Adventure Canada's 2015-16 Expeditions Brochure

ContentsThe Adventure Canada Experience ....................................................Our Resource Specialists .................................................................The Ocean Endeavour ......................................................................Our partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society ............Our partnership with the Walrus Foundation ......................................Students on Ice: Investing in our Future ............................................The Canadian Wildlife Federation .....................................................Adventure Canada’s Discovery Fund ..................................................Sail with a celebrity chef! ................................................................Explorers Club Polar Film Festival ....................................................Photo Workshop .............................................................................Floating Book Club .........................................................................

EXPEDITIONS 2015 .......................................................................Mighty Saint Lawrence ....................................................................Newfoundland Circumnavigation ......................................................Newfoundland & Wild Labrador ........................................................Heart of the Arctic ..........................................................................Arctic Explorer ...............................................................................Into the Northwest Passage .............................................................Out of the Northwest Passage ..........................................................

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Haida Gwaii—The Queen Charlotte Islands ..........Bears of Churchill: Tundra Buggy Adventure .........Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands ........................

EXPEDITIONS 2016 .........................................Mighty Saint Lawrence ......................................Sable Island .....................................................Newfoundland Circumnavigation ........................Greenland & Wild Labrador ................................Heart of the Arctic ............................................Arctic Safari .....................................................Arctic Explorer ..................................................Into the Northwest Passage ................................Out of the Northwest Passage .............................

Our Office Team ................................................Pricing .............................................................Registration Form ............................................Important Information ......................................Our Northern Carrier: Nolinor Aviation ..............

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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS:

Cover Model—Colleen Novoligak from Cambridge Bay. Photo © Michelle Valberg

Hello, adventurers! Welcome to 2015: a season of ‘firsts’!

For the first time, we’re launching from Québec City, with an extraordinary adventure down the world’s largest estuary on our Mighty Saint Lawrence voyage.

For the first time, we’re partnering with Canadian Geographic Education to bring Google’s Geo Education Program on our trip to Newfoundland and Wild Labrador. Aboard will be authors Terry Fallis, Kathleen Winter, and Doug Gibson, forming our first-ever Floating Book Club.

For the first time, we’ll connect Japan and the Arctic with co-host John Houston, whose father James introduced Japanese printmaking to the north. Writer C.W. Nichol and famed sushi master Hidekazu Tojo-san join John aboard our Heart of the Arctic voyage.

For the first time, we’ll be working hand in hand with the legendary Explorers Club, sharing expertise with some of the greatest minds and hearts in exploration. Members joining us for their inaugural trips this year include astronaut Charlie Duke, TV host Richard Wiese, and Wings WorldQuest founder Milbry Polk—along with veteran expedition leader Stefan Kindberg.

And, for the first time, we’ll be travelling aboard our new vessel, the Ocean Endeavour. Slightly larger, but still every inch the ‘small ship’, she represents our twenty-seven years of experience in action.

With so much that’s new and exciting, we’re grateful to have so many of our beloved staff returning—like Margaret Atwood, Freeman Patterson, and Andre Gallant, all of whom are joining our Out of the Northwest Passage voyage. Adventure Canada’s expedition leaders, culturalists, artists, musicians, and scientists are more than experts in their fields; they’re first-rate people who bring fun and enthusiasm to every voyage.

We’ll revisit some of our classic trips in 2015, with two voyages through the Northwest Passage, plus our Newfoundland Circumnavigation, Haida Gwaii, and Galápagos Islands trips.

In short, it’s a season that combines tradition with new approaches, new ideas, new friends, and new inspirations—and we can’t wait to sail for new horizons together.

Hope to see you on an adventure very soon!

Cedar SwanAdventure Canada ceo

© Scott Forsyth

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The Adventure Canada ExperienceTravelling with Adventure Canada is an experience unlike any other—and not just because of our incredible destinations. We pride ourselves on enhancing our adventures, both on and off the ship.

Our shipboard programming is fun and educational. We host presentations, debates, and workshops to provide perspective and understanding. Our expedition staff—experts in their

respective fields—are approachable, available on deck, and always onshore during excursions. Staff and passengers dine together for lively, informative conversations. We believe laughter should be a part of every experience. Our unique mix of entertainment and humour is integral to our evening concerts, trivia nights, theme dinners, and dances. Each day’s excursions are thoughtfully planned to make the most of the local environment and conditions. Hiking, wildlife

Murray Waghorn Eleven expeditions with Adventure Canada

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viewing, historic sites, community visits, and Zodiac cruising are regular activities. Engaging presentations and hands-on activities are offered each day; these may range from photography and printmaking workshops, to examinations of ancient people and current events. You choose the activities that are best suited to your abilities and interests.

Our close relationships with local people in the regions we visit set us apart. Adventure Canada has a proud history of working with communities, hiring locally, and ensuring our

vision of tourism is a sustainable one. We are grateful to work alongside so many talented individuals and have them invite us into their home territories.

In turn, we are proud to invite community members on board to enjoy the hospitality of the Ocean Endeavour while sharing their stories and experiences with us.

Fun and casual, Adventure Canada’ s expedition cruises are true voyages of discovery.

© Danny Catt

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Our Resource Specialists Adventure Canada’s team travels as a matter of routine to some of the world’s wildest, most remote destinations. Polar bear sightings, Zodiacs zipping between waves, and towering icebergs are all in a day’s work. Time and time again, it is our intrepid team

of resource specialists that gives us our 35% return-customer rate. We fly the majority of our staff members in specially for each voyage. This ensures that we have experts in the specific regions who are as excited to be there as our adventurers.

MARGARET ATWOODAUTHOROut of the Northwest Passage

Margaret is a keen birder, ardent conservationist, and one of Canada’s most celebrated literary figures. Throughout her lifetime of writing, Margaret has received numerous awards and several honorary degrees, and she currently serves as joint honorary president of the Rare Bird Club. She is the author of more than fifty volumes of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is perhaps best known for her novels. She has won more than fifty-five awards in Canada and internationally.

TAGAK CURLEYCULTURALISTInto the Northwest Passage

Tagak is an Inuit leader, politician, and businessman—he was a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut. He worked with the Federal Department of Indian Affairs from 1966–1970 and has held leadership positions with the Inuit Cultural Institute, Nunasi Corporation, and Nunavut Construction. He received the Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 and the Order of Canada in 2003.

RICHARD WIESEEXPLORERHeart of the Arctic

Richard is a world-class explorer and host of ABC’s Emmy-winning TV show, Born to Explore. Since climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro at age eleven, he has adventured around the globe—from traveling with Bedouins in Africa to skiing the North Pole. Richard became the youngest-ever Explorers Club president in 2002. A respected field scientist, his goal is to inspire young people and spark their interest for discovery and love of the outdoors.

© Chris Windeyer

We are authors and painters, we are archaeologists and filmmakers. We are musicians and anthropologists and geologists and marine biologists. We are birdwatchers and songwriters, photographers and hunters, culturalists, philosophers, polititians, meteorologists, sculptors, historians, sailors, and swimmers of sub-zero waters. We hail from far and wide, and we are luminary minds in our respective fields.

Above all, we all share in a deep love for discovery. For learning. For exploration and growth. And we are family. This is just a small selection of some of the mighty intellects and winning smiles you can find aboard any of Adventure Canada’s award-winning itineraries. Welcome to the expedition elite.

MILBRY POLKEXPLORERNewfoundland & Wild LabradorHeart of the Arctic

Milbry is a Harvard graduate and the Founder and Director Emeritus of Wings WorldQuest, the preeminent organization supporting female explorers throughout the world. She is the author and editor of a dozen books (including Women of Discovery), has contributed to many others, and is the book reviews editor for the Explorers Journal.

FREEMAN PATTERSONPHOTOGRAPHEROut of the Northwest Passage

Freeman was born in New Brunswick. He was Dean of Religious Studies at Alberta College in the 1960s, and has produced works for the National Film Board of Canada. He is a life member and former president of the Toronto Guild for Colour Photography and co-founded the Namaqualand Photographic Workshops in Africa. Freeman has also written for a variety of magazines and CBC radio, and been featured on CBC television.

JEAN CLAUDE ROYARTISTNewfoundland Circumnavigation

Jean Claude was born in France in 1948. Entirely self-taught, he is one of Newfoundland’s best-known landscape artists. In 2011, he published Fluctuat Nec Mergitur, a 480-page book with a painting of every community on the island, and he is currently working on a similar volume on Labrador. He and his wife Christine designed the legendary French Shore Tapestry, which is on display in Conche, Newfoundland.

THE OCEAN ENDEAVOUR

The Ocean Endeavour is the perfect vessel for expedition cruising. Outfitted with twenty Zodiacs, advanced navigation equipment, multiple lounges, and a top deck observation room, she is purpose-built for passenger experiences in remote environments. The Ocean Endeavour boasts a 1B ice class, enabling her to freely explore throughout the Arctic summer. Launched in 1982, she has had numerous upgrades, most recently in 2010 and 2015.

At 137 metres in length, the Ocean Endeavour has plenty of interior and exterior space. Ample deck space offers comfortable lounge chairs, a swimming pool, a sauna, and even a hot tub! The spacious interiors allow for varied workshops and presentations to occur simultaneously. The three lounges aboard the Ocean Endeavour are

fantastic locations for seminars, events, and conversation.

The Ocean Endeavour’s accomodations are stylish and comfortable. All cabins have private washroom facilities, a phone for internal calls, radio, TV, and temperature control. There are a variety of cabin categories available ranging from 9–30m2 (30–100ft2). The Ocean Endeavour’s crew is experienced and friendly. The ship’s shallow draft and maneuverability allow her to access isolated fjords, bays and secluded communities. Enjoy the class and comfort of a boutique hotel while venturing to some of the world’s last great frontiers aboard the Ocean Endeavour!

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YOUR ADVENTURE INCLUDES:

ABOARDEducational presentationsInteractive workshopsEvening entertainmentAll shipboard meals, including on-deck barbeques & afternoon tea 24-hour coffee, tea, and snacks Hors d’ouevres and snacks during evening recaps 24-hour documentary and film programmingFully stocked libraryAccess to all ship amenities

ASHOREIntroductions to local people and customsSightseeingMuseum entry, park access, and port taxesAccess to pristine wilderness areasZodiac tours and cruisesOn-site archaeology workshopsCommunity programming—local performances, presentations, and demonstrations

POOL DECK

SAUNA

MERIDIAN CLUB

DETAILSType of vessel:Year built: Refurbished:Registry: Length: Breadth:

Draft: Ice Class:Main engines: Propellers: Stabilizers: Bow-thruster:

Passenger Cruise Ship1982: Szczecin, Poland (keel laid 1980)2001 / 2004 / 2010 / 2015Marshall Islands137 metres / 450 feet21 metres / 69 feet

5.8 metres / 19 feet1B4 x Skoda Sulzer 6ZL40/48 2 x variable pitch propellers Gyrofin stabilizers 600 kW / 800 hp

SUPERIOR TWIN - Category 8*

INTERIOR TWIN - Category 3*

*Room appointments may differ from those shown. Photos are a guide only.

POLARIS RESTAURANT

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DECK PLAN

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Our partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical SocietyAdventure Canada is proud to work in partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, founded in 1929 with a mandate “to make Canada better known to Canadians and to the world”.

This year the Society celebrates the 85th anniversary of Canadian Geographic—the third most widely read magazine in Canada, and a beloved tradition for many adventure-minded Canadians.

The rcgs is one of Canada’s largest nonprofit educational organizations, funded primarily by its members and generous donations.The Society

fulfills its mandate mainly through the publication of Canadian Geographic in English and Géographica in French, and through the Society’s geographic education program, speaker series, research grants and expedition programs.

The Canadian Geographic Photo Club, Canada’s largest online photographic community, hosts the annual Canadian Geographic Photo Contest, the Wildlife Photography of the Year Contest and many more. This season’s Canadian Geographic Photo Club trip will be our exciting new itinerary, Mighty Saint Lawrence.

© Dennis Minty

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Canadian Geographic Education (CG Education), formerly the Canadian Council for Geographic Education, is committed to fostering geographic engagement in Canadian schools and strengthening students’ geographic literacy. We are pleased to be working with cge for the first time on our thrilling Newfoundland and Wild Labrador voyage—with special guest, John Bailey of Google.

We celebrate the Society annually with the rcgs expedition. This year, we welcome rcgs aboard our Heart of the Arctic itinerary, a voyage to the dynamic art-making communities of Nunavik, Nunavut, and Greenland.

© Scott Forsyth

© Michelle Valberg

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Our partnership with the Walrus FoundationIn 2015 we are once again pleased to partner with the award-winning magazine, The Walrus, and the charitable, non-profit Walrus Foundation to present The Walrus Expedition: Newfoundland Circumnavigation.

The Foundation is dedicated to creating a forum for conversation on matters vital to Canadians. Among its many contributions to the Canadian conversation is

The Walrus magazine—winner of more awards in its ten years of publication than any other Canadian title.

The Walrus Foundation also publishes original high-quality content at thewalrus.ca, creates digital projects such as Walrus Ebooks, partners with Blue Ant Media to produce documentaries and other programming at thewalrus.ca/tv, and trains young professionals in media, publishing, and non-profit development.

© Dennis Minty

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Students on Ice: Investing in our FutureAdventure Canada is a proud sponsor and supporter of the Students on Ice Foundation (SOI), an award-winning organization offering transformative educational expeditions for youth in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Since 2011, Adventure Canada has worked with SOI to support Inuit students through the scholarship program and by providing vessels for Arctic expeditions.

Adventure Canada shares SOI’s pioneering vision that the polar regions are the world’s greatest classrooms. Experiencing the polar world creates a tremendous platform for

education across cultures and disciplines, including science, history, arts, natural history, sustainable development, and conservation. Over the past fifteen years, more than 2,500 students from fifty-two countries have participated in SOI expeditions.

On every SOI journey, a team of educators—scientists, elders, experts, artists, historians, innovators, musicians, and visionary leaders—travels together with the students to foster a spirit of discovery, understanding, collaboration, respect, awe, wonder, and a deep connection to nature.

Adventure Canada and Students on Ice are thrilled to grow our partnership aboard the Ocean Endeavour. Adventure Canada clients contribute to the success of the Students on Ice program through Adventure Canada’s Discovery Fee. In 2015, Adventure Canada is pleased to include SOI alumni as part of our onboard resource staff.

To learn more about SOI and how you can directly support please visit studentsonice.com

Students on Ice Foundation is a registered Canadian charitable organization #83664 8766 RR0001

© Lee Narraway

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The Canadian Wildlife Federation The Canadian Wildlife Federation (cwf)

represents over 300,000 supporters that work from coast to coast to maintain something very

important—a bright future for Canada’s wildlife.

The Federation empowers Canadians to protect wild species and the spaces they call

home through a balanced approach to wildlife issues, award-winning programs, and beautiful

publications.

cwf delivers programs that encourage people to experience

the great outdoors and learn about the wonders of nature—and the trials they

face. It challenges government and industry to improve legislation and practices that

negatively impact wildlife and habitat. The Federation also conducts and

sponsors scientific research to help us better understand how we may help

wildlife.

The Federation’s Canadian Wildlife magazine and its

French counterpart, Biosphère celebrate our country’s

wildlife and habitats, and explore the conservation

issues affecting the natural world. Their WILD magazine for

children is jam-packed

with fun wildlife stories, games, and pictures for outdoors-minded youth.

Since its inception in 1962, cwf has become a household name because of its leadership in conservation science, education, and outreach. In 2014, cwf was named one of the top twenty-five charities in Canada by the Financial Post.

© Michelle Valberg

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Adventure Canada’s Discovery FundAdventure Canada strongly believes in the importance of sustainable social and environmental practices, and has long been committed to upholding standards of responsible travel. We continually reaffirm our approach to conscientious operation by making sustainable business choices—and by encouraging our partners to do the same.

In our nearly three decades of operation, we have been proudly involved in regional, nationwide, and international efforts to make our world a better place.

In 1996, Adventure Canada established the Discovery Fund to help strengthen

sustainable initiatives and projects in the regions to which we travel.

The Discovery Fund is supported by a $250 USD fee added to the price of each shipboard Adventure Canada tour sold. With this small contribution, passengers are taking active roles in the the betterment of our beloved world—the north, the east coast, and beyond.

The Discovery Fund directly assists local and national organizations involved in social and economic community development, in addition to environmental and wildlife preservation. Each year, we endeavour to extend our

support to both high profile and grassroots ventures. Recently, Adventure Canada’s Discovery Fund has actively supported the following key organizations: Project North, Torngat National Parks Clean-Up Project, Atlantic Whales, Unikkausivut, National Inuit Youth Council, The Walrus Foundation, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, among many others.

We have built our company around a reverence and respect for the wilds of our country—its land, its communities, its wildlife, its people, its culture. By travelling with Adventure Canada, you too are helping ensure that these irreplaceable treasures will endure for generations to come. Thank you.

© Michelle Valberg

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Sail with a celebrity chef!Aboard Heart of the Arctic

Legendary sushi chef Hidekazu Tojo joins our Heart of the Arctic voyage, boldly taking the fine art of Japanese cuisine to the pristine waters of the far north. Familiar to many from his TV appearances with the likes of Martha Stewart and Anthony Bourdain, Tojo-san is a Canadian treasure. His namesake restaurant, Tojo’s on West Broadway in Vancouver, is a must-visit destination for celebrities and discerning diners alike from around the globe.

Tojo-san is famed in his native Japan, and internationally as the originator of the California Roll, the BC Roll and Northern Lights Roll. His passion for the wild, fresh ingredients of the west coast (including smoked salmon, albacore tuna, and Alaskan black cod) is a hallmark of his unique approach to cuisine.

The Wall Street Journal selected Tojo-san as one of the top ten sushi chefs in the world, and his awards and distinctions include the BC Restaurants Hall of Fame

and the Vancouver Magazine Lifetime Achievement award among many, many others.

Aboard the Ocean Endeavour, Tojo-san will be seeking local ingredients to inspire a unique culinary creation, honouring the special connection between Japanese culture and the art of the Canadian Arctic. Guests will have the opportunity to sign up for sushi lessons and tips from Tojo-san in exclusive shipboard sushi workshops.

All photos © Leila Kwok

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Stefan Kindberg and Milbry Polk, Explorers Club members and co-founders of the Explorers Club Polar Film Festival, will join us on board our Heart of the Arctic expedition for a series of special presentations on behalf of the festival. Each evening will feature a topical film—ranging from feature films to vignettes and shorts—by a variety of researchers, documentarians, and polar enthusiasts. Stefan and Milbry will be joined by prolific Arctic film director John Houston as they showcase an exciting roster of films by northerners and films about the north.

Explorers Club Polar Film Festival

STEFAN KINDBERG MILBRY POLK

Aboard Heart of the Arctic

© Alasdair Gillespie

© Nunavut Tourism

© Michelle Valberg

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Adventure Canada is excited to announce a new partnership with Fujifilm.

With over eighty years of experience in film development, Fujifilm is passionate about photography—and it shows in every camera they produce.

Fujifilm is widely known for their film and single-use cameras and were the first

manufacturer to launch a digital model. In 2010, Fujifilm introduced the X100, the company’s first “X Series” camera, which quickly gained avid fans who rediscovered their love of photography. In 2014, Fujifilm once again rocked the digital camera market with the innovative, weather-sealed X-T1.

You can experience the film-like quality and excellent imagery of Fujifilm cameras

for yourself on every Adventure Canada voyage.

For true photography buffs, the Mighty Saint Lawrence expedition will feature well-known Fujifilm X-photographer Dan Bailey, and YouTube’s Billy Luong—the Fuji Guy—who will host workshops and offer instruction on Fujifilm cameras.

Aboard Mighty Saint Lawrence

Photo WorkshopBoth photos © Grant Stovel

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Acclaimed publisher, editor, and storyteller Doug Gibson—whose authors have won every major book award in Canada—will lead our first-ever onboard Book Club, featuring bestselling authors Terry Fallis and Kathleen Winter.

Kathleen Winter will guide readers through her groundbreaking novel, Annabel. Set in coastal Labrador, Annabel

was a #1 Canadian bestseller, and a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Literary Award, and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

Terry Fallis will present the first of his four national bestselling books. His hilarious debut novel, The Best Laid Plan, won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and the 2011 Canada Reads competition.

A CBC TV miniseries based on the book aired in January 2014.

In addition to his literary leadership, Doug Gibson will perform an exclusive showing of his one-man play, Stories About Storytellers, and offer his unique editor’s insights into the work of Alice Munro.

Floating Book ClubAboard Newfoundland & Wild Labrador

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Expeditions 2015

© Scott Sporleder

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June 14–June 23, 2015 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

Adventure Canada returns to la belle province! The first sailing of our 2015 season explores the stunning coasts of Québec, Newfoundland, and Saint-Pierre: regions that formed Canada’s backbone during our nation’s infancy. This voyage includes stops in the seldom-visited Québec north shore and the Gaspé

Peninsula, pressing onward into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Saguenay Fjord boasts some of the best whale watching in Canada between its high cliffs, while Anticosti Island, the Mingan Islands, Forillon National Park, and Île-Bonaventure Provincial Park all offer unparalleled birdwatching and hiking opportunities. The Magdalen Islands’ mix of Acadian and

English influences—and their waters’ mix of more than four hundred shipwrecks—seems to have stepped from the pages of history. We bring our voyage to a close at Saint-Pierre, just off the coast of Newfoundland. Spend your last morning lingering over fine wine and cheese and immerse yourself in an unspoiled maritime haven.

Mighty Saint Lawrence© Le Québec maritime/Michel Bonato

© Dupuis, Mathieu Québec Original

© Clayton Anderson

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From $2,595 USD per personFor full pricing details see page 72

Weather, sea, and safety conditions will determine daily progress. Actual route may differ from the one proposed.

© Cruise Saint Lawrence

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• Experience Québec’s unique history and culture• Hike wild and beautiful Anticosti Island• Search for the largest animal on earth, the blue whale• See one of the world’s largest gannet colonies—over 50,000 pairs• Sail the Saguenay, a spectacular feeding ground for marine and bird species• Photograph the famous red cliffs of the Magdalen Islands• Enjoy fine wine and cheese in Saint-Pierre

H I G H L I G H T S Mighty Saint Lawrence

Day 1: Québec City, QCDay 2: Saguenay FjordDay 3: Lower Saint LawrenceDay 4: Mingan Archipelago National Park ReserveDay 5: Anticosti IslandDay 6: Forillon National Park / GaspéDay 7: Île Bonaventure Provincial Park Day 8: Îles de la MadeleineDay 9: South Coast, NLDay 10: Saint-Pierre, France

P R O P O S E D I T I N E R A R Y

Passengers are responsible for arranging their own travel to Québec City, QC and from St. John’s, NL

Extend your east coast adventure with NATURAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AVALON PENINSULA June 23–27 / June 30–July 4 / July 4–8

Pre and post hotel nights are available upon request in Québec City and St. John’s.

Charter flight Saint-Pierre, France to St. John’s, NLJune 23, 2015

$295 USD per personEarly afternoon arrival

Charter flights are available for this expedition.

© Pierre Richard

Charter flight prices are inclusive of all taxes and fees.

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Y O U R S T A F F Mighty Saint Lawrence

Please visit our website for a full listing of your staff and their biographies.

After completing his Master’s in biology at Laval University, Yvan worked as a naturalist in provincial and federal parks for two years before beginning work as an environmental consultant. He has extensively studied seabird populations in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and acted as scientific advisor on films documentingthem. He is widely travelled and published, and works regularly with Aboriginal groups on environmental projects.

YVAN POULIOTNaturalist

Phil Jenkins has worked as a newspaper columnist, travel writer, author, and a performing songwriter since 1978. He teaches and lectures at Carleton University. As a solo musician and member of the folk band Riverbend, he has produced the albums Car Tunes and Making Waves. He is the author of River Songs: Sailing the History of the St. Lawrence. Phil lives in the Gatineau Hills of west Québec.

PHIL JENKINSHistorian & Musician

In 1976, after completing his biology studies in Maine, Richard worked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Matamek Research Station, where he collected data on marine mammals. It was then that he first visited the Mingan Islands and observed whales there; he returned in 1979 and founded the Mingan Island Cetacean Study—MICS—the first organization to conduct long-term studies of the blue whale.

RICHARD SEARSNaturalist

BILLY LUONGFUJIFILM Canada

ROB SALEYArtist

DAN BAILEYFUJIFILM Canada

CEDAR SWANAdventure Canada

MIKE BEEDELL Photographer

DAWSON FREEZE Expedition Team

ALLISTER PEDERSEN Communications Specialist

BENOIT HAVARDExpedition Team

MATTHEW JAMES SWANAssistant Expedition Leader

PIERRE RICHARDNaturalist

DAVID NEWLANDHost

STEFAN KINDBERGExpedition Leader

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2015 Mighty Saint Lawrence

Day 1: Québec City, QCOne of the oldest, and loveliest European settlements in North America, Québec takes its name from the Algonquin word mean-ing ‘where the river narrows.’ The city that Champlain founded in 1608 was the capi-tal of New France, and later, British North America. Today, the proud capital of the province of the same name boasts the old-world charms of Vieux Quebec, the world-famous Chateau Frontenac hotel, and the only remaining intact citadel walls in North America. Cultural riches, superb cuisine, and an incredible view over the river make Qué-bec the perfect place to begin our voyage!

Day 2: Saguenay FjordHome to Aboriginal cultures for thousands of years, the Saguenay Fjord’s first Europe-an visitor was Jacques Cartier in 1532. The Saguenay drains fresh water from Lac St. Jean, but the greater part of its volume is salt tidal water from the St. Lawrence Estuary. The result is ideal habitat for marine mam-mals including four species of whales – fin, minke, blue, and the famous (endangered) Saguenay beluga population. Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park and Saguenay Fjord National Park both protect the region’s vast natural riches.

Day 3: Lower Saint LawrenceIt’s easy to forget Quebec is a coastal prov-

ince – but not at Parc National du Biq. Watching the seabirds swoop and dive, viewing seals basking in rocky coves, or basking in the region’s glorious sunsets, the spirit of the Atlantic Ocean is ever-present. Salt marshes and rocky hills define the park, located on the South Shore of the St. Law-rence. Aboriginal artifacts dating to 5000 BC attest to the region’s natural riches; many such artifacts are now preserved in the park’s interpretive centre. Walking trails give access to Le Bic’s unique landscapes; birding and wildlife opportunities abound.

