Journey Across The Northwest Passage

Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, located along Cook Inlet and surrounded by the Chugach, Kenai, and Talkeetna mountain ranges. It marks the start of the Iditarod dog-sled race and serves as a transit point for travel to Denali National Park and Seabourn expedition voyages to Far East Russia. The downtown area includes shops, public art, and restaurants where local foods like reindeer sausage are available. Outdoor activities include biking the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, hiking in Chugach State Park, and salmon fishing in Ship Creek. The Alaska Native Heritage Center provides information about the state’s Indigenous cultures.

Relax and spend the days at sea.

As the locals like to say, “There’s no place like Nome.” Set at the southern tip of the Seward Peninsula and only accessible by air or the Bering Sea, this Arctic Alaska town offers a rich mix of gold rush history, Inupiat Eskimo culture, rugged adventure, and abundant wildlife. Gold was first discovered here in 1898; a year later, the population had ballooned to more than 20,000. (Nome has around 3,500 residents today.) Gold mining remained a vital industry well into the 20th century, and the region’s retreating sea ice has brought a new generation of treasure hunters who dredge in converted fishing boats just offshore. You can learn more at the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, and snap a selfie next to the “World’s Largest Gold Pan.” During the winter of 1925, a diphtheria epidemic raged among the area’s Alaska Natives; when fierce blizzard conditions prevented airplanes from leaving Anchorage with the life-saving serum, a rescue effort was organized to deliver it via dog sled. The annual Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race still follows the same path as those heroic mushers.

Relax and spend the days at sea.

Nestled in Canada's Yukon territory, Herschel Island awaits travelers on Seabourn's ultra-luxury cruises, offering a glimpse into the Arctic's rugged beauty and rich history. As the ship docks, passengers encounter towering cliffs, vast tundra, and the icy Beaufort Sea. Once a vital outpost for Arctic exploration, Herschel Island preserves remnants of its whaling and trading past in well-preserved cabins and artifacts. Nature lovers can spot migratory birds, marine mammals, and Arctic wildlife on guided hikes across the tundra. The island's indigenous heritage provides insight into the traditional life of the Inuvialuit people, adding cultural depth to the experience. Departing Herschel Island, passengers carry memories of an unforgettable Arctic adventure, filled with stunning landscapes and encounters with Canada's northern frontier.

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.
Submersible:
Delve below the frigid water surface of Arctic Canada in one of your ship’s custom-built submarines, exploring a plankton-rich realm where few have ever ventured — and fascinating discoveries are yet to be made.

Relax and spend the days at sea.

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.
Submersible:
Delve below the frigid water surface of Arctic Canada in one of your ship’s custom-built submarines, exploring a plankton-rich realm where few have ever ventured — and fascinating discoveries are yet to be made.

Cambridge Bay is a remote community located on Victoria Island in Nunavut, along the southeast coast of the Northwest Passage. It serves as a regional hub in the Canadian Arctic and is home to a predominantly Inuit population.
The village includes a mix of modern infrastructure and traditional practices. Visitors may see qajaq (kayak) frames, drying fish racks, and other signs of subsistence living. The nearby landscape consists of tundra, low-lying hills, and inland lakes, with opportunities to spot muskoxen, Arctic foxes, and migratory birds.
Archaeological sites around the area reflect the long history of the Inuit and their ancestors. The Canadian High Arctic Research Station, located in the village, supports scientific study of the polar environment and climate.
Cambridge Bay offers a look into daily life in the Arctic, combining cultural heritage, research, and the challenges of living in a remote northern setting.

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.
Submersible:
Delve below the frigid water surface of Arctic Canada in one of your ship’s custom-built submarines, exploring a plankton-rich realm where few have ever ventured — and fascinating discoveries are yet to be made.

