Wild Earth

Starting in Kugluktuk (Coppermine River), we will head west, striking out to touch the waters of the Beaufort Sea. Historical highlights include a visit to Kugluktuk (Coppermine), where in 1771, after trying and failing to prevent a massacre at nearby Bloody Falls, Samuel Hearne became the first European to reach the Arctic coast of the continent. We sail through Prince of Wales Strait, where in 1850, while trapped in what was then impassable ice, Robert McClure went sledging and claimed that he had discovered the Northwest Passage.

We will, ice conditions permitting, head through Prince of Wales Strait, making expeditionary stops on both Banks and Victoria Islands. Next we visit Winter Harbour and Nilson Griffiths Point on Melville Island and delve into the rich waters of Lancaster Sound, reputed for its abundance of beluga whales and other marine mammals. A stop at Beechey Island will bring us to the graves of the famed Franklin Expedition before heading into Smith Sound, where we will travel as far north as ice and time allows us before crossing into Greenland. Our voyage down the beautiful Greenlandic coast will include Melville Bay, the natural beauty of Kap York and the the quaint and isolated town of Ummannaq. Our final visit brings us to Ilulissat, the largest town in Disko Bay and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We cruise among the massive icebergs, where North America's bergs calve from the massive Greenland icecap as it tumbles down to meet the sea.