Day 4: Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve Archipelago National Park ReserveDue north of Anticosti Island on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence, Havre-Saint-Pierre has a unique history. The village was settled in 18 57 by a group of Acadian deportees from Georgia, by way of Magda-lene Islands. The local dialect retains strong elements of Acadian French to this day.

The spectacular natural sculptures of the Mingan Islands, are formed of limestone, shaped by the action of the sea. At 50 de-grees N, these islands owe as much to the north as to the east for their character. At-lantic puffins and Arctic eiders vie for the attention of birders, while harp, harbour and gray seals cavort in the waters. Not to be

outdone, the flora of the islands is wildly diverse, including 450 plant species, 190 li-chens and 300 mosses!

Day 5: Anticosti IslandA huge island in the very mouth of the St. Lawrence River, Anticosti Island is known for its breathtaking scenery and extraordi-nary birdwatching opportunities. Larger than P.E.I, Anticosti is the twentieth-largest island in Canada by area, but has a human population of only a few hundred. By con-trast, more than 160,000 non-indigenous white-tailed deer make their homes on Anti-costi – rightfully known as a hunter’s para-dise. It’s also a great spot for birds: 60 per cent of Quebec’s known bald eagle breed-ing grounds are here, and more than 220 species of birds have been sited at Antico-sti, along with numerous seals and whales.

Day 6: Forillon National Park / GaspéThe Gaspe Peninsula, also known as Gas-pesie, separates the mouth of the St. Law-rence from the Baie de Chaleur. Dominated by high cliffs on the north shore, the Gaspe includes the eastern tip of the Appalachian Mountain chain and consequently offers amazing views, both of, and from its high-land regions, which jut above the treeline.The first National Park in Quebec, Forillon, is an important birding and marine mam-mal location. Forillon also preserves human

I T I N E R A R Y D E T A I L S

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history in the Grand-Grave National Heritage Site, telling the story of the fishing families who once made their homes here. The park contains Canada’s tallest lighthouse, and for-tifications remaining from the Second World War, when German U-boats were a threat to Allied shipping.

Day 7: Île Bonaventure Provincial Park Parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé is the formal name of the Park at the eastern tip of the Gaspe Peninsula. But most Canadians are more familiar with its best-known feature, the awe-inspiring Percé Rock. Less well known perhaps is the area’s superb Northern Gannet colony, extolled as the largest and most accessible in the world.

Named by Samuel de Champlain, the rock itself is world-renowned, containing a huge natural arch within a mass of reddish lime-stone and sandstone. A second arch once pierced the rock but collapsed in 1845, leav-ing a massive column at one end. Perce Rock has revealed 150 species of fossils, and more than 200 species of birds are found nearby. Fin, minke, humpback and blue whales ply the nearby waters of this magnificent coastal outpost.

Day 8: Îles de la MadeleineLong frequented by Mi’kmaq people, likely walrus hunters, the Magdalene Islands in the

Gulf of St. Lawrence were first sighted by Eu-ropeans when Jacques Cartier sailed among them in 1534. Today, although closer to Nova Scotia and PEI, they form a regional munici-pality of the province of Quebec.

However, the islands have a history distinct from that of mainland Quebec. When the Brit-ish expelled the Acadians from New Bruns-wick and Nova Scotia, the Magdalene Island-ers remained, and to this day take great pride in their Acadian heritage. There are also long-standing English settlements, and a percent-age of the population can claim descent from survivors of the many shipwrecks that have occurred among the Islands.

Pack ice has historically surrounded the Is-lands during winter, leading to near-total iso-lation for months at a time. Besides fishing, shipping, salt mining and tourism, sealing on the pack ice has been a traditional source of income and subsistence for Islanders.

Day 9: South Coast, NLYou could be forgiven for not knowing the French history of Newfoundland: sections of the island’s coastline changed hands multiple times, and the remnant communities have in general come a long way since they were un-equivocally French. The name of the tiny out-port of Francois, for example, is pronounced locally as ‘Fransway.’ Accessible by boat

only, this charming fishing village surrounded by spectacular cliffs offers a glimpse of a way of life that has largely disappeared.

Newfoundland’s South Shore offers many surprises, including vast stretches of virtually uninhabited wilderness. Fiords, cliffs and is-lands offer excellent Zodiac cruising territory and terrific birding.

Day 10: Saint-Pierre, FranceOn a trip that traces the history and geogra-phy of New France, it’s appropriate that we wind up… in France. The small islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon remain officially a part of the French Republic, albeit only a few dozen km off the shore of Newfoundland. In charming Saint Pierre (population 6,000) you’ll find fine wine and cheese, excellent cof-fee and pastries, even contemporary French fashion items in a post-card pretty town. European style dwellings stand shoulder to shoulder with typical East Coast architecture, and French license plates adorn the Renaults and Citroens on the winding old streets. Vive La France!

30 Adventure Canada

Newfoundland CircumnavigationJune 24–July 4, 2015 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

In 2015 we are celebrating over two decades of sailing Newfoundland & Labrador with this summer itinerary. Newfoundland’s rugged charm and geographic diversity are best appreciated by sea; from the winding fjords of Gros Morne to the Avalon Peninsula’s soaring cliffs, the island remains one of Canada’s

best-loved treasures. Learn the story of the province’s fishery at Conche and trace the paths of North America’s Viking visitors at L’Anse aux Meadows. Our journey starts and ends in historic St. John’s, but each day will bring a new expedition stop and a new opportunity to experience Newfoundland’s lively culture,

dramatic scenery, and world-famous hospitality.

Newfoundland’s heart needs to be seen and felt to be believed. This journey will leave you astounded that more people aren’t flocking east in droves—but thankful that this is the case.

© Dennis Minty

© Barrett & MacKay

© Michelle Valbergl


© Dennis Minty


32 Adventure Canada

H I G H L I G H T S Newfoundland Circumnavigation

Day 1: St. John’s, NLDay 2: Terra Nova National Park Day 3: ConcheDay 4: St. Anthony / L’Anse aux Meadows Day 5: Red Bay, LabradorDay 6: Woody Point / Gros Morne National ParkDay 7-9: South CoastDay 10: Saint-Pierre, FranceDay 11: St. John’s, NL


Passengers are responsible for arranging their own travel to and from St. John’s.

Pre and post hotel nights are available on request in St. John’s

• Explore geologically fascinating Gros Morne National Park• Share the warmth of a classic Newfoundland ‘kitchen party’• Hear traditional stories and songs from our talented leaders• Immerse yourself in Basque history at Red Bay, Labrador• View icebergs and whales at an optimal time of the year• See Conche’s legendary French Shore Tapestry

Enjoy our pre-tour supplement ART ON THE ROCK June 21–24

© Dennis Minty

Extend your east coast adventure with NATURAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AVALON PENINSULA July 4–8

Expeditions 2015 33

Y O U R S T A F F Newfoundland Circumnavigation

Barbara Doran, founder of the St. John’s-based production house Morag Loves Company, has been directing and producing documentary and drama for twenty-five years. The diverse subjects of her films are a reflection of the breadth of her interests: the sweatshops in Guatemala, female prisoners in Pakistan, aids workers in South Africa, the poetry and music of Ireland. Her most recent film is the highly acclaimed The Grand Seduction.

BARBARA DORANFilmmaker

Michael was born in Buchans, Newfoundland, and attended Memorial University in St. John’s and two years of graduate studies at Queen’s University before dropping out to concentrate on his writing. His first book, Arguments with Gravity, appeared in 1996. Since then he has published half a dozen others— most recently, the bestselling novel Sweetland. He lives in St. John’s with his wife and three children.

MICHAEL CRUMMEY Author

Paul was born in Newfoundland & Labrador and has had a diverse career in research, mineral exploration, public service, and education. He is the former Executive Director of the Johnson geo centre, and has served as the Assistant Deputy Minister of Mines and Deputy Minister of Environment and Conservation. He constantly explores links between geology, landscape, and culture.

PAUL DEANGeologist


BILL EVANSHost

SCOTT FORSYTHPhotographer

LATONIA HARTERYArchaeologist

TONY OXFORDMusician

KEVIN MAJORHistorian & Author

GERRY STRONGMusician

SARAH GUTOWSKYNaturalist

DANIEL FREEZE Expedition Team

JEAN CLAUDE ROYArtist

DAVE PADDONCulturalist

STEPHEN EVANSExpedition Team

MATTHEW JAMES SWANExpedition Leader

34 Expeditions 2015

2015 Newfoundland Circumnavigation

Day 1: St. John’s, NLWe meet in St. John’s, Newfoundland’s historic, vibrant capital. Picturesque and welcoming, St. John’s is proud of its 500 year history.

A superb natural harbour, legendary nightlife, and admirable arts and education facilities are just some of the attractions of this thriving city.

We will embark aboard the Ocean Endeavour from St. John’s harbour.

Day 2: Terra Nova National Park Terra Nova National Park of Canada is a place where long fingers of the North Atlantic Ocean touch the island boreal forest of Eastern Newfoundland. Rocky headlands provide shelter from the awesome power of the open ocean. The landscape of the park varies from the rugged cliffs and sheltered inlets of the coastal region to the rolling forested hills, bogs and ponds of the inland. Cultural history abounds in the remnants of sawmills and past human cultures.

Day 3: ConcheOn the Great Northern Peninsula, the people of Conche welcome us into their charming community. Complete with ties to its history, religion, the fishery and wildlife, Conche is made up of mostly Irish descent. We will explore the colourful town on foot, but don’t be surprised if you are invited in by local residents for a ‘mug up’!

Day 4: St. Anthony / L’Anse aux Meadows A unesco World Heritage Site, L’Anse

Aux Meadows is the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America. The archeological remains found here in 1960 date to approximately 1000 A.D.

Amazingly, the location of the ruins was first established by a close reading of the Viking sagas.

Today a superb interpretive centre and reconstructions of the several Norse-style sod buildings make L’Anse Aux Meadows a must-see for any visitor to Newfoundland.

Day 5: Red Bay, LabradorToday we stop at Red Bay, the fishing village and former site of several Basque whaling stations, occupied between 1550 and the early 1600s when they hunted right and bowhead whales.

Day 6: Woody Point / Gros Morne National ParkIt has been said, “Gros Morne is to geology what the Galapagos are to biology.” The Park’s mountains are both picturesque, and highly unusual: the Tablelands, a 600m (1900

ft) high plateau, forms one of the world’s best examples of ancient rock exposed from the earth’s interior.

The Park’s fiords are equally stunning, and the town of Woody Point has become widely renowned for its annual Writers’ Festival.

Day 7 – 9: South CoastThe wild and windswept coast of Southern Newfoundland is home to a few remaining outport communities, still largely cut off from mainstream travel. Visits here are often a highlight of our trips. There are many unique bays and coves to explore via Zodiac or land excursion.

Day 10: Saint-Pierre, FranceThe territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon, France is all that remains of the once-vast French holdings in North America. Off the tip of the Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland, the territory consists of eight islands, two of which are inhabited.

The village of Miquelon, on the island of the same name, is inhabited by 600 people, mostly of Basque and Acadian ancestry.

Wildlife is most abundant on this island and its counterpart to the south, the island of Langlade, to which it is joined by an 8-km sand dune.

Day 11: St. John’s, NLSt. John’s has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city. Cradled in a harbour carved from 500 million year old rock and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean, St. John’s is the most easterly port North America.


36 Expeditions 2015

July 5–July 17, 2015 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

Newfoundland & Wild Labrador

The charm of Newfoundland meets the splendour of Labrador on this exceptional sailing. The province’s rugged charm and geographic diversity is astounding, and our visit is ideally timed for whales, icebergs, and breeding seabirds. At Gros Morne—a unesco World Heritage Site—the planet’s mantle frames internationally renowned fjords that would not be out of place in Norway; in

the Torngat Mountains National Park, the tallest mountains east of the Rockies tower over pristine coastline. Icebergs, whales, polar bears, and seals will have us scanning the horizon at every opportunity. We begin on the French island of Saint-Pierre, journeying on through Newfoundland history—exploring French, Basque, and Viking influences.

In Labrador, we’ll visit the Inuit homeland of Nunatsiavut—celebrating its tenth anniversary of self-governance in 2015—as we follow the explorers’ trail north along Canada’s wild east coast.

Lose yourself in the might of an untouched wilderness or the cheery hubbub of an island village—and never be the same.

© Dennis Minty

© Dennis Minty

© Jean Weller

Expeditions 2015 37


In remote Arctic waterways, weather, sea, and ice conditions will determine daily progress. Heavy ice conditions are a possibility throughout this itinerary. Actual route may differ from the one proposed.

© Scott Sporleder

38 Expeditions 2015

Departing charter flight St. John’s, NL to Saint-Pierre, France July 5, 2015

$290 USD per personEarly morning departure

Returning charter flightKuujjuaq, QC to Ottawa, ON July 17, 2015

$705 USD per personLate afternoon arrival

Round trip $995 USD per person

Pre and post hotel nights are available in St. John’s and Ottawa on request.

Overnight accommodation in Ottawa recommended.

Passengers are responsible for arranging their own transportation to St. John’s and from Ottawa.

H I G H L I G H T S Newfoundland & Wild Labrador

• Explore the remote reaches of Newfoundland & Labrador in early summer bloom

• Visit the reconstructed first European settlement in North America at L’Anse aux Meadows

• Travel with widely respected authors, naturalists, and culturalists• Sail in heavy ice looking for polar bears, whales, and seals• Visit the largely inaccessible Torngat Mountains National Park

P R O P O S E D I T I N E R A R YDay 1: Saint-Pierre, FranceDay 2: South Coast, NLDay 3: Gros Morne National ParkDay 4: Red BayDay 5: St. Anthony / L’Anse aux MeadowsDay 6: Wonderstrands, Mealy Mountains National Park ReserveDay 7: NainDay 8: HebronDay 9-11: Torngat Mountains National ParkDay 12: Kangiqsualujjuaq (George River)Day 13: Kuujjuaq, QC

A L T E R N A T E R O U T EDay 11: Kiglapait MountainsDay 12: Groswater BayDay 13: Goose Bay

© Scott Sporleder


Expeditions 2015 39

Y O U R S T A F F Newfoundland & Wild Labrador

CHIEF MISEL JOESpecial Guest

JEAN KNOWLESNaturalist

DAVID BATHEGeologist

MILBRY POLKExplorer

CAITLYN BAIKIE Culturalist

Caitlyn grew up in Nain until moving away to attend post-secondary. She is in the final year of her BA in Geography and Aboriginal Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has experience in Antarctica and the Arctic; most recently she was on the expedition that located the HMS Erebus, one of the Franklin Expedition’s ill-fated ships. She was named one of Canada’s five young indigenous leaders to watch in 2015 by the cbc.

One of Canada’s premier Arctic travellers, Jerry has logged over 7,000 miles in the Arctic over the course of some thirty-five skiing, hiking, and kayaking expeditions. He typically spends three months a year in a tent in the north. Jerry’s photography and writing appears around the world in publications such as Canadian Geographic, Outside, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is the author of The Horizontal Everest and Arctic Eden.

JERRY KOBALENKOExplorer

MARIA DICKERCulturalist

JOHN BAILEY Google

ELI MERKURATSUKExpedition Team

TOM GORDONMusic Historian


Billy was born in 1978 in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. He began carving in 1996, inspired by his cousin, John Terriak, a local artist. Today, Billy is a celebrated Inuit sculptor with a body of work on display nationwide. His work celebrates the delicate and the visceral, fascinated with human faces and forms of Inuit carving. He lives in North West River and enjoys fishing and hunting with his family.

BILLY GAUTHIERArtist

DERRICK POTTLECulturalist


JASON EDMUNDSAssistant Expedition Leader

DAVID NEWLANDHost

40 Expeditions 2015

2015 Newfoundland & Wild Labrador

Day 1: Saint-Pierre, FranceThe island of St. Pierre is not merely an ob-scure outpost of the former French empire; it is home to a contemporary French com-munity, complete with cafes, high fashion shopping, fine wines and cheeses.

Yet St. Pierre’s irregular streets reveal an eclectic mix of French, Canadian and New-foundland influences—a European city at home in North America.

Day 2: South Coast, NLThe wild and windswept coast of Southern Newfoundland is home to a few remaining outport communities, still largely cut off from mainstream travel. Visits here are of-ten a highlight of our trips. There are many unique bays and coves to explore via Zo-diac or land excursion.

Day 3: Gros Morne National ParkIt has been said, “Gros Morne is to geol-ogy what the Galapagos are to biology.” The Park’s mountains are both picturesque, and highly unusual: the Tablelands, a 600m (1900 ft) high plateau, forms one of the world’s best examples of ancient rock ex-posed from the earth’s interior.

The Park’s fiords are equally stunning, and the town of Woody Point has become wide-ly renowned for its annual Writers’ Festival.

Day 4: Red BayThe fishing village at Red Bay, Labrador is Canada’s most recent UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saddle Island was once the site of several Basque whaling stations, oc-cupied between 1550 and the early 1600s. Amazing artifacts from a Basque shipwreck abound in the superb interpretive centre here.

Day 5: St. Anthony / L’Anse aux MeadowsA UNESCO World Heritage Site, L’Anse Aux Meadows is the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America. The archeological remains found here in 1960 date to approximately 1000 A.D.

Amazingly, the location of the ruins was first established by a close reading of the Viking sagas.

Today a superb interpretive centre and re-constructions of the several Norse-style sod buildings make L’Anse Aux Meadows a must-see for any visitor to Newfoundland.

Day 6: Wonderstrands, Mealy Moun-tains National Park ReserveWhen we think of Labrador, we may not think ‘beaches’—but the Vikings did. Two long trackless crescents of sand, washed by the cold Labrador sea, backed by the Mealy Mountains were given the name “Wunder-

strand” by the Norse seafarers, and earned a place in their Sagas.

Long hunted, traveled and occupied over thousands of years by various peoples, Wonderstrands is still largely unknown and rarely visited by non-Labradorians.

Day 7: NainExplore this Inuit community, especially the Moravian Church and the Nunatsiavut Building with its labradorite stone.

Share in the fascinating history of the town-ship, wander the roads or check out the new homes being constructed.

Day 8: HebronLong-abandoned Hebron was once one of the most northerly communities on the north Labrador coast. A Moravian Mission station was constructed here from 1829 to 1831 but the main buildings - the church, the mission house and the store - were not inhabited until 1837.

In a highly controversial move, the station was abandoned in 1959, forcing the reloca-tion of the Inuit who resided there.

In 2005, Newfoundland and Labrador Pre-mier Danny Williams apologized to people affected by the relocations. In August of


Expeditions 2015 41

2009, the provincial government unveiled a monument at the site of Hebron with an in-scribed apology for the site closure.

Day 9 – 11: Torngat Mountains National ParkThe Torngat Mountains have been home to In-uit and their predecessors for millennia, with archaeological evidence reaching back almost 7,000 years.

The fjords here reach deep into the heart of the Torngats, bounded by cliffs rising peak-ing at 1,700 m, the highest point of land in Labrador.

The Torngat Mountains comprise some of the oldest rocks on the planet and provide some of the best exposure of geological history. Polar bears, caribou, falcons and eagles are

among the species hardy enough to make their homes here.

Day 12: Kangiqsualujjuaq (George River)In the shelter of a commanding granite rock outcrop we find the easternmost community of Kangiqsualujjuaq, or George River. Twen-ty-five kilometers upstream from Ungava Bay, the ebb and flow of the tides define the summer lives of the people and fauna of this area. Arctic flora thrives in the protected val-ley. The calving grounds of the George River herd, the largest ungulate population in the world estimated at several hundreds of thou-sands of head is nearby. After our welcome back to Canada, we will have the freedom to explore the community, meet with locals and strike out of town for a hike on the tundra.

Day 13: Kuujjuaq, QC Kuujjuaq (formerly known as Fort Chimo) lies on the shore of the Koksoak River, 50 km upstream from Ungava Bay in the Nunavik region of Northern Quebec. Moravian mis-sionaries first arrived in 1811 to evangelize the Inuit; the Hudson’s Bay Company estab-lished a post in 1842 to trade with the Inuit, as well as Montaignais and Naskapi hunters and trappers.

The American military was present in Fort Chimo from 1941 and 1945, building the Air Base Crystal 1. Today Kuujjuaq Airport is an important hub for flights from Ottawa, Mon-treal, Iqaluit and smaller centres around the North.

42 Expeditions 2015

This is a journey deep into the spirit and beauty of the north. From the Canadian Inuit regions of Nunavik and Nunavut, to the shores of Greenland, we’ll seek out culture and search for wildlife. Polar bears, walrus, and musk ox are among the expected highlights, though we’ll also be in prime location for all manner of marine mammals and a host avian life. Embarking at Kuujjuaq, we set sail for Akpatok Island, famed for the thousands of thick-billed murres that nest on its cliffs and the ever-

opportunistic polar bears that patrol the shores below.

Enjoy expedition landings with local hosts and learn about regional cultures and food. Visits to Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Kimmirut, and Pangnirtung promise to be highlights for art lovers, as we’ll meet local artists and tour their studios. As we sail towards Greenland, we’ll keep a lookout for whales and seabirds in the Davis Strait; once arriving, we’ll travel to Nuuk—the

world’s northernmost capital—and visit the famous Qilakitsoq mummies. We’ll explore the foot of a glacier in one of Greenland’s most beautiful fjords.

Our journey comes to an end in Kangerlussuaq—but the heart of the Arctic will stay with you long after.


Heart of the ArcticArtist: Nuna Parr Photo by © Grant Stove

© Eagle Eye Tours

Expeditions 2015 43



© Lee Naraway

44 Expeditions 2015

Departing charter flight Ottawa, ON to Kuujjuaq, QC July 17, 2015

$667.50 USD per personEarly morning departure

Returning charter flightKangerlussuaq, Greenland to Toronto, ONJuly 29, 2015

$1,127.50 USD per personEarly evening arrival

Round trip $1,795 USD per person

Pre and post hotel nights are available in Ottawa and Toronto on request.

Overnight accommodation in Ottawa and Toronto recommended.

Passengers are responsible for arranging their own transport to Ottawa and from Toronto.

H I G H L I G H T S Heart of the Arctic


• Cross the Arctic circle while sailing in the shadow of the second-longest fjord in Greenland

• Visit the renowned Greenland Museum, home to the famous Qilakitsoq mummies

• Visit with world-renowned Inuit carvers and printmakers• Enjoy the sounds of talented throat-singers• Seek out birds, walrus, whales, polar bears, and musk ox

Day 1:Day 2:Day 3: Day 4: Day 5:Day 6:Day 7: Day 8: Day 9:Day 10:Day 11:Day 12:Day 13:

Kuujjuaq, QCAkpatok IslandKangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay)Digges IslandKinngait (Cape Dorset)Kimmirut (Lake Harbour)South Baffin CoastPangnirtungEast BaffinAt SeaNuuk, GreenlandWest GreenlandKangerlussuaq, Greenland

Day 1:Day 2:Day 3: Day 4: Day 5:Day 6:Day 7: Day 8: Day 9:Day 10:Day 11:Day 12:Day 13:

Goose Bay, NLGrosewater BayTorngat Mountains National ParkAkpatok IslandKangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay)Kinngait (Cape Dorset) Kimmirut (Lake Harbour)South Baffin CoastPangnirtungAt SeaNuuk, GreenlandWest GreenlandKangerlussuaq, Greenland

A LT E R N A T E R O U T E


Expeditions 2015 45

Y O U R S T A F F Heart of the Arctic

JASON ANNAHATAKCulturalist

SEASON OSBORNEHistorian

TOM KOVACSMusician

HIDEKAZU TOJOChef

GEORGE SIRKNaturalist

STEPHEN BORYS Art Specialist

MICHAEL SHEPARDNaturalist

RYO IJICHIExpedition Team

C.W. NICOLAuthor

LEE NARAWAYPhotographer

JOHN HOUSTONHost & Culturalist

A prolific Arctic filmmaker, John spent the first seven years of his life in the Arctic at Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Baffin Island. He studied art in Paris and graduated from Yale University in 1975; that same year, he became Art Advisor to the Pangnirtung Co-operative’s printmaking project. Over the next five years he produced four print collections and wrote the documentary, Art of the Arctic Whalemen. John also established the Houston North Gallery in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

REE BRENNINMarine Biologist In her quest for outstanding images,

Lee has skied, hiked, canoed, backpacked, and traveled by dog team, horseback, snowmobile, helicopter, hot air balloon, and icebreaker. She has worked on more than fifteen ship-based expeditions to the high Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, and Antarctica—and has taught photography all over the world. Lee is fascinated with the diversity and beauty of the Arctic and documents its dramatic scenery, wildlife, and evolving Inuit culture.

POOTOOGOOK QIATSUKArtist

Pootoogook learned to carve from his father, master carver Lukta—he has been sculpting ever since. He was a printmaker for eight of the Cape Dorset annual print collections and studied in the jewellery program at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit. Pootoogook has been exhibited widely and was included in the 1989 collection, Masters of the Arctic: An Exhibition of Contemporary Inuit Masterworks.


HEIDI LANGILLECulturalist

TYLER YAREMAMusician

46 Expeditions 2015

2015 Heart of the Arctic

Day 1: Kuujjuaq, QCKuujjuaq lies approximately 48 km upstream from Ungava Bay, and is the largest village in Nunavik, the Inuit homeland within Quebec. The first Europeans to settle in the region were Moravian missionaries who arrived in 1811, followed by the HBC in 1830. Like Iqaluit, Kuujjuaq was home to a US air base from 1942 and played a key role in Cold War Arctic monitoring. Today Kuujjuaq is a bustling community combining traditional Inuit culture with the conveniences of modern day life.

Day 2: Akpatok IslandAkpatok Island features of soaring bird cliffs and small rocky beaches. Here we’ll use our zodiacs to scout the beaches in search of walrus and polar bears.

