Arctic Tanquary Fjord - Arctic

Day 1: Ottawa, Canada

Arrive in Ottawa and transfer independently to the hotel for overnight accommodation.

Day 2: Ottawa to Resolute

Depart this morning for our flight to Resolute. Located high above the Arctic Circle, Resolute is the only settlement on Cornwallis Island and occupies a strategic position in the Canadian Arctic. Today it serves primarily as the crossroads of Arctic air travel. We transfer to the Kapitan Khlebnikov for a late afternoon embarkation. We sail in the evening.

Day 3: Lancaster Sound & Baffin Bay

We follow the route of 19th-century explorers into Lancaster Sound. The region supports significant concentrations of wildlife, including 26 species of seabirds and 11 species of marine mammals. Polar bears and seals may be sighted among the ice floes.

Later this morning we reach the southeast coast of Devon Island. Our visits encompass wildlife, the history of Arctic exploration and the archaeological remains of the Thule people, ancestors of the Inuit.

Days 4-5: Coburg Island & Hell Gate

An early-morning Zodiac excursion takes us to Coburg Island National Park, whose cliffs are home to an estimated 30,000 pairs of blacklegged kittiwakes and some 160,000 pairs of thick-billed murres. The sight of newly fledged murre chicks diving into fish-filled waters is unforgettable.

If time and weather allow, we pay an evening visit to the community of Grise Fjord, the only community on Ellesmere Island, then carry on deeper into Jones Sound. The next morning we round the southwest corner of Ellesmere Island through Hell Gate, a narrow passage where currents prevent freezing even at the height of winter and have been navigated by only a handful of vessels.

As we keep pushing north, the Kapitan Khlebnikov will be doing some more heavy icebreaking while you scan the floes for polar bears.

Days 6-9: Tanquary Fjord & Ellesmere Island

Exploring the Bjorne Peninsula and Strathcona Fjord, we reach our goal: Tanquary Fjord and Ellesmere Island (Quttinirpaaq) National Park, which includes Canada’s northernmost point. The fjord extends from a mountain valley with glaciers cascading down to the water.

On walks ashore you find amazingly lush vegetation, including mountain avens, saxifrage, poppies, cotton grass and white bell heather. You are likely to see Arctic hares, musk ox and endangered Peary caribou, plus polar bears and Arctic whales on the coast and, if you’re lucky, an Arctic wolf.

Weather permitting; we take helicopter flights over Ellesmere’s dramatic glaciers and tundra. As ever, the length of our stay depends on ice conditions and park regulations.

Days 10-11: Eureka Sound, Axel Heiberg Island

Leaving Tanquary Fjord, our plans call for helicopter flights over Ellesmere’s western coast to view the remains of a petrified forest. Next is an expedition day on beautiful Axel Heiberg Island, with more helicopter flights and excellent chances to spot musk ox, wolves and Arctic hare.

Day 12: Norwegian Bay and Belcher Channel

Heading south to Norwegian Bay and Belcher Channel, we expect to battle some of the toughest ice in the Arctic; while the Kapitan Khlebnikov is up to the challenge, as usual our route must be flexible.

We continue south via the Penny Strait to Queens Channel, with plans to explore McDougall Sound for more chances to sight walrus, polar bears and other wildlife.

Days 13-14: Beechey Island

Be on the lookout for walrus as we explore the edge of Cornwallis Island, then carry on south to Somerset Island, where beluga whales frequently feed.

Our final landing is on Beechey Island, where Franklin and his men wintered in 1846 before disappearing. Their tragic end gains poignancy as you walk the desolate coast to the Franklin Memorial.

Day 15: Resolute to Ottawa

We disembark the Kapitan Khlebnikov and transfer to our flight to Ottawa, where we spend the night.

Day 16: Depart Ottawa

After breakfast, we continue home independently.

Please note:

Our actual program and routing will depend on local permissions, ice and weather conditions — which vary unpredictably from season to season, and day to day — unexpected opportunities and our luck with wildlife sightings. This is an expedition into a very little traveled area and no specific itinerary can be guaranteed in advance. A flexible approach to alterations of the itinerary will be essential for the success of this exciting voyage of discovery, and will maximize our chances to see marine wildlife on the way. Therefore please read this itinerary as a guide only.