In the heart of the Northwest Passage

Kangerlussuaq Havn is the eastern Greenlandic gateway to the Scoresby Sund — the world's longest fjord system — where sheer basalt cliffs, colossal icebergs, and one of Earth's most isolated Inuit communities await expedition vessels from Ponant and Hapag-Lloyd. Visit July through September for muskox encounters, midnight-sun ice photography, and the Arctic in its most concentrated and demanding form.

Sisimiut is Greenland's adventure capital, a colourful Arctic town of 5,500 people just north of the Arctic Circle on the west coast. Must-dos include hiking the Arctic Circle Trail, whale watching for humpbacks and narwhals, and exploring the colonial-era museum. Summer brings midnight sun and hiking conditions, while winter offers dog-sledding, skiing, and northern lights.

Kitsissuarsuit is a tiny Inuit settlement of barely twenty residents in Greenland's Disko Bay, dwarfed by colossal icebergs calved from the Jakobshavn glacier — one of the Northern Hemisphere's most productive. Must-dos include Zodiac cruising through cathedral-sized icebergs, observing the traditional hunting lifestyle, and watching humpback whales feed in midnight sun. The brief July-August window provides the only access to this profoundly remote Arctic community.

Disko Bay is Greenland's monumental iceberg gallery, where the world's most prolific glacier discharges bergs of hundred-meter scale into a UNESCO-adjacent bay that functions as a constantly refreshed Arctic sculpture garden. Navigate July through August via Hapag-Lloyd or Ponant for zodiac cruises between towering icebergs, humpback whale bubble-net feeding, and the Inuit cultural encounters that provide human context for life at 69°N latitude.

Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) is an Inuit community on Baffin Island's northern coast, one of the world's most reliable locations to observe narwhal pods at the Arctic floe edge, surrounded by the glaciers of Bylot Island and 4,000 years of Inuit hunting culture. Must-dos include narwhal watching at the floe edge, experiencing Inuit throat singing, and Zodiac cruising among icebergs in Eclipse Sound. Visit July for 24-hour daylight and peak narwhal activity.

Queen Harbour on Philpots Island is an ultra-remote High Arctic anchorage in Nunavut, Canada, offering pristine tundra landscapes, polar bear sightings, and the haunting beauty of the polar summer's endless light. Visitors arrive exclusively by expedition cruise ship and explore via Zodiac landings on rocky shores surrounded by glacial scenery. The best visiting window is late July through mid-September, when ice conditions allow passage through these extraordinary northern waters.

Croker Bay on Devon Island — the world's largest uninhabited island — features twin tidewater glaciers calving dramatically into dark Arctic waters, creating one of the Canadian High Arctic's most spectacular glacial amphitheatres. Must-dos include Zodiac cruises along the glacier faces, watching for polar bears and narwhals, and witnessing the thunderous calving of ancient ice. Accessible only by expedition cruise ship from late July through early September, weather and ice permitting.

Nunavut is Canada's vast Arctic territory, a 2.1-million-square-kilometer wilderness of tundra, sea ice, and icebergs inhabited by just 40,000 people, predominantly Inuit. Must-dos include wildlife encounters with polar bears, narwhals, and caribou herds, experiencing living Inuit culture, and navigating iceberg-filled channels by expedition vessel. July through September offers the only window when sea ice conditions allow navigation.

Somerset Island, Canada, offers an authentic North American experience where stunning natural landscapes meet communities of genuine character. Visitors should explore the surrounding wilderness and sample the honest, locally sourced cuisine that defines the region. The ideal visiting period is June through August, when the midnight sun bathes the landscape in golden light for nearly twenty-four hours. Cruise lines including Ponant feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Fort Ross is a remote former fur-trading outpost on British Columbia's northern coast, accessible only by water and surrounded by pristine temperate rainforest and rich marine ecosystems. Must-do experiences include watching grizzly bears fish for salmon, spotting orcas in the channels, and tasting freshly caught spot prawns. Visit between June and August for optimal weather and peak wildlife encounters.