Day 3: Kangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay)Kangiqsujuaq, which means “the large bay” occupies an exceptional site, where the village is snuggled in the hollow of a splendid valley surrounded by majestic 500m high rocky hills: a landscape of unspeakable beauty. The bay takes its name from Captain William Wakeham who, in 1897, led an expedition to determine whether the Hudson Strait was safe for naviga¬tion. In a rocky pinching of the bay, known as “the narrows”, we will have an opportunity to examine the base of what were, 1.80 billion years ago,

Himalayan-scale mountains.

Day 4: Digges IslandWe will visit the great bird cliffs of Diggs Island. In season, these sheer cliffs, rising hundreds of feet into the air straight from the water, are home to thick-billed murres among others.

On the other side of the island lie the ruins of an ancient Thule site. Ancestors of the present Inuit eked out a life on the shoreline and from the sea. The stone foundations of their meeting place and their dwellings can still be seen amongst the rocks and boulders along the shoreline, and the bones of whales, seals and walrus still lie where they were dropped so many years ago.

Day 5: Kinngait (Cape Dorset)Along the northwest shore of Dorset Island, surrounded on one side by rocky hills and on the other, by Hudson Strait, lies the community that art built. Between 1950 and 1962, Cape Dorset hosted a historic collaboration between James and Alma Houston and local Inuit – the collaboration that launched Inuit art onto the world stage. In the distance are the jagged outlines of islands, and the inlets of Baffin Island’s southern coast. Like most other settlements in Nunavut, Cape Dorset is a modern community, with winding gravel roads, small wooden houses, schools, stores,

hotels, a nursing station, government offices and churches. But it is their outstanding artists printmakers and carvers that have made Cape Dorset the Inuit art capital of the world.

Day 6: Kimmirut (Lake Harbour)Located on the southern portion of Baffin Island, the scenic oceanside hamlet of Kimmirut is considered one of the most picturesque communities in the region. Kimmirut means “the heel” in Inuktitut, and refers to an outcrop of marble across the bay from the community that holds a striking resemblance to a human heel. Art has played a major role here and the newly renovated Dewey Soper Building is home to a gallery of outstanding works of art.

Day 7: South Baffin CoastToday we will make an expedition stop along the south Baffin coast, in search of wildlife and hiking opportunities.

Day 8: PangnirtungSituated beneath the 2500-foot peak of Mount Duval, “Pang” has one of the most picturesque settings in the Canadian Arctic. We will visit the Uqqurmiut Art Centre with its tapestry studio and print shop, and meet with elders.

Day 9: East BaffinToday we’ll explore some of the bays of east


Expeditions 2015 47

Baffin, in search of walrus and polar bears.

Day 10: At SeaWhile crossing Davis Strait, we’ll relax and enjoy onboard lectures and opportunities to watch for wildlife from the ship’s decks.

Day 11: Nuuk, GreenlandWelcome to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland! Nuuk, means ‘the headland’ and is situated at the mouth of a gigantic fjord system. Established as the very first Greenlandic town in 1728, Nuuk has a history that dates back over 4,200 years. Here we have a chance to

spot Humpback whales in the fjord, reindeer roaming the land and birds soaring in the sky. The town itself is home to Greenland’s University, a cathedral dating back to 1849 and Greenland’s National Museum. We will visit some of the city’s most important sites, before free time to explore on your own.

Day 12: West GreenlandThere are a number of charming fishing villages along the west coast of Greenland - depending on timing and sea conditions, we will call in at one of these communities to experience small town Greenlandic life.

Day 13: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandWe will make our journey down spectacular Sondre Stromfjord, and early risers will have a chance to experience the beauty of the fjord. Departing Kangerlussuaq, it is possible to see the largest ice cap in the world from your airplane window.

©Stephen Gorman

48 Expeditions 2015

August 9–August 20, 2015 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

Arctic Explorer

This adventure begins at Resolute, the mouth of the Northwest Passage. First, we visit the final resting place of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition at Beechey Island and search for polar bears and walrus in the far northern reaches of Baffin Island. At Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Inuit hosts will welcome us with throat-singing and traditional games before we explore Baffin’s mighty fjords. We’ll seek out

bowhead whales in Niginganiq (Isabella Bay)—the world’s first whale sanctuary established by Inuit. After crossing the Davis Strait, we will encounter Greenland’s stirring landscape of glaciers, icebergs, and rolling mountains. There, we’ll zip among the freshly calved bergs off Ilulissat in our Zodiacs; we’ll marvel at Uummannaq’s

heart-shaped mountain; we’ll hike Itilleq Fjord. Spectacular Sondrestrom Fjord makes for a glorious finale as we travel inland to Kangerlussuaq.

The Arctic is a land of staggering charms—nature at its most fierce and untamed. It has enchanted the spirits of explorers for centuries. Now it’s your turn.

© John Sylvester

© Michelle Valberg

© Andrew Stewart

Expeditions 2015 49


In remote Arctic waterways, weather, sea, and ice conditions will determine daily progress. Actual route may differ from the one proposed.

© Alasdair Gillespie

50 Expeditions 2015

H I G H L I G H T S Arctic Explorer

Day 1: Quaasuittuq (Resolute), NUDay 2: Beechey IslandDay 3: Devon IslandDay 4: Bylot IslandDay 5: Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet)Day 6: Northeast Baffin FjordsDay 7: Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)Day 8: Karrat Fjord, GreenlandDay 9: Uummannaq FjordDay 10: IlulissatDay 11: Itilleq FjordDay 12: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

• Seek bears, whales, and walrus in their Arctic feeding grounds• Learn first-hand about the history and culture of the Inuit• Voyage along the magnificent fjords of Greenland’s coast• Trace the routes of the great Arctic explorers• Visit the burial site of the famous Qilakitsoq mummies• Visit the world’s largest uninhabited island

Departing charter flightToronto, ON to Resolute, NUAugust 9, 2015


Returning charter flightKangerlussuaq, Greenland to Toronto, ONAugust 20, 2015

$1,067 USD per personEarly evening arrival


Pre and post hotel nights are available in Toronto on request.

Overnight accommodation in Toronto is recommended.

Passengers are responsible for arranging their own transport to and from Toronto.


© Michelle Valberg

Enjoy our pre-tour supplement NORTH BY SOUTH—Inuit Art of Toronto August 7–8


Expeditions 2015 51

Y O U R S T A F F Arctic Explorer

JENS OLSENCulturalist

PIERRE RICHARDNaturalist

ANDREW QAPPIKArtist

Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt is an Inuit throat-singer, poet, writer, and arts administrator from Kangigtiniq (Rankin Inlet), Nunavut. Kathleen is the Festival Coordinator and Executive Director trainee for the internationally renowned Alianait Arts Festival, a board member for the Qaggiavuut Society for a Performing Arts Centre in Nunavut, and is releasing her first album, Ivaluarjuk: Ice, Lines and Sealskin in July 2015.

KATHLEEN MERRITTCulturalist

A trained biologist, Stephen has three decades of experience in polar wildlife research—he has led more than fifty expeditions in the high Arctic. Stephen is an accomplished filmmaker; his recent feature, Vanishing Point, explores challenges faced by indigenous hunting culture in today’s Arctic. His photographs have been published in leading periodicals, including Natural History, Outside, and National Geographic.

STEPHEN SMITHNaturalist

MICHELLE VALBERGPhotographer

DANNY CATTNaturalist

MIKE BEEDELLPhotographer

BENOIT HAVARDExpedition Team


Richard has been an avid birder since his youth in England, and has graduate degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Manitoba. He has led tours for over twenty years to over twenty countries, and continues that passion as co-owner of Eagle Eye Tours Inc. He is a member of the Alberta Bird Records Committee, and of the cosewic Special Studies Group for threatened and endangered birds. He teaches biology and ornithology at the University of Alberta.

RICHARD KNAPTONNaturalist

PETER CROALGeologist

CLAYTON ANDERSONHost

DAVID REIDExpedition Team

JASON EDMUNDSAssistant Expedition Leader

JENS WILKSTRÖMExpedition Team

52 Expeditions 2015

2015 Arctic Explorer

Day 1: Quaasuittuq (Resolute), NUAs remote and challenging as its name suggests, Resolute is a rugged community serving the mining, military and exploration industries. A monument honours the hamlet’s first permanent citizens, relocated by the Canadian government to help establish sovereignty in the Far North.

Here we embark the Ocean Endeavour and commence our voyage.

Day 2: Beechey IslandIn 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men in two ships into the Wellington Channel. Not a soul returned from the fateful expedition. It was two years before search parties were launched. Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance.

Day 3: Devon Island The largest uninhabited island in the world supports significant concentrations of wildlife, including 26 species of seabirds and 11 species of marine mammals.

At Dundas Harbour we find the lonely remains of an RCMP station dating from the 1920s. We have also spotted walrus, polar bear, muskox and caribou here.At nearby Croker Bay, we have a chance to Zodiac cruise though this scenic bay and

marvel at icebergs, freshly calved from the glacier at the head of the bay.

Day 4: Bylot IslandNamed after arctic explorer Robert Bylot, this island is home to Sirmilik National Park and a rich coastal bird sanctuary. Here we will spend our time visiting a breeding site for Thick-Billed Murre, Black-legged Kittiwake, Northern Fulmar, Glaucous Gull, and Black Guillemot.

Day 5: Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet)Mittimatalik or Pond Inlet is a bustling Arctic community is surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Eastern Arctic.

We will have a chance to explore the town, including its excellent library and other facilities, and meet many local citizens who will gladly share their culture. We will be treated to a cultural presentation at the Nattinnak Centre. Arts and crafts may be available here.

Day 6: Northeast Baffin FjordsThe Arctic coastline provides numerous opportunities for landings; our program will explore the wealth and diversity of the land. We’ll seek marine mammals, musk ox and polar bears as we travel, and bird watchers will want to keep their binoculars always at hand.

Not to be missed are the tiny, beautiful Arctic plants, making the most of the brief summer, and the extraordinary geology that so defines the North.

Day 7: Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)Niginganiq is a 336,000 ha marine region on Baffin Island that is a crucial feeding area for threatened bowhead whales — the world’s first Inuit-initiated marine mammal sanctuary.

The area includes two deep offshore troughs rich in copepods which are a main food source for the bowhead whale.

Day 8: Karrat Fjord, GreenlandIn Karrat Fjord we will cruise one of Greenland’s most spectacular fjords. During ice breakup, narwhals and seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord. The cliffs within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies.

Time spent on deck today should result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities.

Day 9: Uummannaq FjordDespite being situated in the shadow of a mountain, Uummannaq is the sunniest place in Greenland! It is an impressive and


Expeditions 2015 53

imposing 1,175-metre hunk of red gneiss called Uummannaq Mountain.

This mountain serves as the town’s backdrop on which colourful, single-family homes cling, anchored by cables and pipes.

The famous Greenlandic mummies dating from the 15th century were found on the shore opposite Uummannaq.

Day 10: IlulissatVenturing 250km north of the Arctic Circle we find the stunning coastal community of Ilulissat. Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name. Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated

viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice.

We will also cruise in our fleet of zodiacs in the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord. The Icefjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at 19m per day and calving more than 35 square kilometers of ice annually.

Day 11: Itilleq FjordThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, myriad islands and complex coastal waterways. We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape.

Day 12: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandLying at the head of the longest fjord in western Greenland, Kangerlussuaq has one of the most stable climates in the region though temperatures can range from -50C in the winter to as high as 28C in summer.

Kangerlussuaq, which means ‘The Big Fjord’ in Greenlandic, is appropriately named, as it’s 168km long. This stunning sight marks the end of our voyage.

On disembarkation our charter flight will return us to Canada.

©Jean Weller

54 Expeditions 2015

August 20–September 5, 2015 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

Into the Northwest Passage

The Northwest Passage represents the pinnacle of Arctic exploration, the crown jewel of historic routes through this realm of majesty and beauty. On this tour—like our forebears—we go where the ice allows. Our expedition begins in Greenland, where we’ll explore the brightly painted villages, dramatic fjords, and calving glaciers as we work our way north to spectacular Kap

York. After crossing Smith Sound, we’ll visit Aujuittuq (Grise Fjord), Canada’s northernmost community. We will marvel at the bird cliffs at Coburg Island National Wildlife Area, teeming with kittiwakes and murres. At Beechey Island, the Franklin Expedition gravestones keep watch over a barren landscape, and we’ll stop to pay our

respects. Melville, Banks, and Devon Islands offer opportunities to see Peary caribou, polar bears, and musk ox in their natural habitat; we’ll also make time for visits to ghostly, long-abandoned rcmp and Hudson’s Bay Company posts. The Prince of Wales Strait affords a striking, narrow passage to Amundsen Gulf and Kugluktuk (Coppermine)—the end of our epic journey above the Arctic Circle.

© Dennis Minty

© Rob Poulton

© Lee Naraway

Expeditions 2015 55



© Lee Naraway

56 Expeditions 2015

P R O P O S E D I T I N E R A R YDay 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandDay 2: SisimiutDay 3: IlulissatDay 4: Karrat FjordDay 5: Melville BayDay 6: Kap YorkDay 7: Smith SoundDay 8: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord), NUDay 9: Coburg IslandDay 10: Devon Island Day 11: Beechey IslandDay 12: Bathurst IslandDay 13: Melville IslandDay 14: Banks IslandDay 15: Prince of Wales StraitDay 16: Ulukhaktok (Holman), NTDay 17: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU

H I G H L I G H T S Into the Northwest Passage

• Join the select few who have travelled this legendary route• Photograph birds and wildlife in their remote wilderness habitat• Learn first hand about Inuit communities, culture and worldview.• See haunting remnants of northern explorers, the hbc, and the rcmp

A L T E R N A T E R O U T EDay 14: Prince of Wales IslandDay 15: Queen Maud Gulf

Day 16: Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay)Day 17: Kugluktuk (Coppermine)

Departing charter flightToronto, ON to Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandAugust 20, 2015$1,371 USD per person. Early morning departure

Returning charter flightKugluktuk (Coppermine), NU to Edmonton, AlbertaSeptember 5, 2015$824 USD per person. Early evening arrival


Pre and post hotel nights are available in Toronto and Edmonton on request.

Overnight accommodation in Edmonton recommended.

Passengers are responsible for arranging their own transport to Toronto and from Edmonton.

© Dennis Minty

Enjoy our pre-tour supplement NORTH BY SOUTH—Inuit Art of Toronto August 18–19


Expeditions 2015 57

• Join the select few who have travelled this legendary route• Photograph birds and wildlife in their remote wilderness habitat• Learn first hand about Inuit communities, culture and worldview.• See haunting remnants of northern explorers, the hbc, and the rcmp

Y O U R S T A F F Into the Northwest Passage

Carolyn is a field botanist and writer; she has published Common Plants of Nunavut and Common Insects of Nunavut, both definitive guides to the area. She can always be found looking down at the amazing Arctic world from a few centimetres above the permafrost. Carolyn and her husband Mark have recently moved from Iqaluit to Canada’s east coast after living in the Arctic for twelve years.

CAROLYN MALLORYBotanist

Bernadette grew up in Salliq (Coral Harbour) in northern Hudson Bay, where the spring and summer seasons were spent on the land hunting, fishing, and harvesting. Since then, she has worked on cultural program development, culture camps for Inuit youth and women, and Inuk language preservation projects. She acts as cultural advisor to museum exhibits in the U.S. and on documentaries about Inuit and Arctic history.

BERNADETTE DEANCulturalist

DENNIS MINTY Photographer


TAGAK CURLEYCulturalist

DAVID REIDExpedition Team

CALLUM THOMSONHistorian & Archaeologist

JANE SPROULL-THOMSON Anthropologist

JOHN HOUSTONCulturalist & Filmmaker

MARK MALLORYNaturalist


Jim is an author, scientist, and educator whose interest in cold has taken him to all seven continents. He co-led the joint British American East Greenland expedition in 1975, and led the American East Greenland expedition in 1976. He is a Fellow of the Explorers Club and has received the Antarctic Service medal and Navy Achievement Medal with Combat V. A former Research Fellow of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, he is now president of A Naturalist’s World in Yellowstone National Park.

JIM HALFPENNYNaturalist

NATALIE SWAINExpedition Team

JON DUDLEY Geologist

DANNY CATTNaturalist

REE BRENNINMarine Biologist

58 Expeditions 2015

2015 Into the Northwest Passage

Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandKangerlussuaq, the start of our voyage, is appropriately named. The word means ‘The Big Fjord’ in Greenlandic, aptly describing this amazing feature, 168km long!

Lying at the head of the longest fjord in west-ern Greenland, Kangerlussuaq has one of the most stable climates in the region—though temperatures can range from -50C in the winter to as high as 28C in summer.

Day 2: SisimiutThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mix-ture of fishing communities, myriad islands and complex coastal waterways.

We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape

Day 3: IlulissatVenturing 250km north of the Arctic Circle we find the stunning coastal community of Ilulissat. Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fit-ting name.

Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of zodiacs in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord.

The Icefjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at 19m per day and calving more than 35 square kilometers of ice annually. The glacier has been the ob-ject of scientific attention for 250 years.

Day 4: Karrat FjordIn Karrat Fjord we will cruise one of Green-land’s most spectacular fjords. During ice breakup, narwhals and seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord.

The cliffs within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies.

Time spent on deck today will likely result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities

Day 5: Melville BayMelville Bay (Greenlandic: Qimusseriar-suaq), is a large bay off the coast of north-western Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, Qimusseriarsuaq, means “the great dog sledding place”.

Day 6: Kap YorkThe rugged coastal environment at Kap York is rich in wildlife and is part of an extensive

network of traditional hunting grounds.

During the spring and summer months the skies and cliffs are dotted with millions of birds, primarily auks and murres. This dis-trict boasts the largest seabird population in northwest Greenland.

Whalers and explorers often entered these waters and later Admiral Robert Peary’s family raised a monument in honour of his achievements on the cape. Sailors’ and ships’ logs record multiple climbs of the cape in or-der to survey the ice conditions in Qimus-seriarsuaq.

Day 7: Smith SoundWe will spend a day exploring north into this fabled body of water that served as the main route for explorers and adventurers search-ing for the North Pole. Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares and Elisha Kent Kane all travelled these waters with varying degrees of success.

The Sound was named by William Baffin af-ter Sir Thomas Smythe, promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage.

Only 48-72km wide and 88km long, Smith Sound is often packed with ice and provides favourable conditions for wildlife viewing.


Expeditions 2015 59

Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord), NUAujuittuq means ‘place that never thaws.’ That’s apt for this peaceful hamlet, 1,150km above the Arctic Circle - Canada’s northernmost civilian community. We’ll be welcomed by the popula-tion of about 165 souls.

Our activities will centre on the school where we will have a chance to meet members of the community and learn about their way of life.

Day 9: Coburg IslandAt the entrance to Jones Sound is Coburg Is-land, whose spectacular seabird cliffs are a designated National Wildlife Area.

30,000 pairs of black-legged kittiwakes and 160,000 pairs of thick-billed murres crowd the rocky ledges on this island almost completely covered by an ice cap.

Day 10: Devon IslandThe largest uninhabited island in the world supports significant concentrations of wildlife, including 26 species of seabirds and 11 species of marine mammals.

At Dundas Harbour we find the lonely remains of an RCMP station dating from the 1920s. We have also spotted walrus, polar bear, muskox and caribou here.

At nearby Croker Bay, we have a chance to Zo-diac cruise though this scenic bay and marvel at icebergs, freshly calved from the glacier at the head of the bay.

Day 11: Beechey IslandIn 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men in two ships into the Wellington Channel. Not a soul returned from the fateful

expedition. It was two years before search par-ties were launched.

Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance. Until recently, the three graves had left no indication as to the fate of the rest of the British party.

Such is the interest in this story, the Canadian government recently announced a new initia-tive to locate the missing Franklin vessels.

Day 12: Bathurst IslandGood soil conditions and a rare wetland en-vironment produce abundant vegetation here, making Bathurst a major calving area for the endangered Peary Caribou.

Here we also find Polar Bear Pass National

60 Expeditions 2015

Wildlife Area, a migratory route for polar bears from March to November. The north half of the island is the proposed Tuktusiu-qvialuk National Park.

There is a long human history on the island, with evidence of Dorset and Thule habitation as early as 2,000 BC.

Day 13: Melville IslandMelville Island was first visited by British explorer Sir William Parry in 1819. Not only did he discover the island; ice forced him to spend the winter in 1820 at what is now called ‘Winter Harbour’.

The island is named for Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville, who was First Sea Lord at the time.

Melville Island is one of two major breeding grounds for a small sea goose, the Western High Arctic Brant. DNA analysis and field observations suggest that these birds may be distinct from other Brant stocks. Numbering only 4,000-8,000 birds, this is one of the rar-est goose stocks in the world.

Day 14: Banks IslandHome to two thirds of the world’s population of Lesser Snow Geese, two federal Migra-tory Bird Sanctuaries were founded in 1961. The island is home to Barren-ground cari-bou, polar bears, muskoxen, and birds such as robins and swallows.

The first grizzly-polar bear hybrid found in the wild, was sighted on Banks Island in April 2006, near Sachs Harbour.

Muskoxen, with a population of about 40,000, are the most striking of the abundant wildlife on the island. It was named Banks Island in 1820 by Sir William Parry in hon-our of British naturalist and botanist Sir Jo-seph Banks.

Day 15: Prince of Wales StraitPrince of Wales Strait is part of the Arctic Ocean, extending northeastward for 275 km from the Amundsen Gulf to Viscount Mel-ville Sound and separating Banks and Victoria Islands. It was discovered in 1850 by Robert McClure, the Irish explorer, who came within sight of the Viscount Melville Sound before heavy ice forced him to turn back.

Named after Albert Edward, then the Prince of Wales, it was not navigated until the RCMP patrol of Sgt Larsen in 1944. It has since become the preferred route of large vessels making the passage.

Day 16: Ulukhaktok (Holman), NTFound on the west side of Victoria Island, The Hudson’s Bay Company post at Prince Albert Sound was opened in 1923, moved to Walker Bay in 1928 and finally to Ulukhak-tok (Holman) in 1939.

The large bluff that overlooks Ulukhaktok was the source that provided the slate and

copper used to make ulu’s and give the com-munity its name.

Ulukhaktok is also the location of the most northern golf course in the Americas and hosts the “Billy Joss Open Celebrity Golf Tournament” every summer. Over the years they have managed to attract players from the Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Es-kimos, as well as golfers from other coun-tries.

Day 17: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NULocated at the mouth of the Coppermine River, southwest of Victoria Island on the Coronation Gulf, Kugluktuk is the western most community in Nunavut. Originally named Coppermine, it was renamed Kug-luktuk according to its Inuinnaqtun name meaning “place of moving waters”, on Janu-ary 1st, 1996.

The Coppermine River itself is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Copper deposits along the river at-tracted the first explorers to the area.

Because the tundra is close to the tree line, a variety of wildlife can be viewed in the area, including grizzly bears, wolverines and moose, as well as tundra wildlife, such as muskoxen, caribou, foxes and wolves.

62 Expeditions 2015

September 5–September 21, 2015 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

Out of the Northwest Passage

Once an insurmountable obstacle—and later a scarcely attainable dream—the iconic Northwest Passage remains an adventure even today! After leaving Kugluktuk (Coppermine) in northwestern Nunavut, we sail east, traversing Coronation Gulf en route to Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven), famed hamlet where Roald Amundsen honed his polar

skills among the Inuit. As we pass through Bellot Strait, we’ll keep watch for whales, polar bears, walrus, and musk ox—and then press onward to Beechey Island to pay our respects at the graves of the Franklin Expedition. On Devon Island, our journey takes us to the ruins of the Dundas Harbour rcmp and hbc posts; we then arrive in Canada’s northernmost community, Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord).

From there, we continue north into the wilds of Smith Sound, where Canada and Greenland come closest to meeting. We trace the routes of the famous explorers Rasmussen and Peary as we call in at Qaannaq in Greenland’s far northern reaches. Now sailing south amid towering icebergs, we’ll witness calving glaciers, explore deep fjords, and visit the unesco World Heritage Site at Ilulissat, home to the world’s fastest-moving glacier.

© Rob Poulton

© Andrew Stewart

© Michelle Valberg

Expeditions 2015 63



© Dennis Minty

64 Expeditions 2015


Day 1: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU Day 2: Victoria Island Day 3: Usqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) Day 4: Prince of Wales IslandDay 5: Bellot StraitDay 6: Prince Leopold IslandDay 7: Beechey IslandDay 8: Devon IslandDay 9: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord)Day 10: Smith SoundDay 11: Qaanaaq, Greenland Day 12: Kap York Day 13: Melville Bay Day 14: Karrat Fjord Day 15: IlulissatDay 16: Sisimiut Day 17: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

H I G H L I G H T S Out of the Northwest Passage

• Travel the historic route that has enchanted explorers for centuries• Navigate historic Bellot Strait, home to narwhal and polar bears• Marvel at the ghostly phenomenon of the northern lights• Sail by the towering icebergs of Melville Bay• See the world’s fastest-moving glacier at Ilulissat

Departing charter flight Edmonton, AB to Kugluktuk, NU September 5, 2015


Returning charter flightKangerlussuaq, Greenland to Toronto, ONSeptember 21, 2015

$1,369 USD per personEarly evening arrival

Round trip$2,195 USD per person

Pre and post hotel nights are available in Edmonton and Toronto on request.

Overnight accommodation in Toronto recommended.

Passengers are responsible for arranging their own transport to Edmonton and from Toronto.

© Andrew Stewart


Expeditions 2015 65

Y O U R S T A F F Out of the Northwest Passage

BARNEY BENTALL Musician

LOIS SULUK-LOCKE Culturalist

CHARLIE DUKEAstronaut

LATONIA HARTERYArchaeologist

AARON SPITZER History & Politics

ROMANI MAKKIKCulturalist

ANDRE GALLANTPhotographer

DEANNA LEONARDNaturalist

KEN MCGOOGANHistorian

The award-winning author of eleven books, Ken is best-known for his four acclaimed narratives about Arctic exploration: Fatal Passage, Ancient Mariner, Lady Franklin’s Revenge, and Race to the Polar Sea. These works earned him the Writers’ Trust of Canada Biography Prize, the Canadian Authors’ Association History Award, the ubc Medal for Canadian Biography, and the Pierre Berton Award for Popular History.

