Heart of the Arctic | Ocean Endeavour

Please make your own way to Ottawa Airport for the early morning charter flight to Iqaluit.

Iqaluit, at the head of Frobisher Bay, is Nunavut’s bustling capital. A population of nearly 8,000 (and growing) call Iqaluit home. Local attractions include the territorial Legislature, igloo-inspired St. Jude’s Cathedral, art shops, and more.

Expect compelling scenery, as you soak up the Arctic splendour. Discovered in 1576 by Sir Martin Frobisher it was originally believed to be a strait before being identified as a bay in 1860. Not only will you be on the lookout for an abundance of wildlife but also will be able to learn about the unique characteristics of the native tundra flora.

Kimmirut means “the heel” in Inuktitut, referring to an outcrop of marble across the bay from the community. Kimmirut is considered one of the most charming communities on the South Baffin coast.

Art aficionados may know the hamlet as Lake Harbour, once the home of a Hudson Bay Company post. Art has played a major role in putting Kimmirut on the map. The Dewey Soper Building houses a gallery of outstanding works of art.

Sail onward to what was once the birthplace of the Inuit art market. In 1959, the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative was established: it remains the oldest arts organization in the Canadian Arctic and the oldest professional Inuit printmaking studio in Canada.

Old and new generations of outstanding artists, carvers, and printmakers continue to make Kinngait a proud centre for Inuit art. You’ll visit studios and meet the incredible local artists here, as well as having an opportunity to purchase outstanding works straight from the source.

Your expedition continues as you navigate the icy waters of the Hudson Strait. Make the most of the natural winds and catch glimpses of magnificent floating icebergs. Cruise the waters as you scan the surroundings for wildlife like polar bears, walruses, whales, seals and incredible seabirds.

Visit Nunavik's northernmost community, Ivujivik. This dramatic setting sits at the confluence of the Hudson Strait and Hudson bay. With a population of under just five hundred, the setting and high tidal environment for a rich variety of wildlife such as the thick-billed murre.

Enjoy hiking across the treeless tundra of the Ungava Peninsula. This area is a haven for lovers of geology, with an abundance of rich geology and flora. You can enjoy hiking experiences and a zodiac cruise.

Large and shallow, Ungava Bay is a rich ecosystem and home to a variety of wildlife, including an endangered Beluga population and Canada’s largest number of breeding Thick-billed Murres. Here we’ll use our Zodiacs to scout the shorelines and any outlying ice with hopes of seeing polar bears, walrus, and other marine life. We’ll pay a visit to uninhabited Akpatok Island, the biggest island in Ungava Bay, at over nine hundred square kilometres. It’s named for the akpat—the Thick-billed Murres—that nest on ledges of Aktpatok’s lofty cliffs.

You will continue on as you steam across the Davis Strait towards Greenland. Our resource staff will deepen your understanding of the Arctic as you go. This is an excellent time to enjoy workshops and group learning, watch a documentary or dive into our library.

While out on deck, keep your binoculars ready for minke and humpback whales amid pack ice, as well as the seabirds that are sure to mark our passage.

Welcome to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland that bridges old and new. The old harbour region of town includes many buildings dating from the Danish colonial days. The modern downtown core includes shopping, cafes and restaurants, and public institutions with a European flair.

The Greenland National Museum is one of Nuuk’s many outstanding features; the world-famous Qilakitsoq mummies are housed here. The museum’s exhibits also offer in-depth information about colonial, Norse, and Inuit presence in Greenland.

West Greenland’s complex coastal waterways include glaciers, islands and fjords against a towering mountain backdrop. The waters are relatively warm here, due to the West Greenland Current and the sub-Arctic location. We’ll explore this sublime landscape by ship, and by Zodiac.

Early this morning you'll complete your overnight journey up Sondre Stromfjord—a 168-kilometre-long fjord surrounded by mountains and glaciers. Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern head, means ‘the big fjord’.

Kangerlussuaq is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub. You'll transfer to shore by Zodiac and be bused along Greenland’s longest road—less than twenty kilometres—to the airport, where our charter flight will take you to Toronto.