Deepen your understanding of the north as you join expert-led lectures on seabirds, sea ice, geology, and polar history. Between sessions, help researchers by contributing to Citizen Science—from cloud observations and plankton sampling to seabird counts off the ship’s decks.

These dynamic sessions translate the landscape outside your window into insight and meaning. Expect engaging storytelling about exploration routes, Inuit culture, and current geopolitics, all tied to locations you’ll soon visit and the ever-shifting Arctic environment.

Gather on deck as you cross the Arctic Circle into a realm of 24-hour light. Celebrate the moment with your Expedition Team while the ship glides through steel-blue seas bathed in the Midnight Sun, the horizon glowing long past any conventional sunset.

This is a rite of passage for polar travelers. Cameras love the gilded light and glassy waters; binoculars scan for seabirds shearing the wind and distant bergs drifting like white cathedrals at the edge of sight.

Come ashore on Baffin Island to meet the people of Qikiqtarjuaq, a remote Inuit community close to the sea-ice edge. Stroll with local guides to hear about hunting traditions, seasonal rhythms, and daily life shaped by the North Atlantic and Davis Strait.

Learn how knowledge passes between generations and why mobility, ingenuity, and respect for wildlife define Inuit community life. The austere beauty of Baffin Island’s coast frames this encounter with modern Arctic culture rooted in ancient skills.

Venture by small boat to the protected Ninginganiq (Isabella Bay) National Wildlife Area, a crucial Arctic summer feeding ground. Scan the water for the distinctive arched backs and massive heads of bowhead whales as they surface amid floes and brash ice.

The bay’s cold, productive waters nurture zooplankton blooms that sustain these leviathans, while rugged headlands shelter nesting seabirds. Conditions allowing, guides position zodiacs for quiet viewing, inviting you to savor calm encounters with Arctic giants.

Glide beneath the sheer ramparts of Sam Ford Fjord (Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti) and neighboring Gibbs Fjord, where granite walls soar from ink-dark water and glaciers pour from hidden valleys. Expedition zodiacs weave along the base of cliffs in an amphitheater of stone and ice.

These fjords are a cathedral of geology—fluted buttresses, hanging glaciers, and mirror-still reflections. Guides share insights into glacial sculpting, sea-ice dynamics, and the subtle signs that reveal seals and seabirds thriving in this glacier-carved wilderness.

Set foot on Devon Island to explore Dundas Harbour, a lonely cove where a former RCMP post once watched over the Northwest Passage. Follow tundra trails past weathered buildings and cairns while scanning for shaggy muskox grazing the slopes.

Guides decode the human stories held in this landscape—patrol routes, winter isolation, and scientific forays—while fragile lichens and Arctic poppies cling to the ground. Pause to breathe the crisp air and absorb the peninsula’s vast, wind-scoured silence.

Pay respects at Beechey Island, a poignant waypoint in Arctic exploration. Walk with your historians to the preserved graves linked to Sir John Franklin’s 1845–46 wintering and search expeditions that followed, set against the stark sweep of the Barrow Strait.

Simple wooden markers, discarded barrels, and traces of shelters evoke the endurance and tragedy that shadowed the quest for the Northwest Passage. This is a place for quiet reflection, historical context, and pause for photos and reflection.

Nose toward the ice in zodiacs to witness Croker Bay’s tidewater glaciers shedding blue walls into the sea. Listen for the thunder of calving and watch bergy bits roll as guides steer a safe course near the creaking glacier face.

Drift among sculpted floes where seals haul out to rest and kittiwakes wheel overhead. The interplay of color—opal blues, graphite moraines, milky meltwater—makes this a favorite for photographers chasing drama in ice and light.

Approach the bird-thronged precipices of Coburg Island (Nirjutiqarvik), a protected wildlife haven whose name means “Place of Animals.” Tens of thousands of Thick-billed Murres and Northern Fulmars crowd ledges while kittiwakes trace luminous arcs over the swell.

The nutrient-rich waters draw whales and seals beneath the cliffs, completing a vivid food-web portrait. With engines hushed, guides create prime viewing angles so you can absorb the clamor, wingbeat rush, and echoing cliffside colonies.

Embrace the spirit of exploration as the Captain selects the day’s best opportunities for flexible landings, zodiac cruises, or on-deck watches. Expect shifting combinations of geology, ice, and wildlife—from seals on floes to narwhals and belugas riding the current lines.

