All Aboard The Ocean Endeavour — A Journey to The Land of The Midnight Sun
The far north is one of those places most wonder about yet never witness. Not knowing what to expect, I embarked on Adventure Canada’s Greenland and Arctic Canada: High Arctic Explorer trip, and now I am here to say it is an adventure of a lifetime.
Our journey to some of the most otherworldly places on the planet began with a charter flight to Resolute, Nunavut, or Qausuittuq, meaning “place with no dawn.”
ABOVE: Arctic cotton in Cuming Inlet, Nunavut.
Stepping off the plane, it’s hard to believe you are still in Canada. The surrounding backdrop of Arctic desert mountains and crystal-clear water feels otherworldly. Our time in Resolute began a journey into the region of powerful ice, midnight sun, surreal mountains, marine wildlife, and strong Inuit communities. From day one, Adventure Canada reminds travellers of their role as guests in the High Arctic, and their leave-no-trace approach.
The Ocean Endeavour was a comfortable base for our 12 days of adventure and education, carrying 198 passengers, an expedition team, and a crew. The group is small compared to other cruise ships, fostering a strong sense of community along the way. Each day, knowledgeable people with strong connections to our destinations led expeditions, and an impressive group of experts on archaeology, biodiversity, history, Inuit culture, geology, and more shared their expertise.
ABOVE: The remains of the Northumberland House on Beechey Island.
Resolute Bay is thrilling for nature lovers, wildlife fanatics, history buffs, anyone really! We set out in zodiac boats and cruised by Mars-like views and diving seals to Beechey Island, an eerie arctic historical site.
Resolute Bay is named after the H.M.S. Resolute, a British Royal Navy ship sent to search for the failed Franklin expedition. To this day, Beechey Island has traces of the nearly 50 expeditions that were launched in search of the Franklin party. Northumberland House, now dilapidated by the environment, tells the story of the many ship crews that wintered in Resolute in the 1800s and 1900s, beginning with Sir John Franklin’s in 1845-46. On the other side of the tiny island lay the graves of three crewmen who died over that winter.
ABOVE: The fog lifts above a waterfall on Bylot Island.
In the far north, the environment is unpredictable, but that is the beauty of it. The wind, the fog, and the waves remind you how small you are on this planet. Every voyage in the Arctic is different, but each day, Adventure Canada’s expert expedition leaders take advantage of the opportunities presented by the conditions.
Everywhere the Ocean Endeavour anchored told its own remarkable story. In Nunavut the ship anchored in Port Leopold, Croker Bay, Bylot Island, Cuming Inlet, and Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) before sailing through the Davis Strait to Greenland. The vast ice floes were highly hospitable to wildlife, awarding us the pleasure of seeing walruses, seals, beluga whales, polar bears, and seabirds.
ABOVE: A humpback whale welcomes us to Ilulissat. (PHOTO: Meg Langlais)
A zodiac ride in Port Leopold brought us to barren grounds coated in orange moss and Arctic poppies, an old wooden house showing a trace of human existence. Further down the shore, past bouts of blue ice and a lake shimmering in the sun, the expedition team discovered the site of Inuit camping homes from hundreds of years ago. Surrounding each depression in the ground were colourful arctic flowers, displaying the beautiful connection between human history and nature. “Where there are plants, there were people,” remarked trip archaeologist Kaylee Baxter.
ABOVE: Beautifully barren – an abandoned HBC trading post in Port Leopold.
Zodiac cruises took us gliding through the sea, by towering cliffs inhabited by kingdoms of seabirds. Thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, and black guillemots soared down to the water in search of fish — quite the performance!
In Croker Bay, we saw firsthand the majesty of ice. We were amazed by the sight of the South Croker Bay Glacier, proceeding from the Devon Ice Cap, appearing through our windows at breakfast.
We spent the morning cruising by it, listening to the cracking of the ice and were lucky enough to watch it calve. The glacier was big, but we learned how it used to be much bigger; a lesson in how vulnerable the Arctic is to climate change.
ABOVE: Ocean Endeavour looking small beside icebergs in Ilulissat.
The wildlife and Inuit people of the Arctic are affected by climate change in ways that others are not. Up north, there is growing concern about accelerated changes to the land, altering the movement of ice and wildlife that serve as food and material. The chance to see only a glimpse of life in the Arctic and have meaningful conversations with Inuit people awoke a newfound environmentalism within all of us.
Hiking on Devon Island is a dream come true for nature-loving travellers. Alongside the canyons of Cuming Inlet, we trekked uphill to find a rushing glacier river. The absence of human inhabitancy was evident: the air was clean, and the cold water was transparent. Out of breath, we refreshed ourselves with water from the stream.
ABOVE: Polar bear wake-up call in Croker Bay. (Photo: Meg Langlais)
Every day was a contradictory coupling of relaxation and spontaneity — calm that came with being connected to nature and the thrill and wonder of adventure. It pushed a group of passengers to challenge themselves to try things for the first time, like the famous polar dip in four-degree water. It was an exhilarating shock to the system.
Our time in Nunavut concluded with a visit to the community of Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) where we were warmly welcomed by the hospitable community. We drank tea with Inuit elders, followed guides through the community, and took in a performance of drum dancing and throat singing. Adventure Canada and Mittimatalik have spent over 30 years building a close relationship, and each season, the tour company organizes fundraisers for the community.
