Northwest Passage Wildlife encounter

Discover the incredible wildlife of the Canadian Arctic

Frequent shore landings in the company of expert guides allow us to explore on foot, observing wildlife, Arctic flora, and points of historical interest - including a number of former Hudson's Bay Company outposts. History is all around us, with many of the sites that we visit featuring remnants and relics from the Franklin Expedition. All of this is set against a backdrop of epic mountain scenery, sweeping glaciers and skies that go on forever. This voyage is an ideal introduction to small ship expedition cruising in the remote Canadian Arctic.

Day 1

We depart Edmonton this morning on our special charter flight to Resolute, a remote outpost above the Arctic Circle. On arrival, we are transferred to the beach where our expedition team will meet us and prepare us for our Zodiac ride to the ship. We weigh anchor and depart Resolute in the early evening.

Day 2

Prince Leopold Island is an important migratory bird sanctuary for thick-billed murres, black guillemots, northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes. Home to several hundred thousand birds, the Island is one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the whole of the Canadian Arctic and makes for fantastic Zodiac cruising. The sea ice around Prince Leopold Island is a great place for spotting ringed seals - and wherever we find ringed seals we usually find polar bears. In addition to Port Leopold’s historical attraction, the shallow gravel beds along the shoreline are attractive to the beluga whales.

Day 3

Continuing to navigate the ship south into Prince Regent Inlet, we approach the eastern end of the Bellot Strait. The historic site of Fort Ross, located at the southern end of Somerset Island, is a former Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading outpost. Fascinating archaeological sites nearby tell a story of more than a thousand years of habitation by the Inuit and their predecessors. A transit of Bellot Strait is a thrilling experience as the currents roar through this narrow channel. We are now in the heart of the Northwest Passage. Conningham Bay is a known hotspot for polar bears who come here to feast on Beluga whales, often caught in the rocky shallows at the entrance to the bay.

Day 4

Returning through Bellot Strait we cruise up the eastern shoreline of Somerset Island. We hope to make a shore landing at the historic site of Fury Beach, named after the British naval vessel, HMS Fury. The ship was lost in the sea ice, forcing her crew to abandon the vessel, though they managed to save a large amount of provisions and established a depot on shore. Years later, these provisions were found by the starving Ross expedition.

Day 5

We continue north through Prince Regent Inlet making landfall on the northern tip of Baffin Island. The vast Arctic landscape here stretches as far as they eye can see. We navigate the ship into nearby Elwin Inlet, a breathtaking fjord which is well protected and great for a Zodiac cruise or hike onshore. Cape Charles Yorke offers several great walkingopportunities. We will keep our eyes peeled for polar bears, which are plentiful along this coastline.

Day 6

Leaving the wild landscapes of Baffin Island, we re-cross Lancaster Sound to Devon Island. This broad channel of water has been likened to the wildlife ‘super highway’ of the Arctic. Massive volumes of water from the Atlantic to the east, Pacific to the west, and the archipelago of islands to the north, all mix here, combining to make a rich source of nutrients and food for an abundance of Arctic wildlife. We plan to visit the old Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) outpost at Dundas Harbour. In the afternoon we visit Crocker Bay. This part of Devon Island is home to a healthy population of musk ox.

Day 7

Beechey Island holds great historic importance in the story of the Northwest Passage. It is here that Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition spent its last ‘comfortable’ winter in 1845 before disappearing into the icy vastness, sparking an incredible series of search expeditions. A trip ashore at Beechey Island to visit the grave markers on a remote windswept beach is a thrilling experience for history buffs. The mystery of what happened to Franklin was partially solved in September 2014, when a joint Parks Canada and Royal Canadian Geographic Society expedition found the long lost Franklin shipwreck, HMS Erebus in the Victoria Strait. One Ocean Expeditions played a vital role in the search by carrying underwater search equipment as well as scientists, historians, researchers, dignitaries and sponsors of this history defining mission.

Day 8

By morning, we are at anchor in Resolute. We transfer to the airport and board our flight back to Edmonton.