MARC ST-ONGE Geologist

Marc is a Senior Research Scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada. He has lead numerous integrated geological field projects and presented nationally and internationally. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences and has been Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University since 1983. He received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and was appointed Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford in 2004.

Susie grew up in Ulukhaktok, NT, and now lives in Kugluktuk, NU. Beginning as a classroom assistant in 1981, she became a certified teacher in 1990, adding a B. Ed degree in 2005 and Master’s degree in 2009. An educator for thirty-one years, with a passion for Inuinnaqtun language and culture, Susie has travelled to many remote areas of the north. She loves camping, crafting, crocheting, and sewing.

DAVID NEWLANDHost

BOB HANSENExpedition Team

JAMES RAFFANExplorer



SUSIE EVYAGOTAILAK Culturalist

66 Expeditions 2015

2015 Out of the Northwest Passage

Day 1: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NULocated at the mouth of the Coppermine river to southwest of Victoria Island on the Coronation Gulf, Kugluktuk is the western most community in Nunavut.

Originally named Coppermine, it was renamed Kugluktuk according to its Inuinnaqtun name meaning “place of moving waters”, on January 1st, 1996.

The Coppermine River itself is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Copper deposits along the river attracted the first explorers to the area.

Because the tundra is close to the tree line, a variety of wildlife can be viewed in the area, including grizzly bears, wolverines and moose, as well as tundra wildlife, such as muskoxen, caribou, foxes and wolves.

Day 2: Victoria IslandThe eighth largest island in the world, Victoria Island is found on the border between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. The main community to be found here is Cambridge Bay, with a population of just over 1,000. Depending on conditions, we may stop at the community or make an outdoor expedition stop.

Day 3: Usqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven)In 1903, explorer Roald Amundsen, while looking for the Northwest Passage, sailed through the James Ross Strait and stopped at a natural harbour on the island’s south coast. Unable to proceed due to sea ice, he spent the winters of 1903-04 and 1904-05.

There he learned Arctic living skills from the local Netsilik Inuit, skills that would later prove invaluable in his Antarctic explorations. He used his ship Gjøa as a base for explorations in the summer of 1904, sledding the Boothia Peninsula and travelling to the magnetic North Pole.

Amundsen finally left, after 22 months on the island, in August 1905. The harbour where he lived is now the island’s only settlement, Gjøa Haven, which he called ‘the finest little harbour in the world.’

Today the population has blossomed from 110 in 1961 to 1, 279 in 2011.

Day 4: Prince of Wales Island The Prince of Wales Strait is located in the Northwest Territories of Canada, separating Banks Island to the northwest from Victoria Island to the southeast. It extends from Viscount Melville Sound in the northeast to Amundsen Gulf in the southwest. Its namesake, Prince of Wales Island, lies over

320 kilometres to the southeast. About 275 kilometres long and generally about twenty kilometres wide, its depths reach 160 metres at the southern end and become progressively shallower towards the northern entrance. The strait’s orientation prevents prevailing winds from driving heavy pack ice down the strait, which is primarily covered with locally formed ice that breaks up more readily, leaving a reasonably clear channel. As the strait narrows to less than thirty-eight kilometres, vessels using it pass within undisputed Canadian waters. Sir Robert McClure was credited with the discovery of the Northwest Passage in 1851 when he looked across McClure Strait from Banks Island and viewed Melville Island. However, this strait was not navigable to ships at that time; the only usable route between Lancaster Strait, Dolphin, and Union Strait was discovered by John Rae in 1854. The strait is one of four possible routes in the Northwest Passage, and has since become the preferred route of large vessels. Prince of Wales Island lies in the strait lies between Victoria and Somerset Islands, south of the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Its European discovery came in 1851 by Francis Leopold McClintock’s sledge parties as they searched for the lost Franklin Expedition. There are no permanent settlements on the island.


Expeditions 2015 67

Day 5: Bellot StraitBellot Strait marks the first meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific tides north of Magellan Strait. Suprisingly, the strait was missed by John Ross and wasn’t discovered until 1852 by William Kennedy, who named the strait after his second-in-command, Joseph-Rene Bellot.

Day 5: Bellot Strait (and Fort Ross)Fort Ross was the last trading post built by the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada’s Arctic. Established in 1937, it was meant to bridge the eastern and western Arctic fur trading districts through the Bellot Strait—a narrow, thirty-two-kilometre passage separating the northernmost tip of North America from Somerset Island. Rising out of the vast Arctic wilderness, Fort Ross had two buildings—a manager’s house and a store—and was also home to a number of Inuit families. It was operated for some eleven years, but eventually abandoned because of heavy ice conditions. When Fort Ross was finally closed in 1948, everything was moved some 250 kilometres south to Stanners Harbour, establishing the town of Spence Bay (now known as Taloyoak). Bellot Strait marks the first meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific tides north of Magellan Strait. Surprisingly, the strait was missed by John Ross and was not discovered until 1852 by William Kennedy, who named the strait after his second-in-command, Joseph-Rene Bellot.

Day 6: Prince Leopold IslandThe tall cliffs of Prince Leopold Island are one of the top bird sites in the High Arctic both

during the breeding and summering seasons. It is a breeding site for Thick-Billed Murre, Black-legged Kittiwake, Northern Fulmar, Glaucous Gull, and Black Guillemot. It was beneath these tall cliffs, that Sir James Clark Ross, perhaps the greatest polar explorer of the 19th century, was based in 1848-49. Ross’s 1848-49 expedition in search of the Franklin expedition was not successful; they spent a frustrating winter locked by ice in Port Leopold on the northeast coast of Somerset Island and returned to England the following summer. It was also from this area that Sir John Ross (James’s uncle) escaped in 1833 after abandoning the Victory and spending four harrowing winters in the Arctic.

Day 7: Beechey IslandIn 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men in two ships into the Wellington Chan-nel. Not a soul returned from the fateful expedi-tion. It was two years before search parties were launched. Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance. Until recently, the three graves had left no indication as to the fate of the rest of the British party. Such is the interest in this story, the Canadian government recently an-nounced a new initiative to locate the missing Franklin vessels.

Day 8: Devon IslandThe largest uninhabited island in the world supports significant concentrations of wildlife, including 26 species of seabirds and 11 species of marine mammals.

At Dundas Harbour we find the lonely remains of an RCMP station dating from the 1920s. We have also spotted walrus, polar bear, muskox and caribou here.

At nearby Croker Bay, we have a chance to Zo-diac cruise though this scenic bay and marvel at icebergs, freshly calved from the glacier at the head of the bay.

Day 9: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord)Aujuittuq means ‘place that never thaws.’ That’s apt for this peaceful hamlet, 1,150km above the Arctic Circle - Canada’s northernmost civilian community. We’ll be welcomed by the popula-tion of about 165 souls.


Day 10: Smith SoundWe will spend a day exploring north into this fa-bled body of water that served as the main route for explorers and adventurers searching for the North Pole. Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares and Elisha Kent Kane all travelled these waters with varying degrees of success.

The Sound was named by William Baffin after Sir Thomas Smythe, promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage.

Only 48-72km wide and 88km long, Smith Sound is often packed with ice and provides favourable conditions for wildlife viewing.

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Day 11: Qaanaaq, Greenland Artistic talent runs high in this most northern community, and visitors are often in search of the distinct art pieces that are created here. One of the hardest places to reach in the Arctic, it is easiest to visit by ship. Not only is it the northernmost civilian habitation on Earth, Qaanaaq is also the most northern palindrome on the planet. A well-appointed store offers outstanding hand-carved jewel-lery and art pieces.

Day 12: Kap YorkThe rugged coastal environment at Kap York is rich in wildlife and is part of an extensive network of traditional hunting grounds. During the spring and summer months the skies and cliffs are dotted with millions of birds, primarily auks and murres. This dis-trict boasts the largest seabird population in northwest Greenland.

Whalers and explorers often entered these waters and later Admiral Robert Peary’s family raised a monument in honour of his achievements on the cape. Sailors’ and ships’ logs record multiple climbs of the cape in or-der to survey the ice conditions in Qimus-seriarsuaq.

Day 13: Melville BayMelville Bay (Greenlandic: Qimusseriar-suaq), is a large bay off the coast of north-western Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, Qimusseriarsuaq, means “the great dog sledding place”.

Day 14: Karrat FjordIn Karrat Fjord we will cruise one of Green-land’s most spectacular fjords. During ice breakup, narwhals and seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord.

The cliffs within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies.

Time spent on deck today will likely result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities

Day 15: Ilulissat Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name for this stunning coastal community.

Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated

viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of zodiacs in the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord.

The Icefjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at 19m per day and calving more than 35 square kilometers of ice annually. The glacier has been the ob-ject of scientific attention for 250 years.

Day 16: SisimuitThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mix-ture of fishing communities, myriad islands and complex coastal waterways.

We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape.

Day 17: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandLying at the head of the longest fjord in west-ern Greenland, Kangerlussuaq has one of the most stable climates in the region though temperatures can range from -50C in the winter to as high as 28C in summer.

Kangerlussuaq, which means ‘The Big Fjord’ in Greenlandic, is appropriately named, as it’s 168km long!

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Haida Gwaii – the Queen Charlotte Islands

This incredible experience in Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) focuses on Canada’s culturally rich Haida community. Throughout the islands are signs of this ancient—and living—culture. The remains of longhouses and intricately designed totem poles dot over one hundred islands in the region.

We visit these ancient sites with Haida interpreters, sharing stories, highlighting history, and discovering archaeological sites.

SGang Gwaay, at the base of the archipelago, is recognized as a unesco World Heritage Site.

Featuring forested creek walks, rugged headlands, and towering mountains, our excursions will provide ample scenery. Numerous species and sub-species are unique to these islands, sometimes called ‘The Galápagos of the North.’

Bird watching is excellent, with an abundance of puffins, auklets

July 6–15, 2015 aboard the Island Roamer© Bluewater Adventures

© Bluewater Adventures

© Randy Burke

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Day 1: VancouverDay 2: SandspitDay 3: Graham IslandDay 4-9: Moresby IslandDay 10: Sandspit


D E T A I L S

Maximum 14 adventurersFitness Level: Easy to Moderate

and eagles; hundreds of thousands of seabirds nest on the islands. We hope to see Steller sea lions and spot a variety of whales from our sailing vessel, the Island Roamer.

Haida culture remains alive and vital. Our guests will have the opportunity to learn from the Haida about their stories, customs, and food-gathering methods. The relationship between the Haida and their environment is reflected in their unique and highly evolved art forms.

Bring your camera, journal, and sketchpad—Haida Gwaii is truly one of the world’s most artistically inspiring places.

From $5,595 USD per person

© Bluewater Adventures

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2015 Haida Gwaii: The Queen Charlotte Islands

Day 1: VancouverYour tour starts in Vancouver. You are free to arrive at anytime; however, we encourage you to arrive early, or the day before for our leader to take you to the University of BC Anthropology Museum, followed by an included lunch. Dorothy has been guiding tours with us for 20 years and her enthusiasm for First Nations and Inuit Art is contagious.

Day 2: SandspitToday the group flies to Sandspit to begin the Haida Gwaii journey (flight not included in tour cost). Upon arrival, it is a short walk to your accommodations in Sandspit, where you will stay for the night. Our guide will happily point out a few highlights of the area and you will have time to explore or relax and get to know your fellow travellers. We suggest having a nice dinner and resting up for the adventure ahead aboard the Island Roamer!

Day 3: Graham IslandBegin your day with a hot breakfast prior to your journey to the Island Roamer.

Our local guide will inform you of the time you will be departing from the hotel this morning. Please be sure to check out of your hotel room with luggage in hand, prior to this time. You will be greeted by our shuttle bus driver/guide for your land tour. You will be transported to the ferry landing at Alliford Bay

to take the ferry across to Skidegate Landing on Graham Island. The ferry crossing takes approximately 25 minutes.

Our first stop will be the beautiful Haida Heritage Centre, Kaay Llnagaay on Graham Island for a guided tour followed by a traditional Haida lunch, hosted by a local Haida elder from Skidegate. Following lunch, we will catch the ferry back to Moresby Island. Then we are off to Moresby Camp to meet up with the Island Roamer and her Crew.

After boarding the vessel, there will be introductions, a safety orientation and cabin assignments. Dinner will be served at this time too. We will spend our first evening anchored nearby and will depart early the next morning into the waters of Southern Moresby Island to explore the Gwaii Haanas Park Reserve.

Day 4-9: Moresby IslandWe will spend our time exploring the eastern and southern shores of Moresby Island. Daily activities include wildlife watching, shore excursions to explore ancient Haida villages, old growth forests, beautiful creeks and shoreline, intertidal zones. Be sure to keep an eye out and your cameras ready, as we will encounter a wealth of marine wildlife on our journey. We aim to spot humpback

whales, porpoise, dolphins, sea lions and orca. Puffins, auklets, eagles and Steller sea lions all call this area home as well.

We hope to capture the sight of the mighty, Gwaii Haanas black bear foraging along the shoreline and we will be amazed by the myriad of intertidal creatures found in these nutrient-rich areas.

We visit the old Haida village of SGang Gwaay (Ninstints)— a designated unesco World Heritage Site—to see the fabulous totem poles. Each evening we will anchor in a different secluded bay with time for discussions on the wildlife sightings encountered during the day. While at anchor, there will be opportunities to explore the shoreline by kayak.

Day 10: SandspitThe voyage will finish mid morning. Guests will disembark at Moresby Camp and will be transferred by charter bus to Sandspit airport. The trip by bus takes one hour. You can expect to arrive in Sandspit by midday. This will give you time to have lunch on your own, and do any last minute shopping at the souvenir shop or park office located in the Sandspit Airport, prior to your afternoon flight to Vancouver.


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Bears of Churchill: Tundra Buggy Adventure

To visit Churchill is to see not only the magnificent King of the Arctic—the polar bear—but also to experience the history and culture of the region. Led by knowledgeable guides, this program includes a town and area tour, entrance to the Eskimo Museum and Parks Canada facility, and a private slide presentation. Dog sledding or a cultural arts program are included. Photographers will delight in the two days spent viewing the polar bears up close from the amazing Tundra Buggy platform. A variety of departures are available: please call us for specific details.

INCLUDES• Two hotel nights in Winnipeg• Three hotel nights in Churchill• Return flight from Winnipeg to Churchill• All meals in Churchill• Ground transportation• Professional interpretive guide• Two full days aboard a Tundra Buggy• Tour of Churchill and surrounding area• Entrance to the Eskimo Museum and the Parks Canada Interpretive Center• Evening slide show presentation• Dog sledding excursion

Five-Night Departures: October 16–November 19, 2015

© Michelle Valberg

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From $5,349 USD + HST per personWildlife sightings and some activities depend on conditions. Weather and road conditions are a determining factor and will dictate our itinerary.

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Day 1 Winnipeg, MBArrive at leisure to Winnipeg. Overnight at the Four Points Sheraton at the Winnipeg airport. Downtown Winnipeg is only about 15 minutes away by taxi for those interested.

21:00 - Orientation at the hotel

Day 2 Winnipeg to ChurchillCoffee and snacks at hotel and repeat of orientation for those arriving late the night before.

07:00 - Charter flight departure for Churchill (2 - 2.5hrs) breakfast on plane. 09:30 - Arrive in Churchill - join our town tour. A guided bus tour of local and histori-cal points of interest surrounding Churchill, including such attractions as Cape Merry, Port of Churchill and Manitoba Conserva-tion’s Polar Bear Holding Facility (weather permitting).

Mid-day: Lunch Afternoon: Eskimo Museum followed by free time to check in and enjoy your hotel This museum contains one of Canada’s fin-est collections of Inuit carvings, kayaks and artifacts dating from pre- Dorset, Dorset, Thule, and modern Inuit times.

Overnight: Churchill Hotel.

Day 3 Tundra BuggyAll day spent in a Tundra Buggy with knowledgeable guide, viewing polar bears and other Arctic wildlife.

The best way to experience an intimate encounter with a wild polar bear is on an authentic Tundra Buggy. All of our Tundra Buggies are furnished with dual-pane frost-free windows and contain propane heating systems that closely resemble a cozy fire-place, with real flame (behind glass). Each day, we depart early and board our world famous Tundra Buggies looking for polar bears and other wildlife out on the tundra. You will enjoy picnic style lunches and re-freshments while you are bear watching.

Evening Slide Show conducted by seasoned residents. Relax and soak-up years of north-ern experience communicated in enchant-ing stories and magnificent photography.

Overnight: Churchill Hotel.

Day 4 Dog Sledding and Parks CanadaMorning: Dog Sledding Hosted by a local resident and dog sled-ding expert, you will learn about the history associated with dog sledding in Northern Canada. Enjoy an exhilarating ride behind a strong team of huskies on a custom-made sled (or cart, weather permitting). Join the

mushers for hot chocolate and freshly made bannock after your ride and share their per-sonal stories of their dog sledding adven-tures.

Afternoon: Visit to Parks Canada Interpre-tive Center. Walk back in time viewing detailed and exciting wildlife dioramas, fur trade exhib-its. View a series of videos on the history, culture and wildlife of the area. You leave chock-full of natural and historical informa-tion from the Churchill region.

Evening: Overnight at Churchill Hotel

Day 5 Tundra Buggy and WinnipegMorning: Early Breakfast and Full day Tun-dra Buggy Tour with lunch on the Buggy

19:00 - Evening flight back to Winnipeg - arriving 21:00-21:30 - Dinner on Plane

Overnight at Four Points Sheraton

Day 6 WinnipegDepart Winnipeg at leisure.

I T I N E R A R Y D E T A I L S2015 Bears of Churchill: Tundra Buggy Adventure

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October 22–November 1, 2015 aboard the National Geographic Islander

Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands

Adventure Canada is excited to be returning to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Islander. We will have the chance to explore the highlands of Equador, visit the Otavalo market, and see the unesco World Heritage Site of Quito’s old town before heading to the archipelago for a week of immersion in its spectacular wildlife. The Galápagos Islands scarcely need an introduction: they exist as one of the

world’s best examples of sustainable tourism. An overabundance of wildlife is indifferent to human presence, an indifference cultivated by years of care and respect by visitors. Internationally revered for its cornucopia of endemic species, the islands offer unsurpassed opportunities to engage with local fauna. At many stops, we’ll be the only visitors.

Top-notch naturalist guides, trained at the

University of the Galápagos, will be on hand to share their knowledge both on land and at sea. We’ll enjoy guided nature walks, Zodiac cruises, and town visits along with plenty of snorkelling and kayaking opportunities in the warm azure waters.

Join us in the jewel of the Pacific in 2015.

© Clayton Anderson

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© Dennis Minty

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• Enjoy one of the world’s greatest wildlife experiences• Visit Quito, the Otavalo market and walk on the Equator• Experience wildlife up close on land, in the air, and in the water• Swim and snorkel daily in calm, turquoise waters• Travel in style aboard one of the best vessels in the Galápagos

H I G H L I G H T S Galápagos Islands

Day 1: Arrival in Quito, Ecuador Day 2: Old Town Quito and the Middle of the EarthDay 3: The Otavalo Market Day 4: Quito to the Galápagos IslandsDay 5: Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez, Isla EspañolaDay 6: Champion and Punta Cormorant, Isla FloreanaDay 7: Puerto Villamil, Isla IsabelaDay 8: South Plazas / Santa FeDay 9: Santiago IslandDay 10: Genovesa IslandDay 11: Baltra to Guayaquil, Ecuador


FlightInternal flight from Quito - Galápagos - Guayaquil. Cost: $525 USD

Our itinerary is subject to Galápagos National Park approval.

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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ISLANDER

The forty-eight-passenger National Geographic Islander is a versatile fifty-metre twin-hulled vessel with twenty-four spacious cabins. She is a sturdy expedition ship, designed for year-round discovery and active exploration. Each air-conditioned cabin comes with an outside view and private facilities.

The National Geographic Islander has numerous common areas including a lounge with a bar and facilities for films, slide shows, and lectures. The ship holds a library, and plenty of deck space from which to view wildlife. The luxurious vessel is equipped with Zodiac landing craft, snorkelling gear, wetsuits, a spa, guest email stations, a video microscope, hydrophone, and SplashCam. A gift shop and doctor’s office complete the list of facilities. Meals are served in one seating, from a menu of international cuisine with Ecuadorian flair.

Deck Plan

CATEGORY 1 TRIPLE BRIDGE DECK Two twin beds, one pull-out couch, one window

CATEGORY 2 MAIN DECK DOUBLE Twin beds, one window

CATEGORY 3 BRIDGE DECK DOUBLE Twin beds, one window

CATEGORY 4 UPPER DECK DOUBLE Two singles convert to double bed, glassed terrace, large windows

CATEGORY 5 UPPER DECK DOUBLE Two singles convert to queen, glassed terrace, large windows

CATEGORY 6 UPPER DECK Two singles convert to queen, larger windows, glassed terrace

CATEGORY 7 SUITE Upper deck, two singles convert to queen, larger glassed terrace

SINGLE Twin bed, one window

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2015 Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands

Day 1: Arrival in Quito, Ecuador Arriving this evening we check into our elegant hotel and meet for snacks and cocktails at our welcome reception.

Day 2: Old Town Quito and the Middle of the EarthAfter breakfast, our local guides take us on a walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Old Town Quito. We visit spectacular plazas, centuries-old churches and El Panecillo, which overlooks all of Quito. After lunch, we head north of the city to the Mitad del Mundo where we see equator coriolis-effect experiments, shrunken heads and blowguns.

Day 3: The Otavalo MarketRising bright and early, we venture to one of the most famous markets in South America: the Otavalo Market. We wind up through the countryside, punctuated by volcanoes, mountain vistas and idyllic lakes. We’re greeted in Otavalo by a riot of brightly coloured handicrafts bursting from the stalls, jewellery sparkling in the sun, everywhere deals are being made. This is the place in South America to find handmade weavings, garments, carvings and leather goods.

Day 4: Quito to the Galapagos IslandsWe rise early and head to the airport for our flight to San Cristobal Island, Galápagos,

where the National Geographic Islander awaits. You will have time for lunch and to settle into your cabins before arriving at your first stop, Cerro Brujo. You may choose to swim or snorkel from the lovely white sand beach, enjoy the first kayaking opportunity of the expedition or just stroll along the shore looking for marine iguanas and sea lions.

Day 5: Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez, Isla EspañolaEspañola Island is the oldest and most southerly island in the chain. Its remote location makes for some unique endemic inhabitants, including the only marine iguana to change colour during the mating season. We may also find some Waved Albatross here, as Española is their only nesting place in the Galápagos, attracting 12,000 pairs each year. Mating for life, the males reacquaint with their mates by a ritual dance, taking up to five days, which includes strutting, honking, and beak fencing. Sea kayaking, snorkelling and hiking are all offered here today.

Day 6: Champion and Punta Cormorant, Isla FloreanaOn our visit to Floreana we learn it is best known for its colourful history of buccaneers, whalers, convicts, and colonists. We have a chance here to send some mail back home from famous Post Office Bay.

We make our landing on a unique green sand beach and follow a trail with good viewing opportunities for Large Billed Flycatchers, Small and Medium Ground Finches and Cactus Finches. Flamingos sometimes feed in the island’s large lagoon. We end at a beautiful white sand beach that’s as fine as flour. At Champion Islet, we get into the water at one of the best snorkelling sites in the islands, with its playful colony of sea lions.

Day 7: Puerto Villamil, Isla IsabelaVillamil is often considered the most beautiful site in the Galápagos with its palm-lined, white sand beaches. Behind Villamil are several brackish water lagoons where Pink Flamingoes, Common Stilts, Whimbrels, White-cheeked Pintails and Gallinules are usually seen. The beaches and lagoons near Villamil provide the best migratory bird viewing in the Galápagos. Villamil is home to the Darwin Station’s tortoise breeding centre on Isabela. We’ll also explore Isabela’s caves and shoreline and search the waters for dolphins, whales, sea turtles and the elusive ocean sunfish — the mola-mola. In the afternoon we will visit the Sierra Negra Volcano in the highlands.

Day 8: South Plazas / Santa FeSouth Plazas is a beautiful uplifted islet that is home to dense colonies of sea lions on one


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side, and spectacular cliffs frequented by gulls, tropic birds, terns, shearwaters and boobies on the other side. Prickly pear cactus trees rise up from the rocky land that is covered by dense red mats of vegetation. Under the cacti, you’ll find countless Galápagos land iguanas, as the islet has one of the last healthy populations in the archipelago, and here their territories overlap with those of the marine iguanas.

You’ll also visit Sante Fe, which is home to its own endemic species of land iguana as well as the largest giant prickly pears in Galápagos, and beaches with huge sea lion colonies. You’ll have the option of joining either a heart-pumping hike or a more leisurely stroll along a trail, as well as opportunities to snorkel, kayak or enjoy a Zodiac ride along the shoreline.

Day 9: Santiago IslandThis island is one of the most picturesque and

geologically interesting in the archipelago, renowned for its stark volcanic landscape and the famous Tuff Cone formation known as Pinnacle Rock. You will visit Sombrero Chino, a charming volcano named due to its resemblance to a “Chinese Hat.” You may take Zodiac rides, kayak or go ashore to admire the volcanic landscape, and snorkel in an area often frequented by penguins, sea lions and small reef sharks.In the afternoon you’ll view the famous Pinnacle Rock. You’ll hike over pahoehoe lava, likely dating back to the end of the 19th century. You’ll be able to distinguish the older reddish-brown lava from the younger black lava and identify many interesting features.

You may have additional opportunities to swim and snorkel.

Day 10: Genovesa IslandThe National Geographic Islander sails into the caldera of Genovesa, known as “bird island”, where you’ll enjoy hikes among nesting colonies of swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds, red-footed and Nazca boobies all while keeping a look out for hunting short-eared owls. You’ll ride Zodiacs and kayak along the base of the caldera wall, and snorkel among large schools of parrot fish and other tropical species.

Day 11: Baltra to Guayaquil, EcuadorOn Sunday we arrive at Baltra Island, where we say goodbye to the National Geographic Islander and crew. Our flight will arrive back in Guayaquil in the early afternoon. We have an optional walk along the Malécon (Guayaquil’s boardwalk) to the historic and colourful Las Peñas district. In the evening join your new friends for a goodbye dinner.

