Self-Launched Northwest Passage: Canadian Arctic & Greenland Arctic Expedition

Fly independently into Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport (KEF). Exodus's package bundles a charter flight and hotel — you can do better booking your own transatlantic flight. Stay in a well-rated Reykjavik hostel or guesthouse. Spend the day exploring the city: Hallgrímskirkja church, Harpa Concert Hall, the old harbour, and the lively Laugavegur street for dinner.

🚌Book your own flights to Reykjavik KEF independently — Icelandair, WOW-successor carriers, or via connections. Flybus airport transfer ~£22 each way.

🛏Kex Hostel or Loft Hostel Reykjavik — dorm from ~£30–£45/night, private room from ~£80–£100

• →Self-guided walk around Reykjavik old town and harbour (~free)
• →Visit Hallgrímskirkja church tower for panoramic views (~£8)
• →Explore the Settlement Exhibition (Landnámssýningin) for Viking history (~£12)
• →Browse Laugavegur street for local food and atmosphere

Take Air Greenland's scheduled service from Reykjavik (Domestic Airport, RKV) to Nuuk (~£300–£500 return if booked well in advance). On arrival, explore Nuuk briefly — Greenland's colourful capital perched on a fjord with the Sermitsiaq mountain backdrop. In the afternoon, board your independently booked Arctic expedition cruise. Operators such as Albatros Expeditions, One Ocean Expeditions, or Arctic Kingdom run Northwest Passage itineraries on small expedition ships at lower price points than Ultramarine.

🚌Air Greenland flight Reykjavik (RKV domestic) to Nuuk — ~£300–£500 per person if booked directly via airgreeland.com

🛏Aboard independent expedition cruise vessel (cabin included in cruise cost)

• →Explore Nuuk city centre and colourful colonial buildings (free)
• →Visit the Greenland National Museum (~£8) to see Inuit artefacts and the famous Qilakitsoq mummies
• →Board expedition vessel and attend safety briefings
• →Settle into your cabin and join welcome dinner on board

Set sail from Nuuk across the Davis Strait toward Baffin Island. Spend the day on deck scanning for seabirds — great black-backed gulls, black guillemots — and marine life. Attend onboard lectures from expedition staff (geologists, historians, polar biologists). Cross the Arctic Circle at 66°33′N. Most independent expedition cruise operators include expert-led presentations as part of the experience.

🚌At sea — included in cruise

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Deck wildlife watching — seabirds, potential whale and seal sightings (included)
• →Attend polar expert lecture series on Arctic history and ecology (included with cruise)
• →Cross Arctic Circle at 66°33′N — a milestone moment on deck
• →Relax in the ship's observation lounge watching for drifting ice

Arrive at Qikiqtarjuaq — the 'iceberg capital of Nunavut' — a small Inuit hamlet north of the Arctic Circle, gateway to Auyuittuq National Park. Join a community visit arranged by the ship. Hike up to the hilltop for sweeping panoramas of the hamlet and coastline. Look for inukshuks, ringed seals surfacing between ice floes, and icebergs trapped in the bay.

🚌Zodiac transfer to shore (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Zodiac landing at Qikiqtarjuaq community (included with cruise)
• →Guided community visit and cultural exchange with local Inuit residents (included)
• →Browse and purchase traditional Inuit handicrafts — parkas, carvings, local art
• →Hilltop hike with panoramic views of the community and icebergs (free)

Cruise north along the dramatic, mountainous east shore of Baffin Island to Isabella Bay, Canada's most significant summer feeding area for bowhead whales — a species that can live over 200 years. Launch Zodiacs to explore the bay at close range. If available through your cruise operator, join a sea kayaking excursion for an even more intimate encounter with icebergs and wildlife.

🚌At sea and Zodiac (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Zodiac cruise in Isabella Bay for bowhead whale spotting (included with cruise)
• →Sea kayaking among icebergs if available via cruise operator add-on (~£40–£80 extra)
• →Photography from outer decks of dramatic Arctic coastal scenery (free)
• →Attended wildlife watch with expedition naturalists on deck (included)

One of the most remote and rarely visited fjords on Earth — Icy Arm cuts 80km into northern Baffin Island with towering cliffs and pristine glaciers. Accessible only in summer when sea ice recedes. Helicopter flightseeing may be included or available as an add-on depending on your chosen cruise operator — check at booking. Zodiac cruises at sea level offer an equally thrilling perspective.