Stops may include sites tied to exploration lore or living culture, where guides interpret artifacts, landscapes, and community stories. This is expedition cruising at its purest: responsive, inquisitive, and tuned to the conditions of the High Arctic.

Visit Qaanaaq, one of the world’s northernmost towns, to encounter a culture that has adapted to extreme latitude for millennia. Meet residents, explore community landmarks, and hear how sea ice, hunting, and Thule heritage shape identity and resilience.

Stories of renowned polar guides and North Pole logistics illuminate how local polar travel know-how aided historic expeditions. The stark beauty—glittering bergs, distant ice cap, austere mountains—frames a contemporary Arctic life grounded in tradition.

Settle along the rails for a guided on-deck wildlife watch as the ship traverses Melville Bay (Qimusseriarsuaq), where Greenland’s ice cap meets the sea. Scan for blow spouts, surfacing seals, and bird lines skimming the swell beyond 70° North.

Naturalists explain currents, pack ice drift, and the glacial sources of the bergs streaming into the bay. Expect a meditative day of sky, sea, and ice—punctuated by sightings that reward patience and practiced eyes.

Come ashore beneath the iconic, heart-shaped mountain of Uummannaq to explore a lively island community. Stroll colorful lanes, visit viewpoints, and hear the remarkable tale of the Qilakitsoq mummies, whose discovery illuminated life in Greenland centuries ago.

Guides connect modern fishing culture with archaeological insight, highlighting how sea, ice, and rock sustain communities here. If conditions and permissions allow, learn more at or near the site’s interpretive exhibits, framing a vivid encounter with Greenlandic heritage.

Thread the narrows of Vaigat Sound (Sullorsuaq Strait) by zodiac between Disko Island and the Nuussuaq Peninsula. Guides steer among bergs and tide lines, seeking safe approaches to glacier fronts and wildlife-rich eddies where birds and seals feed.

This strait concentrates life and scenery: basalt headlands, thunderclaps from calving, and tide-moved ice glittering in reflected light. The swift water and shifting floes deliver classic Arctic contrasts—motion and stillness—within a single, drama-filled channel.

Walk the wooden path to the cliff-edge viewpoints of the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord, where cathedral-sized bergs drift from Sermeq Kujalleq glacier. Pause along the Sermermiut boardwalk to absorb sweeping vistas and learn about ancient settlement remains nearby.

At the Icefjord Centre, exhibitions and films unpack the science of ice flow, climate, and culture that defines this coast. The shifting palette—pale jade, deep cobalt, veined whites—makes this a photographer’s masterclass in Arctic light.

Explore Sisimiut, just north of the Arctic Circle, on a guided walk through historic quarters and waterfront. Learn how trade, fishing, and seasonal travel knit this thriving town to the sea and surrounding mountains.

Hear stories of sled-dog heritage and winter routes that still shape community life. Painted wooden houses, a coastal church, and lively harborside scenes set a vivid backdrop to understanding Greenland’s modern rhythms grounded in deep tradition.

Join naturalists on the open decks for guided wildlife watches across Baffin Bay and Greenland’s west coast. Sweep the horizon for surfacing whales, circling fulmars, and the pale forms of seals resting on floes while the ship cruises polar waters.

Learn how to identify species by shape, flight pattern, and behavior. These informal sessions sharpen your eye and enrich encounters, turning passing sightings into memorable field moments anchored in expert interpretation.

Join a guided sea kayaking excursion for a low-angle perspective among brash ice and berg sculptures. Paddle quietly across mirror-still fjords as your guide sets a safe route, watching for curious seals and the distant rumble of calving fronts.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, weather and ice permitting. It’s an intimate way to feel scale and silence—sliding past serrated bergs and reflecting cliff faces that tower above the waterline.

Join a mandatory AECO environmental and safety briefing led by your Expedition Team before any landings. Learn polar bear awareness, how to move in small groups, and the importance of biosecurity checks to prevent introducing non-native species to fragile tundra ecosystems.

Understand why these protocols matter in the Arctic’s living laboratory—protecting wildlife haul-outs, ancient archaeological sites, and community livelihoods. This orientation ensures you can explore with confidence while visiting Inuit communities respectfully and leaving only light footprints on the ice and shore.