High Arctic Explorer
Two 14-day departures in 2009.
Start: Ottawa, Canada
Finish: Ottawa, Canada
Day 2
Embarkation, Resolute, Nunavut
You will fly from Ottawa to Resolute, where you will be transferred to Akademik Ioffe.
Day 3
Prince Leopold Island
The overpowering limestone cliffs of Prince Leopold Island are a well-known wildlife habitat. If the pack ice is close, there may be walrus and polar bears – the two icons of the Arctic. The island’s cliff faces are nesting grounds for murres, kittiwakes and gulls.
Day 4-5
Devon and Coburg Islands
Devon Island is a polar desert with a massive ice cap. We’ll visit Dundas Harbour on the south shore, an abandoned outpost that was manned by the Hudson’s Bay Company and subsequently the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nirtjutiqavvik is Coburg Island’s National Wildlife Area and home to a profusion of birds. We’ll cruise in Zodiacs along the cliffs to watch thousands of murres and kittiwakes flying to and fro.
Day 6
Melville Basin
We’ll sail across Melville Basin, known to be the habitat of the endangered bowhead whale. While at sea, our Expedition Team will deliver a series of illustrated presentations that prepare you for the shore landings in Greenland.
Day 7
Qaanaaq, Greenland
The heroine of the novel Smilla’s Sense of Snow was said to be born in a small village in the northern portion of the municipal region of Qaanaaq. The tiny village of 600, which we will visit, is the municipality’s commercial center.
Day 8
Cape York
The ice and weather conditions associated with Cape York (Kap York in Greenlandic) combine to create a friendly environment for narwhal and seals. The presence of seals and pack ice may draw hungry polar bears. Have your binoculars at the ready.
Day 9
Baffin Bay and Pond Inlet
Our heading will be south and west on the journey across Baffin Bay. Our destination will be Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) on Baffin Island. While there we will attend a cultural demonstration that will include drumming, throat singing and dancing. The local artisans carve sculptures in stone that are collected around the world
Day 10
Cape Hay Migratory Bird Sanctuary
The majestic cliffs of Cape Hay, Bylot Island, are breeding grounds for murres, guillemots and kittiwakes. We’ll cruise in Zodiacs along the base of the remarkable seabird colony.
Bylot Island is situated where the waters of Baffin Bay mix with the water of the Arctic archipelago, creating a rich feeding ground for seals, whales and seabirds.
Day 11
Devon Island
Our return to Devon Island may include a hike across an apparently barren landscape. We’ll encourage you to look more closely. A rich variety of wildflowers grow clost to the ground on the tundra, an adaptation that allows even the most fragile flowers to survive.
Day 12
Beechey Island
A proper High Arctic expedition must include mention of Sir John Franklin’s fatal attempt to find the Northwest Passage. The first to die were buried on Beechey Island in 1845. Their grave markers still stand. The fate of their crew mates, who continued westward remains a mystery, although it is assumed all hands were lost.
Day 13
Resolute
Upon disembarkation, we fly you from Resolute to spend the night at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, in Ottawa.
Day 14
Ottawa
Depart for home.