High Arctic Explorer - Small-Ship Expedition
Your personal voyage of discovery Explore and learn about new lands and peoples as you experience the rich cultures and fascinating landscapes we sail to. Take the road less travelled and enrich your perspective during visits to communities, natural habitats, and historic sites that can be otherwise difficult to reach. Our expeditions are designed to be flexible and allow us to make the best of Mother Nature’s conditions. We often make landfall at new places and are able to share new discoveries and local knowledge with you. Your voyage will be marked with thoughtful discussions, expert interpretation, and the spirit of discovery.
Get off the Ship, Get into a Zodiac
Cruise among icebergs; search for marine mammals; visit an outport community; wander remote coastlines… simply enjoy the freedom of being out on the water daily! Our goal is to get you off the ship as often as possible. Zodiacs free us from the dependency on ports, piers, and other built infrastructure. These safe, stable, versatile boats take you where the action is.
Learn from Passionate Experts
Why would an esteemed Canada Research Chair, for example, travel with us on a working vacation? It’s simple: they can’t resist the opportunity to engage, excite, educate, and enlighten you! Make the most of every learning opportunity, aboard and ashore, in geology, botany, marine biology, archaeology, photography, cultural history, and more! Our hand-picked experts are as excited as you are to be on board. Join them on deck searching for wildlife, share daily meals for personal indepth conversations, participate in workshops, attend presentations, and learn on the land. The Adventure Canada team has a deep love for discovery, learning, exploration, and growth, and is at your service.
Experience Local Culture and Traditions
From Arctic communities to the fishing villages of former New France, to the outports of Newfoundland and Labrador, we embrace local music, dance, food, language, and traditions, everywhere we go! Expedition travel isn’t just about what you see, or where you go. It’s who you meet and get to know.
Wildlife Encounters
Daily excursions with expert guides put you where you are most likely to see wildlife: whales and seabirds in Atlantic Canada; muskox, seals, and polar bears in the High Arctic. Whether viewing on deck, in the Zodiac, or learning during our presentation series, you’ll come away with an appreciation for the fine creatures that inhabit our world. Our best practices ensure the safety and integrity of the wildlife we have the privilege to view.
Highlights
- Visit the Franklin Expedition graves at Beechey Island
- Watch for marine mammals and wildlife in Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound) National Marine Conservation Area
- Hike on Devon Island, the largest uninhabited island on Earth • Enjoy an Inuit cultural welcome at Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet)
- Take advantage of prime viewing opportunities for the rare ivory gull, considered a species at risk
- Cruise among icebergs at Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland - Cross the Arctic circle
After your charter flight from Toronto, ON, you’ll transfer to the Ocean Endeavour by Zodiac. Begin your journey by sailing down Kangerlussuaq Fjord (Søndre Strømfjord), a 190-kilometre-long fjord surrounded by mountains and glaciers, and cross the Arctic Circle on your way.
Kangerlussuaq, the settlement at the head of the fjord, is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub.
Day 2: Sisimiut Coast- Witness Stunning Glaciers, Islands, and Fjords
(Image by Susan Tuckey, Penguins2Polarbears)
Explore West Greenland’s complex coastal waterways that includes glaciers, islands, and fjords against a towering mountain backdrop, with plentiful opportunities for hiking and Zodiac cruising. Learn about the Saqqaq, Dorset, Thule, and modern Inuit cultures that have called the Sisimiut region home for the past 4,500 years. The waters are relatively warm here, due to the West Greenland Current and the subarctic location.
Day 3: Ilulissat - Take a zodiac Cruise around Towering Icebergs
(Image by Susan Tuckey, Penguins2PolarBears)
Visit the town of Ilulissat, with splendid museums, cafés, craft shops, and a busy fishing harbour.View the icebergs from shore on a hike along the boardwalk at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, then board a Zodiac to cruise your way among them! Ilulissat translates literally to “iceberg”—an apt name for this site at the mouth of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, a source of many of the icebergs in the North Atlantic.