🚌Helicopter and Zodiac (confirm inclusion with chosen cruise operator)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Helicopter flightseeing over Icy Arm Fjord — included on some expedition vessels, or add-on (~£120–£200 extra depending on operator)
• →Zodiac cruise along the fjord walls for close-up glacier and wildlife viewing (included)
• →Wildlife spotting: polar bears, Arctic foxes, walrus, seals, guillemots, kittiwakes
• →Photography of towering Arctic cliffs and glacial formations

Enter Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound) — the gateway to the true Northwest Passage and one of the richest wildlife corridors in the Arctic. The surrounding landscape is an Inuit cultural landscape stretching back thousands of years. Hike ashore on Devon Island for stunning views across the sound. Attend onboard lectures about Inuit history and the ecology of this extraordinary marine ecosystem.

🚌At sea and Zodiac landings (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Shore landing on Devon Island for hiking and panoramic views (included)
• →Wildlife watching: narwhals, beluga whales, polar bears, Arctic seabirds
• →Onboard lecture: Inuit history and culture of the Northwest Passage (included)
• →Photography from outer decks of ice-strewn Lancaster Sound

Go ashore at Dundas Harbour, an evocative abandoned Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost on Devon Island. Explore remnant buildings from this remote Cold War-era Arctic sovereignty post. Continue to Croker Bay for Zodiac cruising among calving glaciers and tidewater ice — walrus frequent these waters, so keep cameras ready.

🚌Zodiac shore landings (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Shore landing at Dundas Harbour RCMP outpost — self-guided exploration (included with cruise)
• →Zodiac cruise at Croker Bay among calving glaciers (included)
• →Walrus watching from Zodiacs in Croker Bay waters
• →Photography of glacial textures, calving ice and Arctic coastal scenery

One of the most historically charged places in the Arctic — Beechey Island is where Sir John Franklin and his 128-man crew wintered in 1845–46 before vanishing forever. Visit the graves of crew members John Hartnell, William Braine, and John Torrington, maintained by Parks Canada. Take in the flat-topped plateau rising 244m above the icy shore. Continue to Prince Leopold Island for Zodiac cruising beneath towering seabird cliffs (thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black guillemots).

🚌Zodiac shore landings (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Shore landing at Beechey Island — visit Franklin Expedition National Historic Sites (included with cruise)
• →Visit graves of Franklin crew members — a profound moment of Arctic history
• →Zodiac cruise around Prince Leopold Island seabird cliffs (included)
• →Visit Port Leopold, abandoned Hudson's Bay Company trading post on Somerset Island (included)

A transit day as the ship repositions southward along Baffin Island's dramatic eastern coast. Spend time on deck absorbing the vast Arctic scenery — jagged spires, expansive tundra vistas, and abundant bird life. Take advantage of onboard amenities and attend expert presentations preparing you for the spectacular fjord days ahead.

🚌At sea (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Scenic deck time: jagged coastal spires, glaciers and bird life watching
• →Onboard expert presentations on Arctic geology and wildlife ecology (included)
• →Journalling, photography editing and trip reflection time
• →Use onboard spa or wellness facilities if available on your chosen vessel

Sam Ford Fjord is one of Earth's most spectacular fjords — sheer granite walls soaring 457m straight from the ocean, stretching 110km inland and narrowing to under 3km wide. A traditional Inuit hunting ground and now an elite destination for big-wall climbers. Zodiac cruise deep into the fjord, scan for Arctic foxes and polar bears onshore, and — if offered by your operator — sea kayak between the cliff faces for a visceral sense of scale.

🚌Zodiac and optional kayak (confirm with operator)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Zodiac cruise deep into Sam Ford Fjord (included with cruise)
• →Sea kayaking between granite walls — add-on if offered by cruise operator (~£40–£80)
• →Wildlife watch: Arctic foxes onshore, polar bears, ringed seals
• →Photography of world-class big-wall Arctic scenery

Ultramarine turns east and crosses the Davis Strait back toward Greenland. A day to decompress, attend expert lectures synthesising the Canadian Arctic experiences, and prepare mentally for the stunning glacial landscapes of West Greenland that lie ahead. Keep eyes on the horizon for whales and seabirds mid-ocean.