©Danny Catt

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© Scott Sporleder

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Mighty Saint Lawrence

I N T R O D U C T I O N

H I G H L I G H T S

Adventure Canada is thrilled to return to la Belle Province! This voyage incorporates the stunning coastal regions of Québec’s North Shore, the Gaspé, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Magdalene Islands, and Saint Pierre.

Marine mammals should be plentiful—some of the best whale watching in Canada is concentrated between the high cliffs of Saguenay Fjord. The Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Forillon National Park and Île-Bonaventure Provincial Park all offer wildlife opportunities including numerous migrating seabirds. The Îles-de-la-Madeleine mixes of Acadian and Eng-

lish influences—and a history of more than four hundred ship-wrecks—are among the islands’ unique features. It’s also home to endangered bird species including the Piping Plover and Roseate Tern. Our stop on Prince Edward Island will include a visit to the Cavendish cottage made famous by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.

We bring our voyage to a close at Saint-Pierre, the last remaining outpost of New France, where fine wine, good cheese and French fashion are to be found—just off the coast of Newfoundland.

• Experience Québec’s unique history and culture• Search for the largest animal on earth, the blue whale• See one of the world’s largest gannet colonies, over 50,000 pairs

• Sail the Saguenay, a spectacular feeding ground for marine and bird species• Photograph the famous red cliffs of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine• See the iconic Green Gables on Prince Edward Island

© Cruise Saint Lawrence

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D E T A I L E D I T I N E R A R Y

Day 1: Québec City, QCOne of the oldest and loveliest European settlements in North America, Québec takes its name from the Algonquin word meaning ‘where the river narrows.’ The city that Champlain founded in 1608 was the capital of New France, and later, British North America. Today, the proud capital of the province of the same name boasts the old-world charms of Vieux Québec, the world-famous Chateau Frontenac hotel, and the only remaining intact citadel walls in North America. Cultural riches, superb cuisine, and an incredible view over the river make Québec the perfect place to begin our voyage!

Day 2: Saguenay Fjord, QCHome to Aboriginal cultures for thousands of years, the Saguenay Fjord’s first European visitor was Jacques Cartier in 1532. The Saguenay drains fresh water from Lac St. Jean, but the greater part of its volume is salt tidal water from the St. Lawrence Estuary. The result is an ideal habitat for marine mammals including four species of whales—fin, minke, blue, and the famous (and endangered) Saguenay beluga population. Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park and Saguenay Fjord National Park both protect the region’s vast natural riches.

Day 3: Lower Saint LawrenceToday we will be exploring the south coast of the Lower Saint Lawrence, visiting the communities in the area. Our stops are weather-dependent, though we will ideally have favourable conditions for an excursion to the famed Reford Gardens. The gardens are home to a sculpture park, art installations, and an enormous roster of unique floral walks and enclosures.

Day 4: Forillon National Park / Gaspé, QCThe Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspésie, separates the mouth of the St. Lawrence from the Baie de Chaleur. Dominated by high

Day 1: Québec City, QCDay 2: Saguenay FjordDay 3: Lower Saint LawrenceDay 4: Forillon National Park / Gaspé, QCDay 5: Île Bonaventure Provincial ParkDay 6: Prince Edward IslandDay 7: Cape Breton IslandDay 8: Îles de la MadeleineDay 9: South Coast, NLDay 10: Saint-Pierre, France

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cliffs on the north shore, the Gaspé includes the eastern tip of the Appalachian Mountain chain and consequently offers amazing views, both of, and from its highland regions, which jut above the tree line.

The first National Park in Québec, Forillon, is an important birding and marine mammal location. Forillon also preserves human history in the Grand-Grave National Heritage Site, telling the story of the fishing families who once made their homes here. The park contains Canada’s tallest lighthouse, and fortifications remaining from the Second World War, when German U-boats were a threat to Allied shipping.

Day 5: Île Bonaventure Provincial Park / Percé, QCParc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé is the formal name of the Park at the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. But most Canadians are more familiar with its best-known feature, the awe-inspiring Percé Rock. The area’s flora and fauna is world-renowned, including famous colonies of northern gannets: the largest is on Bonaventure Island and comprises some 32,000 nests.

Named by Samuel de Champlain, the rock itself is an internationally famed marvel, a huge natural arch within a mass of reddish limestone and sandstone. A second arch once pierced the rock but collapsed in 1845, leaving a massive column at one end. Percé Rock has revealed 150 species of fossils, and

more than two hundred species of birds are found nearby. Fin, minke, humpback, and blue whales ply the nearby waters of this magnificent coastal outpost.

Day 6: Prince Edward IslandCanada’s smallest province in both size and population, Prince Edward Island is known by several other names, including “Garden of the Gulf ” (for its lush agricultural lands) and “Cradle of Confederation” (referring to the Charlottetown Conference in 1864). It is a realm of rolling hills, wooded glades, ocean coves, and famously red soil. The island’s landscape has a strong bearing on its inhabitants, and Prince Edward Island—often abbreviated as pei—retains a slower-paced, old-world flavour in its small, rural settlements. The island was made famous by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables (and its sequels)—and to this day the Cavendish farmhouse described in the book is preserved for visitors.

We will be going ashore at Prince Edward Island for a full day of exploration and touring, learning about the art and history of the region and spending the day with locals. Due to the island’s small size, it is likely that we will have time to visit urban areas as well as rural. We will sample the phenomenal food of the region, stroll on expansive beaches, and avail ourselves of all that this charming province has to offer. Day 7: Cape Breton, NSToday we call into picturesque Cape Breton

Island, home to the only living Celtic Culture on North America. Here we’ll sample a little of the food, music and history that makes this island so special.

Day 8: Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QCLong frequented by Mi’kmaq people, likely walrus hunters, the Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence were first sighted by Europeans when Jacques Cartier sailed among them in 1534. Today, although closer to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, they form a regional municipality of the province of Québec.

However, the islands have a history distinct from that of mainland Québec. When the British expelled the Acadians from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the Magdalene Islanders remained, and to this day take great pride in their Acadian heritage. There are also long-standing English settlements, and a percentage of the population can claim descent from survivors of the many shipwrecks that have occurred among the islands. Iconic red sandstone cliffs are among the islands’ most striking features.

Pack ice has historically surrounded the islands during winter, leading to near-total isolation for months at a time. Besides fishing, shipping, salt mining and tourism, sealing on the pack ice has been a traditional source of income and subsistence for islanders.

We will be arriving during the famed eastern lobster fishing season, so the possibility of

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sampling local delicacies remains high. We will be stopping to meet with local artists at the island community of Cap-aux-Meules, famed for its Acadian culture and stunning surroundings.

Day 9: South Coast, NewfoundlandYou could be forgiven for not knowing the French history of Newfoundland: indeed, sections of the island’s coastline changed ownership multiple times. Newfoundland’s South Shore offers many surprises, including vast stretches of virtually uninhabited wilderness. Fjords, cliffs, and islands offer excellent Zodiac cruising territory and terrific birding opportunities. We will be availing

ourselves of all the area has to offer and may be stopping in any of multiple possible destinations depending on conditions.

Day 10: Saint-Pierre, FROn a trip that traces the history and geog-raphy of New France, it’s appropriate that we wind up in France. The small islands of Saint-Pierre remain officially a part of the French Republic, albeit only a few dozen ki-lometres off the shore of Newfoundland.

In charming Saint-Pierre (population 6,500) you’ll find fine wine and cheese, excellent coffee and pastries, even contemporary

French fashion items in a postcard-pretty town. European style dwellings stand shoulder to shoulder with typical east coast architecture, and French license plates adorn the Renaults and Citroens on the winding old streets.

C H A R T E R F L I G H T

Outbound only:Saint-Pierre, FR to St John’s, NLJune 10, 2016

Early afternoon arrival$350 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees


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© Michelle Valberg


Sable Island


H I G H L I G H T S

Sable Island’s wild horses are world-famous, but there’s so much more to this remote sand island off the coast of Nova Scotia. The world’s largest colony of grey seals breeds here, as do the rare roseate tern and the endemic Ipswich sparrow, among many birds of note. Amid the island’s forty-two kilometres of beaches, dunes, and bogs you’ll find a plethora of plants: from iris, to sundew, to wild berries in abundance. Whales and sharks ply the nearby waters.

Sable Island’s history includes shipwrecks and salvage; sealing and walrus hunting; rescue and research. Still, the horses remain the island’s most charismatic residents. Free to roam, they represent one of the world’s last wild equine populations. Now protected as Canada’s forty-third national park, Sable Island offers an adventure unlike any other.

• View one of the world’s last wild horse populations• See the rare Ipswich sparrow in its sole breeding ground• Photograph Sable Island’s many rare and beautiful plant species

• See the world’s largest grey seal colony• Sail the marine mammal-rich waters of the Gully, a Marine Protected Area

Day 1: St. John’s, NLDay 2: At SeaDay 3-6: Sable IslandDay 7: At Sea — the Gully (Marine Protected Area)Day 8: Saint-Pierre, FranceDay 9: St. John’s, NL



Day 1: St. John’s, NLWe meet in St. John’s—Newfoundland’s historic, vibrant capital. Picturesque and welcoming, with a world-famous harbour, St. John’s has been continuously fished since 1498, allowing it to boast the designation of North America’s oldest European settlement.

We will arrive in St. John’s ready to explore and will offer a city tour to those interested in the afternoon. Afterwards, we will rendezvous at the docks and board the Ocean Endeavour to begin the adventure proper; passengers will meet the staff and crew, and prepare to leave the harbour. Sailing out of St. John’s has to be experienced to be believed; Signal Hill keeps watch over the world-famous Narrows as we head for open water, passing Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America.

Day 2: At SeaOur presentation series will kick into full swing today as our expert resource staff delves into the fascinating history and ecology of Sable Island. While out on deck, keep your eyes peeled for marine mammals and seabirds in the rich Northwest Atlantic.

Day 3–6: Sable IslandSable Island is the legendary location of hundreds of shipwrecks. The island is home to a population of feral horses, the rare Ipswich sparrow, and seals and seabirds in abundance. We’ll have a chance to meet some of the island’s handful of human inhabitants and learn about this unique habitat first-hand.

In the four days we will spend exploring Sable Island, expect to be dazzled by a natural habitat unlike any you have ever seen. The

herds of wild horses for which the island is famous are a true highlight: we will observe them at their most raw and untamed as they race among the dunes. The sandy shores afford unmatched opportunities for Zodiac cruising, and you may expect to interact with the curious local seal populations as we do.

The historic sites of Sable Island—the old shipwrecks and abandoned settlements—are of particular interest, as the island’s shifting sands hide and reveal different landscapes each day. This ecosystem is in true flux: the vegetation and habitats, as well as the human relics, are at the whim of the ever-changing dunes and we will spend our days exploring before the winds rise and hide all evidence of our passage.

Day 7: At Sea: The Gully Marine Protected AreaAt sea today, we will be crossing the Gully, a Marine Protected Area approximately two hundred kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia and to the east of Sable Island. Here, the sea floor suddenly drops a dizzying two and a half kilometres into a submarine valley. The Gully is one of the most prominent undersea features in eastern Canada and its unique ecology has attracted the interest of many agencies, such as Parks Canada and Environment Canada. This is due to its significant coral communities, its diversity of both shallow- and deep-water fish and the many whales and dolphins.

The Gully is home to a large population of bottlenose whales, and during our crossing we may be fortunate enough to see some individuals near the ship. They make regular trips to the canyon’s depths for food, and are a social, friendly species. Their playful, inquisitive nature manifests itself in their interactions with boats, which, unfortunately, has also made them easy targets for whalers in the past. Like their

other deep-water brethren, the bottlenose whales search for food and communicate with their fellows using a complex system of chirps and whistles.

As on our other days at sea, our resource staff will be on hand with a wealth of talks and contextualizing presentations. On deck they will be assisting passengers in spotting the myriad seabirds and marine mammals for which this area is famous. Due to the protection placed on the area by the Canadian government, we enter the waters only by permission of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This permission is granted due to the presence of our team of researchers aboard the Ocean Endeavour.

Day 8: Saint-Pierre, FranceExplore exotic Saint-Pierre, a last bastion of France’s colonial territories in North America. The island’s 6,500 residents are of various descents including French, Basque, Breton, and Norman.

Saint-Pierre’s architecture reflects its history: an eclectic collection of colours and style

aligned on picturesque cobblestone streets and alleys. We will have time for a tour of the city and independent exploration in the surrounding area. Take advantage of this day in France to enjoy some wine and cheese, and unwind in a tiny slice of old Europe nestled into the North American coast.

Day 9: St. John’s, NLDiscover one of the oldest cities in North America, a city unlike any other. Cradled in a harbour carved from 500-million-year-old rock and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean, St. John’s is the most easterly city in North America. St. John’s has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city.

After sailing through the Narrows, we will say our farewells and begin the process of departure. Staff will be on hand to assist you with luggage and transportation arrangements.

© Parks Canada


Newfoundland Circumnavigation

© Dennis Minty


H I G H L I G H T S

This summer sailing is ideally timed for whales, icebergs, and breeding seabirds. The island’s rugged charm and geographic diversity are best appreciated when visiting by ship. At Gros Morne, the planet’s mantle frames fiords that would be at home in Norway; on the Avalon Peninsula, a chunk of what was once Africa meets remnants of the Appalachian Mountains. We will visit Red Bay, learn about the Viking history in North America at L’Anse aux Meadows, and see the legendary French Shore Tapestry at Conche.

Starting and ending in historic St. John’s, we experience Newfoundland’s lively culture and dramatic scenery in daily expedition stops. A visit to the French island of Saint-Pierre caps the adventure. The welcome we receive in Newfoundland’s outport communities is warm and genuine; the music and stories unforgettable.

• Explore the phenomenal landscapes of Gros Morne National Park• Share the warmth of a classic Newfoundland ‘kitchen party’

• Hear traditional stories and songs from our talented leaders• View icebergs and whales at an optimal time of the year • Discover the Viking history of North America

Day 1: St. John’s, NLDay 2: Trinity BayDay 3: ConcheDay 4: St. Anthony / L’Anse aux MeadowsDay 5: Red BayDay 6: Woody Point / Gros Morne National ParkDay 7-8: South Coast, NLDay 9: Miawpukek (Conne River)Day 10: Saint-Pierre, FranceDay 11: St. John’s, NL



Day 1: St. John’sWe meet in St. John’s—Newfoundland’s historic, vibrant capital. Picturesque and welcoming, with a world-famous harbour, St. John’s has been continuously fished since 1498, allowing it to boast the designation of North America’s oldest European settlement.

We will arrive in St. John’s ready to explore and will offer an optional city tour to interested parties in the afternoon. Afterwards, we will rendezvous at the docks and board the Ocean Endeavour to begin the adventure proper; passengers will meet the staff and crew, and prepare to leave the harbour. Sailing out of St.

John’s has to be experienced to be believed; Signal Hill keeps watch over the world-famous Narrows as we head for open water, passing Cape Spear, the easternmost in North America.

Day 2: Trinity BayNewfoundland’s history is intricately bound up with the cod fishery. In the heyday of sail, smaller centres like Trinity could claim to compete with St. John’s. Today, the preservation of Trinity’s cultural heritage has made it perhaps the most notable “heritage community” in the province. Abandoned communities nearby add to the character of this destination, as did the roles it played in

the motion picture The Shipping News and the TV series Random Passage.

Day 3: ConcheOn the Great Northern Peninsula, the people of Conche welcome us into their charming community. Complete with ties to its history, religion, fishery, and wildlife, Conche is made up of mostly Irish descendants. We will explore the colourful town on foot—and don’t be surprised if locals invite you in for a “mug up”!

Conche is part of Newfoundland’s French Shore, which was established by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. This treated provided

that French settlers were allowed to fish in season between Cape Bonavista and Point Riche. The disputes with other nations over French fishing rights became a major focus for the Newfoundland nationalism that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century.

Conche was a relatively isolated community until it was connected by road to the province’s other settlements. To this day it maintains a reverently local feel, with the community centre playing a large role in daily life. Conche is also home to the legendary French Shore Tapestry, over two hundred feet of linen and wool telling the story of Newfoundland’s French history; its fishery, its conflict, and its people.

Day 4: L’Anse aux MeadowsA unesco World Heritage Site, L’Anse aux Meadows is the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America. The archaeological remains found here in 1960 date to approximately 1000 AD. Amazingly, the location of the ruins was first established by a close reading of the Viking sagas.

Today, a superb interpretive centre and reconstructions of the several Norse-style sod buildings make L’Anse aux Meadows a must-see for any visitor to Newfoundland.

Day 5: Red BayLabrador is home to Red Bay Basque Whaling Station, Canada’s newest unesco World Heritage site. Beginning in the 1500s, Basque whalers operated out of the

Red Bay harbour, making it at one time the largest whaling station in the world. The site includes six hundred acres of terrestrial and aquatic protected area. Among the important artefacts found at Red Bay are the whaling ship San Juan, lost in a storm in 1565 and found submerged in the harbour in only ten metres of water. A large number of tools, personal items and navigational instruments have been recovered from the wreck.

Day 6: Woody Point / Gros Morne National ParkGros Morne’s geographic diversity and majesty needs no introduction. The park’s mountains are both picturesque and highly unusual: the Tablelands, a 600-metre plateau, forms one of the world’s best examples of ancient rock exposed from the earth’s interior. The park’s fjords are equally stunning, and the town of Woody Point has become widely renowned for its annual Writers’ Festival.

There will be a choice of walks—catering to all levels of skill and interest—as we explore the surrounding area. The beauty of Bonne Bay will surely be a highlight, as will the subtle charms of Woody Point.

Day 7 – 8: South CoastThe wild and windswept coast of southern Newfoundland is home to a few remaining outport communities, still largely cut off from mainstream travel. Visits here are often a highlight of our trips. There are many unique bays, outport communities,

and coves to explore via Zodiac or land excursions.

Day 9: Miawpukek (Conne River)The First Nations community of Miawpukek (Conne River) has an economically self-sufficient mandate, guided by traditional values. It became a permanent settlement sometime around 1822. Before then, it was one of many semi-permanent camping sites used by the Mi’kmaw people—who were, at the time, nomads travelling throughout the east coast. Since its establishment as a reserve in 1987, Miawpukek’s employment rate has increased from 10% to nearly 100% and Indian and Northern Affairs often reference the community as a model for other First Nations.

We will receive a formal welcome into the community and meet the locals, with the help of community leaders.

Day 10: Saint-Pierre, FRExplore exotic Saint-Pierre, a last bastion of France’s colonial territories in North America. The island’s 6,500 residents are of various descents including French, Basque, Breton, and Normand.

St. Pierre’s architecture reflects its history: an eclectic collection of colours and style aligned on picturesque cobblestone streets and alleys. We will have time for a tour of the city and independent exploration in the surrounding area. Take advantage of this day in France to enjoy some wine and cheese, and unwind in a

tiny slice of old Europe nestled into the North American coast.

Day 11: St. John’sDiscover one of the oldest cities in North America, a city unlike any other. Cradled in a harbour carved from 500-million-year-old

rock and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean, St. John’s is the most easterly city in North America. St. John’s has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city.

On the final day of our expedition, we will say our farewells and begin the process of departure. Staff will be on hand to assist you with luggage and transportation arrangements.

© Dennis Minty


June 29–July 11, 2016 aboard the Ocean Endeavour

Greenland & Wild Labrador

© Mike Beedell


H I G H L I G H T S

This extraordinary sailing showcases a staggering geographic diversity, departing the rocky narrows of St. John’s harbour and heading north along the coast of Newfoundland. We’ll explore islands and inlets in Notre Dame Bay and stop at L’Anse aux Meadows to pay our respects to North America’s Viking visitors before leaving Newfoundland behind and heading north into Labrador.

Once there, we’ll sail along dazzling, rocky coastlines and call at immense beaches and long-abandoned communities. We’ll visit the seat of Nunatsiavut, the regional Inuit government as we move further north, and eventually will find our way into the stunning fjords of the Torngat Mountains National Park. In the park, mountains will tower above us as the azure waters mark our passage

below; we will be scanning the horizon for icebergs, whales, polar bears, seals—and, of course, the abundance of nesting seabirds. The Labrador coast has to be seen to be believed. We will do more than see it, as we head ashore on daily Zodiac expeditions to hike the secret wilds of Canada’s hidden coast.

We then turn east and ever northward, crossing the Davis Strait en route to Greenland. Once there, we will explore the world’s northernmost capital city and plumb the many fjords for which the western coast is famed. Our journey ends as we sail into Kangerlussuaq at the head of Sondre Stromfjord, nestled against one of the largest ice caps in the world.

• Explore the remote reaches of Newfoundland & Labrador in summer bloom • Visit the reconstructed Viking settlement in North America at L’Anse aux Meadows• Travel with widely respected authors, naturalists and culturalists

• Sail in heavy ice looking for polar bears, whales and seals• Visit the largely inaccessible Torngat Mountains National Park• Cross the Davis Strait by sea • Explore the abandoned community of Hebron.

Expeditions 2016 99

Day 1: St. John’s, NLDay 2: Notre Dame BayDay 3: L’Anse aux MeadowsDay 4: Wonderstrands, Mealy Mountains Park ReserveDay 5: HopedaleDay 6: HebronDay 7-9: Torngat Mountains National ParkDay 10: At Sea—Davis StraitDay 11: Nuuk, GreenlandDay 12: West GreenlandDay 13: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland



Day 1: St. John’s, NLWe meet in St. John’s—Newfoundland’s historic, vibrant capital. Picturesque and welcoming, with a world-famous harbour, St. John’s has been continuously fished since 1498, allowing it to boast the designation of North America’s oldest European settlement.

We will arrive in St. John’s ready to explore and will offer an optional city tour to interested parties in the afternoon. Afterwards, we will rendezvous at the docks and board the Ocean Endeavour to begin the adventure proper; passengers will meet the staff and crew, and prepare to leave the harbour. Sailing out of St. John’s has to be experienced to be believed; Signal Hill keeps watch over the world-famous Narrows as we head for open water, passing Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America.

Day 2: Notre Dame Bay Notre Dame Bay is known for the dozens of quaint villages that dot its rocky shores, and it is to one of these small settlements that we will be paying a visit today. We may look forward to a characteristically warm Newfoundland welcome upon our arrival. The bay itself is home to a plethora of islands and, seasonally, ice bergs that drift in from the Atlantic; the Ocean Endeavour will chart a scenic course through these beautiful obstacles as we head north.

Day 3: L’Anse aux Meadows A unesco World Heritage Site, L’Anse aux Meadows is the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America. The archaeological remains found here in 1960 date to approximately 1000 AD. Amazingly, the location of the ruins was first established by a close reading of the Viking sagas.

Today a superb interpretive centre and reconstructions of the several Norse-style sod buildings make L’Anse aux Meadows a must-see for any visitor to Newfoundland.

100 Expeditions 2016

Day 4: Wonderstrands, Mealy Mountains Park ReserveWhen we think of Labrador, we may not think ‘beaches’—but the Vikings did. Two long trackless crescents of sand, washed by the cold Labrador Sea, backed by the Mealy Moun-tains were given the name “Wunderstrand” by the Norse seafarers, and earned a place in their Sagas. Hunted, traveled, and occupied over thousands of years by various peoples, the Wonderstrands are still largely unknown and rarely visited by non-Labradorians.

The Mealy Mountains encompass five of Lab-rador’s ten provincial eco-regions, including coastal barrens, high subarctic tundra, high boreal forest, mid boreal forest, and string bog. The mountain range reaches heights of more than 1,000 metres. A significant por-tion of the mountain range and surrounding area has been recently designated a potential National Park Reserve, a move which follows lobbying for the preservation of the area since the early 1970s.

The governments of Canada and Newfound-land and Labrador have agreed to pursue creation of a National Park Reserve, which would see the area managed as if it were a national park, pending settlement of Native land claims. Once settled, the area would likely be designated a national park, com-prising approximately twenty thousand square kilometres.

Day 5: HopedaleToday finds us entering Nunatsiavut, the first Inuit region in Canada to achieve self-

governance. Our stop today is in the town of Hopedale, founded as an Inuit settlement named Agvituk, or “place of the whales”. In the late eighteenth century, Moravian missionar-ies from Germany arrived in the settlement to convert the population—a population with a long history of traditional nomadic Inuit oc-cupation. The Hopedale Mission is still stand-ing and is thought to be the oldest wooden-frame building in Canada east of Québec. It was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 1970.

Today, Hopedale is the legislative capital of the Nunatsiavut Government. A new assem-bly building has recently been opened with local Labradorite stone tiling and sealskin seats. An important historical location for Labrador is thus enjoying continued vitality in the modern lives of its Inuit population.

We will be going ashore to meet with locals in the community and to learn about the mission and its history. There will be ample time for walking and exploration—a nearby abandoned American radar station affords spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Day 6: HebronThe abandoned community of Hebron was once one of the most northerly settlements on the north Labrador coast. A Moravian Mis-sion station was constructed here from 1829 to 1831 but the main buildings—the church, the mission house and the store—were not inhabited until 1837. In a highly controver-sial move, the station was abandoned in 1959 with the departure of the Moravians, forc-

ing the relocation of the Inuit who resided there. In 2005, Newfoundland and Labra-dor Premier Danny Williams apologized to people affected by the relocations. In August of 2009, the provincial government unveiled a monument at the site of Hebron with an inscribed apology for the site closure. Today, some of the buildings at Hebron are being repurposed as a cultural interpretation cen-tre and it is to these buildings that we will be paying a visit.

Unlike other Labrador communities that have been relocated, the buildings at Hebron still stand. Today they form a lonely monu-ment—to the cultural past of the area, and to the hopes for the future of Nunatsiavut.

Day 7–9: Torngat Mountains National ParkThe Torngat Mountains have been home to Inuit and their predecessors for millennia, with archaeological evidence reaching back almost 7,000 years. The fjords here reach deep into the heart of the mountains, bounded by cliffs peak-ing at 1,700 metres, the highest point of land in Labrador. The rugged, spectacular beauty and inimitable spirit of the Torngat Mountains has led to their acting as the spiritual homeland of Nunatsiavut, both historically and into the present day.

