The Northwest Passage by expedition ship: Franklin's route through Arctic Canada, narwhal waters and Inuit communities.
By the Arctic we mean the wider high Arctic reached by expedition ship, and above all Canada's Northwest Passage: the sea route through the islands of Nunavut that defeated Franklin and took Amundsen three years. Voyages run for about two and a half weeks in late summer, when the ice opens.
A typical voyage starts with a charter flight from Toronto to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, crosses Davis Strait and works west through Lancaster Sound, past Beechey Island and Bellot Strait, to Cambridge Bay or Kugluktuk. Along the way, Inuit communities welcome ships ashore.
The caveats are time and ice. Routes change daily with conditions, and landings are never guaranteed. For a shorter European Arctic trip with scheduled flights, see our Svalbard page. Voyages into the Russian Arctic are not something we book.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
Franklin's crews overwintered at Beechey Island in 1845 to 1846, and three men are buried on the stony shore. Later searchers left a fourth grave and the ruins of Northumberland House, a stone depot. It is a national historic site and a quiet, affecting landing, best heard with a historian on board.
Tallurutiup Imanga, or Lancaster Sound, is a protected area where nutrients concentrate Arctic wildlife. Narwhal, beluga and bowhead whales move through the channels, seabirds wheel above the cliffs of Devon Island and polar bears patrol the ice edge. Spend time on deck here with binoculars.
Bellot Strait, Ikirahaq in Inuktitut, is a narrow channel about two kilometres wide at the northern tip of mainland North America. Tides race through between granite walls, and seals and belugas sometimes feed in the current. Ice often decides whether a ship can pass, which is part of the drama.
Gjoa Haven is the community closest to the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site, the first national historic site jointly managed by Inuit and Parks Canada. Inuit knowledge helped find the wrecks. The wrecks themselves are protected, so the visit is about the community and its stories.
Sirmilik National Park, near Pond Inlet on north Baffin Island, is a landscape of glaciers, valleys and red-rock hoodoo spires, with seabird colonies on the cliffs of Bylot Island. Some eastern Arctic voyages call here instead of, or as well as, the full Passage. Community guides from Pond Inlet often lead walks ashore.
Iqaluktuuttiaq, or Cambridge Bay, on Victoria Island is where many voyages end. It is a working Inuit community and home to the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. Time ashore usually includes local art, a walk on the tundra and conversation with residents. Buy carvings directly from the artist where you can.
On a Passage voyage the ship is home for more than two weeks, so cabin choice matters. Pick an ice-class ship with Zodiacs, a strong expedition team and Inuit guides and cultural staff. Before and after, a night in Toronto and one in Yellowknife smooth the charter flights.
We match each trip in The Arctic to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsSample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
A night in Oslo and one in Longyearbyen, then nine nights on an expedition ship circling Spitsbergen in the midnight sun, looking for polar bears along the pack ice, walrus on the beaches and seabird cliffs in Hinlopen Strait.
The Arctic sailing season is short. Eastern Arctic voyages along Baffin Island and West Greenland run from July, while full Northwest Passage voyages sail in the narrow window from late August into September, once the channels have cleared enough for ice-class ships.
Ice conditions vary from year to year, so expedition leaders reroute daily. Book 12 months or more ahead: there are few departures each season and the most popular cabins go first.
A late-summer voyage from West Greenland to western Nunavut, with a night in Toronto before the northbound charter and one in Yellowknife after the southbound flight. 18 nights.
Fly direct from Heathrow, about 8 hours, and stay near the airport ready for an early charter.
Fly north to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland and board your ship by Zodiac in the long fjord.
Sisimiut and Ilulissat, with the icebergs of Disko Bay, before the ship turns west.
A sea day of lectures on Inuit history, ice and wildlife, with seabirds following the ship.
Zodiac cruises along the cliffs of Devon Island and watch for narwhal, beluga and bowhead whales.
Walk among the Franklin graves, then thread Bellot Strait at the tip of North America if ice allows.
Four days shaped by ice and weather, usually including a visit to Gjoa Haven and tundra landings.
Time ashore in Iqaluktuuttiaq, meeting residents and artists and walking on the tundra.
Disembark at Kugluktuk, where the Coppermine River meets the sea, and fly by charter to Yellowknife.
A night in Yellowknife, then fly via Toronto for the overnight flight to London.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for The Arctic (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
Fly direct from Heathrow to Toronto, about 8 hours. The voyage then starts with a charter flight to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland and ends with a charter from Kugluktuk or Cambridge Bay to Yellowknife. Operators sell these flights separately, so budget for them.
UK passport holders flying to Canada currently need an eTA. The voyage also calls in Greenland, which the FCDO covers on its Denmark page. Read the FCDO entry requirements for Canada (opens in a new tab) before you book.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for The Arctic (opens in a new tab)
You are far from hospitals for weeks, and operators require medical evacuation insurance. Pack layers for cold and wind, and seasickness remedies for open-water crossings. Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page.
Nunavut uses the Canadian dollar. Bring some cash for buying art in communities, where card machines may not be available.
Assume you will be offline. Ships use satellite internet, and some include a basic allowance with paid upgrades. Mobile coverage exists in some communities but not at sea.
Crew gratuities are often not included in the fare and are paid at the end of the voyage. We confirm your ship's guidance before you sail.
Svalbard is a compact archipelago with scheduled flights and a town at each end, and it suits a week. The Northwest Passage is a voyage of two and a half weeks across the Canadian Arctic, with charter flights, Inuit communities and a strong history thread. See our [Svalbard page](/destinations/polar/svalbard) for the European option.
There is a good chance on a Passage voyage, usually from the ship or a Zodiac on the ice edge, but no guarantee. Wildlife moves with the ice, and expedition leaders prioritise safe distances. Narwhal and bowhead are harder to find than bears.
Not with us. North Pole and Franz Josef Land voyages have traditionally run through Russia, and we do not book travel in the Russian Arctic. For the high Arctic, we recommend the Northwest Passage, Svalbard or Greenland instead.
Much of the voyage is enjoyed from the ship, but landings involve Zodiac transfers and uneven ground. If you can step into a boat with help from the crew and walk short distances on rough terrain, you will manage most of it. Tell us about any needs early.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: August and September.
The high Arctic three hours from Oslo: glaciers, walrus and polar bear country, reached on a scheduled flight.
Icebergs the size of towns, an ice sheet you can drive to and Inuit communities, four hours from Copenhagen.
Glacier lakes in the Rockies, whales off Vancouver Island and polar bears on Hudson Bay, each in its own short season.
The Antarctic Peninsula by small expedition ship from Ushuaia: penguin colonies, blue ice and landings by inflatable boat.