Day 4: Western Greenland - Hike the Tundra
Choose the activity you like best during an expedition landing on Greenland’s stunning west coast. Whether you prefer hiking, walking, photography, or sitting contemplatively, you’ll be delighted! Admire the mighty mountains and the tiniest tundra flowers—a stop in this area will offer many outstanding features to pique your interest.
Day 5: At Sea—Davis Strait - Learn Onboard
Our onboard presentation series will continue as we steam across Davis Strait towards Canada. This is an excellent time to enjoy workshops, watch a documentary, and get out on deck looking for whales, seabirds, and marine wildlife.
Day 6: Mittimatalik(Pond Inlet), NU, Canada - Experience Inuit Culture
Mittimatalik is a busy Arctic community in a beautiful setting. The views of nearby Bylot Island are stunning. We will have a chance to explore the town. The cultural presentation at the Community Hall is not to be missed— handcrafted goods may be available here, too.
Days 7–10: Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound) & Devon Island - Seek Whales, Seabirds, and Polar Bears
Spend four fun-filled days exploring Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound), one of Canada's newest National Marine Conservation Areas.
Cruise by ship and by Zodiac in search of narwhal, beluga, and bowhead whales that transit and feed in this area. Admire Devon Island’s unique geological character, with its flat-topped mountains, glacial valleys, and substantial ice cap. At the northern edge of Tallurutiup Imanga, it’s the largest uninhabited island on Earth at over 50,000 square kilometres. Hike the tundra, cruise a glacier face, and keep your eyes peeled for polar bears and other wildlife from ship and from shore. Visit archaeological sites with expert interpretation to learn about the human history of Inuit and their ancestors who once lived on this now-abandoned island. Then catch a glimpse of more recent history when you visit the remains of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Hudson's Bay Company site at Dundas Harbour.
Day 11: Beechey Island - Visit a Franklin Expedition Historical Site
In 1845, Sir John Franklin set out from England with HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, attempting to sail through the Northwest Passage. Pay your respects at this haunting memorial to Sir John Franklin’s failed expedition. Learn the compelling history of the HMS Ereb and HMS Terror’s attempts to sail through the Northwest Passage. Franklin’s crew overwintered at Beechey Island, where three of his men died, and numerous search parties later used the spot as a depot and rendezvous. Thomas Morgan of the HMS Investigator was buried here in 1854 alongside Franklin’s men. Visit their graves and the ruins of nearby Northumberland House while contemplating the poignant history.
Day 12: Quasuittuq (Resolute), NU, Canada - Wave a Fond Farewell
Say your goodbyes to the Arctic in Qausuittuq (Resolute). The community’s name, meaning “place with no dawn,” comes from its dark winters, but during your visit at the height of summer, you’ll experience the midnight sun—a time of no darkness.
Take in the unique geography and geology here, characterized by shoreline gravel flats, rocky coastal bluffs, and deposits of glacial moraine.
Learn about the significance of the origin of the hamlet in 1953, Inuit from Inukjuak, Québec and Mittimatalik were relocated under false pretences by the Canadian government with the aim of asserting Canadian sovereignty. Today the community is home to just under 250 people and is an important staging point for High Arctic research, tourism, and military activities.
Disembark the Ocean Endeavour and transfer by Zodiac to shore for your charter flight to Ottawa, ON.
Solo Travel aboard the Ocean Endeavour:
For those who prefer not to share cabins:
Aboard the Ocean Endeavour, there are a limited quantity of cabins in category 3 through to category 7 with no single supplement! Once these cabins are sold, the single supplement fee (in order to secure a cabin to yourself) is 1.5 times the berth cost.
If you are willing to share a cabin, you may be paired up with another solo traveller.
There have been many past travellers who have found new friends and travel partners after sharing a cabin. If you consent to share, but a roommate for you cannot be found, you do not pay extra. Sharing options are available in cabin category 1 to 7 based on availability.
Single occupancy in category 8–10 available at full double-occupancy rate; these cabins can be booked by solo travellers if the full double-occupancy rate is paid.
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Exclusions:
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