The Torngat Mountains comprise some of the oldest rocks on the planet and provide some of the best exposure of geological his-tory. Polar bears, caribou, falcons, and eagles are among the species hardy enough to make their homes here.

Expeditions 2016 101

Day 10: At Sea — Davis StraitOur presentation series will kick into full swing as we steam across the Davis Strait towards land-fall in Greenland. While out on deck keep your eyes peeled for minke, humpback and other ma-rine mammals, as well as the seabirds that are sure to mark our passage.

Day 11: NuukWelcome to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland! Nuuk means ‘the headland’ and is situated at the mouth of a gigantic fjord system. Es-tablished as the very first Greenlandic town in 1728, Nuuk remains the bustling centre of the country today. We have the chance to spot Humpback whales in the fjord, reindeer roam-ing the land, and birds soaring in the sky. The town itself is home to Greenland’s University, a cathedral dating back to 1849 and Green-land’s National Museum. We will visit some of the city’s most important sites, and you’ll have some free time to explore on your own.

Day 12: West GreenlandThere are a number of charming fishing villages along the west coast of Greenland—depending on timing and sea conditions, we will call in at one of these communities to ex-perience small town Greenlandic life, or we may navigate into the stunning fjords that line the coast. This is a day in the true spirit of expedition travel and we will avail ourselves of any and all opportunities that present themselves.

Day 13: KangerlussuaqWe will make our way down spectacular Son-dre Stromfjord, and early risers (or late-night-ers) will have a chance to experience its beauty. Sondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern mouth, means ‘the big fjord’.

Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing all year. The United States built an air base at Kangerlussuaq in wwii due to the relatively mild weather and strategic proximity to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland’s main international and domestic airport.

The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into the interior and the world’s largest ice cap can be reached in less than an hour. The landscape fea-tures enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you may find Greenland’s biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic foxes as well as the highest con-centration of peregrine falcons in Greenland and more than 250 species of plants.

C H A R T E R F L I G H TInbound:Kangerlussuaq, Greenland to Toronto, ON July 11, 2016

Early evening arrival$1,095 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees



© Andrew Stewart


H I G H L I G H T S

This journey encompasses the heart of the Arctic from Greenland to Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut, and finally, Nunavik in Northern Quebec. We’ll travel just after the summer solstice, when the midnight sun will be at the height of it’s power. The chances of seeing wildlife, including polar bears, walrus, and musk ox are excellent.

Beginning in Kangerlussuaq, we begin by travelling along Greenland’s western coast, stopping to view majestic fjords along the way. We will stop in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and visit the famous Qilakitsoq mummies. Crossing Davis Strait we’ll sail into Cumberland Sound and call at Pangnirtung, Nunavut. In Kimmirut, on southern Baffin Island, we’ll find a variety of carvings the community has wrought throughout the long winter months; you can also enjoy Inuit games, fresh bannock, and local

music. Crossing the Hudson Strait into Nunavik, we call in at the friendly town of Kangiqsujuaq where we tour the town and meet with local people. We’ll visit Akpatok Island where the world’s largest population of thick-billed murres nests above the island’s polar bears.

Heart of the Arctic is far and away our most artistically focussed itinerary. Kinngait (Cape Dorset)—widely hailed as the Inuit art capital of the world—has been continually active and producing ever-newer generations of artists. In 2008, Kinngait Studios celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. All throughout this itinerary we will be exposed to a wealth of creators and their creations. Steeped in a culture that is all its own, the heart of the Arctic will stay with you long after you return home.

• Cross the Arctic circle while sailing in the shadow of the second-longest fjord in Greenland• Spot polar bears, walrus, marine mammals and bird colonies during our Zodiac cruise of the Hudson Strait

• Visit with world-renowned Inuit carvers in Kinngait• Enjoy the sounds of talented throat-singers• Marvel at the Arctic in summer bloom• Join a helicopter excursion over the Greenland ice cap


Heart of the Arctic


Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandDay 2: West GreenlandDay 3: NuukDay 4: At Sea—Davis StraitDay 5: PangnirtungDay 6–7: South BaffinDay 8: Kimmirut (Lake Harbour)Day 9: Kinngait (Cape Dorset)Day 10: Digges IslandDay 11: KangiqsujuaqDay 12: Akpatok IslandDay 13: Kuujjuaq, QC



Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandSondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern mouth, means ‘the big fjord.’ Although the fjord crosses the

Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing all year. The United States built an air base at Kangerlussuaq in wwii due to the relatively mild weather and strategic proximity to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland’s main international and domestic airport.

The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into the interior and the world’s largest ice cap can be reached in less than an hour. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra.

On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you will find Greenland’s biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, and arctic foxes as well as the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in Greenland and more than 250 species of plants.

Day 2: West GreenlandThere are a number of charming fishing villages along the west coast of Greenland—depending on timing and sea conditions, we will call in at one of these communities to experience small town Greenlandic life, or we may navigate into the stunning fjords that line the coast. This is a day in the true spirit of expedition travel and we will avail ourselves of any and all opportunities that present themselves.

Day 3: NuukWelcome to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland! Nuuk means ‘the headland’ and is situated at the mouth of a gigantic fjord system. Established as the very first Greenlandic town in 1728, Nuuk remains the bustling centre of the country today. We have the chance to spot Humpback whales in the fjord, reindeer roaming the land, and birds soaring in the sky. The town itself is home to Greenland’s University, a cathedral dating back to 1849 and Greenland’s National Museum. We will visit some of the city’s most important sites, before free time to explore on your own.

Day 4: At Sea — Davis StraitOur presentation series will kick into full


swing as we steam across the Davis Strait towards landfall in Canada. While out on deck, keep your eyes peeled for minke and humpback whales and other marine mammals, as well as the seabirds that are sure to mark our passage.

Day 5: PangnirtungPangnirtung—”the place of the bull caribou” in Inuktitut—is located on a narrow coastal plain against a spectacular backdrop of high mountains and a winding river valley. Legend says a hunter named Atagooyuk gave the place its name well over one hundred years ago when caribou had not yet changed their patterns as a result of the incursions of man. Pangnirtung, or ‘Pang’ as locals call it, is a small community bordered by snow-capped mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.

Pangnirtung has a long history of whaling in Cumberland Sound, where commercial whaling originated in 1820. In 1838 a Scottish whaler named William Penny, along with an Inuk travelling guide, rediscovered Cumberland Sound, which was rich in bowhead whales. By the late 1850’s, many Inuit left their camps to work at the whaling stations in Nuvuyen (located on the southern coast) and to Kekerten Island (located on the northern coast). In the mid 1860’s, Cumberland Sound was showing sign’s of being “fished out”. By 1870 Nuvuyen was in ruins, hardly any more ships came to hunt whales and the Inuit returned to life in camps scattered throughout the sound. On April 1, 1973, Pangnirtung was incorporated as a hamlet.

Pangnirtung is famed for its art and one of the great attractions is the Uqqurmiut Inuit Arts Centre. The Artist Association of the Centre welcomes visitors to see to the print and weave shops, where local artists create

beautifully woven tapestries and prints. Artists from Pangnirtung are known around the world and are exhibited widely across Canada and beyond. The acclaimed “Pang” hats, colourfully patterned crocheted toques, can also be purchased at the centre’s gift shop.

Day 6–7: South BaffinWe will spend two days exploring the southern coast of Baffin Island, the fifth largest island in the world. Our objective is to spend half the time out on the land—hiking, exploring, and taking in the sights—and the remainder cruising the shoreline in our fleet of Zodiacs. We will have to be adaptable to both weather conditions and the possibility of wildlife sightings, as our expeditions to Baffin have proven unpredictable in both respects. The island is home to a wide variety of life, including a notable bear population, and we will be on alert for these kings of the north.

Our two days at Baffin will be exploratory in every sense, and we look forward to seeing what the island has to offer us.

Day 8: Kimmirut (Lake Harbour)Located on the southern portion of Baffin Island, the scenic oceanside hamlet of Kimmirut is considered one of the most charming communities in the region. Kimmirut means “the heel” in Inuktitut, and refers to an outcrop of marble across the bay from the community that holds a striking resemblance to a human heel. Art has played a major role here and the newly renovated Dewey Soper Building is home to a gallery of outstanding works of art.

Day 9: Kinngait (Cape Dorset)Along the northwest shore of Dorset Island, surrounded on one side by rocky hills and on the other, by Hudson Strait, lies the community

that art built. Between 1950 and 1962, Kinngait (Cape Dorset) hosted a historic collaboration between James and Alma Houston and local Inuit—the collaboration that launched Inuit art onto the world stage. In 1959, the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative was established: it remains the oldest arts organization in the Canadian Arctic and the oldest professional Inuit printmaking studio in Canada.

In the distance are the jagged outlines of islands, and the inlets of Baffin Island’s southern coast. Like most other settlements in Nunavut, Kinngait is a modern community, with winding gravel roads, small wooden houses, schools, stores, hotels, a nursing station, government offices and churches. But it is their outstanding artists, printmakers, and carvers that have made Kinngait the Inuit art capital of the world.

Day 10: Digges IslandWe will visit the great bird cliffs of Digges Island, located in Digges Sound. In season, these sheer rock faces, rising hundreds of feet into the air straight from the water, are home to great multitudes of thick-billed murres and a wide array of other seabirds. There are estimated to be a staggering 287,000 breeding pairs, approximately 3% of the global—and almost 20% of the Canadian—thick-billed murre population.

On the other side of the island lies the ruin of an ancient Thule site. Ancestors of the present Inuit eked out a life on the shoreline and from the sea. The stone foundations of their meeting place and their dwellings can still be seen amongst the rocks and boulders along the shoreline, and the bones of whales, seals and walrus still lie where they were dropped so many years ago.


Day 11: Kangiqsujuaq (Wakeham Bay)Kangiqsujuaq, which means “the large bay” occupies an exceptional site, where the village is snuggled in the hollow of a splendid valley surrounded by majestic five-hundred-metre high rocky hills: a landscape of remarkable beauty. The bay takes its name from Captain William Wakeham who, in 1897, led an expedition to determine whether the Hudson Strait was safe for navigation. In a rocky pinching of the bay, known as “the narrows”, we will have an opportunity to examine the base of what were, 1.8 billion years ago, Himalayan-scale mountains.

Day 12: Akpatok IslandThe uninhabited Akpatok Island features

soaring bird cliffs and small rocky beaches. Indeed, the island is named for the akpat—the thick-billed murres—that live on the ledges of the limestone cliffs that surround it. Here we’ll use our Zodiacs to scout the beaches in search of walrus and polar bears.

Day 13: Kuujjuaq, QCKuujjuaq lies approximately forty-eight kilometres upstream from Ungava Bay, and is the largest village in Nunavik, the Inuit homeland within Québec. The community is located on the western shore of the Koksoak River, and daily life is closely tied to its ebb and flow. The tidal action continually reshapes the landscape and imposes its rhythm upon the lives of Kuujjuaq’s inhabitants. The boreal forest

is present around Kuujjuaq and patches of black spruce and larch stand in marshy valleys. Kuujjuaq also witnesses annual migrations of the George River caribou herd that passes through the region throughout August and September.

The first Europeans to settle in the region were Moravian missionaries who arrived in 1811, followed by the hbc in 1830. Like Iqaluit, Kuujjuaq was home to a US air base from 1942 and played a key role in Cold War Arctic monitoring. Today Kuujjuaq is a community that combines traditional Inuit culture with the conveniences of modern day life.

C H A R T E R F L I G H T S

Outbound:Toronto, ON to Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandJuly 11, 2016Early morning departure$1,328 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Inbound:Kuujjuaq, QC to Ottawa, ONJuly 23, 2016Early evening arrival$666.73 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Round trip:$1,995 usd per person inclusive of taxes and feesPre and post hotel nights in Toronto and Ottawa are available upon request.Overnight accommodation in Ottawa recommended.


© Dennis Minty


H I G H L I G H T S

Our classic Arctic expedition begins by exploring Greenland’s dramatic fiords and dynamic maritime communities. The great ice fjord at Ilulissat, source of the majority of the icebergs in the North Atlantic, is one of many highlights along Greenland’s spectacular western coastline.

Across the Davis Strait in Nunavut, the Canadian Arctic experience begins in Qikiqtarjuaq (Broughton Island). Opportunities for polar bear, whales, and musk ox abound on Devon Island, while Prince Leopold Island is one of Canada’s best birding areas. Abandoned rcmp and hbc posts offer a haunting glimpse into the region’s history of exploration and trade.

At Beechey Island, we’ll pay our respects at the graves of three of Sir John Franklin’s men. And our departure point, Resolute Bay, memorializes the courage of the Inuit of Canada’s Arctic.

This itinerary represents Adventure Canada’s definitive approach to expedition travel and we will spend our days searching for every exploratory opportunity. In the winding fjords of Greenland, in the multitudinous islands of Nunavut, we will live and breathe the natural history of some of the planet’s most striking features. We will search for the animal life that ekes out their hardy lives in hostile conditions and find striking beauty in the immense and indomitable north.

• Search for bears, whales and walrus in their Arctic feeding grounds• Learn first-hand about the history and culture of the Inuit • Voyage along the magnificent fjords of Greenland’s coast

• Explore Niqinganiq in Isabella Bay, an Inuit-organized bowhead whale sanctuary• Cross the Arctic Circle by sea


Arctic Safari


Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandDay 2: ItilleqDay 3: IlulissatDay 4: Uummannaq FjordDay 5: Karrat FjordDay 6: Qikiqtarjuaq (Broughton Island)Day 7: Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)Day 8: Northeast Baffin FjordsDay 9: Mittimatilik (Pond Inlet)Day 10: Devon IslandDay 11: Prince Leopold / Beechey IslandsDay 12: Quaasuittuq (Resolute), NU



Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandSondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern mouth, means ‘the big fjord.’ Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing all year. The United States built an air base at Kangerlussuaq in wwii due to the relatively mild weather and strategic proximity to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland’s main international and domestic airport.

The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into the interior and the world’s largest ice cap can be reached in less than an hour. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have

ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you will may find Greenland’s biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic foxes as well as the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in Greenland and more than 250 species of plants.

Day 2: ItilleqThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, many islands and complex coastal waterways. We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape.

Day 3: IlulissatVenturing 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle we find the stunning coastal community of Ilulissat. Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name. Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an

elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of Zodiacs in the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Ice fjord. The Ice fjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at nineteen metres per day and calving more than thirty-five square kilometres of ice annually. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years and, because of its relative ease of accessibility, has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes.

Day 4: Uummannaq Fjord Uummannaq Fjord in northwest Greenland is the country’s second-largest system of fjords. It empties into Baffin Bay and is characterized by its developed coastline and various bays, islands, and peninsulas. It is considered to be the sunniest spot in Greenland, and favourable


weather—coupled with proximity to coastal travel routes—have made the fjord system a popular destination for Greenlandic Inuit. It has been settled and re-settled continually for the last 4,500 years.

Archaeological excavations at Qilakitsoq, due south of Uummannaq Island, revealed the existence of the ancient Saqqaq culture. Recent evidence indicates that these groups settled Greenland between 2500 BC and 800 BC, and further, that they migrated from Sibera to arrive in Uummaanaq. It is thought that this migration gave rise to both modern Native Americans and the Inuit.

Our time in Uummannaq will be spent cruising and exploring; our expert resource staff will be on deck to help spot wildlife and contextualize the dramatic scenery surrounding the Ocean Endeavour.

Day 5: Karrat FjordToday we will cruise one of Greenland’s most spectacular fjords, known for plentiful marine life and awe-inspiring landscapes. Seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord. The cliffs and talus slopes within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies. Time spent on deck today should result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities of the majestic rock faces.

Day 6: Qikiqtarjuaq (Broughton Island)Qikiqtarjuaq, a community located on Broughton Island, is known for its wildlife, whale watching, and as an access point for Auyuittuq National Park. It is one of the

Nunavut communities closest to Greenland. Qikiqtarjuaq (fondly called “Qik”, for short) is known as the iceberg capital of Nunavut and was home to a norad military station that formed part of the Distant Early Warning (dew) in the 1950s.

Qikiqtarjuaq also boasts a burgeoning traditional Inuit craft industry, and local craftsmen are eager to share their wares. Talented local artists produce Inuit carvings—with a particular focus on intricate ivory work and jewellery. The community is famously warm and welcoming of visitors. Our stop in Qikiqtarjuaq promises to be an exciting one. Carvings will be available for purchase on this stop.

Day 7: Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)Niqinganiq is a 336,000-hectare marine region on Baffin Island that is a crucial feeding area for threatened bowhead whales. This is the world’s first Inuit-initiated and managed marine mammal sanctuary. The area includes two deep offshore troughs rich in copepods, which are a main food source for the bowhead whale.

Day 8: Northeast Baffin FjordsToday will be an expedition day in the truest sense as we navigate the multitudinous fjords of northeast Baffin Island. Baffin’s fjords are numerous and striking, their extreme depth and narrow width affording stunning perspectives on geological processes. The Ocean Endeavour is the perfect vessel for exploring these hidden treasures of the north, as her manoeuvrability allows her to access regions that would be impassable to larger vessels. We will be on alert for changing weather and ice conditions and use our judgement as to which route along the coast will be the most spectacular. As ever,

our elite team will be on deck for the duration, searching for wildlife and contextualizing the mighty landscape through which we travel.

Day 9: Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet)Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) is a bustling Arctic community surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in the eastern Arctic. We will have a chance to explore the town, including its excellent library and other facilities, and meet many local citizens who will gladly share their culture. We will be treated to a cultural presentation at the Community Hall—arts and crafts may be available here. Mittimatalik is a famously excellent region for viewing marine mammals, including the elusive narwhal. After our time in the community we will cruise through the stunning Milne Inlet as we continue our journey.

Day 10: Devon IslandThe largest uninhabited island in the world—comprising over fifty thousand square kilometres—supports significant concentrations of wildlife, including twenty-six species of seabirds and eleven species of marine mammals. We follow the route of nineteenth-century explorers into Lancaster Sound, and on to the island.

Day 11: Prince Leopold / Beechey Islands The tall cliffs of Prince Leopold Island are one of the top bird sites in the high Arctic both during the breeding and summering seasons. They form a breeding site for thick-billed murres, black-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars, glaucous gulls, and black guillemots.

It was beneath these tall cliffs that Sir James Clark Ross, perhaps the greatest polar explorer of the


nineteenth century, was based in 1848–49. Ross’s 1848–49 search for the Franklin expedition was not successful; they spent a frustrating winter locked by ice in Port Leopold on the northeast coast of Somerset Island and returned to England the following summer. It was also from this area that Sir John Ross (James’s uncle) escaped in 1833 after abandoning the Victory and spending four harrowing winters in the Arctic.

Day 12: Quaasuittuq (Resolute), NUQausuittuq, or “place with no dawn” is truly the land of the midnight sun—daylight persists

constantly from about April 29 to August 13 each year. Located on the south coast of Cornwallis Island, Resolute Bay is the “jumping off place” for expeditions to the North Pole. From archaeological excavations, it has been concluded that there have been at least three stages of occupation at Resolute Bay. The Dorset culture was the first, followed by an early phase of the Thule culture, in which the artefacts found show strong Alaskan affinities. These were probably both short periods of occupation, possibly by only a few families. A late or developed phase of the Thule culture was

of longer duration, with a considerably larger population. Resolute Bay was named after hms Resolute, one of the ships in the Franklin search expedition commanded by Captain H.T. Austin. An airfield was established at Resolute Bay in 1947 during construction of a joint US-Canadian weather station. In 1953, Inuit from Inukjuak, Québec, and Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) were relocated to Resolute by the Canadian government.


Outbound:Toronto, ON to Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandAugust 4, 2016Early morning departure$1,267 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Inbound:Resolute, NU to Ottawa, ONAugust 15, 2016Early evening arrival$928 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Round trip:$2,195 usd per person inclusive of taxes and feesPre and post hotel nights in Toronto and Ottawa are available upon request.Overnight accommodation in Toronto recommended.



© Michelle Valberg


H I G H L I G H T S

This adventure begins at the entrance to the Northwest Passage. After departing Quaasuittuq (Resolute), we’ll visit the final resting place of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition at Beechey Island and search for polar bears and walrus in far north Baffin Island. At Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), our hosts will welcome us with throat-singing and Inuit games, before we explore Baffin’s mighty fjords. We’ll seek bowhead whales in Niqinganiq (Isabella

Bay)—the world’s first Inuit-initiated whale sanctuary. Crossing Davis Strait, we’ll be met by Greenland’s stirring icescape. There, we’ll zip among the freshly calved bergs off Ilulissat in our Zodiacs, marvel at Uummannaq’s heart-shaped mountain, and hike around Itilleq Fjord. Spectacular Sondre Stromfjord makes a glorious finale to our trip.

• Call at Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)— a bowhead whale sanctuary, the world’s first Inuit-managed reserve of its kind• Marvel at the Ilulissat ice fjord, where 90% of the north Atlantic’s icebergs are born

• Visit the site of the famous Greenlandic mummies’ discovery outside Uummannaq • Hike gorgeous Arctic landscapes• See the final resting place of the Franklin Expedition


Arctic Explorer


Day 1: Quaasuittuq (Resolute), NUDay 2: Beechey IslandDay 3: Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay)Day 4: Devon IslandDay 5: Mittimatilik (Pond Inlet)Day 6: Northeast Baffin FjordsDay 7: Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)Day 8: Karrat FjordDay 9: Uummannaq FjordDay 10: IlulissatDay 11: Itilleq FjordDay 12: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland



Day 1: Quaasuittuq (Resolute), NUResolute Bay is also known as Qausuittuq “place with no dawn. Resolute Bay is truly the land of the midnight sun as the sun shines twenty-four hours a day from about April 29 to August 13 each year. From archaeological excavations, it has been concluded that there have been at least three stages of occupation at Resolute Bay. The Dorset culture was the first, followed by an early phase of the Thule culture, in which the artefacts found show strong Alaskan affinities. These were probably both short periods of occupation, possibly by only a few families. A late or developed phase of the Thule culture was of longer duration, with a considerably larger population. Resolute Bay was named after hms Resolute, one of the ships in the Franklin search expedition commanded by Captain H.T. Austin. An airfield was established at Resolute Bay in 1947 during construction

of a joint US-Canadian weather station. In 1953, Inuit from Inukjuak, Québec and Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) were relocated to Resolute by the Canadian government.

Day 2: Beechey IslandIn 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men in two ships into the Wellington Channel. Not a soul returned from the fateful expedition. It was two years before search parties were launched. Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance. The three graves found at Beechey island left no indication as to the fate of the rest of the British party—until recently. In the autumn of 2014, Canadian archaeologists discovered remnants of the hms Erebus in the frozen waters of the Northwest Passage, a discovery that has re-galvanized interest in the fabled region.

Day 3: Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay)Ikpiarjuk, on the northern part of the Borden Peninsula on Baffin Island, has been occupied in some capacity for over 5,000 years. The bay itself is surrounded by high hills on all sides; the Inuktitut name translates to “the pocket” and reflects this. To the southeast, the flat-topped King George V Mountain dominates the skyline.

Day 4: Devon IslandDevon Island is the largest uninhabited island on earth and comprises over fifty thousand square kilometres. It was first sighted by Europeans in 1616, though it was not settled for another three hundred years with the arrival of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Because of its high elevation and extreme climate, Devon Island supports only a meager population of musk ox as well as some small birds and mammals. Devon


Island is also known for the presence of the Haughton impact crater, created some 39 million years ago by a two-kilometre wide meteorite.

Day 5: Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet)Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) is a bustling Arctic community surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in the eastern Arctic. We will have a chance to explore the town, including its excellent library and other facilities, and meet many local citizens who will gladly share their culture. We will be treated to a cultural presentation at the Community Hall—arts and crafts may be available here. Mittimatalik is a famous region for viewing marine mammals, including the elusive narwhal.

Day 6: Northeast Baffin FjordsToday will be an expedition day in the truest sense as we navigate the multitudinous fjords of northeast Baffin Island. Baffin’s fjords are striking, their extreme depth and narrow width affording stunning perspectives on geological processes. The Ocean Endeavour is the perfect vessel for exploring these hidden treasures of the north, as her manoeuvrability allows her to access regions that would be impassable to larger vessels. We will be on alert for changing weather and ice conditions and use our judgement as to which route along the coast will be the most spectacular. As ever, our elite team will be on deck for the duration, searching for wildlife and contextualizing the mighty landscape through which we travel.

Day 7: Niqinganiq (Isabella Bay)Niqinganiq is a 336,000-hectare marine

region on Baffin Island that is a crucial feeding area for threatened bowhead whale. This is also the world’s first Inuit-initiated and maintained marine mammal sanctuary. The area includes two deep offshore troughs rich in copepods, a main food source for the bowhead whale.

Day 8: Karrat FjordToday we will cruise one of Greenland’s most spectacular fjords, known for plentiful marine life and inspiring landscapes. Seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord. The cliffs within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies. Time spent on deck today should result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities of the majestic rock faces.

Day 9: Uummannaq FjordUummannaq Fjord in northwest Greenland is the country’s second-largest system of fjords. It empties into Baffin Bay and is characterized by its developed coastline and various bays, islands, and peninsulas. It is considered to be the sunniest spot in Greenland, and favourable weather—coupled with proximity to coastal travel routes—have made the fjord system a popular destination for Greenlandic Inuit. It has been settled and re-settled continually for the last 4,500 years.

Archaeological excavations at Qilakitsoq, due south of Uummannaq Island, revealed the existence of the ancient Saqqaq culture. Recent evidence indicates that these groups settled Greenland between 2500 BC and

800 BC, and further, that they migrated from Sibera to arrive in Uummaanaq. It is thought that this migration gave rise to both modern Native Americans and the Inuit.

Midway up the west coast of Greenland along the fiord of the same name is Uummannaq. Proud home of the world’s most northerly ferry terminal, Uummunnaq also boasts a canning factory and a marble quarry, and is an important hunting and fishing base for the region. The town is dominated by its namesake—Uummunnaq Mountain—1,170 metres in height and nearly 600 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.

Day 10: IlulissatVenturing 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle we find the stunning coastal community of Ilulissat. Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name. Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice.

