Greenland has long been an important destination as a staging point for Arctic exploration. From the most early inhabitants, to the Vikings, through the age of exploration, and now with modern-day travellers, the island has been a base, a stepping stone and a final target. Greenland’s most famous son is explorer Knud Rasmussen. A champion of the Inuit people (his mother was of Inuit descent), Rasmussen established an Inuit settlement at Thule, northeast Greenland in 1910, with the aid of the Danish Missionary Society; he set up a code of laws for local government, and instituted social services. “Thule” is from the Latin word with the same spelling meaning “northernmost part of the inhabitable world.” 2009 marks the centennial anniversary of Sir Robert Peary and his team of hearty explorers’ remarkable assertion, that after twenty-three years and eight attempts, they finally reached the geographic North Pole. On our journey we will head north in the footsteps of Rasmussen and Peary while learning exciting tales of hardship, determination and competition that drove Peary and other explorers like him to pursue the vast unknown, facing countless trials along the way. We will venture along the majority of the west coast, exploring the small communities, walking alongside glaciers and cruising among the icebergs. From Thule, we will travel as far north as ice and time allows into Smith Sound, before crossing over to Ellesmere Island and into the mouth of the famed Northwest Passage. Throughout the voyage we have ample opportunities to view and photograph the unique wildlife that calls the Arctic home. Narwhal, beluga, polar bears, and the rare and immaculately white Ivory Gull are all found here. Nesting colonies on Coburg and Prince Leopold Islands host tens of thousands of Thick-billed Murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes. We are also likely to encounter shorebirds, Dovekie, Northern Fulmar, and, with luck, Gyrfalcon. At each stop, we board zodiacs to go ashore, or position ourselves for the best views or photographs of the wildlife, flowers, icebergs and landscapes.

Arriving from Ottawa, we will board the Clipper Adventurer via Zodiac and prepare to steam out of one of the longest fjords in the world with 168km of superb scenery! Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, the waters here do not freeze, making this part of Greenland a year-round centre for fishing and hunting. Sisimuit Coast Between Kangerlussuaq and Illulissat, the west Greenland coastline is a rich tapestry of fishing communities, myriad islands and complex coastal waterways. The human history in this area dates back 4,500 years.

250 km north of the Arctic Circle we find the astounding coastal community of Ilulissat. Ilulissat translates literally into “iceberg”, and there couldn’t be a more fitting name. Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out to an elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of zodiacs in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord. The Icefjord is where we find the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, one of the most active and fastest moving in the world at 19 meters per day and calving more than 35km3 of ice annually. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years and, because of its relative ease of accessibility, has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes.

In Qimusseriarsuaq, formally known as Melville Bay, the Greenland Ice Cap reaches for the sea. Large icebergs, calved from Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, are carried north here by the West Greenland Current before heading west to Baffin Bay. In the days of wooden ships, the bay was dubbed “the wrecking yard” by British, Dutch and American whaling fleets due to the damages caused to many a vessel’s hull. Today Qimusseriarsuaq is still strewn with icebergs, but global warming is taking its toll. The Greenlandic government has created a shoreline reserve to protect summer beluga and narwhal populations as well as breeding polar bears.

The rugged coastal environment at Kap York is rich in wildlife and is part of an extensive network of traditional hunting grounds. During the spring and summer months the skies and cliffs are dotted with millions of birds, primarily auks and murres. This district boasts the largest seabird © 2008 population in northwest Greenland. Whalers and explorers often entered these waters and later Admiral Robert Peary’s family raised a monument in honour of his achievements on the cape. Sailors’ and ships’ logs record multiple climbs of the cape in order to survey the ice conditions in Qimusseriarsuaq. We will hike the tundra landscape and enjoy our own magnificent vistas.

It is in Qaanaaq, the world’s most northerly municipality, that you can get closest to what many people think of as the original Greenlandic hunting culture. Originally located 100km to the south, the present day community of Qaanaaq was relocated to accommodate the American Air Force base extension at Thule in 1952. The region, however, has a much more lengthy history, with archaeological evidence suggesting habitation over the past 4,000 years. It was from Qaanaaq that seven of Knud Rasmussen’s expeditions set out, and it was also from here that the American explorer Robert Peary embarked on his journey to reach the North Pole in 1909. The inhabitants, Inughuit, are fine artisans and beautiful small carvings and jewellery can be purchased.

We will spend a couple of days exploring north into this fabled body of water that served as the main route for explorers and adventurers searching for the North Pole. Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares and Elisha Kent Kane all travelled these waters with varying degrees of success. The Sound was named by William Baffin after Sir Thomas Smythe, promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage. Only 48-72km wide and 88km long, it is often packed with ice and provides favourable conditions for wildlife viewing.

The area comprising Devon and South Ellesmere is one of few known breeding sites of the elusive Ivory Gull. They inhabit the rock outcrops sticking through ice sheets, known as nunatacs. We’ll be on the lookout for these beautiful gulls as we pick our way through the ice into Jones Sound.

Cobourg Island is 65% covered with ice, but the remaining ragged land is a haven for wildlife. Cliff ledges are filled to capacity with 30,000 pairs of Black-Legged Kittiwakes and 160,000 pairs of Brunnich’s Guillemot (Thick-Billed Murres) among other seabirds. As we tour the area, we will keep our eyes peeled for the rare Ivory Gull and Northern Fulmars also known to breed in the area.

Aujuittuq means “place that never thaws,” and at 1,150km above the Arctic Circle, it is Canada’s northernmost civilian community. With a population of 165, we will be welcomed into this peaceful and warm hamlet. Our activities will center around the school where we will have a chance to meet members of the community and learn about their way of life.

 The largest uninhabited island in the world supports significant concentrations of wildlife, including 26 species of seabirds and 11 species of marine mammals. At Dundas Harbour we find the lonely remains of an RCMP station dating from the 1920s. We have also spotted walrus, polar bear, muskox and caribou here. At nearby Croker Bay, we have a chance to Zodiac cruise through this scenic bay and marvel at icebergs, freshly calved from the glacier at the head of the bay.

The dramatic 244m limestone and sandstone cliffs of Prince Leopold is home to close to 375,000 migratory birds. Seabirds nest on the ledges from May to late September. The entire island is a haven for birds and is included in the 311 km2 Prince Leopold Bird Sanctuary. Species found here include: Thick-billed Murre, Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Black Guillemots, Atlantic Brant, Parasitic Jaegers, Common Eider, Common Raven, Glacous Gull and Snow Bunting. Weather permitting we will cruise under the cliffs in our zodiacs for a better view.

Of particular interest to history buffs, Beechey Island is a “must visit” for any Arctic traveller. A site of tremendous significance in Arctic exploration, it was the protected harbour of Beechey Island that inclined Sir John Franklin to over winter here at the onset of his search for the Northwest Passage. Over a century and a half later the remains of Franklin’s camp, including three graves, were discovered by search parties looking for the lost men. The island served as a search and rescue base in the years to come. Today four headstones and cairns are found from the Franklin era.