Moment 01
A route into history
Trace the channels that defeated Franklin and obsessed explorers for four hundred years.
The Northwest Passage.
The Canadian & Greenlandic Arctic
For centuries the Northwest Passage was the great unsolved riddle of exploration, a sea route through the Canadian Arctic that claimed ships and crews for generations. Today, a small handful of expedition ships make the crossing each brief summer, and the journey remains one of the most coveted in all of travel.
A Northwest Passage voyage threads the channels between remote Arctic islands, calling at tiny Inuit communities, historic exploration sites, and landscapes of tundra, fjord, and ice. Wildlife is the constant companion, with polar bears, narwhal, muskox, walrus, and beluga, and onboard historians and naturalists bring the region's epic past and fragile present to life.
These sailings are few, the season is short, and demand is high. We plan well ahead, securing the right ship and cabin and arranging the Arctic-gateway logistics so that one of the world's last true adventures unfolds smoothly from the moment you leave home.
- The region
- Arctic Canada & Greenland
- Voyage length
- 2–3 weeks
- The ship
- Ice-class expedition ship
- Season
- Aug–Sep only
What you'll remember
Moments along the way.
Moment 02
High-Arctic wildlife
Polar bears on the ice, narwhal and beluga in the bays, muskox and walrus ashore.
Moment 03
Living Inuit culture
Visit remote northern communities and meet the people who have always called the Arctic home.
Moment 04
The Franklin mystery
Beechey Island and the graves that mark the most haunting tale in polar exploration.
Moment 05
Ice and tundra
Channels choked with ice and shores of flower-strewn tundra under the low Arctic sun.
Moment 06
Whales of the north
Narwhal and ghost-white beluga surfacing in the cold northern bays.
The route
A sample sailing.
6 stops · Kangerlussuaq to Nome
Tap a stop to jump to that day · drag to explore
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1 Days 1-2West Greenland
Begin on the Greenland coast amid Inuit towns and immense icebergs adrift in the fjords.
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2 Day 3Baffin Island
Pond Inlet and the cliffs of Lancaster Sound, the gateway to the passage and rich in wildlife.
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3 Day 4Beechey Island
The haunting graves of the Franklin expedition on a windswept Arctic shore.
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4 Days 5-7The Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Thread the channels by ship and Zodiac among ice, tundra and remote communities.
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5 Day 8Cambridge Bay & Ulukhaktok
Inuit hamlets where traditional life endures at the top of the continent.
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6 Days 9-12Toward the Beaufort Sea
Follow the explorers' route west, watching for polar bears, muskox and beluga, all the way to Alaska.
Every sailing we book is tailored: this is a starting point, not a package.
When to go
The best time to sail.
The passage opens for a matter of weeks and not a day longer. August is the heart of it, when the sea ice finally retreats enough for a hull to thread the channels; a hardy few sailings push into late July or early September when the year cooperates. The rest of the calendar, the ice rules absolutely and no ship moves. Ice and weather, not the brochure, write the route.
August
The brief window when the ice opens enough to attempt the passage, with peak wildlife.
Late July & early September
Crisp Arctic light and the first tundra color on the shoulders, with the channels still navigable in a good year.
October–June
No sailings: the channels freeze solid and the Arctic is closed to ships. These few departures sell out far ahead, so we plan a year or more in advance.
Good to know
The Northwest Passage cruise questions.
How long is a Northwest Passage voyage?+
A full transit runs roughly 16 to 26 nights between Greenland or eastern Canada and Alaska. Shorter Canadian High Arctic voyages explore part of the route.
When can it be done?+
Only in the short Arctic summer, mainly August into early September, when the sea ice retreats enough for ships to pass. Departures are very limited.
Is the full transit guaranteed?+
No. Ice and weather rule, and routes flex from year to year. Expedition teams adapt, and that uncertainty is part of the adventure.
Why book so far ahead?+
Sailings are few and demand is high. We secure the right ship and cabin well in advance and arrange the complex Arctic-gateway logistics.
From the journal
Reading on The Northwest Passage.
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The Northwest Passage?
We'll handle the ship, the itinerary, and every detail in between.
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