ABOVE: View of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, from Ocean Endeavour’s hot tub.
On our way to Greenland, we sailed through the fog and sea ice in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait for two days. We spent our days on board enjoying the boat’s amenities: the sauna, the hot tub, the library, and evenings in the lounge with a cocktail and live music.
On the third day, we woke up in Ilulissat, Greenland. Ilulissat is the Kalaallisut word for “icebergs.” One look outside and it was obvious how the town got its name. On our way to shore, we cruised past icebergs the size of New York City blocks.
ABOVE: The Ilulissat Icefjord, “where Earth meets ice,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Two hundred fifty kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, the famous Greenland Icecap reaches the sea at the Ilulissat Icefjord. A world-famous boardwalk leads to green cliffs hugged by vegetation, overlooking miles of sparkling white ice. The Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier is one of the most active and fastest moving in the world, calving more than 35 cubic kilometres of icebergs each year. The glacier plays a critical role in scientific research surrounding icecap glaciology and climate change. In 2004, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Before the boardwalk stands the Icefjord Centre, a museum with interactive exhibits that tell the story of Greenlandic nature, culture, and appreciation of ice. Two kilometres north of the Icefjord is the frequently visited town of Ilulissat, a vibrant village populated by a nearly equal number of humans and sled dogs.
ABOVE: The town of Sisimiut, Greenland.
Our final day was spent in Sisimiut, the second-largest city in Greenland after Nuuk. A change of scenery compared to icy Ilulissat; warm currents keep it ice-free year-round. Here, we took the time to learn about the history of Greenland, visiting local museums and tasting traditional Greenlandic food: muskox soup, narwhal muktuk, snow crab, and more.
We said goodbye to Greenland and the breathtaking Kangerlussuaq, home to one of the longest fjords in the world. My final night was spent in the hot tub, alongside memorable people, marvelling at the dramatic, glacial-carved mountains. For the first time in nearly two weeks, we watched a sunset.
ABOVE: Lake in Sisimiut, Greenland.
An Adventure Canada journey is life-changing. You will leave with calmness in your heart, an appreciation for new ends of the Earth, a deeper understanding of Inuit culture, and a newfound sense of urgency for the state of the environment.
The only way to fully understand the impact of a trip to the Arctic is to experience it. Adventure Canada works hard to curate that special experience for every guest.
Since 1987, family-run Adventure Canada has strived to bring explorers where roads don’t reach, and lights don’t appear on the map. Founders Dave Freeze, Bill Swan, and Matthew Swan started Adventure Canada by running tours to awe-inspiring, remote places of the world untouched by human industrialization.
The expeditions were land-based hiking trips until Matthew Swan received a phonebook cold call from the Art Gallery of Ontario, asking if he would lead 50 people to Cape Dorset (Kinngait). Coincidentally, he had received a call from a ship owner not long before offering him the opportunity to charter an old Russian research vessel.
The timing of the two events was fate, and Swan took the opportunity to lead his first cruise. Adventure Canada has since grown to be a leader in cruise-style expeditions that offer a strong sense of community and hospitality. In 2015, management of the company was passed onto Swan’s children, Cedar, Alana, and John.
Alana Bradley-Swan was our host for the 2023 Greenland and Arctic Canada: High Arctic Explorer expedition and spoke of her pride in the team of extraordinary Adventure Canada staffers: “As host, I enjoy curating the experience and building a solid team that can provide that depth of knowledge to our guests.” Bradley-Swan explained how “They have an open mind and are connected to our destinations.”
While sailing through Inuit territory, a wonderful group of Inuit staff from communities in Nunavut to Northern Labrador took the time to share their culture with the guests on board every day, providing an important cultural element of awareness. We were lucky to have them as guides, polar bear guards, educators, and friends.
ABOVE: Midnight Sun in Nunavut, 11:30 p.m.
Sharing meals, expeditions, and common spaces with under 200 people builds connection quickly and leaves you with lifelong friends. Bradley-Swan says, “When you travel on a small ship, it fosters an immediate sense of camaraderie among the guests, expedition staff, and the crew.” She describes another benefit of the small-ship experience, “In our Arctic destinations, because you can’t get here by road, people feel that element of the unknown, being in a small group close together provides a feeling of safety.”
Adventure Canada’s vision is a world where people are well because of tourism, not despite it. It is an interesting conflict to visit some of the most untouched places in the world while understanding that travel poses threats to the environment.
With a commitment to carbon neutrality, low waste operations, and contribution to cultural preservation and revitalization projects, Adventure Canada follows a Regenerative Travel Strategic Plan as a road map to their goals.
“Seeing the destinations that we visit gives people a better understanding of Canada. It’s an educational immersion that you wouldn’t get any other way. I think travelling in our time with an awareness of climate change and coming up to these regions increases your ambassadorship to making a difference on the planet,” Bradley-Swan said. “Our company is in favour of the balance between conservation, protection, and tourism. If it is done properly, it is important that travellers see very vulnerable places.”
Behold the staggering beauty of the High Arctic — the illuminated water and sky all hours of the night, colourful culture and communities, otherworldly landscapes, and captivating wildlife — on an Adventure Canada expedition.
To find your trip with Adventure Canada, visit www.adventurecanada.com or call 1-800-363-7566.
Photos: Unless otherwise stated, all photos Chloë Hayes.
