Québec’s premier city, overnight

Your adventure starts in Montréal, the largest city in the beautiful province of Québec, and the second most populous city in Canada. Occupying the Island of Montréal and its surroundings, the city is a hub for Canadian history and culture with a modern cosmopolitan feel, infused with both French and British influences. If you arrive a few days ahead of your cruise, you’ll find plenty to see and do in this lively city.

Discover shopping, cuisine, and culture in the city’s exciting downtown area, marvel at Notre-Dame Basilica while exploring the historic streets of Old Montréal, or find a kaleidoscope of color and quirks in the city’s buzzing Plateau district. Montréal is also famous for its year-round festive atmosphere, thanks to a calendar full of events.

For those looking to satisfy their inner foodie, Montréal is one of the finest cities in Canada for its diverse food markets, range of restaurants, and charming café culture. Make sure to treat yourself to local delicacies, including smoked meats, freshly baked bagels, and maple candy, washed down with a beer from one of the many craft breweries in the city.

Add some extra time and join our optional half-day Montréal Sightseeing & Savoir-Vivre Tour. You’ll see how culturally diverse the city really is, and visit the landmarks that make it such a unique place. We’ll also stop to pick up some of Montréal’s famous bagels, and swing by Little Italy to enjoy a tasting of local produce at the popular Jean-Talon market.

Enjoy all that Montréal has to offer before heading out the next morning to the airport to fly north to Cambridge Bay where your adventure aboard the MS Fram will begin.

A Good Fishing Place

In the morning, you’ll fly from Montréal to Cambridge Bay, where your expedition ship MS Fram awaits you.

Cambridge Bay is a hamlet with fewer than 2,000 residents. There’s a clue to the region’s hunting and fishing heritage in the name: Cambridge Bay in Inuinnaqtun is called ‘Iqaluktuuttiaq’ meaning a ‘good fishing place.’ Fly-fishing for giant char in the river nearby remains a draw to this day.

The abundant wildlife is also an obvious point of attraction for explorers. Others come to visit the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, a world-class center for studying climate change and all things Arctic.

It’s only fitting for your expedition to start here, where Arctic explorers of old often sheltered while seeking the Northwest Passage. Now you can add your name to that illustrious list, which, of course, includes the legendary Roald Amundsen.

After checking in and picking up your complimentary expedition jacket, you’ll have time to get acquainted with your cabin and explore the ship. There is also a mandatory safety drill held every 30 minutes before our departure, allowing you to pick a time that’s convenient for you.

The evening’s dinner—the first of many on board—ends with a toast by the Captain wishing everyone an enjoyable expedition. You’ll then meet the Expedition Team in a separate welcome session where you’ll learn important health and safety information.

They’ll also review important guidelines from AECO, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators. You’ll learn how you can protect wildlife habitats, that you should keep a safe distance from animals, and how to visit Arctic communities in a proper and respectful way.

Heart of the Northwest Passage

We aim to head into the heart of the Northwest Passage. Since the late 15th century, the search for this fabled seaway through the Canadian Arctic was a holy grail for hardy adventurers.

John Cabot led the first recorded voyage here in 1497. James Cook attempted but failed to sail it in 1776, and many may have heard about the ill-fated Franklin expedition of 1845. The first to conquer the Northwest Passage by ship was Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, on an expedition lasting from 1903 to 1906.

Sea ice varies from year to year, making every expedition here unique. We hope to show you some of the following places:

Gjoa Haven honors the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who wintered here in 1903 on the Gjøa expedition. He called the place ‘the finest little harbor in the world.’ He learned a great deal from local Netsilik Inuit people about survival and travel in the polar regions. These skills were instrumental in helping Amundsen become the first man to reach the South Pole, almost a decade later.

Fort Ross was established in 1937. The Canadian Coast Guard maintains two small huts ashore, which are occasionally used by the local Inuit people for shelter. It was one of Hudson’s Bay Company’s few trading posts in the Canadian Arctic.

Beechey Island is closely linked to the history of exploration of the Northwest Passage, particularly the voyage led by Sir John Franklin, whose two ships sailed into the passage in 1845, but never returned. The Franklin Expedition was known to have over-wintered here in 1845 and three of his men are buried here.

Radstock Bay is dominated by the striking rock of Caswell Tower. The shoreline here is excellent for a short walk to a prehistoric Inuit site. Caswell Tower itself features a challenging hike to the summit for great views.

Dundas Harbour is an abandoned settlement with an old Royal Canadian Mounted Police camp and Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, together with several archeological sites from the Thule period.

Set on the picturesque Eclipse Sound with Bylot Island in the distance, Pond Inlet, called ‘Mittimatalik’ in Inuktitut, is a traditional Inuit community on Baffin Island. Pond Inlet is surrounded by mountain ranges, with glaciers, scenic fjords, ice caves, geological hoodoos, and drifting icebergs to marvel at.

