing is a time to listen—to voices, to water, to wind.

Kimmirut, meaning “the heel,” lies where marble cliffs meet the sea. Here, art and land intertwine—ivory carvings, jewelry, and stonework shaped by generations of artists. Walk among blooming tundra and feel the marble stone underfoot, luminous against the Arctic light. In this small community, every creation tells a story of place.

In Kinngait, creativity fills the air. Visit the historic West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, birthplace of Inuit printmaking, and meet the artists whose hands shape visions from stone and ink. The hum of carving tools, the scent of paper and pigment—every detail speaks of tradition evolving with each generation. Here, art is a shared language between past and present.

Step ashore on the vast, treeless tundra of the Ungava Peninsula. With Inuit guides, trace the contours of ancient rock, learn the names of hardy plants, and pause on a glacial boulder to listen to the stillness. Zodiac along the coast to watch for wildlife and seabirds in motion. The landscape is quiet yet alive—a lesson in subtlety and endurance.

Salluit greets visitors with open hands and open hearts. In this northern community, traditions are lived with joy and belonging. Share laughter and music in the community hall, taste local food, and explore the artistry of mittens, carvings, and jewelry. On the hills above town, look out over the bay—a view of connection between people and place.

Akpatok Island rises sheer and white from Ungava Bay, its cliffs crowded with thick-billed murres. Zodiac beneath the walls of limestone where air thrums with wings. Keep watch for polar bears and walrus along the shore. The scale and sound of this place remind you how full the Arctic can be—alive, vast, and brimming with presence.

Along the wild coast of Baffin Island, glacier faces and sculpted rock tell the story of ice’s long hand. Cruise by Zodiac or ship as light reveals the texture of the cliffs, catching on ridges and folds of stone. Geologists on board (known for listening to rocks) interpret the patterns and folds, revealing how the land remembers its making.

Sail through Frobisher Bay, where icebergs drift between dark headlands. Wildlife may gather in the calm coves—seals, seabirds, and perhaps a distant bear. The ship moves slowly, and time seems to loosen. This is a day for quiet observation, for feeling the expanse and beauty of the North.

Arrive in Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut, and the journey’s end. The city stands at the head of Frobisher Bay, a meeting place of modern life and traditional strength. As you board the Zodiac for your final shore landing, look back once more at the horizon—the light, the land, the learning you now carry within you.