The Iconic Northwest Passage – Across the Top of the World

Gateway to the Pacific and the Arctic

Your adventure begins in Vancouver, the bustling Pacific seaport framed by steep mountains and lush forests. Wander the Victorian streets of Gastown, explore the seawall and towering cedar groves of Stanley Park, and, if you’re looking for somewhere to eat, some of the best food in North America is right here. The seafood and farm-to-table cooking is exceptional.

You’ll spend the night here, before an early flight north to Alaska the following morning. This is the calm before the Arctic…

A frontier town at the edge of the Arctic

Today you’ll take an early flight from Vancouver to Nome, Alaska, where your ship awaits for an adventure through the famed Northwest Passage and beyond.

Nome is a small coastal town on the edge of the Bering Sea. Once a boomtown of the 1898 Gold Rush, it still carries traces of its frontier past in rusting dredges, old steam engines, and railway remnants. The town also drew big names, including Wyatt Earp, who opened a saloon here, and it later became the endpoint for three of Roald Amundsen’s polar expeditions.

That legacy of ambition and exploration sets the stage for what’s to come… Once on board, collect your expedition jacket, settle into your cabin, meet the Expedition Team, and get ready for the adventure.

Crossing the Arctic threshold

These early sea days are your introduction to the rhythms of the Arctic. Passing through the Bering Strait, the coastline drops away, and the Beaufort Sea reveals wide open vistas. Keep watch for seabirds tracking the route, and bowhead whales surfacing, particularly near Point Barrow, which is the northernmost point of the United States. If there’s sea ice, we may also spot Pacific walruses gathered on the floes.

You’ll also have the chance to join onboard lectures and science sessions. These might delve into Arctic ecosystems, ice dynamics, and regional history. It’s a time to observe, learn, and adjust to the polar environment.

Living coastlines across the Western Canadian Arctic

This stretch of the Western Canadian Arctic feels elemental: rugged coastlines, tundra plateaus, and communities along the fjords that live in close harmony with the land.

Over these few days we’ll sail along the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, and where conditions allow, explore shorelines up close on Zodiacs, landing for guided hikes, and visiting places like Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island: a small but culturally rich settlement known for its printmaking and strong artistic traditions.

Life on board in the polar rhythm

Sea days in the Northwest Passage are yours to enjoy at your own pace. In the Science Centre, there may be opportunities to join lectures on Arctic wildlife, hear from regional experts, or sharpen your skills in a photography workshop.

Between sessions, the ship can feel like a front-row seat to the Arctic. Admire the sweeping landscape from the deck’s hot tub, unwind in the sauna, or settle into a quiet corner with a book and a coffee.

Historic waters of the central Canadian Arctic

This stretch moves through some of the most historically significant waters of the Northwest Passage. Small communities such as Cambridge Bay and Gjoa Haven lie in vast landscapes marked by ancient travel routes and thousands of years of Inuit life.

Gjoa Haven on King William Island is closely tied to the story of Franklin’s lost expedition in 1845, which ended nearby, and to the Inuit oral histories that later helped piece together what happened. The name ‘Gjoa’ also carries Amundsen’s legacy. He navigated this passage aboard the vessel Gjøa and sheltered in this harbour during his historic transit of the Northwest Passage, marking a defining moment in polar exploration history.

Through the Central Arctic Straits

Today we navigate the narrow waterways at the heart of the Northwest Passage.

As we move between islands and shifting floes, the landscape reveals a stark beauty: low tundra shores, scattered icebergs, and vast horizons under an ever-changing Arctic sky. Wildlife may make an appearance, such as seals resting on the ice, or seabirds tracing our route overhead. This is a place where you really feel a powerful sense of isolation and discovery.

Into the ice edge

This part of the voyage offers a real sense of Arctic exploration, surrounded by thick sea ice.

We approach Prince of Wales Island, one of the larger islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago passage, set between Somerset and Victoria Islands. Navigating these high-latitude waters in northern Nunavut, we keep watch for the ice edge: the shifting boundary between open water and sea ice, and adjust our route according to conditions. If ice and weather allow, we may launch the Zodiacs to explore sheltered bays, gaining a closer perspective on the low-lying tundra, and if we’re lucky, encountering the local wildlife in its natural environment.

The High Arctic Highway

Entering Lancaster Sound, we reach one of the Arctic’s key marine corridors, between Baffin and Devon Islands. It’s a stunning region of towering cliffs and glacially carved coastlines, where you might even spot narwhals, seals, and seabirds.

This area also played a major role in early searches for the Northwest Passage, when explorers attempted to navigate through the Arctic Archipelago. Today, it remains an active migration route for wildlife, as well as a historic exploration corridor.

Fjords and Inuit frontiers

Eastern Baffin Island reveals some of the most dramatic scenery of the voyage. Towering fjords cut deep into the coastline, while glaciers descend towards the sea in vast, sculptural forms. The sense of scale is truly immense.

We explore this landscape by Zodiac, navigating through ice-fringed waters and along sheer cliff faces that rise straight from the sea, particularly in the waters of Sirmilik National Park. These journeys bring us into close contact with the region’s raw geography and shifting ice.

We also call at Pond Inlet, a welcoming Inuit community at the gateway to the park. Here, you’ll gain insight into daily life in the High Arctic.

Watch for wildlife and get involved in Citizen Science

Leaving Canada’s Nunavut region behind, we cross Baffin Bay towards Greenland.

The adventure continues through science and storytelling, with onboard lectures and Citizen Science activities such as NASA cloud observation supporting global climate research.

Our Cultural Ambassadors continue to share perspectives on Inuit life across the Arctic, linking communities separated by water but connected by history and culture.

It’s a reflective passage: quiet, expansive, and atmospheric.

The trip concludes in colourful Nuuk

Your trip ends in Nuuk, Greenland’s compact capital. Striking contrasts define this city: traditional wooden houses sit alongside contemporary architecture, including the Greenland Parliament Building.

Explore Nuuk Cathedral and Hans Egede House, or walk the harbour where fishing vessels and modern maritime activity share the same waters.

From here, you fly to Copenhagen, carrying memories of a journey shaped by ice, culture, and the vast scale of the Arctic world.