Out of the Northwest Passage

The journey begins in Kugluktuk, the westernmost community in Nunavut, where the Coppermine River meets the sea. Its Inuinnaqtun name means “place of moving waters.”

Kugluktuk is known for its local art and community life. Residents share stories about living in the western Arctic, where traditional practices and modern life exist alongside seasonal changes. From the ice-class expedition vessel, the view extends across open water dotted with drifting ice as the ship heads east along the first stretch of the Northwest Passage.

The Kitikmeot Region covers the central Arctic, with tundra, island chains, and shifting sea ice. It is a key part of the Northwest Passage, where Inuit and explorer histories intersect.

Local communities share stories about their history, hunting practices, and daily life. Zodiac excursions visit quiet bays where caribou and muskoxen graze under open skies.

Reach Ikirahaq—known to many as Bellot Strait—a narrow channel where the tides of east and west converge. Threading between Somerset Island and the Boothia Peninsula, it marks the northernmost tip of continental North America. 

Granite headlands rise close on either side, streaked with scree, snow, and time. The currents twist and surge beneath the hull, where seals, seabirds, and occasional belugas or narwhals forage for food. For Inuit, Ikirahaq has long been a place of movement and gathering—a reminder that the meeting of waters mirrors the meeting of stories.

At Beechey Island, history lies close to the surface. In 1845, Sir John Franklin set out from England with HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, attempting to sail through the Northwest Passage. His crew overwintered here, where three of his men died. Later, in 1854, Thomas Morgan of HMS Investigator was buried beside them—a solemn witness to the relentless search for Franklin’s lost expedition. 

Beechey became a depot and landmark for numerous search parties that followed. Amundsen, Bernier, and Larsen all stopped here, leaving their traces among the ruins of Northumberland House. The landscape is stark and wind-scoured: gravel, ice, and the call of gulls echoing across still water. Inuit oral history preserved what records could not, guiding modern searchers to the resting places of the ships and the men who vanished with them. Standing here, you feel the continuity between ambition and endurance—held quietly in the land’s enduring silence.

Enter Tallurutiup Imanga, a great inlet where glaciers feed cold, life-rich waters. Designated as one of Canada’s largest National Marine Conservation Areas, it is a confluence of nature and culture. Inuit knowledge and stewardship sustain a balance as intricate as the migration of narwhal and bowhead. 

Watch for polar bears on the ice, walrus on floes, and seabirds circling overhead. Devon Island rises to the north, vast and uninhabited—a landscape of stone and silence. Hike across tundra valleys where traces of ancient camps speak to the endurance of those who have travelled this coast for generations.

Arrive in Ausuittuq, a community established in the 1950s when families were relocated from Inukjuak, Québec, to this high Arctic environment—“the place that never thaws.” Surrounded by peaks and glaciers, it is Canada’s northernmost community. 

Feel the welcome of residents who share stories of family, hunting, and adaptation. Listen to the cadence of Inuktitut and feel a quiet generosity amid the stark beauty of ice and stone. As you walk the shoreline, the balance between isolation and belonging becomes palpable—a living connection between people and the land that sustains them.

Sail into Smith Sound, a broad waterway marking the meeting place of Canada and Greenland—and, historically, the threshold to the North Pole. Icebergs drift south from Greenland’s glaciers, glowing with every hue of blue. 

For centuries, Inuit hunters have crossed its frozen expanse, while European expeditions sought passage north through its icy corridors. Today, its silence is punctuated only by wind and the slow fracture of ice. As you continue eastward, the sense of scale deepens—water and sky expanding endlessly, carrying you forward through time and tide.

As you sail from Smith Sound toward northwest Greenland, the day invites relaxation and delight. Out on deck, guests linger over coffee, watching icebergs drift past under shifting light. Seabirds wheel overhead, and the fresh Arctic air feels both bracing and serene. 

Inside, conversation and curiosity flow easily—perhaps a talk from the expedition team, a shared story, or quiet reading by the window. Between moments of learning and laughter, there’s time simply to enjoy the rhythm of the sea and the pleasure of being carried through one of the North’s most beautiful reaches.

Crossing into Greenland, the coast reveals a world sculpted by ice. Glaciers descend from the inland cap, feeding fjords that stretch deep into the land. Scattered villages dot the shoreline, their bright homes vivid against the vastness of rock and snow. 

Go ashore where conditions allow to explore bays fringed with bergs or hike along tundra scented with Arctic cotton and crowberry. Ice and light combine to create a palette of silvers and aquas. Each moment shows how landscape shapes life—and how people, in turn, shape their bond with it.

Arrive at Ilulissat, a name that means “iceberg” in Greenlandic. The Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, among the world’s most active, sends vast icebergs into the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord. From the boardwalk, watch as icy cathedrals drift through mirrored water, glowing blue beneath shifting light. 

Listen to the thunder of calving ice, then the hush that follows. In town, explore a thriving community where Greenlandic culture, art, and daily life flow together with the rhythm of the ice.

Sailing south along the west coast, encounter the Sisimiut region—a place of mountain silhouettes, fjords, and enduring story. Colorful houses cling to granite hillsides, reflected in still waters. This is Greenland’s second-largest town, marked by fishing boats and the warmth of community. 

Go ashore to walk through town and meet local residents. Learn about the blend of ancient and contemporary traditions that define Greenlandic life. Hikers may climb to panoramic viewpoints where sea, ice, and sky converge.

Your voyage concludes in Kangerlussuaq, where the vast fjord stretches nearly two hundred kilometres inland. Here, the ice cap appears and vanishes at the horizon—occasional glimpses of white above the fjord, close enough to feel its breath but never in full view. 

As you disembark and prepare for your flight south, reflect on a journey completed—the communities visited, the stories shared, and the countless shades of light and ice that shaped the days. The Northwest Passage is not only a route through geography but through knowledge and kinship—a journey that continues long after you leave its waters.