The Northwest Passage - M/V Sylvia Earle

On arrival in to Toronto Airport (YYZ) make your own way to the group hotel. Upon check-in, reception staff will provide you with your cabin tags. Please fill out the luggage tags clearly, showing your name and cabin number to allow us to deliver your luggage to your cabin. Enjoy a welcome drink and meet fellow expeditioners at our voyage briefing this evening.

Board your charter flight to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to embark the Sylvia Earle. Enjoy a short tour before embarkation in the afternoon. After boarding, there will be time to settle into your cabin before our important safety briefings. The voyage out of Sondre Stromfjord (Kangerlussuaq),with its towering mountains on both sides, is simply magnificent.This evening, meet your expedition team and crew at the Captain's welcome dinner.

Evighedsfjorden, or Eternity Fjord, is one of the more spectacular fjord complexes in west Greenland due to its forested landscape. Hike through a forested valley, witness hills become towering snow-capped mountains as countless glaciers pour down from sheer cliff walls. Occasionally, the thunderous sound of a calving glacier breaks the silence in a place where you are unlikely to see another soul.

Known as the birthplace of icebergs, this region boasts some of the most splendidly-shaped icebergs found anywhere on earth. Hike to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Icefjord and stand in awe of its immensity. Sermeq Kujalleq, also known as Jakobshavn Glacier, is the most productive glacier, not only in Greenland, but in the Northern Hemisphere. It produces 20 million tonnes of ice each day, all floating into the Ilulissat Icefjord and Disko Bay. Conditions permitting, enjoy a Zodiac cruise at the mouth of the fjord and kayak through sea ice and icebergs.

This compelling island seems to have more in common with Iceland than Greenland. While most of the interior is mountainous and glaciated, its beautiful shorelines boast black sandy beaches, unusual basalt columns, hotsprings and dramatic lava formations. On a guided hike, enjoy a diversity of Arctic flora .Zodiac-cruise in Disko Bay, a hotspot for marine life including humpback, fin, minke and bowhead whale.The small friendly village has a fascinating historical museum.

Our team of experts entertain us with informative talks about wildlife, geology and epic tales of early explorers such as Franklin and Amundsen. Reaching the coast of Baffin Island, we may encounter Greenland's famous icebergs. Keep watch for humpback, sei, sperm and fin whale, as well as various species of seal such as ring and harp seal.

Further north along the east coast of Baffin Island lies Isabella Bay, an important summer and autumn feeding ground for a large population of bowhead whale. Stacked side-by-side, numerous soaring cliffs of Sam Ford Fjord make for a majestic site as you sail by. One of the most isolated places on the planet, this big-wall playground attracts climbers eager to scale the sheer rock faces that seem to shoot straight out from the sea .In the afternoon, we sail around Sillem Island, with glacial features on all sides. A slow cruise offers the chance to see many glaciers, discharging cascades as well as a variety of seal and other arctic wildlife.

We sail around Sillem Island, with glacial features on all sides. A slow cruise offers the chance to see many glaciers as well as a variety of seals and other arctic wildlife.

The picturesque hamlet of Pond Inlet, overlooking Eclipse Sound, is surrounded by scenic mountain ranges and numerous glaciers and fjords. Travellers come to marvel at the abundant wildlife hoping to see narwhal,beluga and orca whale, ringed and harp seal, caribou and the occasional polar bear. Explore churchesand visit the Natinnak Center to see exhibits showing the culture and history of the local Inuit people. Husky dog pens are near the landing beach. In the afternoon, we sail alongthecoast of nearby Bylot Island. Covered with mountains, icefields, steep cliffs, snowfields and glaciers, Bylot Island provides a nesting habitat for large numbers of thick-billed murre and black-legged kittiwake. A total of 74 distinct species of Arctic birds thrive on this island. Due to the richness of the wildlife and the beauty and diversity of the landscape in the area, a large portion of the island was also included in the Sirmilik National Park, established in 2001.

At a latitude of almost 75°degrees north, we are now truly in the High Arctic. Here, nutrient-rich waters support an abundance of wildlife. Devon Island features stunning geology, with flat-topped mountains and glacial valleys giving Devon Island its unique character. We may explore Croker Bay or Maxwell Bay, both offering great opportunities for Zodiac-cruising. Dundas Harbour offers walks on undulating tundra and the area is great for birdwatching. Here, you will find the remnants of a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost, as well as the Hudson Bay Company's trading post and ancient semi-subterranean Thule dwellings. In the bay, walrus are also often present.

At the western end of Devon Island lies Beechey Island. Named after Frederick William Beechey, the island has many of Canada's most important Arctic relics and is a designated Canadian National Historic Site. Sir John Franklin' first winter, 1845-46, was spent here during his attempt to sail through the Northwest Passage aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with perilous results -the first three of his men died here. Roald Amundsen landed at Beechey Island in 1903, during the first successful voyage to fully transit the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

In true expeditionary style, our itinerary for the following days is entirely dependent on unpredictable sea ice but there are many places that we hope to visit. Using their great expertise in navigating these waters, the Captain and the expedition crew will decide on final landing sites based on the opportunities and ice conditions that present themselves.

On the southern side of Lancaster Sound opposite Beechey Island, lie the towering bird cliffs of Prince Leopold Island-the most important bird sanctuary in the Canadian Arctic. Ringed seal are often spotted on the sea ice. Nearby Port Leopold is a historic site where British explorer James Clark Ross wintered in 1848 while searching for the missing Franklin expedition. The ruin of a century old Hudson Bay's trading post can be found here and polar bear often lurk nearby. The shallow gravel beds attract beluga whale, which come to moult in this part of the Arctic each summer.

On the north coast of Somerset Island, when factors such as weather and whale behaviour align, you might see the amazing spectacle of hundreds of beluga whale shedding their skin on shallow sandy banks. The local scenery makes for excellent guided walks, where waterway trails lead to waterfalls and higher ground.Across from Victoria Strait, Coningham Bay lies on the shores of Prince of Wales Island. This is a polar bear hotspot where the majestic creatures come to feast on beluga whale that are often trapped in the rocky shallows at the entrance to the bay. It is not unusual to find the shoreline littered with whale skeletons-and very healthy-looking polar bear.

In 1859, a Franklin expedition tent camp was discovered at Cape Felix. Remains attributed to the Franklin expedition have been found at 35 different locations on King William Island and on nearby Adelaide Peninsula. South of Cape Felix, in Victoria Strait, we hope to visit Victory Point and get close to where the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were abandoned in 1848.

In Cambridge Bay, a hub of the Canadian Arctic, bid farewell to the crew, expedition team and fellow travellers before a Zodiac shuttle whisks you ashore. Transfer to the airport for a charter flight to Calgary, where you will spend the night at an airport hotel.

Check-out will be after breakfast for onward travel.