Bellot Strait is a narrow, tide-swept channel at the northern tip of mainland North America, serving as one of the most critical and challenging passages on the Northwest Passage route. The transit offers dramatic Arctic navigation between ice-flanked shores, with opportunities to spot polar bears and beluga whales along the rocky coastline. Navigable only in August and September, with successful passage never guaranteed due to unpredictable ice conditions that have challenged explorers since the nineteenth century.

Coningham Bay on Somerset Island — the world's largest uninhabited island — offers expedition cruise passengers a High Arctic encounter with muskoxen, Peary caribou, and polar bears amid a landscape of 450-million-year-old fossil-rich limestone and vast tundra horizons. Accessible only during the brief August-to-September Northwest Passage season, every Zodiac landing is weather-dependent. This is one of Earth's purest wilderness experiences, where geological deep time and Arctic wildlife converge.

Prescott Island, Nunavut, Canada is a distinctive port city where deep cultural heritage meets authentic local atmosphere, featured on itineraries by Ponant. Must-do experiences include walking the historic center to experience the layered architectural heritage, and seeking out the regional culinary traditions at a locally favored establishment away from the port area. The optimal time to visit is May through September, when mild temperatures and long days favor unhurried exploration.

Beechey Island, Canada, offers an authentic North American experience where stunning natural landscapes meet communities of genuine character. Visitors should explore the surrounding wilderness and sample the honest, locally sourced cuisine that defines the region. The ideal visiting period is June through August, when the midnight sun bathes the landscape in golden light for nearly twenty-four hours. Cruise lines including Aurora Expeditions feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Arctic Bay is one of Earth's most northerly communities, an Inuit hamlet on Baffin Island where four thousand years of Indigenous culture meet the raw splendor of the High Arctic landscape. Must-do experiences include watching narwhal pods in Admiralty Inlet, attending traditional drum dancing and throat singing performances, and witnessing the midnight sun illuminate ancient mountains. The best time to visit is August, when seas are most navigable and wildlife activity peaks, though all Arctic travel requires flexibility in the face of unpredictable ice and weather conditions.

Baffin Island is the fifth-largest island on Earth, a vast Canadian Arctic wilderness of mountains, glaciers, and tundra that has been home to Inuit peoples for over 4,000 years. Must-dos include visiting the renowned Inuit art community of Kinngait (Cape Dorset), watching for narwhals and polar bears, and experiencing the dramatic landscape of Auyuittuq National Park. The expedition season runs July through August for the best wildlife activity and most navigable Arctic conditions.

Baffin Island is Canada's largest Arctic island, a 500,000-square-kilometer wilderness of thousand-meter fjord walls, Inuit communities, and extraordinary wildlife including narwhals, polar bears, and vast seabird colonies. Must-dos include Zodiac cruising through dramatic fjords, visiting Inuit communities for traditional throat singing, and scanning for narwhals in Lancaster Sound. Late July through mid-September offers the narrow window when sea ice permits expedition access.

Evighedsfjorden is Greenland's 'Fjord of Eternity' — a seventy-five-kilometer passage flanked by ice-capped peaks and tidewater glaciers that provides one of expedition cruising's most profound Arctic landscape encounters. Navigate July through August via Ponant or Seabourn for midnight-sun glacial photography, humpback whale encounters echoing off cliff faces, and a passage so vast it transforms the concept of eternity from abstraction to sensory reality.

Kangerlussuaq Havn is the eastern Greenlandic gateway to the Scoresby Sund — the world's longest fjord system — where sheer basalt cliffs, colossal icebergs, and one of Earth's most isolated Inuit communities await expedition vessels from Ponant and Hapag-Lloyd. Visit July through September for muskox encounters, midnight-sun ice photography, and the Arctic in its most concentrated and demanding form.