We will also cruise in our fleet of Zodiacs in the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Ice fjord. The Ice fjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at nineteen metres per day and calving more than thirty-five square kilometers of ice annually.

Day 11: Itilleq FjordThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, tiny islands and complex coastal waterways. We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape.


Day 12: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandWe will make our journey down spectacular Sondre Stromfjord, and early risers will have a chance to experience its beauty. Sondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern mouth, means ‘the big fjord.’ Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of

Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing all year. The United States built an air base at Kangerlussuaq in wwii due to the relatively mild weather and strategic proximity to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland’s main international and domestic airport.

The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into

the interior and the world’s largest ice cap can be reached in less than an hour. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you may find Greenland’s biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic foxes as well as the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in Greenland and more than 250 species of plants.


Outbound:Ottawa, ON to Resolute, NUAugust 15, 2016Early morning departure$928 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Inbound:Kangerlussuaq, Greenland to Toronto, ONAugust 26, 2016Early evening arrival$1,267 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Round trip:$2,195 usd per person inclusive of taxes and feesPre and post hotel nights in Ottawa and Toronto are available upon request.Overnight accommodation in Ottawa recommended.



H I G H L I G H T S

The Northwest Passage represents the pinnacle of Arctic exploration; on this tour, we go where the ice allows. We’ll explore the quaint villages, dramatic fjords, and calving glaciers of Greenland, working our way north to spectacular Kap York. Crossing Smith Sound, we’ll visit Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord), Canada’s northernmost community. The bird cliffs at Coburg Island National Wildlife Area teem with kittiwakes and murres.

At Beechey Island, the Franklin expedition gravestones stand watch. Melville, Banks, and Devon Islands offer opportunities for Peary caribou, polar bear, walrus and musk ox—and visits to

ghostly rcmp and Hudson’s Bay Company posts. Prince of Wales Strait affords a striking, narrow passage to Amundsen Gulf and our destination: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), the end to our epic journey above the Arctic Circle.

To sail the Northwest Passage is to sail through living history, to sail the haunting landscapes that have enchanted explorers for centuries. In the fierce and untameable wilds lies a stark beauty—the remote reaches of the north have a power that is all their own. Join the ranks of the fearless adventurers who have been lured by the Northwest Passage’s spirit.

• Join the select few who have travelled this legendary route• Photograph birds and wildlife in their remote wilderness habitat• Marvel at the Ilulissat ice field, where 90% of the north Atlantic’s icebergs are born

• Travel to Greenland, Nunavut, and Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories) within one sailing• Learn about Inuit communities, culture and worldview first hand • See haunting artefacts of the northern explorers, hbc, and rcmp

August 26–September 11, 2016 aboard the Ocean Endeavour




Day 1: Kangerlussuaq, GreenlandDay 2: Sisimiut CoastDay 3: IlulissatDay 4: Karrat FjordDay 5: Upernavik FjordDay 6: Kap YorkDay 7: Smith SoundDay 8: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord)Day 9: Coburg IslandDay 10: Devon IslandDay 11: Beechey IslandDay 12: Bathurst IslandDay 13: Melville IslandDay 14: Banks Island, NTDay 15: Prince of Wales StraitDay 16: Ulukhaktok (Holman)Day 17: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU


Day 1: KangerlussuaqSondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern mouth, means ‘the big fjord.’ Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing all year. The United States built an air base at Kangerlussuaq in wwii due to the relatively mild weather and strategic proximity to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip

is now Greenland’s main international and domestic airport.

The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into the interior and the world’s largest ice cap can be reached in less than an hour. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you may find Greenland’s biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic fox as well as the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in

Greenland and more than 250 species of plants.

Day 2: Sisimiut Coast, GreenlandThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, various islands and complex coastal waterways. We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape and our heading will be dictated by weather and sea conditions.

Day 3: IlulissatVenturing 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle we find the stunning coastal


community of Ilulissat. Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name.

Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of Zodiacs in the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Ice fjord.

The Ice fjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at nineteen metres per day and calving more than thirty-five square kilometres of ice annually. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years.

Day 4: Karrat FjordToday we will cruise one of Greenland’s most spectacular fjords, known for plentiful marine life and inspiring landscapes. Seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord. The cliffs and talus slopes within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies. Time spent on deck today should result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities of the majestic rock faces.

Day 5: Upernavik FjordUpernavik or “the spring place” is populated by 1,100 people, most of whom make their living in the fishing industry; thus, a few small fish processing plants line the harbour. Part of the population relies on polar bear hunting and sealing.

Upernavik’s location on the small island facing the open sea makes Upernavik unusual in comparison with other Greenlandic towns. Its location on the side of a hill provides a fantastic view of the Davis Strait.

Day 6: Kap YorkThe rugged coastal environment at Kap York is rich in wildlife and is part of an extensive network of traditional hunting grounds.

During the spring and summer months the skies and cliffs are dotted with millions of birds, primarily auks and murres. This district boasts the largest seabird population in northwest Greenland.

Whalers and explorers often entered these waters and later Admiral Robert Peary’s family raised a monument in honour of his achievements on the cape. Sailors’ and ships’ logs record multiple climbs of the cape in order to survey the ice conditions in Qimusseriarsuaq (Melville Bay).

Day 7: Smith SoundWe will spend a day exploring north into this fabled body of water that served as the main route for explorers and adventurers searching for the North Pole. Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares and Elisha Kent Kane all travelled these waters with varying degrees of success.

The Sound was named by William Baffin after Sir Thomas Smythe, promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage.

Between forty-eight and seventy-two kilo-metres wide—and eighty-eight kilometres long—Smith Sound is often packed with ice and provides favourable conditions for wildlife viewing.

Day 8: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord)Aujuittuq means ‘place that never thaws.’ It is an apt name for this peaceful hamlet, 1,150 kilometres above the Arctic Circle—Canada’s northernmost civilian community. We’ll be welcomed by the population of about 165.


Day 9: Coburg IslandAt the entrance to Jones Sound is Coburg Island, whose spectacular seabird cliffs are a designated National Wildlife Area. 30,000 pairs of black-legged kittiwakes and 160,000 pairs of thick-billed murres crowd the rocky ledges on this island, which is itself almost completely covered by an ice cap. Our exploration of Coburg Island will be by Zodiac.


The region supports significant concentra-tions of wildlife, including twenty-six spe-


cies of seabirds and eleven species of ma-rine mammals. Polar bears and seals may be sighted among the ice floes.

Day 11: Beechey IslandIn 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men in two ships into the Wellington Channel. Not a soul returned from the fateful expedition. It was two years before search parties were launched. Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance. The three graves found at Beechey island left no indication as to the fate of the rest of the British party—until recently. In the autumn of 2014, Canadian archaeologists discovered remnants of the hms Erebus in the frozen waters of the Northwest Passage, a discovery that has re-galvanized interest in the fabled region.

Day 12: Bathurst IslandGood soil conditions and a rare wetland environment produce abundant vegetation here, making Bathurst a major calving area for the endangered Peary Caribou. Here we also find the Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area, a migratory route for polar bears from March to November. The north half of the island is the proposed Tuktusiuqvialuk National Park.

There is a long human history on the island, with evidence of Dorset and Thule habitation as early as 2000 BC. Before there were any permanent buildings at Bathurst Inlet, the area was home to the Kingaunmiut, the “people of Nose Mountain”. They constructed stone tent rings, meat caches, fox traps and drying racks, as well as hunting hides (taluit) and inuksuit (stone figures, “in the likeness

of a man”). Few explorers reached this area—the first Franklin Expedition (1819-1821) came into Bathurst Inlet in the summer of 1821, travelling by large birch bark canoes, mapping the arctic coast and seeking the Northwest Passage. They were also seeking the local Inuit but found no one; everyone had gone inland for the summer. Our morning excursion to Arctic Sound is at the northern reaches of Bathurst Inlet.

Day 13: Melville IslandBritish explorer Sir William Parry first visited Melville Island in 1819. Not only did he discover the island; ice forced him to spend the winter in 1820 at what is now called ‘Winter Harbour’. The island is named for Robert Dundas, second Viscount Melville, who was First Sea Lord at the time.

Melville Island is one of two major breeding grounds for a small sea goose, the Western High Arctic Brant. dna analysis and field observations suggest that these birds may be distinct from other Brant stocks. Numbering only 4,000–8,000 birds, this is one of the rarest goose stocks in the world.

Day 14: Banks IslandIn 1820, Sir William Parry named Banks Island in honour of British naturalist and botanist Sir Joseph Banks. Home to two thirds of the world’s population of Lesser Snow Geese, two federal Migratory Bird Sanctuaries were founded in here in 1961. The island is home to Barren-ground caribou, polar bears, musk ox, and birds such as robins and swallows. The first grizzly-polar bear hybrid found in the wild, was sighted here in April 2006, near Sachs Harbour. Musk ox, numbering over

40,000, are the most striking of the abundant wildlife on the island.

Day 15: Prince of Wales StraitPrince of Wales Strait is part of the Arctic Ocean, extending northeastward for 275 kilometres from the Amundsen Gulf to Viscount Melville Sound and separating Banks and Victoria Islands. It was discovered in 1850 by Irish explorer Robert McClure, who came within sight of Viscount Melville Sound before heavy ice forced him to turn back.

Named after Albert Edward, then the Prince of Wales, the strait was not navigated until the rcmp patrol of Sgt. Larsen in 1944.

Day 16: Ulukhaktok (Holman)Found on the west side of Victoria Island, The Hudson’s Bay Company post at Prince Albert Sound was opened in 1923, moved to Walker Bay in 1928 and finally to Ulukhaktok (Holman) in 1939. The large bluff that overlooks Ulukhaktok was the source that provided the slate and copper used to make traditional ulus—traditional Inuit knives—and gives the community its name. Printmaking is popular in Ulukhaktok, as are beautifully intricate pieces carved from the horns of the abundant local musk ox population. The musk ox also provide the community with qiviut, one of the warmest and most luxurious fibres in the world, used to make all manner of clothing and coverings.

Ulukhaktok is also the location of the most northern golf course in North America and hosts the “Billy Joss Open Celebrity Golf Tournament” every summer. Over the years they have managed to attract players from the


Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as golfers from other countries.

Day 17: Kugluktuk (Coppermine)Located at the mouth of the Coppermine River, southwest of Victoria Island on the Coronation Gulf, Kugluktuk is the western most community in Nunavut. Coppermine

reverted to its original Inuinnaqtun name—Kugluktuk, meaning “place of moving waters”—on January 1st, 1996. The Coppermine River itself is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Copper deposits along the river attracted the first explorers to the area.

Because the tundra is close to the tree line, a variety of wildlife can be viewed in the area, including grizzly bears, wolverines and moose, as well as tundra wildlife, such as musk ox, caribou, foxes, and wolves.


Outbound:Toronto, ON to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland August 26, 2016Early morning departure$1,326 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Inbound:Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU to Edmonton, ABSeptember 11, 2016Early evening arrival$995 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Round Trip: $2,395 usd per person inclusive of taxes and feesPre and post hotel nights in Toronto and Edmonton are available upon request.Overnight accommodation in Edmonton recommended.




© Lee Naraway


H I G H L I G H T S

An iconic journey, the Northwest Passage remains an adventure today. Leaving Kugluktuk, we head east, traversing James Ross Strait en route to Gjøa Haven where Amundsen honed his polar skills. We sail the Queen Maud Gulf, while stopping daily for hiking and Zodiac cruising. Passing through Bellot Strait, we watch for whales, walrus, polar bear and muskox. At Beechey Island we pay our respects at the Franklin Graves. On Devon Island, we visit the ruins of the Dundas Harbour rcmp and hbc posts, before calling in at Canada’s most northerly community, Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord).

Continuing north into the wilds of Smith Sound we expect ice, ice, and more ice! We trace the routes of famous explorers such as

Rasmussen and Peary as we call in at Greenland’s northernmost community of Qaannaq. Sailing south amidst towering icebergs, we’ll witness calving glaciers, explore deep fiords and visit the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Ice fjord.

To sail the Northwest Passage is to sail through living history, to sail the haunting landscapes that have enchanted explorers for centuries. In the fierce and untameable wilds lies a stark beauty—the wild, remote reaches of the north have a power that is all their own. Join the ranks of the fearless adventurers who have been lured by the Northwest Passage’s spirit.

• Travel the route that obsessed explorers for centuries• Enjoy the legendary hospitality of vibrant Inuit communities• Find and photograph the wild creatures of the Arctic wilderness• Experience the Arctic with our expert artists, lecturers and hosts

• Visit the historic graves of the ill fated Franklin Expedition• Visit the largest uninhabited island on earth during our stop at Devon Island• A good probability of seeing the northern lights in all their majesty

September 11–September 26, 2016 aboard the Ocean Endeavour




Day 1: Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NUDay 2: Cornation GulfDay 3: Usqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven)Day 4: Prince of Wales IslandDay 5: Bellot Strait / Fort RossDay 6: Prince Leopold / Beechey IslandDay 7: Devon IslandDay 8: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord)Day 9: Smith Sound Day 10: QaanaaqDay 11: Kap YorkDay 12: Upernavik RegionDay 13: Karrat FjordDay 14: IllulissatDay 15: Sisimiut CoastDay 16: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland


Day 1: Kugluktuk (Coppermine)Located at the mouth of the Coppermine River, southwest of Victoria Island on the Coronation Gulf, Kugluktuk is the westernmost community in Nunavut. Coppermine reverted to its original Inuinnaqtun name—Kugluktuk, meaning “place of moving waters”—on January 1st, 1996. The Coppermine River itself is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Copper deposits along the river attracted the first explorers to the area.

Because the tundra is close to the tree line, a variety of wildlife can be viewed in the area, including grizzly bears, wolverines and moose, as well as tundra wildlife, such as musk ox, caribou, foxes, and wolves.

Day 2: Coronation GulfSeparating Canada’s mainland from the Arctic Archipelago is the Coronation Gulf. Named by Sir John Franklin in honour of coronation of King George IV, the Gulf receives the Coppermine, Tree, Rae, and Richardson rivers. It is host to several hundred islands and small islets.

Day 3: Usqsuqtuuq (Gjøa Haven)In 1903, explorer Roald Amundsen, while looking for the Northwest Passage, sailed through the James Ross Strait and stopped at an uninhabited natural harbour on the island’s south coast. Unable to proceed due to sea ice, he spent the winters of 1903–04 and 1904–05 at Usqsuqtuuq (Gjøa Haven), While there, he learned Arctic living skills from the local Netsilik Inuit, skills that would later prove invaluable in his Antarctic explorations. He used his ship, Gjøa, as a base for explorations in the summer of 1904, sledding the Boothia Peninsula and


travelling to the magnetic North Pole.

Amundsen finally left, after twenty-two months on the island, in August 1905. The harbour where he lived is now the island’s only settlement, Gjøa Haven, which he called ‘the finest little harbour in the world.’ Today, the population has blossomed from 110 in 1961 to 1,279 in 2011.

Day 4: Prince of Wales IslandPrince of Wales Strait is part of the Arctic Ocean, extending northeastward for 275 kilometres from the Amundsen Gulf to Viscount Melville Sound and separating Banks and Victoria Islands. It was discovered in 1850 by Irish explorer Robert McClure, who came within sight of Viscount Melville Sound before heavy ice forced him to turn back.

Day 5: Bellot Strait / Fort RossFort Ross was the last trading post built by the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada’s Arctic. Established in 1937 it was meant to bridge the eastern and western Arctic fur trading districts through Bellot Strait, a narrow thirty-two-kilometre passage separating the northernmost tip of North America from Somerset Island. Rising out of the vast Arctic wilderness, Fort Ross had two buildings— a manager’s house and a store—and was also home to a number of Inuit families. It was operated for some eleven years, but eventually abandoned because ice constantly choked the strait. When Fort Ross was finally closed in 1948, everything was moved some 250 kilometres south to Stanners Harbour, establishing the town of Spence Bay, now known as Taloyoak.

Bellot Strait marks the first meeting of the Atlantic and Pacific tides north of Magellan Strait. Surprisingly, the strait was missed by John Ross and wasn’t discovered until 1852 by William Kennedy, who named the strait after his second-in-command, Joseph-Rene Bellot.

Day 6: Prince Leopold / Beechey IslandThe tall cliffs of Prince Leopold Island are one of the top bird sites in the High Arctic both during the breeding and summering seasons. It is a breeding site for thick-billed murres, black-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars, glaucous gulls, and black guillemot. It was beneath these tall cliffs, that Sir James Clark Ross, perhaps the greatest polar explorer of the 19th century, was based in 1848–49. Ross’s 1848–49 expedition in search of the Franklin expedition was not successful; they spent a frustrating winter locked by ice in Port Leopold on the northeast coast of Somerset Island and returned to England the following summer. It was also from this area that Sir John Ross (James’s uncle) escaped in 1833 after abandoning the Victory and spending four harrowing winters in the Arctic.

In 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men in two ships into the Wellington Channel. Not a soul returned from the fateful expedition. It was two years before search parties were launched. Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance. The three graves found at Beechey Island left no indication as to the fate of the rest of the British party—until recently. In the autumn of 2014, Canadian archaeologists discovered remnants of the hms Erebus in

the frozen waters of the Northwest Passage, a discovery that has re-galvanized interest in the fabled region.


Polar bears and seals may be sighted among the ice floes. We’ll journey to Radstock Bay and Caswell Tower at Devon Island—an important archaeological site. We’ll then take the Zodiacs ashore to visit the remains of Thule winter houses located beside a nearby lake. These ruins are suspected to date back to 1200–1400 AD. Two of the more recent houses date back to the 1800s

Day 8: Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord)Aujuittuq means ‘the place that never thaws.’ It is an apt name for this peaceful hamlet, 1,150 kilometres above the Arctic Circle—Canada’s northernmost civilian community. We’ll be welcomed by the population of about 165.


Day 9: Smith SoundWe will spend a day exploring north into this fabled body of water that served as the main route for explorers and adventurers searching


for the North Pole. Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares, and Elisha Kent Kane all travelled these waters with varying degrees of success. The sound was named by William Baffin after Sir Thomas Smythe, promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage.

Between forty-eight and seventy-two kilometres wide—and eighty-eight kilometres long—Smith Sound is often packed with ice and provides favourable conditions for wildlife viewing.

Day 10: QaanaaqArtistic talent runs high in this most northern community, and visitors are often in search of the distinct art pieces that are created here. One of the hardest places to reach in the Arctic, it is easiest to visit by ship. Not only is it the northernmost civilian habitation on earth, Qaanaaq is also the most northern palindrome on the planet. A well-appointed store offers outstanding hand-carved jewellery and art pieces.

Day 11: Kap YorkThe rugged coastal environment at Kap York is rich in wildlife and is part of an extensive network of traditional hunting grounds. During the spring and summer months the skies and cliffs are dotted with millions of birds, primarily auks and murres. This district boasts the largest seabird population in northwest Greenland.

Whalers and explorers often entered these waters and later Admiral Robert Peary’s family raised a monument in honour of his achievements on the cape. Sailors’ and ships’ logs record multiple climbs of the

cape in order to survey the ice conditions in Qimusseriarsuaq (Melville Bay).

Day 12: Upernavik RegionJust over a thousand people, most of whom make their living in the fishing industry, populate Upernavik (or “the spring place”). Part of the population relies on polar bear hunting and sealing. Upernavik’s location on the small island facing the open sea makes Upernavik unusual in comparison with other Greenlandic towns. Its location on the side of a hill provides a fantastic view of the Davis Strait. This will be a new exploratory landing for Adventure Canada in a location well known for its deep and dramatic fjords. We can hope to experience the raw beauty of the Greenlandic coast and the possibility of getting out on the land for a day of hiking.

This region is where legendary Polar explorer Robert Peary began numerous expeditions; his base of operations was at Upernavik, and it was from here that his famous trek to the North Pole began.

Day 13: Karrat FjordToday we will cruise one of Greenland’s most spectacular fjords, known for plentiful marine life and inspiring landscapes. Seals use the long leads created by high winds in this region to hunt the rich waters of the fjord. The cliffs and talus slopes within the fjord should give us good opportunities to see colonies of dovekies. Time spent on deck today should result in some good wildlife sightings, not to mention unbeatable photographic opportunities of the majestic rock faces.

Day 14: Ilulissat Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name for this stunning coastal community.

Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of Zodiacs through the unesco World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Ice fjord.

The Ice fjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at nineteen metres per day and calving more than thirty-five square kilometers of ice annually. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years.

Day 15: Sisimiut CoastThe west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, various islands and complex coastal waterways.

We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape.

Day 16: KangerlussuaqWe will make our journey down spectacular Sondre Stromfjord, and early risers will have a chance to experience its beauty. Sondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern mouth, means ‘the big fjord.’ Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of Greenland a centre for


whaling and fishing all year. The United States built an air base at Kangerlussuaq in wwii due to the relatively mild weather and strategic proximity to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland’s main international and domestic airport.

The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into the interior and the world’s largest ice cap can be reached in less than an hour. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the

plain between the fjord and the inland ice you may find Greenland’s biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic foxes as well as the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in Greenland and more than 250 species of plants.


Outbound:Edmonton, AB to Kugluktuk (Coppermine), NU September 11, 2016Early morning departure$995 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Inbound:Kangerlussuaq, Greenland to Toronto, ONSeptember 26, 2016Early evening arrival$1,326 usd per person inclusive of all taxes and fees

Round Trip: $2,395 usd per person inclusive of taxes and feesPre and post hotel nights in Edmonton and Toronto are available upon requestOvernight accommodation in Edmonton recommended.


Our Office TeamAdventure Canada is a family-run business based in Port Credit, Ontario with over twenty-five years’ experience in small-ship expedition cruises around the world—but specializing in the Canadian Arctic, east coast, and Greenland. We are industry leaders in creative programming,

community involvement, and sustainable practices. Pictured here in January—and setting sights on a new ship and several new itineraries—our team is looking forward to making 2015 our best year yet!

Seated, left to right:Brian Faber, Accounting; Jean Bouffard, Business Development; Judy Harper, Client Services; Alana Faber, Vice-President, Human Resources; Matthew James Swan, Director of Business Development; Cedar Swan, Ceo; Jason Edmunds, Operations; Clayton Anderson, Vice-President, Marketing; Carlos Sojo, Design and Marketing; Mike Strizic, Marketing Coordinator and Copy Writer. Standing, left to right:Jillian Dickens, Public Relations and Media; Bill Evans, Vice-President, Finance; Matthew Swan, President; Shirley Russ, Vice-President, Operations; Sheryl Saint, Adventure Specialist; Devon Bayly-Jones, Adventure Specialist; Heather Beecroft, Arts and Culture; Gay Peppin, Client Services; Melissa Medeiros, Public Relations; Loretta Rempel, Client Services; Julie Knox, Administrative Coordinator; David Newland, Partnerships and Presentations.

© Carlos Sojo

125

2015 Expeditions and Berth Prices ALL PRICES ARE IN U.S. DOLLARS AND ARE CASH/CHEQUE DISCOUNTED

ArcticExplorer

Into the Northwest Passage $8,995 $10,195 $11,895


$13,395 $14,895 $16,395 $17,895 $19,395 $20,895 $22,395

Discovery Fee $250$250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250

Date 2015 Days

Cabin Class Categories

2 3

Heart of the Arctic $3,995 $4,995 $6,395

Mighty Saint Lawrence $2,595 $3,395 $4,695

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

$7,695 $8,895 $10,095 $11,295 $12,595 $13,895 $15,195

Newfoundland & Wild Labrador

$5,995 $6,995 $7,995 $8,995 $9,995 $10,995 $11,995


17

17

12

13

10

13

11

$4,995

Charterflights

$295

$1,795

$2,195

$1,995

$2,195

$525

$5,995 $7,395 $8,695 $9,895 $11,095 $12,295 $13,595 $14,895 $16,195

Aug 20–Sep 5

Aug 9–Aug 20

Sep 5–Sep 21

July 17–July 29

Jun 14–Jun 23

July 5–July 17

Jun 24–July 4 $3,595 $4,595 $5,995 $7,295 $8,495 $9,695 $10,895 $12,195 $13,495 $14,795

$12,895 $14,195 $15,495 $16,795$5,595 $6,595 $7,995 $9,295 $10,495 $11,695

$8,995 $10,195 $11,895 $13,395 $14,895 $16,395 $17,895 $19,395 $20,895 $22,395

11 $6,475 $8,075 $8,475 $9,175 $9,675 $10,775 $11,775Oct 22–Nov 1

$995

1

Ecuador & theGalápagos Islands

ALL 2015 EXPEDITION COSTS INCLUDE:

*Passage aboard the Ocean Endeavour or National Geographic Islander *Pre-departure materials *Special access permits, entry and park fees *Team of expedition staff *Applicable taxes *Educational program * Interactive workshops *Evening entertainment *Guided activities *Sightseeing and community visits *All Shipboard Meals *All Zodiac excursions *Port fees

ALL 2015 EXPEDITION COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE:

*$250 Discovery Fee *Commercial & Charter flights *Gratuities (suggested $15 USD per passenger, per day) *Personal expenses *Mandatory medical evacuation insurance *Additional expenses in the event of delays or itinerary changes *Possible fuel surcharges *Pre & post hotel accommodation *Optional excursions * Additional costs associated with payments made by credit card. Please see credit card rates on page 74.

126

Pricing 127

ALL 2016 EXPEDITION COSTS INCLUDE:

*Passage aboard the Ocean Endeavour *Pre-departure materials *Special access permits, entry and park fees *Team of expedition staff *Applicable taxes *Educational program * Interactive workshops *Evening entertainment *Guided activities *Sightseeing and community visits *All Shipboard Meals *All Zodiac excursions *Port fees

ALL 2016 EXPEDITION COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE:

*$250 Discovery Fee *Commercial & Charter flights *Gratuities (suggested $15 USD per passenger, per day) *Personal expenses *Mandatory medical evacuation insurance *Additional expenses in the event of delays or itinerary changes *Possible fuel surcharges *Pre & post hotel accommodation *Optional excursions * Additional costs associated with payments made by credit card. Please see credit card rates on page 74.

2016 Expeditions and Berth Prices

Heart of the Arctic

ArcticSafari $5,795 $6,795 $8,195

ArcticExplorer

$9,495 $10,695 $11,895 $13,095 $14,395 $15,695 $16,995

Discovery Fee $250$250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250 $250

Date 2016 Days

Cabin Class Categories

2 3

Greenland & Wild Labrador $4,995 $5,995 $7,395

Mighty Saint Lawrence

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

$8,695 $9,895 $11,095 $12,295 $13,595 $14,895 $16,195


SableIsland

12

12

13

13

10

11

09

$3,795

Charterflights

$350

$1,095

$2,195

$1,995

$2,195

$4,795 $6,195 $7,495 $8,695 $9,895 $11,095 $12,395 $13,695 $14,995

Aug 4–Aug 15

July 11–July 23

Aug 15–Aug 26

June 29–July 11

Jun 01–Jun 10

June 19–June 29

Jun 11–June 19 $2,395 $3,195 $3,995 $4,995 $5,995 $7,095 $8,095 $9,095 $10,095 $11,095

$11,495 $12,795 $14,095 $15,395$3,995 $5,195 $6,595 $7,895 $9,095 $10,295


Out of the Northwest Passage $7,995 $9,395 $11,095 $12,595 $14,095 $15,595 $17,095 $18,595 $20,095 $21,59516

17

$2,395

$2,395

Sep 11–Sep 26

Aug 26–Sep 11

1

$5,795 $6,795 $8,195 $9,495 $10,695 $11,895 $13,095 $14,395 $15,695 $16,995

$8,995 $10,395 $12,095 $13,595 $15,095 $16,595 $18,095 $19,595 $21,095 $22,595

$2,595 $3,395 $4,695 $5,995 $6,995 $7,995 $8,995 $9,995 $10,995 $11,995

ALL PRICES ARE IN U.S. DOLLARS AND ARE CASH/CHEQUE DISCOUNTED

128 Pricing

SAILING SOLO?

Single travellers not requiring private accommodation on shipboard programs can be matched with another single traveller at no extra charge. Single-occupancy cabins are also available at 1.5 times the regular cost. Please call us for pricing & availability.

WE ARE FAMILY FRIENDLY

Family is important! To promote multi-generational travel, we are offering a 30% discount to travellers under 30 years of age. Please call us for details!

WE LOVE BAGPIPERS!

If you can play the bagpipes, bring them along and ask about our bagpiper’s rebate!

DISCOVERY FEEEach area we visit has rich cultural experiences and wild treasures to offer. As guests, we have made a point to source and support local projects in the areas through which we travel. A contribution from each passenger, billed separately as the Discovery Fee, represents a portion of the money we donate to ensure the longevity and success of educational, environmental and cultural initiatives in these regions. Our Discovery Fee is $250 USD per person for all Shipboard Expeditions.

PRICINGRates are in U.S. dollars, per person, per voyage based on double occupancy except for C1 and C2, which are quad and triple cabins, respectively. Discovery Fee and charter/commercial airfare are not included in the berth price. Single occupancy cabins are available in select cabins on Ocean Endeavour and National Geographic Islander. Please call for availability.

CURRENCYAlthough we are a Canadian company, most of our operating costs are paid in U.S. dollars. For this reason all tour prices are in U.S. dollars. We will accept Canadian dollars at the current exchange rate, please call for details. We are not responsible for bank exchange rates on credit card transactions.

TOUR FARESPublished prices are based on exchange rates and tariffs in effect at the time of printing (February 2015) and are subject to change without notice. Once the deposit has been received changes will not be made to the base price. No refund will be given if costs are reduced. The company reserves the right to amend all or part of any tour price for any reason including, without limitation: increased fuel costs, airfares, airport charges or increases in ground operator service fees. If the price increase is

more than 7% (except increases resulting from an increase in retail sales tax or Federal Goods and Services Tax or Harmonized Sales Tax) the customer has the right to cancel the contract and obtain a full refund. Tour fees quoted are based on group participation. Prices are cash/cheque discounted, and in U.S. dollars.

2015 CREDIT CARD PRICING IS AS FOLLOWS IN USD: Mighty Saint Lawrence: C1 $2,699 C2 $3,531 C3 $4,883 C4 $6,235 C5 $7,275 C6 $8,315 C7 $9,355 C8 $10,395 C9 $11,435 C10 $12,475 Newfoundland Circumnavigation: C1 $3,739 C2 $4,779 C3 $6,235 C4 $7,587 C5 $8,835 C6 $10,083 C7 $11,331 C8 $12,683 C9 $14,035 C10 $15,387 Newfoundland & Wild Labrador: C1 $5,195 C2 $6,235 C3 $7,691 C4 $9,043 C5 $10,291 C6 $11,539 C7 $12,787 C8 $14,139 C9 $15,491 C10 $16,843 Heart of the Arctic: C1 $4,155 C2 $5,195 C3 $6,651 C4 $8,003 C5 $9,251 C6 $10,499 C7 $11,747 C8 $13,099 C9$14,451 C10 $15,803 Arctic Explorer C1 $5,819 C2 $6,859 C3 $8,315 C4 $9,667 C5 $10,915 C6 $12,163 C7 $13,411 C8 $14,763 C9 $16,115 C10 $17,467 Into the Northwest Passage C1 $9,355 C2 $10,603 C3 $12,371 C4 $13,931 C5 $15,491 C6 $17,051 C7 $18,611 C8 $20,171 C9 $21,731 C10 $23,291 Out of the Northwest Passage C1 $9,355 C2 $10,603 C3 $12,371 C4 $13,931 C5 $15,491 C6 $17,051 C7 $18,611 C8 $20,171 C9 $21,731 C10 $23,291 Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands C1 $6,734 C2 $8,398 C3 $8,814 C4 $9,542 C5 $10,062 C6 $11,206 C7 $12,246 Cusco, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley $3,115 Haida Gwaii The Queen Charlotte Islands $5,819 Bears of Churchill: $5,563

2016 CREDIT CARD PRICING IS AS FOLLOWS IN USD: Mighty Saint Lawrence: C1 $2,699 C2 $3,531 C3 $4,883 C4 $6,235 C5 $7,275 C6 $8,315 C7 $9,355 C8 $10,395 C9 $11,435 C10 $12,475 Sable Island: C1 $2,491 C2 $3,323 C3 $4,155 C4 $5,195 C5 $6,235 C6

$7,379 C7 $8,419 C8 $9,459 C9 $10,499 C10 $11,539 Newfoundland Circumnavigation: C1 $3,947 C2 $4,987 C3 $6,443 C4 7,795 C5 $9,043 C6 $10,291 C7 $11,539 C8 $12,891 C9 $14,243 C10 $15,595 Greenland & Wild Labrador: C1 $5,195 C2 $6,235 C3 $7,691 C4 $9,043 C5 $10,291 C6 $11,539 C7 $12,787 C8 $14,139 C9$15,491 C10 $16,843 Heart of the Arctic: C1 $4,155 C2 $5,403 C3 $6,859 C4 $8,211 C5 $9,459 C6 $10,707 C7 $11,955 C8 $13,307 C9 $14,659 C10 $16,011 Arctic Safari: C1 $6,027 C2 $7,067 C3 $8,523 C4 $9,875 C5 $11,123 C6 $12,371 C7 $13,619 C8 $14,971 C9 $16,323 C10 $17,675 Arctic Explorer: C1 $6,027 C2 $7,067 C3 $8,523 C4 $9,875 C5 $11,123 C6 $12,371 C7 $13,619 C8 $14,971 C9 $16,323 C10 $17,675 Into the Northwest Passage: C1 $9,355 C2 $10,811 C3 $12,579 C4 $14,139 C5 $15,699 C6 $17,259 C7 $18,819 C8 $20,379 C9 $21,939 C10 $23,499 Out of the Northwest Passage: C1 $8,315 C2 $9,771 C3 $11,539 C4 $13,099 C5 $14,659 C6 $16,219 C7 $17,779 C8 $19,339 C9 $20,899 C10 $22,459

PAYMENT POLICYA deposit of $1,000 USD per person is required upon booking to confirm participation. The balance of the payment is required 120 days prior to your departure date. The Company reserves the right to cancel reservations if payments are not received in time. Prices are cash/cheque discounted, if you wish to pay by credit card please refer to our credit card pricing. Please make cheques payable to: ADVENTURE CANADA. Please review our Cancellation & Refund Policy for a full outline of our cancellation terms.

As a registered Ontario company, we are licensed to sell travel packages through the Travel Industry Council of Ontario. We are required to keep all customer deposits in Client Trust Accounts and may only use the funds once the trip has begun or to make a deposit to an operator on behalf of the client. Our Client Trust Accounts are reviewed by a CPA on an annual basis and regularly inspected by TICo auditors.

© Mike Beedell

TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PASSAGE CONTRACT TICKETThese Terms and Conditions and Passage Contract Ticket (“terms and conditions”) are entered into between 750207 Ontario Inc., operating as Adventure Canada (Ontario Registration Nos. 0400 1400 / 5002 1860) (“Adventure Canada”) and the passenger (as detailed on the Registraion Form).

Adventure Canada is a sub-charterer of the Ocean Endeavour from Endeavour Partners Ltd. (“carrier”). These terms and conditions shall serve as the Passage Contract Ticket in use by the carrier, which is the standard passenger contract and liability waiver of the vessel mentioned herein. In accepting these terms and conditions, the passenger is agreeing that these terms and conditions shall also serve as the Passage Contract Ticket. Adventure Canada is also a sub-charterer of the National Geographic Islander and Island Roamer. You will receive a separate Passage Contract Ticket upon booking a trip on either of these vessels.

RELEASE AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITYThe passenger hereby agrees to these terms and conditions and in consideration of the services and arrangements provided by Adventure Canada, further agrees that neither Adventure Canada nor its owners, officers, directors, agents, contractors (including, without limitation, the carrier) and employees shall have any liability or responsibility whatsoever for damages to or loss of property, loss of services, or injury or wrongful death or any other loss, expense, damage, delay or inconvenience which may be sustained or which may be incurred by reason of, or while engaged on, any Adventure Canada tour, whether due to Adventure Canada or the carrier’s ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any manner of conveyance used in carrying out the tour; (ii) the use of transportation or other services of carrier, owners, operators, or public carriers for whom Adventure Canada acts only as agent and for whom Adventure Canada is not responsible; (iii) passenger’s lack of proper travel documentation (such as visas, passports, etc.); (iv) any act, omission or event occurring during the time that passengers are not aboard Adventure Canada carriers or conveyances; (v) any act of war, insurrection, revolt or other civil uprising or military action occurring in the countries of origin, destination or passage, or changes caused by sickness, weather, strike, quarantine or other causes beyond the control of Adventure Canada or carrier or (vi) defects or failures of any aircraft, vessel, automotive vehicle or other equipment or instrumentality under the control of independent suppliers. If for any reason, Adventure Canada is ever found liable for any matter, Adventure Canada’s maximum liability, for any reason whatsoever, will be limited to the amount paid to Adventure Canada for its services. Without limitation, Adventure Canada is not responsible for any negligent acts, or acts which are beyond its control, including but not limited to acts of God or force majeure, weather emergencies, breakdown, or failure of diving or mechanical equipment, government actions, inclement weather, sickness, attacks by animals, availability of medical care or the adequacy of the same, criminal activity of any kind, terrorism, war, civil disturbance, sanitary conditions, quality or sanitation of food, quarantine, customs, regulations, epidemics, strikes, hotel overbooking, safety and/or security standards at hotels or other accommodations, or for any other reason beyond the control of Adventure Canada.

The passenger hereby waives any claim it may have against Adventure Canada, its owners, officers, directors, agents, contractors (including, without limitation, the carrier) and employees for any such damage, loss or injury. Adventure Canada acts only as agent for all services described herein. Adventure Canada and its sponsoring organizations do not assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any claims, damages, expenses or other financial loss related to the operation of this tour.

The passenger specifically understands and agrees that the passenger is releasing, discharging and waiving any claims or actions that the passenger may have presently or in the future for the negligent acts or conduct of adventure canada, its owners, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors (including, without limitation, the carrier) and/or employees.

Regardless of the situation or circumstances giving rise to a claim, the passenger waives any right to seek indirect, special, consequential, punitive or exemplary damages against Adventure Canada, its owners, officers, directors, agents, contractors (including, without limitation, the carrier) and employees, for any reason whatsoever.

On tours which neither embark, disembark nor call at any port in the United States, Adventure Canada and the carrier shall be entitled to any and all liability limitations, immunities and rights applicable to it under the “Athens Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea” of 1974, as well as the “Protocol to the Athens Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea” of 1976 (“Athens Convention”). The Athens Convention limits the carrier’s liability for death or personal injury to a passenger to no more than 46,666 special drawing rights as defined therein (approximately U.S. $70,000). In addition, and on all other tours, all the exemptions from and limitations of liability provided in or authorized by the laws of the United States (including title 46, United States Code Sections 30501 through 30509 and 30511) will apply.

In case of a medical problem arising during the voyage, either on board or on shore, which results in costs for evacuation, use of aircraft or repatriation, the responsibility for payment of these costs belongs solely to the passenger.

COMPENSATIONCompensation for personal injury is limited in accordance with the provisions of any applicable International Conventions. These include, for example, in the course of road travel, air travel, rail travel, sea travel, or hotel accommodation and are limited to the provisions of, respectively, the Geneva Convention 1973, the Warsaw Convention as amended by the Hague Protocol 1955, the 1961 Berne Convention, the 1974 Athens Convention and the 1962 Paris Convention.

EXPRESS ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY/PARTICIPATIONThe passenger hereby certifies that he/she does not have a mental, physical, or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/her or other passengers. The passenger agrees to honestly complete the personal information request from Adventure Canada via its website or by requesting paper copies, prior to departure. Adventure Canada reserves the right to request further information from the passenger’s physician. The passenger clearly understands that the liability of Adventure Canada is definitively limited as aforesaid. The passenger has carefully read the terms and conditions set out herein as well as the materials regarding the tour provided by Adventure Canada and is aware that such tour involves the risk of personal injury or death and damage or loss of property. The passenger also acknowledges that risk and dangers may be caused by the negligence of Adventure Canada, its owners, directors, employees, contractors, officers or agents or the negligence or participation of other participants. The passenger acknowledges that risk and dangers may arise from foreseeable and unforeseeable causes, including weather and other acts of nature. The passenger acknowledges that the aforementioned risks, dangers and hazards are a potential in connection with recreational activities which may take place during the passenger’s tour. In consideration of the benefits to be derived from participation in the tour, the passenger voluntarily accepts all risk of personal injury or death and property damage or other loss arising from participation on the tour and hereby agrees that he/she and his/her dependents, heirs, executors, administrators, legal personal representatives, successors and assigns, do release and hold harmless Adventure Canada and its owners, employees, officers, directors, agents, contractors, trustees and representatives from any and all claims, including claims of negligence, illness, personal injury, death or property damage or loss, however caused, arising from or related to this tour. The passenger has read carefully these terms and conditions, and will abide by the conditions set by Adventure Canada and in the terms and conditions hereof or elsewhere published. The passenger affirms that he/she has not received or relied on any oral or written representation of Adventure Canada as a basis for agreeing to the release contained in these terms and conditions.

Adventure Canada and the carrier shall be entitled to inspect passengers and their luggage for security purposes and the passenger hereby acknowledges that this may involve a physical search of the passenger and/or his/her property.

Should any passenger not arrive on board the vessel at a scheduled time of departure, Adventure Canada shall have no liability for any delay or interruption in planned itinerary of the vessel and Adventure Canada shall have the right, but shall not be obliged, to continue with the cruise on its planned itinerary.

DATE: DD / MMM / YY

Please complete, sign and return to Adventure Canada

CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICYAll requests for cancellations must be received in writing. Upon Adventure Canada receiving a written notice of cancellation at least 120 days prior to the scheduled date of departure, the passenger shall receive a full refund of its tour fees, less an administrative penalty of $500 usd per person. If a written notice of cancellation is received by Adventure Canada between 91 and 120 days prior to the scheduled date of departure, the passenger shall receive a refund of 35% of its tour fees. Please note that within the 90-day limit, all fees, deposits and tariffs received by Adventure Canada are forfeited. For these and other reasons mentioned below, passengers are strongly advised to obtain trip cancellation insurance at the time of deposit. No refunds shall be made to passengers who do not participate in any part of, or otherwise do not complete, the tour for any reason whatsoever.

DELAYS & INTERRUPTIONIn the event of a delay, passengers will be responsible for all costs and expenses associated therewith, including, without limitation, any additional food, lodging, transportation costs, or charge fees resulting from such delay. Should the tour be interrupted for any reason repatriation costs and expenses relating to prepaid travel expenses will be at the sole cost of the passenger. There will be no refund for any portion of the tour already taken. Adventure Canada recommends that the passenger obtains full travel insurance coverage and purchases refundable air/train tickets.

INSURANCEDue to the nature of the tour in which the passenger will be participating, passengers should have in place prior to departure, comprehensive insurance coverage including without limitation medical, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, accident and baggage insurance. It is the responsibility of the passenger to secure insurance for the level of protection they desire. Adventure Canada’s cancellation terms apply to all passengers. Emergency Medical and Evacuation Insurance is mandatory for participation in all Adventure Canada expeditions and may be purchased through Adventure Canada at the time of booking and onward. Evidence of policy documentation

will be required prior to embarkation. All passengers must carry a minimum of $75,000 usd per person emergency medical and evacuation coverage. This may not cover the full cost of a medical emergency. Additional expenses are the full responsibility of the passenger. Any losses sustained by the passenger as a result of the passenger failing to obtain proper insurance coverage shall be the sole responsibility of the passenger. For full coverage, including cancellation coverage prior to departure, passengers are strongly recommended to obtain travel insurance. As the passenger firms up their travel plans the passenger may insure additional trip related expenses (for example commercial airfare, accommodations, pre and post excursions and discrepancies in currency), please contact your client services specialist to do so.

BAGGAGEBaggage is solely at the passenger’s risk and expense. Baggage is limited to a maximum weight of 20 Kg or 44 lbs for all excursions involving an Adventure Canada charter flight. Also, commercial airline luggage allowance differs from carrier to carrier; please check with the passenger’s airline for current standards and weight restrictions. Excess baggage is not permitted on charter flights. Any excess baggage charges for commercial flights are the responsibility of the passenger. Passenger’s baggage is restricted to suitcases and hand luggage of such size and type as can comfortably and safely be stored in the passenger’s cabins. Cabin trunks are not acceptable and will not be permitted on board the vessel.

IMAGES AND PRIVACYOn these trips Adventure Canada takes many photos, some of which are used for promotional purposes. If the passenger would not like photos which include the passenger to be used, please let Adventure Canada know in advance. Adventure Canada may also celebrate the passenger’s birthday or special events: please advise Adventure Canada if the passenger would like to abstain.

EXCLUSIVE GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION These terms and conditions and any actions and proceeding brought hereunder shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein without regard to conflict of laws principles. Any action or legal proceeding to enforce any provision hereof, or based on any right arising out of, these terms and conditions shall be exclusively in the courts of the City of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, and all of the parties hereto hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts and of the appropriate appellate courts in any such action or legal proceeding and waive any objection to venue or jurisdiction in connection therewith.

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HOW TO REGISTERTo register for an Adventure Canada expedition, each participant must complete the registration form and return it to our office with a $1,000 usd deposit. THE REGISTRATION FORM IS DOUBLE-SIDED AND YOUR SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED ON SECOND PAGE. By returning the registration formand deposit, you are acknowledging and agreeing to the Terms and Conditions and release required for participation on any Adventure Canada excursion. All cheques must be made out to Adventure Canada and MAY NOT BE CANADIAN CHEQUES MADE OUT TO USD; ask your bank for information on foreign currency. Full payment by credit card is subject to credit card pricing.

ITINERARIESWeather, ice, and government regulations may necessitate changes to the itineraries and/or the cancellation of certain shore excursions. Every attempt—within the limits of law, time, and safety—will be made to adhere to the itineraries described. There may be a planned alternate for your route: please inquire at the time of booking. In the event of itinerary changes, passengers are not entitled to any refund or other compensation. Should the tour be interrupted for any reason repatriation costs and expenses relating to prepaid travel expenses will be at the sole cost of the traveler. There will be no refund for any portion of the tour already taken. Adventure Canada recommends that the passenger obtains full travel insurance coverage and purchases refundable air/train tickets. Expedition fees are based on group participation. Should you choose not to take part in any activity or make use of services provided, no refund will be given. Vessels and dates are subject to change.

SINGLE TRAVELLERSOn Ocean Endeavour single travellers willing to share their accommodation will be guaranteed the published rate even if a roommate is not available in categories one through seven. For single travellers who wish solo occupancy, there are a limited number of single-occupancy cabins available in categories three, four, and five with no single supplement charge. A single supplement charge of 1.5 times the published rate will apply in double occupancy cabins in categories three to seven. On the National Geographic Islander there are two single occupancy cabins, available for $12,295 usd. On the Island Roamer there are no single cabins. Bears of Churchill $800.00 usd single supplement charge. Machu Picchu $795.00 usd single supplement charge.

PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATIONPrior to your expedition we will send you a pre-departure package including a statement of account; login details for your online profile; a handbook of practical guidelines; a briefing on local history, flora, and fauna; a reading list; and packing suggestions.

ONLINE PROFILEAdventure Canada collects personal information from our passengers via secure online account. You are required to provide select medical and personal information, as well as acknowledgement of select liabilities. Online accounts are established by booking reservations. This means that all passengers on a given reservation will have access to each others’ information. You will be asked to acknowledge this process on our reservation form by checking the box ‘I/we agree that all passenger details will be viewable by all persons on this registration/reservation’. If you prefer to have individual access to the online account please do not check this box on the reservation form and advise your Adventure Specialist by phone or email. If you prefer to provide your personal information to Adventure Canada by mail or fax, please contact us and we will send you paper copies. We ask that your personal information be completed at your convenience, but no less than 120 days prior to departure. You will not receive your final documents until these forms are completed and submitted.

PASSPORTS & VISASPassports are mandatory and must be current, with a date of expiry at least six (6) months after thetrip’s conclusion. Participants are responsible for obtaining personal visas, passports, health

certificates and other required documents and inoculations at their own expense. Entry to another country may be refused even if the required information and travel documents are complete.

ACTIVITY LEVELAdventure Canada expeditions are intended for people in reasonably good health. Zodiac cruises and transfer times can be lengthy. You must be able to climb stairs between decks on the ship. You must also be able to climb the external gangway stairs to transfer between the ship and the Zodiacs. Our guides and ship crew are available to assist you in and out of the Zodiacs, both on shore and at the gangway. Adventure Canada expeditions may involve extensive walking in variable weather conditions over sometimes sandy or uneven terrain. Wherever possible on shore excursions, we break into smaller, guided groups according to interest and physical ability. This may mean one small group going off on a strenuous, two hour hike on steep terrain, while another explores the area in and around the landing beach, keeping to relatively level terrain and short distances. Generally speaking, once a few people are ready to return to the ship, the Zodiacs are usually available to take you back at the time of your choosing.

ZODIAC CRAFTZodiacs are the favoured means of transportation in the Arctic for all our expeditions and, indeed, wherever shallow waters and beaches ring the shoreline. They are stable, versatile craft that cruise at approximately four knots; in windy weather they can make for rather splashy rides. We therefore recommend wearing wet weather gear for Zodiac transfers. Life preservers are absolutely compulsory and will be provided. Zodiac landings will generally entail disembarking onto rocky or gravelly beaches. The beach landings may be wet, meaning that there may be some spray en route to shore, and that you may have to step into water up to 25 centimetres / 10 inches deep. Rubber boots will be provided.

MEDICAL FACILITIESThis expedition is intended for persons in good health. Passengers who are not fit for long trips for any reason, including disability, heart, or other health conditions, are advised not to join the tour. Should any such condition become apparent, we reserve the right to decline embarkation. Our vessel is not equipped to handle serious medical conditions. Medical and Emergency Evacuation insurance is mandatory. A ship’s doctor will be in attendance in the ship’s small medical clinic on most cruises to attend to passengers’ basic health needs. If you require specific medications, please ensure that you bring a supply adequate to last you for the duration of the journey and take care to properly pack them to ensure safe transport. Once aboard ship, we will be travelling in remote communities where prescriptions cannot be replaced.There is a fee for consultation and treatment by the onboard doctor. Any charges will be debited from your onboard account.

GRATUITIESOur ships’ crew work hard to please, and tips are heartily appreciated. In fairness to all those who work together to make your trip enjoyable, tips are collected at the end of the voyage and distributed equitably among the crew. Although we leave tip amounts to your discretion, past passengers have asked for a recommended amount. We suggest a rate of $15 usd per day, per passenger. Gratuities will be automatically added to your shipboard account: you may advise the purser onboard of you would like to increase or decrease the tip amount. Adventure Canada staff does not accept tips. AIRFAREWhen purchasing your airline tickets to meet us at our point of departure, please ensure that they are changeable or refundable; Adventure Canada is not responsible for missed connections due to late charter flights, or changes/delays/interruptions in the ship’s intended itinerary and will not reimburse you for rebooking fees or new ticket charges incurred.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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Our Northern Carrier: Nolinor Aviation

Founded in 1992, Nolinor Aviation is the premiere provider of specialty air charter services in Canada. The family-owned company operates a growing fleet of four Boeing 737 aircraft, five Convair 580 airplanes, and a Learjet 31A executive jet—all specializing in remote site operations across the Canadian Arctic.

Their fleet is equipped with the latest in satellite communications and tracking technology, and operations are dispatched from a

state-of-the-art Operations Control Centre located in Mirabel, Québec. The team at Nolinor Aviation are experts in safety, customer service, and air charter, and are proud to partner with Adventure Canada.

By using charter flights, we enjoy full control over our flight plan and ensure maximum convenience for our passengers. It also allows us to start and end expeditions properly: as a team.

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CONTACT:Adventure Canada 14 Front St. S. Mississauga, ON, L5H 2C4

Phone: 905-271-4000 or [email protected]

w w w . a d v e n t u r e c a n a d a . c o m

© Andrew Stewart

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Adventure Canada's 2015-16 Expeditions Brochure

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