ADVENTURE CRUISES

Baffin Island and Greenland Explorer & Total Solar Eclipse

The northeast coast of Baffin Island has many deep fjords with many spectacular glacial and ice-capped mountains. There are towers, spires and pyramids of rock and ice, with sheer and overhanging great rock walls. Be on the lookout for Arctic hare and beluga whale.

Cruise Details

Single Travelers: Solo travelers willing to share can reserve a triple or twin-shared cabin, where you will be matched with a person of the same gender. If the other cabin berth goes unsold, you will not be penalized. For those who desire single occupancy, cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the twin rate on the Shokalskiy, Ioffe, Vavilov, and 1.8 times the twin rate on the Maryshev, Molchanov, Multanovskiy, Antarctic dream and Mikheev.

Not Included: Airfares to the embarkation point and from the disembarkation point; Fuel surcharge of $15 per person per night on: Maryshev, Molchanov, Multanovskiy, Micheev, and Antarctic Dream; passport and visa expenses; government arrival and departure taxes; hotel accommodations; Rubber boots on all other vessels not specifically listed above; baggage, Trip Cancellation Insurance with emergency medical evacuation insurance (required); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunication charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for those who have served you aboard (guidelines will be provided).

Day 1: Ottawa to Iqaluit
The expedition begins at the meeting point in the Hotel Crowne Plaza in Ottawa. You are transferred to the airport to board a charter flight bound for Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut. This charter flight is not included in trip pricing. On board, you are treated to magnificent aerial views of Baffin Island and Hudson Straight. Upon arrival, you are transported to the ship by Zodiac for embarkation on the Ioffe, your home for the next 12 nights. Setting sail in the evening, you'll pass through historic Frobisher Bay and head southeast through the narrows. Later, you’ll be introduced to the expedition crew and given an overview of the exciting adventures to come.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Monumental Island
Few people have touched the shores of this island, thus surrounding it with an air of mystery. Depending on the position of the receding northern ice pack it may be possible to see walrus on the ice, although walrus haul-outs are seasonal. Birders might catch sight of some Kumlien’s gulls, which are known to nest on the cliff-tops, and there is also the possibility of sighting polar bears, whales and seals.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Cumberland Sound and Pangnirtung, Baffin Island
Today, cruise through Cumberland Sound to Pangnirtung, known as "the place of the bull caribou". Before the concentration of Inuit population in this area, an abundance of caribou were found here. Here you will visit "Pang", an Inuit community on the east coast of Baffin Island renowned for their arts and crafts, especially print-making and weaving. There will opportunities to view and purchase these magnificent pieces of art by famous Inuit artists. This is also the place to buy the famous "Pang toque" (beanie or wool cap).

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Davis Straight
The ship will turn east today and head towards Greenland across Davis Strait. Eventually, you’ll cross the Arctic Circle heading northeast. The remote location may inspire you to join the shipboard educational program, which will focus on some of the fascinating history, geography and culture of the Arctic. You will be looking for the ice edge and for all of the wildlife that can be found on the sea ice. Join the onboard naturalists out on deck and help search for the wildlife.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5-7: From Sisimiut to Uummannaq, Greenland
The first stop today is the Greenland town of Sisimiut, known for its colorful harbor. Spend some time wandering through the town. The guides will lead various lengths of walks up into the mountains around the town at various times during the day. Sisimiut is the northernmost year-round ice-free port on the west coast of Greenland. It is consequently an important shipping town where items destined for northwestern Greenland are transferred to air cargo during the winter months. Ilulissat – Greenlandic for iceberg – one of the island’s most productive icefjords has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is planned to explore the town at the head of the fjord, as well as cruise among the icebergs. A town situated at the head of a breath-taking fjord, Uummannaq is nestled at the base of a large rock spire on a small island. Surrounded by ice, and within view of the continental glacier that caps Greenland, Uummannaq is an island of contrasts. Uummannaq is a beautiful town with icebergs littering the backyards of the oceanfront homes and a great little museum.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8-9: Baffin Bay
The ship now begins a crossing of Baffin Bay, heading for the top of Baffin Island. The crossing will take almost two days and your time at sea will be well spent relaxing and absorbing the magnificent scenery from colossal icebergs to sea birds. The onboard educational program will offer some great in-depth sessions. The naturalists, historians and anthropologists relish this opportunity to discuss the flora, fauna and incredible history as well as the modern social conditions of Greenland, Baffin Island and the Canadian North.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10-11: Devon Island and Solar Eclipse
At Dundas Harbour, you will explore an abandoned Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost, nestled among tundra covered hills. The Expedition Leader will be reviewing charts and weather reports to identify the best location to view the solar eclipse. According to NASA, the event should occur August 1, 2008 at 04:20. The goal will be to go ashore on the northeastern tip of Somerset Island, near Port Leopold. From there, you'll hopefully have an excellent northerly view of the eclipse. The event should occur just above the horizon, northwest of Port Leopold. Following the eclipse and a morning nap, you will visit Prince Leopold Island’s towering limestone cliffs. They are renowned as a breeding ground for many species of Arctic seabirds. If the conditions are right, you’ll see thousands of birds in flight or at rest on the cliffs.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 12: Beechey Island
Today the ship continues on to the bleak shores of Beechey Island. It’s here that you’ll come across one of the many failed attempts to find the Northwest Passage. In 1845, three members of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition perished here. Depending on ice conditions, you’ll go ashore and see the graves that mark the site of the hapless winter camp. Within a few years, the remaining members of the expedition also died during their struggle to return to safety.

Accommodations: Ioffe
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 13: Resolute
The ship sails towards Cornwallis Island and Resolute, the most western point of the voyage. Here you’ll disembark by Zodiac and then be transferred to the airport for the charter flight to Ottawa. You’ll head south flying over Baffin Island and Northern Quebec. Upon arrival in Ottawa in the evening, you’ll be transferred back to the meeting point at the Hotel Crowne Plaza.

Accommodations: N/A
Included Meals: Breakfast

Read this itinerary as a guide only. As this is an expedition to a remote part of the world, our exact route and program varies according to ice, weather conditions, wildlife, availability of anchorages, political conditions and other factors beyond our control. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition. Visits to research stations depend on final permission.