Croker Bay is a fjord on the south coast of Devon Island on the Lancaster Sound. The island, named by William Baffin in 1616 for the Devon shire in England, has its own extensive ice cap, which feeds a glacier into Croker Bay. The bay itself was named by William Edward Parry in 1819 in honor of the First Secretary to the Admiralty. The glacier is receding, but still reaches the sea. The area is a breeding site for fulmars and kittiwakes, and seals are frequently sighted and occasionally walruses as well. The wide face of the glacier, backed by a spectacular stacked plateau of differently colored rock layers, makes a favorite photographic subject for visitors to the Nunavut region. It is possible to hike up onto the surface of the glacier.

Croker Bay is a 35 kilometer (20 miles) deep fjord on the southern shore of Devon Island and is flanked by colorful 450 meter (1,500’) high table-like mountains. The tidewater glacier at its head descends 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the icefield at the center of the island and terminates in spectacular cliffs of ice. Some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) wide, the glacial front calves huge amounts of ice into the bay. Here polar bears, seals and even a pod of beluga whales can be seen travelling amongst the brash ice.
To the east is the abandoned community of Dundas Harbour. The derelict buildings of the R.C.M.P. post are all that remain and serve as a silent reminder to the 52 Inuit that came here in 1934. Here, set amongst a landscape aglow in the colors of Arctic Autumn, lay the stark white crosses and picket fence enclosure of one of the most northerly cemeteries on Earth. Nearby, 1,000 year old stone remains of earlier Inuit settlers can be found.

Named in 1818 by explorer Captain John Ross for the English astronomer John Pond, Pond Inlet is a town with over 1,600 inhabitants. It stands out as one of northern Canada’s most interesting, culturally rich, and welcoming communities. The town offers a glimpse into the life of the modern Inuit, with caribou antlers and skulls adorning private homes, and hides of seals, caribou, and occasionally polar bears drying on racks in the sun. The local market features parts of seal, whale, caribou, and a wide variety of fish. Wooden sledges, known as qamutiqs, now towed by snowmobiles instead of dogs, can be seen in front yards, ready for the first snowfall. The local museum and cultural center host cultural performances that showcase unique Inuit throat-singing, with dancers dressed in traditional sealskin anoraks and mukluks.

Disclaimer: This port is a clearance port on nearly all itineraries, however when conditions perfectly align, excursions to this port may be featured.

Relax and spend the day at sea.

There is no other place on Earth, other than Ilulissat, Greenland that can define itself by the size and volume of its icebergs. The name Ilulissat, in fact, is the Greenlandic word for ‘Iceberg’. This is truly an iceberg paradise! Despite its proximity to huge glaciers, people have lived here in excess of 4,000 years. The modern town of Ilulissat was founded in 1741 by the Danish merchant, Jacob Severin. With a current population of 4,500 it is the third-largest city in Greenland. The narrow inner harbor is lined by a kaleidoscope of colorful houses so typical of Greenlandic villages.
The mass and sheer volume of icebergs from nearby Jakobshavn Glacier has made Ilulissat the most popular tourist destination in Greenland. Moving at up to 45 meters (150’) per day, when averaged annually, the glacier drains 6.5% of the Greenland ice sheet and produces about 10% of all icebergs. For this reason, Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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.

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.

In October, 1941 the United States Army Air Force constructed an airbase at the site of Kangerlussuaq. It served as a refuelling stop for single-engine military aircraft being flown to Britain during World War II. From their last port of call, Goose Bay, Labrador, it was 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to Kangerlussuaq until they could refuel. Kangerlussuaq fjord (‘Big Fjord’), is 170 kilometers (105 miles) long and was often shrouded in fog, providing a serious navigation problem for those aircrews. 
Today, with the use of modern technology, navigation is no longer an issue. The landscape was ideal for the site of an airport. A large alluvial plain, deposited by the nearby glacial-outflow river, provided a perfectly flat environment for an airport. Kangerlussuaq is the largest commercial airport in Greenland and supports a population of 500. A little known fact, from 1971 to 1987, 33 missiles from various countries, were fired from Kangerlussuaq for upper atmospheric scientific research.

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.

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.