Throughout the journey, we’ll be sailing through spellbindingly scenic straits and on the constant lookout for wildlife such as the mighty polar bear.

Crossing the Davis Strait

It’s time to leave Canada behind and set our course for Greenland. While sailing across Baffin Bay, don’t miss the Expedition Team’s ongoing informative lectures. Their topics may include the wildlife you might see in Greenland, Greenlandic culture, expedition photography, geology, and famous explorers throughout history. 

Feel like being more active? Hit up the gym and get your blood pumping. Don’t forget you’ll have access to the sauna and two outdoor hot tubs. Drinks can also be enjoyed in the panoramic Explorer Lounge & Bar, where you can watch the rhythmic waves of the ocean roll by.

Birthplace of Icebergs

Ilulissat (translated simply as ‘Icebergs’) is set in the stunning scenery of the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This gem of a town stands out for its colorful houses sitting along the fjord, which features an ever-changing gallery of icebergs. This place is truly picture perfect.

It’s also a vibrant hub for adventure seekers who head out onto the polar ice sheet. There are almost as many sled dogs living here as people. Each spring, one of the world’s greatest dog sled races takes place here, with 100 sleds participating.

Just outside the town, you can often see enormous icebergs floating in the deep blue waters. They originate from the Jakobshavn Glacier, which calves some 35 billion tons of icebergs each year. The icebergs make their way down the 12-mile fjord before entering Disko Bay. They are a nature photographer’s dream.

You won’t just see these chiseled masses of ice up close, you’ll also hear them. Their cracks, rumbles, and creaks echo throughout the fjord as they bump into one another and into the shores.

If those noises are drums, the crumble, crash, and splash of ice calving from the icebergs into the waters below are the cymbals. Take a moment to sit, watch, and listen to the icebergs in these beautiful surroundings.

Modern settlement, ancient traditions

Located in a spectacular letting, Greenland’s second-largest city, Sisimiut, sits 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle in the central coastal area of the Davis Strait. It’s a modern settlement, but its roots stretch far back, with some estimates dating more than 4,500 years.

Sisimiut’s name translates into ‘the people at the fox holes’, a reference to the Arctic fox many burrows that lie near the city. Another local animal is the musk ox, whose wool is used to make a local fabric called qiviut—said to be 10 times warmer than sheep wool. You might like to pick up a qiviut scarf, hat, or mittens while you are here.

With a population of around 5,500, Sisimiut is an important regional hub. Boats heading between Nuuk and Disko Bay area frequently use it as a stopover point, with many coming here to enjoy backcountry sports like skiing or dog sledding on the Greenland ice sheet.

The small museum here houses artifacts from excavations of ancient Saqqaq settlements near the town, some up to 4,000 years old. You can also visit the Taseralik Cultural Center, the perfect place to learn about the area’s cultural heritage.

If you’re fit and healthy, join an optional 4- to 5-hour hike up Palaasip Qaqqa, a steady but steep climb to over 1,640 feet above sea level. The effort on the way up is well rewarded with unique views of Greenland’s exceptional scenery.

The Capital of Greenland

Nuuk was settled in 1728, making it the oldest settlement in the nation. Although Greenland’s capital is classed as a city, fewer than 17,000 people call it home. ‘Nuuk’ means peninsula, as it is located at the mouth of a system of spectacular fjords and mountains.

The first thing you’ll notice about this low-rise settlement is its colorful houses. The red, green, blue, and yellow buildings are a striking contrast to the icy black and white backdrop of the mountains.

Today, Nuuk combines old and new traditions. The old picturesque buildings dotting the fjord’s edge give way to ultra-modern architecture in the Greenlandic Parliament and the wave-shaped Katuaq Cultural Center.

Visit the oldest building in Greenland at Hans Egede’s House, constructed in 1721 by the Norwegian missionary who is credited with founding the city. As you roam the city, keep an eye out for a statue and the church bearing his name.

The red-painted Nuuk Cathedral and its typical Lutheran clock tower and steeple is worth a visit, too. Drop by the Greenland National Museum to see the Qilakitsoq mummies or admire local paintings at the Nuuk Art Museum.

We’ll also be offering a long hike through Paradise Valley and around Mt. Lille Malene as part of an optional excursion. As you follow a path formed by old reindeer tracks, you’ll bask in splendid views of the Greenlandic coast and pass by a small lake and natural springs.

There are also a range of restaurants in Nuuk to satisfy all tastes, some of which feature local delicacies such musk ox, seal soup, and snow crab. Rather just have a coffee? There are several excellent cafés serving hot drinks and snacks like burgers and Danish pastries.

