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High Arctic Explorer
Detailed Itinerary
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THE ITINERARY
Day 1
Alberta - Resolute
Your charter flight takes you from Edmonton in Alberta to high above the Arctic Circle and the town of Resolute, a remote outpost named after a British naval ship that became trapped by ice during an attempt to rescue the Franklin Expedition. From Resolute you’ll board a Zodiac boat to meet your cruise ship, setting sail that evening.
Day 2
Devon Island
Combine Arctic hiking with wildlife watching. Mooring at Maxwell Bay gives you the opportunity to explore Devon Island to see musk ox and caribou and watch walrus and polar bears plus harp, ringed and bearded seals from the ship.
Day 3
Croker Bay and Dundas Harbour
Today you’ll cruise the Arctic’s wildlife superhighway. Lancaster Sound flows between Devon Island and Baffin Island and its rich waters attract marine wildlife in huge numbers. Croker Bay offers hikes to see musk ox as well as great icebergs set against a backdrop of colourful mountains. A Zodiac trip will take you to the impressive Croker Glacier whilst in the afternoon you’ll visit an abandoned station of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – the world famous Mounties.
Day 4
Coburg Island National Wildlife Area
Clouds of seabirds like thick-billed murres and northern fulmars wheel overhead as you Zodiac cruise through the Nirjutiqavvik National Wildlife Area of Coburg Island. An estimated 400,000 birds live here, and it’s also worth keeping a watch out for marine mammals like beluga whales.
Day 5
Grise Fjord and Craig Harbour
Under 100 people – mainly descendants of Inuits – form one of the most isolated communities in the world, high up on the Grise Fjord. Expect abundant wildlife, extremely photogenic scenery and a warm welcome from the locals. Later, at Craig Harbour, you’ll discover the history of another abandoned Mounties outpost that was originally established in the 1920s and saw service during the Cold War of the 1950s.
Day 6
Cape Hay, Bylot Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Today sees another treat for bird enthusiasts. Thick-billed murres, black guillemots and black-legged kittiwakes abound on the cliffs of Cape Hay. Hundreds of thousands of birds nest here inside Sirmilik National Park on the northern coast of Bylot Island. Equally impressive is the scenery; a vast expanse of tundra stretches away towards majestic mountain ranges.
Day 7
Ittoqqortoormiit and Hall Bredning
Time to meet the locals. Ittoqqortoormiit is home to the most northerly settlement in East Greenland and the Inuit people will welcome you to their community by showing you their handicrafts, and how their traditions merge with their modern way of life. Sailing on to Hall Bredning – part of Scoresbysund – you’ll also see icebergs larger than football pitches and taller than apartment blocks. And, of course, the phenomenal Northern Lights.
Day 8
Elwin Inlet and Cape Charles Yorke
More outrageously beautiful scenery presents itself in the breath-taking fjord of Elwin Inlet – perfect for Zodiac cruising and onshore hiking. Cape Charles Yorke also offers stunningly scenic walks and the chance to see polar bears along the coastline.
Day 9
Port Leopold and Prince Leopold Island
After a night crossing of Prince Regent Inlet you’ll arrive at the towering cliffs of Prince Leopold Island – the natural habitat for innumerable murres, guillemots, fulmars and kittiwakes. The surrounding sea ice is home to ringed seals that, in their turn, attract a good many polar bears. Port Leopold has an involving history as well as a shallow gravelly sea bed that seems irresistible to beluga whales during the Arctic summer.
Day 10
Beechey Island
Today you’ll visit the island that played such an important part in the search for the Northwest Passage. It was here that Sir John Franklin’s expedition over-wintered before disappearing into the icy vastness. It took search expeditions almost 30 years to find the wreck of his ship in Victoria Strait and provides today’s visitors with a poignant record of Arctic endeavours, with grave markers standing on a bleak, windswept beach. In the evening the Captain hosts a special end-of-cruise dinner.
Day 11
Resolute - Edmonton
Overnight you’ll sail back to Resolute to meet your charter flight back to Edmonton.
Other Itineraries in Arctic
- Experience the magical natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights
- Encounter enchanting wildlife such as reindeer, Arctic hares and musk ox
- Visit the ‘painted’ Brogetdal valley, the Waltershausen Glacier and an Inuit settlement
- Encounter captivating indigenous wildlife such as reindeer and Arctic foxes
- Go tundra-hiking at Worsleyneset and walk through a polar desert at Vibubutka
- Visit Isbutka for a chance to watch polar bears hunt seals on the ice
- Search the coast of Spitsbergen for polar bears, walruses, whales and seabirds
- Enjoy a range of activities from kayaking to tundra hiking and snowshoeing
- Take in spectacular scenery featuring polar deserts, glaciers and fjords
- Escorted Tour
- A group tour led by Tom Owen Edmunds
- 14th – 22nd June 2023
- Sail through the fantastic fjord system of Scoresbysund – the birthplace of icebergs
- Uncover puffin colonies and unusual volcanic geology at the Westman Islands
- See indigenous reindeer, kittiwakes and long-tailed ducks on the Svalbard Archipelago
Greenland Explorer
9 days
from $6,976 PP
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Spitsbergen Circumnavigation
10 days
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Spitsbergen Explorer
7 days
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Svalbard: Last Stop Before the North Pole
10 days
from $5,370 PP
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Three Arctic Islands
14 days
from $7,039 PP
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