Canada
Icy Arm Fjord cuts into the coast of Labrador in northeastern Canada like a frozen corridor leading to the edge of the known world. This remote inlet, accessible only by sea, penetrates the ancient Precambrian rock of the Canadian Shield in a landscape of bare granite, stunted spruce, and the massive tidewater glaciers that give the fjord its name. The ice that calves from these glaciers drifts into the Labrador Sea and south along "Iceberg Alley"—the same current that carried the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912. In summer, the fjord's waters are dotted with icebergs of every size and shape, from tabletop bergs the size of buildings to sculpted pinnacles of blue-white ice that seem to glow from within.
The landscape of Icy Arm is Arctic in character despite its relatively southern latitude (roughly 56° North). The Canadian Shield rock that forms the fjord walls is among the oldest exposed rock on Earth—over three billion years old, its banded gneiss and granite recording events that predate complex life itself. The vegetation is sparse: lichens and mosses cover the rock faces, and patches of dwarf willow and Labrador tea cling to sheltered crevices. The boreal forest of black spruce and balsam fir thins to scattered individuals at the fjord's head, their stunted forms testifying to the severity of the climate. The silence, broken only by the crack of calving ice and the calls of Arctic terns, is profound.
Wildlife in Icy Arm includes the marine and terrestrial species of the Labrador coast. Harp seals, ringed seals, and the occasional hooded seal inhabit the waters, hauling out on ice floes near the glacier faces. Black bears patrol the shoreline in summer, feeding on berries and beachcombing for fish. Caribou from the George River herd—once one of the largest caribou herds in the world—may be observed in the surrounding highlands during their seasonal migrations. Seabirds nest on the cliff faces: Atlantic puffins, razorbills, common murres, and the ethereal Arctic tern, which migrates annually from the Antarctic—the longest migration of any bird.
The glacial experience in Icy Arm is the primary draw. Zodiac excursions among the icebergs and along the glacier faces provide close encounters with ice that is centuries old—the deep blue color of the oldest bergs indicates ice that has been compressed under enormous weight, squeezing out all air bubbles. The variety of forms is endlessly fascinating: arches, towers, mushrooms, and flat-topped tabletop bergs create a floating sculpture garden that changes with every visit. Some bergs are streaked with dark lines of sediment that record ancient volcanic eruptions or dust storms. The experience of touching a berg—feeling the cold radiate from its surface, hearing the fizz of ancient air bubbles released as the ice melts—connects the visitor to deep geological time.
Icy Arm Fjord is visited exclusively by expedition cruise vessels on Labrador and Atlantic Canada itineraries, typically during the summer season of July through September. Access is weather-dependent, and fog, wind, and ice conditions can affect the ability to enter the fjord on any given day. August is generally considered the best month for glacier and iceberg viewing, when the summer melt has released the most icebergs and the weather windows are most reliable. All visits are conducted with strict environmental protocols to protect the fragile Arctic-subarctic ecosystem.