🚌At sea (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Expert lecture series: synthesis of Canadian Arctic wildlife, history and Inuit culture (included)
• →Pelagic seabird and whale watching from outer decks
• →Photography review and editing session
• →Relaxation and journalling in observation lounge

Arrive at Ilulissat — home to the UNESCO World Heritage Ilulissat Icefjord, the outflow channel of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the world's fastest-moving glaciers. Walk the iconic boardwalk to the elevated overlook above the icefjord — an overwhelming vista of icebergs spreading to the horizon. The inner harbour is a surreal sight: icebergs drifting among fishing boats. Arctic cotton grass and summer wildflowers bloom in the endless daylight.

🚌Zodiac shore landing (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Ilulissat Icefjord boardwalk walk to overlook — UNESCO World Heritage Site (free from ship landing)
• →Zodiac cruise among icebergs in Disko Bay (included with cruise)
• →Explore Ilulissat town — colourful houses, fishing harbour, local museum
• →Wildlife: humpback whales feeding around icebergs, Arctic seabirds

Continue exploring the communities and landscapes of West Greenland — potentially calling at Aasiaat, Sisimiut or other Disko Bay settlements depending on conditions. Engage with local Greenlandic culture, browse handicraft markets, and take in the Arctic light on fjord landscapes. Zodiac excursions and hikes ashore as conditions allow.

🚌Zodiac shore landings (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Shore landing at Greenlandic community — cultural exchange, handicraft browsing
• →Hike in Arctic tundra above a Greenlandic settlement (included)
• →Zodiac cruise among icebergs and exploring fjord inlets (included)
• →Photography: golden Arctic light on coastal Greenland

A final full day in Greenlandic waters — make the most of remaining Zodiac excursions, photography opportunities, and expert-led experiences. Attend a farewell recap lecture by expedition staff. Many travellers find the final Greenland day emotionally powerful — the scale and stillness of the Arctic landscape is hard to leave behind.

🚌Zodiac (included with cruise)

🛏Aboard expedition cruise vessel

• →Final Zodiac excursions and shore landings in West Greenland (included)
• →Farewell expert lecture and Q&A with expedition team (included)
• →Final wildlife watch: whales, seals, Arctic birds in Greenlandic fjords
• →On-deck photography — golden evening Arctic light

Disembark at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland's main international airport hub. Air Greenland operates flights from Kangerlussuaq (SFJ) to Copenhagen (CPH) and seasonally to other destinations. If you can, spend a few hours exploring the Russell Glacier nearby — one of the most accessible glaciers in Greenland, reachable on a self-guided hike from town. A remarkable final Arctic memory.

🚌Air Greenland: Kangerlussuaq (SFJ) to Copenhagen (CPH) — ~£350–£600 per person booked directly at airgreeland.com

🛏Hotel Kangerlussuaq if overnight needed (~£90–£130/night) or depart same day

• →Self-guided hike to Russell Glacier from Kangerlussuaq — 25km return or hire a local taxi for part (~£20–£40 for taxi assist)
• →Musk ox spotting along the road to the glacier — frequently seen near the airport road (free)
• →Visit Kangerlussuaq Museum (small local museum, ~£5)
• →Depart on Air Greenland flight to Copenhagen or onward connection

Depending on your routing, you'll arrive in Copenhagen or transit via Reykjavik for your international connection home. If you have a layover in Copenhagen, the city is outstanding — Nyhavn harbour, the National Museum, and exceptional Danish food are all easily reached from the airport by metro. Book your homeward flight independently for best value.

🚌Metro from Copenhagen Airport to city centre ~£4. International flight home booked independently.

🛏Not required — depart same day, or Copenhagen hostel if overnight (~£30–£50 dorm)

• →Copenhagen layover: Nyhavn harbour walk (free), National Museum (~£15)
• →Smørrebrød (open sandwich) lunch at a Copenhagen market — ~£12–£18
• →Connect home via Copenhagen Airport (CPH) on your independently booked flight
• →Reflect on 17 extraordinary days in the High Arctic