Heart of the Arctic

Harboring Feelings

We start our adventure by boarding a northbound charter flight from Toronto (Ontario) to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, site of a former US Air Force base.

Via Zodiac, we transfer to the Ocean Endeavour to begin our navigation of the 118 mile-long (190 km) Kangerlussuaq Fjord (Søndre Strømfjor is Danish for “big fjord”). Encircled by a big mountain hug and bobbing glaciers, this fjord is bisected by the imaginary line of the Arctic Circle which we will cross!

Is your heart-pounding with anticipation yet?

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Sensory Massage

Greenland’s west coast is simply stunning—the complex coastal waterway is one big panoramic postcard of superlatives. From calving glaciers to sheer cliffs peppered with seabirds, the daunting mountains and tiniest sprays of tundra flowers offer both visuals that are both micro and macro. 

Kangerlussuatsiaq means “the rather big fjord” in Greenlandic, while the Danish name (Evighedsfjorden) translates to “the fjord of eternity.” The extreme vastness and silence consumes hikers, poets, photographers, daydreamers and self-proclaimed philosophers. This is the kind of place where epiphanies unfold! We take a Zodiac cruise to the foot of a towering glacier and learn more about the West Greenland current and the (relatively) warmer waters of this subarctic region.

Later, we can reflect and revel in the day’s total sensory massage in the sauna or hot tub.

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Pop-up Polkas and Mummies

Nuuk, the brightly-painted capital of Greenland, is a collision of nature, modernity and tradition. The Old Harbor is a reflection of Danish colonial days, while contemporary Nuuk is known for its cool vibe, minimalist gallery cafes, upmarket Danish steakhouses, boutique shops and rowdy pubs. We may be spontaneously pulled in to join in on a Greenland Polka!

The University of Greenland is Greenland’s only university—and it’s located in Nuuk. Most courses are taught in Danish with a few offered in Greenlandic. West Greenlandic is the official dialect that all children learn in addition to Danish and English. Greenlandic words can be extremely long but they often convey an entire sentence. 

The Greenland National Museum is one of Nuuk’s treasures. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the Inuit skin boats and 15th-century Qilakitsoq mummies. Move over Tutankhamun! There’s a new mummy in town!

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Unicorns of the Sea

The Davis Strait is the ocean expanse that links southeastern Baffin Island and southwestern Greenland. Narwhals, bowhead and pilot whales cruise through the strait though sightings are dependent on zooplankton and schools of fish. Inuit fishermen have also relied on these shallow waters for Arctic char.

Baffin Bay’s estimated population of 50,000 narwhals accounts for 80 to 90% of the world’s population. The “unicorns of the sea” are playful year-round residents of Baffin Bay, feeding and mating in the winter.

Kick back with binoculars and scout the northern Atlantic for unicorns, minke, humpbacks, auks and other unexpected pop-up wildlife. Or, find a seat in a workshop, watch a documentary or test your agility in an interactive cultural performance of Inuit games. This time on board provides the unique opportunity to learn more about the cultural traditions and history from  Inuit expedition leaders eager to share stories of their homeland.

We can also take advantage of the ship’s amenities–there’s a gym, library or bar—and plenty of wandering Wild Women to keep company. Chat, chill or sweat it out!

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

The Birds and the Breeze

In the winter, Ungava Bay is choked with a tumbler of first-year ice rubble. By summer, the bay clears and has recorded some of the highest tides in the world, including a 56-foot (17 m) tide in the Bay of Leaves (Baie aux Feuilles). Hold on to your hat and gin!

Ungava Bay is a thriving and impressive ecosystem. By Zodiac, we comb the shorelines and any outlying ice in an attempt to spot polar bears and walrus. Here, endangered belugas and Canada’s largest number of breeding Akpat (thick-billed murres) mingle. We visit the uninhabited Akpatok Island, the biggest island in Ungava Bay, at over 559 square miles (900 km). It’s named for the Akpaits (thick-billed murres) that nest on the precarious limestone ledges and cliffs—it’s also home to Canada’s largest colony of breeding pairs.

Ungava Bay’s basin is a peculiar mix of black spruce, dwarf birch, lichens, sphagnum moss, northern Labrador tea, sedge, peat-filled depressions, moraines and volcanic rock. We take a Zodiac cruise in the large and shallow waters of the bay to scout the shorelines in search of polar bears, walrus and marine life like the endangered beluga.

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Geology and Gin

Along the Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, we explore an area of treeless tundra dissected by rivers, glacial lakes rich in geology (especially iron ore deposits) and flora. Inuit cultural educators will guide you through their treasured homeland with moving stories of resilience and resourcefulness.

Speaking of flora, Quebec’s signature Ungava Gin is sunshine gold in color with a Nordic juniper nose. It’s a blend of six rare Arctic botanicals that are found underfoot: Nordic juniper, wild rose hip, Labrador tea, crowberry, Arctic blend and cloudberry.