Expedition day

The Kvanefjord is a fjord stretching 30 miles along the west coast of Greenland in the Sermersooq district, which means ‘place of much ice’. The fjord extends over six miles inland before branching into three smaller channels, each with a glacier at its head.

Today, we’ll explore this amazing fjord and the captain will search for places to drop anchor and head ashore. There will be plenty of opportunities to watch for wildlife, either from the deck or on land, or perhaps you’d just like to stretch your legs and enjoy the stunning scenery.

Then Kvanefjord is also close to Kvanefjeld, an area with one of the largest concentrations of rare-earth mineral deposits in the world. Recent surveys even estimate that a quarter of the world’s rare-earth minerals lie within these hills.

The Kvanefield site is particularly noteworthy for its concentrations of uranium and the fabled Greenlandic ruby, the tugtupite (meaning ‘reindeer blood’). Cerium, lanthanum, and other precious metals are also found here, which are crucial to modern technology like smartphones, electric cars, and MRI machines.

Labrador Sea

Today you’ll have time to relax and make full use of the facilities on board. In the Science Center, the Expedition Team will hold lectures on the wildlife and ecosystems of the Arctic. 

We also support a number of Citizen Science projects that you can join. These projects include Happywhale, where your photographs help identify and track the movement of specific whales across the planet, identified from their distinguishing characteristics.

You may also join the GLOBE Observer project, which combines your observations of clouds and sky conditions with satellite data. By participating in these projects, not only will you be supporting the scientific community, you’ll also be gaining better understanding of the world around you.

Canada’s hidden history

Red Bay is a former Basque whaling settlement on the coast of southern Labrador in the Strait of Belle Isle. You might catch a glimpse of humpback or minke whales, which first drew Basque whalers to this harbour back in the 17th century. For about 70 years, these fishermen hunted whales and exported their refined oil back to Europe.

But not all the whaling ships were able to reach Red Bay’s shores. Wrecked chalupas and galleons are just some of the ships that have been found preserved in the surrounding ice-cold waters. These discoveries make Red Bay one of the most important underwater archeological sites in the world.

On your visit to this fascinating town, make sure to visit the local museum, which is part of the Red Bay National Historic Site. Here, you can see an 26-foot chalupa (a small whale-hunting boat) and imagine life as a Basque whaler on the Labrador Sea.

You can also look for whale bones in the protected National Historic Site, or even search for the buried treasure of pirate Captain Kidd around Tracey Hill. You might not find any gold doubloons, but you’ll certainly be rewarded with a fantastic view.

In the wake of Captain James Cook

As you sail into the Bay of Islands, surrounded by the jagged slopes and dense forests of the Long Range Mountains, you’ll chart the same course as Captain James Cook over 250 years ago.

Our next stop is Corner Brook, at the mouth of the Humber River. This is the second-largest city in the Newfoundland and Labrador province, after St. John’s. While St. John’s is trendy and international, Corner Brook is definitely traditional and local.

The Corner Brook Museum will give you a sense of the regional history. There are a number of artifacts that illustrate the indigenous cultures of the region, the logging industry here, and of course, Captain James Cook. One particularly fascinating exhibit is on World War II brides from England and Scotland.

We offer an optional excursion up to Crow Hill, home of the Captain James Cook National Historic Site. Standing where the famous British Explorer once stood to survey the area, you’ll have pleasant views over the city. Make sure to grab a photo with the statue of the man himself.

Other optional excursions include a guided hike along a portion of the Corner Brook Stream Trail. Or get your adrenaline flowing by zip-lining high up over the scenic Humber Valley while admiring views of Marble Mountain and Steady Brook Falls.

When the time comes to set sail again, a local band might just come aboard and treat us to a performance, sending us off with true Corner Brook hospitality.

Coming to a close

It’s our final day at sea and your expedition cruise is drawing to a triumphant close. You might like to spend this day at sea just fully unwinding from the excitement of the past two weeks.

Your thoughts might naturally turn to home, or maybe you’ll find that you’ll have already left a piece if your heart back in one of the special places you visited. Spend some time reflecting on and taking stock of all the wonderful experiences you’ve had.

The Expedition Team will likely be in a similar mood. Join them as they fondly recap the highlights of the thrilling cruise we’ve shared together. You’ll probably have a few hundred photos to sift through of the scenic landscapes, activities, and memories you’ve experienced!

Arriving in Boston

Your expedition cruise through the Northwest Passage ends in Boston. This thriving city is one of the major cities on the east coast and a fitting place to end your Northwest Passage experience.

Boston’s rich history can be felt throughout its many districts, with grand colonial-era buildings intermixing with a modern downtown. Revolutionary history abounds, along with some of the world’s most respected and influential universities. This is the perfect visit before you head home.