Northwest Passage Cruise
| country: | Arctic Cruises, Canada, Greenland |
| price: | From £3350 (13 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is our third year offering a voyage through the Northwest Passage. Our first attempt was a successful transit and occurred during the centenary of the first successful voyage through the Northwest Passage, paying tribute to the world's most successful polar explorer, Roald Amundsen. Navigating a course through the Arctic that few people have achieved, this year's expedition promises to be an exciting journey of discovery.
We will start this voyage in the middle of the Northwest Passage and head west to the Beaufort Sea. Upon reaching the Beaufort, we will turn east and navigate the channels between the Arctic archipelago and the coast of mainland Canada, looking for a way to Lancaster Sound. These waterways are renowned for tricky navigation, rapidly changing ice conditions and for supporting a diverse population of wildlife, from ducks to whales. Here we'll find evidence of the European legends of discovery, including the most notorious of all, the ill-fated Franklin expedition of 1845.
The journey begins in the small community of Cambridge Bay and from there our route takes us west along the coast of Victoria Island up into Amundsen Gulf. We will try to visit the community of Holman, located on the west coast of Victoria Island before heading south to land on the mainland Northwest Territories. We will turn our ship eastward and retrace our steps though Amundsen Gulf, stopping to land at some abandoned outposts along the way. As we pass Cambridge Bay, we will be back into new territory. Approaching King William Island, we will make the decisions on our route based on ice and weather conditions. Our hope is to sail along the south coast of King William Island, visit the community of Gjoa Haven and then head to the northern end of King William Island. Continuing north, we plan to pass through Bellot Strait and into Prince Regent Inlet. Our final few landings will see us through the Northwest Passage and visiting the last known wintering site of the Franklin Expedition, at Beechey Island. We will end our journey at Resolute, paying tribute to all of the Arctic explorers that have shared the spirit of adventure before us.
Note: Weather, ice, or other conditions may necessitate changes to our itinerary and alteration to certain shore excursions.
We will start this voyage in the middle of the Northwest Passage and head west to the Beaufort Sea. Upon reaching the Beaufort, we will turn east and navigate the channels between the Arctic archipelago and the coast of mainland Canada, looking for a way to Lancaster Sound. These waterways are renowned for tricky navigation, rapidly changing ice conditions and for supporting a diverse population of wildlife, from ducks to whales. Here we'll find evidence of the European legends of discovery, including the most notorious of all, the ill-fated Franklin expedition of 1845.
The journey begins in the small community of Cambridge Bay and from there our route takes us west along the coast of Victoria Island up into Amundsen Gulf. We will try to visit the community of Holman, located on the west coast of Victoria Island before heading south to land on the mainland Northwest Territories. We will turn our ship eastward and retrace our steps though Amundsen Gulf, stopping to land at some abandoned outposts along the way. As we pass Cambridge Bay, we will be back into new territory. Approaching King William Island, we will make the decisions on our route based on ice and weather conditions. Our hope is to sail along the south coast of King William Island, visit the community of Gjoa Haven and then head to the northern end of King William Island. Continuing north, we plan to pass through Bellot Strait and into Prince Regent Inlet. Our final few landings will see us through the Northwest Passage and visiting the last known wintering site of the Franklin Expedition, at Beechey Island. We will end our journey at Resolute, paying tribute to all of the Arctic explorers that have shared the spirit of adventure before us.
Note: Weather, ice, or other conditions may necessitate changes to our itinerary and alteration to certain shore excursions.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Charter flight from Edmonton to Cambridge Bay and board ship by Zodiac |
| Day 2: | Byron Bay/Lachlan River, Victoria Island |
| Day 3: | Bernard Harbour |
| Day 4: | Pearce Point |
| Day 5: | Smoking Hills |
| Day 6: | Holman |
| Day 7: | Johansen Bay, Victoria Island |
| Day 8: | Jenny Lind Island |
| Day 9: | Gjoa Haven and Simpson Strait |
| Day 10: | Victory Point, King William Island |
| Day 11: | Fort Ross and Bellot Strait |
| Day 12: | Beechey Island and Prince Leopold Island |
| Day 13: | Resolute - disembark ship by Zodiac and transfer to charter flight out to Ottawa |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The operator is a full member of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) and, as such, abides by some of the tourism world's most conscientious codes of conduct. The same stringent codes of conduct are applied to operations in the High Arctic, as well as Antarctica. A large part of that responsibility to minimise environmental impact and raise awareness involves educating their passengers on ways to minimise their personal impact, while still fully enjoying the wonders of the High Arctic This begins with the pre-departure information that includes a 'Guidelines for Low Impact Travel' booklet, as well as a comprehensive briefing document. On board there is a comprehensive educational programme that informs passengers about environmental issues affecting the Arctic, such as how to minimise personal impact on the environment to information on approaching wildlife and caring for fragile landscapes.
They are also involved in a number of environmental initiatives in the Arctic, including partnering Birds Australia and supporting a range of scientific research endeavours. They visit a number of remote Inuit communities on their voyages, delivering much-needed supplies and, of course, making an economic contribution to the local community. They also support 'Icebreakers', an exchange program for schoolchildren in the high Arctic. Their ships are widely regarded as the best expedition cruise ships operating in polar waters. They are the newest in the business and as such, have state-of-the-art waste management systems and run cleaner and more efficiently than older vessels. They believe that by taking passengers to the High Arctic, allowing them to experience its wonder and educating and informing them on the local and global issues affecting the polar regions, they are helping to create ambassadors for protecting the fragile polar wilderness. BirdLife's ‘Save the Albatross Campaign’ is trying to stop the needless slaughter of these magnificent birds by ensuring that relevant international agreements are implemented that will benefit both the birds and the legal fishing industry. Our website has details on the problems, the solutions, BirdLife's campaign, how you can help and how you can sign the new online ‘Save the Albatross’ petition, being organised by Forest and Bird, BirdLife's New Zealand partner. You can also view photographs of the threatened species. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |