Whether you are navigating the fabled Northwest Passage, exploring Greenland’s coastline, or breaking through the polar icecap to the iconic North Pole – the Arctic is a place with a reputation for dramatic scenery and a rich history of polar exploration.

What makes an Arctic Cruise Expedition unique is the emphasis on wildlife encounters in majestic natural surroundings and historical sites, such as that of the doomed Franklin Expedition.

Only on a small expedition ship can you journey through the heart of the Canadian High Arctic and along Nunavut’s Baffin Island.  Explore the hidden corners of the Canada’s east coast provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Torngat Mountains.

During your Arctic expedition you will visit remote communities, showcasing Canadian Arctic and maritime culture. Marvel at wildlife – whales, walrus, muskox, arctic fox, and of course the king of the North, the majestic polar bear.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to choose the best Arctic cruise for you

Canadian High Arctic

Experience life North of 60! Fly into the remote Canadian town of Resolute Bay on the 75th parallel – one of the most northern outposts in the Canadian Arctic – and you know that you’ve arrived in the High Arctic!

From the very first day you are immersed in the Arctic wilderness on these expeditions – the perfect blend of wildlife, history, culture and scenery. History is a key focus as you visit Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) outposts such as Grise Fjord, Craig Harbour and Dundas Harbour.

Along the ice floe edge encounter beluga and hopefully the mythical narwhal. Sightings of polar bear can be expected throughout the voyage.

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The fabled Northwest Passage

A transit of the Northwest Passage is one of the world’s most iconic expedition voyages. It covers the full spectrum of Arctic scenery, culture, history and wildlife – making it a much-loved classic.  

Follow in the footsteps of the early Arctic explorers such as Franklin, Amundsen and Larsen, exploring the vast archipelago of islands and channels that create Canada’s High Arctic region.

This is the home of the polar bear, the grizzly bear, musk ox, caribou and walrus. Your ship becomes a floating wilderness lodge from where to take daily shore excursions to wildlife locations, historic points of interest and Inuit communities.

Eventually sail across the Davis Strait leaving Canada making landfall on the west coast of Greenland. Huge icebergs greet you on arrival along with friendly locals found in the colorful coastal fishing communities.

An iconic journey, the Northwest Passage remains an adventure today!

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Baffin Island – Jewel of the High Arctic

Canada’s Baffin Island is one of the last great wilderness regions on the planet, featuring deep fjords, soaring mountains and immense glacial systems. Be on the lookout for a variety of Arctic birdlife and marine wildlife – including the iconic polar bear.

Visits to remote Inuit communities provide a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of the people who call this wilderness their home. The history of early exploration is ever present as you visit former Hudson’s Bay Company locations and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) outposts.

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Labrador & Torngat Mountains

Journey from the more temperate climate found in the Maritimes, northwards along Canada’s East Coast and into the higher Arctic latitudes.

The voyage links numerous historic locations along the coast, including a known Viking settlement, a French-built fortress and several remote Moravian mission locations. Encounter the Nunatsiavut people in small communities and isolated fishing ports along Labrador’s coastline.

A particular highlight is a visit to Torngat Mountains National Park – home to the highest mountains in Canada, east of the Rockies. This dramatic wilderness is one of the jewels in the crown of the Canadian National Park network.

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Canada’s East Coast Provinces

The islands of Canada’s Atlantic Maritime provinces are well known for their Celtic traditions and feature a rich and diverse culture found in small communities and remote fishing ports.

Historically one of the most fascinating places in North America, the music and cuisine of Newfoundland and Labrador is celebrated the world over.  The waters here are rich feeding grounds and act as a magnet for wildlife.

Daily shore excursions with expert guides explore areas otherwise inaccessible to access by land – an ideal way to experience this enchanting corner of Canada.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to choose the best Arctic cruise for you

While travelling through these ecologically sensitive areas we always find ways to give back to the places and people we visit, as we take away so many incredible memories.

For instance, the environmental impact is minimized by using clean burning fuel with a low emission factor. By carefully planning the itinerary, fuel consumption and emissions are reduced. Menus are planned to take advantage of local products where possible, and garbage is kept onboard for safe disposal in port.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to choose the best Arctic cruise for you

Franklin’s fabled Arctic ships found

The story the ill-fated expedition by Sir John Franklin from the mid-18th century and the enduring mystery of their fate has gripped the imagination and intrigue of explorers and history lovers for more than 150 years.

Franklin made his last heroic foray into the Arctic in 1845 with two ships and 128 men, never to be heard from again. Franklin’s crew became locked in the ice during a doomed search for the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. All crew members eventually died, though there’s evidence to suggest some may have survived for several years.

Many searches throughout the 19th century attempted to find the lost ships, but the mystery of what happened to Sir John Franklin and his men had never been solved. Inuit testimony from the late 1840’s claimed one ship sank in deep water west of King William Island.

A new chapter in history was written in 2014 when a Canadian expedition located the final resting place of one of Franklin’s ‘lost ships,’ HMS Erebus in the frigid waters of the Victoria Strait. The second vessel, HMS Terror was located two years later.

“The beauty of where they found the wreck is proof positive of Inuit oral history,” said CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge, who had covered the Franklin search for many years.

“The Inuit have said for generations that one of their hunters saw a ship in that part of the passage, abandoned and ended up wrecking…. It’s exactly where they said it was.”

More at BBC News

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to choose the best Arctic cruise for you

Falkland Islands – South Georgia – Antarctic Peninsula

Few places compare to South Georgia and the Falklands when it comes to exotic wildlife and jaw-dropping scenery. On this voyage you can enjoy both, visiting the world’s largest black-browed albatross colony while also seeing some of the biggest breeding spots for king penguins and elephant seals on earth – along with day after day of amazing polar scenery.

This journey will introduce you to at least 6 species of penguin and a whole lot of Antarctic fur seals. For avid birders there will be at least one expedition guide to share their expert knowledge and to help you identify and photograph the birds that you see. 

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Active in Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula Basecamp expedition offers you a myriad of ways to explore and enjoy Antarctica. This alpine environment offers great opportunities to scout the region on foot, by zodiac or by kayak, allowing you to hike, snowshoe, go mountaineering, and even camp out under the Southern Polar skies.

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Emperor Penguins by Helicopter

A true expedition, our Weddell Sea cruise sets out to explore the range of the Emperor Penguins near Snow Hill Island and see a variety of other birds and penguins including Adélies and Gentoos. The thrilling helicopter flights make this search possible, enabling you to land in locations otherwise inaccessible.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker if polar wildlife is on your list

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Our ultimate goal, while travelling through these ecologically sensitive areas, is to protect the polar regions 

• by promoting polar awareness and protecting the wildlife 
• by waste reduction & removal
• by using clean burning fuel and reducing fuel consumption where possible 
• and by assisting scientific research 

Because, while these areas are too good not to share, they are also too precious not to protect.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker if polar wildlife is on your list

Day 1: Punta Arenas, Chile

Day 2: Ainsworth Bay – Tuckers Islets/Brookes Glacier

Day 3: Pia Glacier – Glacier Alley

Day 4: Cape Horn – Wulaia Bay

Day 5: Ushuaia, Argentina

This voyage is also offered in reverse and can be combined with a visit to Torres del Paine National Park to explore the Torres Massif, Lago Grey and Grey Glacier on guided walks, hikes and by horseback.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to get onboard

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Day 1 Depart Punta Arenas

After boarding, a welcome toast and introduction of captain and crew, the ship departs and during the night we cross the Strait of Magellan and enter the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

Day 2 Ainsworth Bay & Tuckers Islets

By dawn the ship is sailing up Admiralty Sound, a spectacular offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snowcapped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park stretch along the north side of the sound, while the south shore is defined by the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park.

We go ashore at Ainsworth Bay, which harbors copious bird life and a colony of southern elephant seals which can sometimes be spotted from the Zodiacs.

Continue west along the sound to the Tucker Islets (seasonal). After lunch, we board the Zodiacs again for a close-up view of the Magellan penguins. More than 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a place to nest, give birth and nurture their chicks.

Day 3 Pia Glacier & Glacier Alley

Continue around the western end of Tierra del Fuego and enter the Beagle Channel. By morning we are entering Pia Fjord and boarding the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier. After disembarking we take a short hike for a view of the spectacular glacier, or choose a longer walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier.

Then sail east through an area called Glacier Alley. Living up to its name, the passage features a number of impressive tidewater glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet.

Day 4 Wulaia Bay & Cape Horn

In the early morning we navigate the narrow Murray Channel and drop anchor at historic Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where the human history is just as compelling as the natural environment.

Originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements, the bay was described by Charles Darwin and sketched by Captain FitzRoy in the 1830s during their voyages on the HMS Beagle. After a visit to the museum in the old radio station you have a choice of three hikes, again depending on your fitness level. On all of these you will be strolling through an enchanted Magellan forest of lengas, coigües, canelos, ferns, and other endemic fauna to reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay.

In the afternoon we cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we shall go ashore on the windswept island that harbors legendary Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos), a sheer 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lightkeeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument.

Day 5 Ushuaia

The following morning we sail into Argentine waters and dock in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city. Ushuaia which was founded in 1884 and was one of the original points of contact between the indigenous Yámana and European cultures.

With around 65,000 inhabitants, Ushuaia is the second largest city in Tierra del Fuego and is surrounded by the Southernmost Andes peaks. Among its highlights is the maritime museum housed inside a former penitentiary. The city is also good for shopping – especially locally made chocolate – or hanging out in its many cafes.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to get onboard

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At the end of the world lies more than just beauty: glaciers, majestic mountains, turquoise lakes and gauchos dot this mythical land. Patagonia’s dramatic landscapes are a feast for the eyes, either on dry land, or through fjords and glaciers.

For centuries, explorers arrived in Patagonia believing that they had reached the gates of the unknown Terra Australis, a legendary continent located at the extreme southern end of the world. Just like then, Patagonia remains largely unknown and wild, and practically uninhabited. It is distinguished by its jagged mountain peaks and majestic glaciers, pristine rivers, turquoise lakes, and fjords, and is blessed with an abundance of wildlife on land and in the waters of these dramatic straits.

Among the wildlife species most often encountered are elephant seals, Andean condors, and penguins.  Humpback whales, dolphins and sea lions are common marine mammals, with the most elusive being the fearsome leopard seal. Birdlife is rich and varied, from the iconic Albatross, Kelp Goose and Caracara falcon to the little Magellan and majestic King Penguins.

Fabled Cape Horn sits on a windswept island just above the Drake Passage, where turbulent waters from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans converge. It was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and in 2016 celebrated the 400th anniversary of its discovery by Dutch mariners searching for a new route to Asia.

History

Patagonia was occupied around 8000 years ago by semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers. The Kawésqar or Alakalufes, the Aónikenk or Patagones, the Sélknam and the Yaganes all co-existed and adapted to the harsh living conditions, incorporating rich religious and artistic expression. Of these ethnic groups, only a few dozen descendants still survive.

Today the main settlements are Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas, which was founded in 1848 as a penal colony.

At the end of the nineteenth century large sheep ranches were established on the expansive pampa, fueled by the demand for wool by the British textile industry. Many Estancias remain today, home to the Gaucho who is responsible for the tasks on the ranch. An expert rider, he is also skilled in the use of the Boleadoras, a weapon composed of rocks joined by lines of leather used by the ancient Tehuelches.

In 1520, Magellan lead the first western expedition to the south of Latin America. This Portuguese explorer discovered a natural passage that connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Strait of Magellan became the most important route between the two oceans.

Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America, was discovered in 1616 by Jacob Le Maire, a Dutch businessman and explorer searching for an alternative to the Strait of Magellan and looking to establish a commercial route to Asia. In addition to its famous Albatross Monument, the island harbors a lighthouse, chapel and wooden walkways across a landscape with many rare and unusual plants.

The Cape remains a maritime legend to this day, as sailing around this remote point and then through the Drake Passage was (and is) one of the most challenging nautical routes on the planet. The violent stretch of chaotic water between Antarctica and South America, frequented by icebergs, huge waves and plagued by gale-force winds, is crossed by sailors with great trepidation. Many still prefer to use the sheltered Strait of Magellan.

Le Maire was followed by Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist in 1799,  then by Robert Fitz Roy and Charles Darwin in 1831, both English scientists and most recently the Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton in the early 20th century.

Contact Small Ship Cruise Specialist, Christine Boecker to get onboard