We have the unique opportunity to hike among the fragrant gin ingredients and take advantage of random wildlife and bird encounters on a Zodiac excursion along the inlets and islands that pepper the peninsula.

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Arctic Arts

In 2020, Kinngait reverted back to its original name (from Cape Dorset)—it means “mountains” in Inuktitut. This creative Dorset Island hamlet located near Foxe peninsula is a coveted Inuit art market hotbed. In 1959, the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative was established to showcase the talents of carvers, illustrators and printmakers. The Co-op includes Toronto-based Dorset Fine Arts, which helps to extend the artists’ audience further south and globally.

The professional printmaking studio is one of the oldest in Canada and is now called the Kinngait Studios. It’s an integral part of the Kenojuak Cultural Centre.

Old and new generations of artists, carvers and printmakers continue to make Kinngait the beating heart of Inuit art. We visit a few studios and meet some of the legendary artists. There will be an opportunity to purchase a one-of-a-kind Arctic memento that will continue to transport us back to the tundra and our pinch-me Wild Women expedition.

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Sea’s the Day

English explorer Henry Hudson successfully navigated the strait in 1610 and it became the main marine artery for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Today, we navigate the fast-moving waters of the 497 mile-long (800 km) Hudson Strait. The outstretched arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Nunavut’s Baffin Island and Quebec links Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin with the Labrador Sea. Did you follow that bouncing ball?

Join expert expedition staff on deck as we scan for skulking polar bears, rasping walrus, lunging whales, barking seals and careening seabirds together! We’ll take advantage of every opportunity to explore the area on foot or by Zodiac in search of the wildlife that calls this biodiverse strait home!

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Etched Memories

Kimmirut (Lake Harbour) means “the heel” in Inuktitut and refers to an outcrop of marble across the bay from the community. Located on the south shore of the Meta Incognita Peninsula on Baffin Island, this hamlet of 400 reverted to its Inukitut name in 1996. It’s one of the oldest permanently inhabited spots on Baffin Island.

As Kimmirut is home to one of the first Hudson’s Bay Company outposts on Baffin Island, the trapping skills of the Inuit were immediately recognized and capitalized on. Art has also played a monumental role in this community. Local artists create fine jewelry utilizing semi-precious stones like sapphire, zircon, moonstone, garnet and lapis lazuli—all of which have all been discovered in the region. Kimmirut is also synonymous with highly polished ivory scrimshaw and jewelry depicting animals and Arctic life etched into whale teeth, bone or walrus tusks.

Members of the local community will share compelling stories about the RCMP post, original Hudson Bay post, the Co-op and Anglican church’s influence and impact on Inuit life.

For those who choose to hike, the Itijjagiaq trail that splices through Kimmirut’s blooming tundra is part of the Trans Canada Trail! Stretching 17,398 miles (28,000 km) from coast to coast to coast, the Trans Canada is the longest trail in the world!

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Finding Balance

We gain quick appreciation for the fine balance shared between wildlife and humans living in isolated Arctic communities like Iqaluit (Frobisher Bay). Located on an inlet of the Davis Strait in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Iqaluit is dense with mistaken identities, wrong turns, fur and gold.

Between 1955 and 1987, the settlement of Iqaluit was known as Frobisher Bay. In 1576, Martin Frobisher was a turned-around English explorer on a quest to find the elusive Northwest Passage. His easy shortcut to China was a bust, as was his discovery of gold. Appropriately, it was fool’s gold.

Hot on his heels, commercial whalers introduced ships and trade to the area and the British Government transferred sovereignty of the Arctic archipelago to the Canadian government. Fast forward to the early 1900s: the whaling industry collapsed, the fur trade took precedence and missionaries arrived as did a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post.

Our onboard geologists will introduce the rocks and landscape they are consumed by in an addictive way.

Included Meals

All on-board meals 

Accommodations

Your cabin on the Ocean Endeavour 

Anchored Friendships

In Inuktitut, Iqaluit means “place of many fish” and it’s easy to become hooked! Situated at the chilly head of Frobisher Bay, Iqaluit is Nunavut’s capital (population: 8,000). An instant bite of the distinct culture is visible on menus offering  pan-seared Arctic char, turbot tacos and muskox burgers.

The Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum and Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre are magnetic attractions in addition to the territorial Legislature and the igloo-inspired St. Jude’s Cathedral (referred to as the “Igloo Cathedral”). A myriad of shops and galleries displaying Inuit carvings also tempt those seeking a commemorative piece to remind of the expedition.

We’ll transfer to shore by Zodiac through Iqualuit harbour then board a bus to the airport for our southbound charter flight to Ottawa, Ontario. If time and logistics permit, a bus or town tour of Iqaluit may occur but this is not guaranteed.

The Inuktitut word for ‘goodbye to all’ is “tavvauvusi” though we know you’ll be reluctant to say it and part this surreal landscape and the Wild Women you’ve found fast friendships with.

Included Meals

Breakfast