Seward - Kangerlussuaq

Seward, Alaska, is a captivating port known for its stunning landscapes and rich history as a gold rush supply town. Must-do experiences include visiting Kenai Fjords National Park and sampling local delicacies like halibut tacos and akutaq. The best time to visit is during the summer months when the natural beauty is at its peak and outdoor activities abound.

The Aleutian Islands are a 1,900-kilometer volcanic chain in Alaska where forty active volcanoes, enormous seabird colonies, and Steller sea lion rookeries create one of Earth's wildest landscapes. Must-dos include watching auklet swarms, approaching sea lion rookeries by Zodiac, and viewing the perfect cone of Mount Shishaldin. July offers the best conditions during the brief June-to-August expedition season.

The Aleutian Islands are a 1,900-kilometer volcanic chain in Alaska where forty active volcanoes, enormous seabird colonies, and Steller sea lion rookeries create one of Earth's wildest landscapes. Must-dos include watching auklet swarms, approaching sea lion rookeries by Zodiac, and viewing the perfect cone of Mount Shishaldin. July offers the best conditions during the brief June-to-August expedition season.

Saint Paul Island in the Bering Sea hosts the world's largest northern fur seal rookery — nearly one million animals — and ranks among North America's premier birding destinations for rare Asian vagrant species. Must-dos include watching fur seal breeding colonies at close range, birding the cliffs for puffins and murres, and experiencing Unangan cultural heritage. Fly from Anchorage mid-May through mid-September, with July-August peak for seal activity and seabird nesting.

Nome, Alaska, United States, 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 HX 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.

Beaufort, South Carolina is one of the American South's most perfectly preserved antebellum towns, set on Sea Islands where moss-draped oaks shade streets of historic mansions and Gullah-Geechee culture thrives. Must-dos include walking the historic district, savouring Lowcountry shrimp and grits, and kayaking the pristine ACE Basin estuary. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable temperatures for exploring this photogenic jewel of the Carolina Lowcountry.

Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk) is a remote Arctic territorial park off Yukon's north coast, rich in Inuvialuit heritage and 1890s whaling history preserved in permafrost. Visitors arrive by Zodiac to explore tundra wildflowers, coastal erosion sites, and restored whaling-era buildings at Pauline Cove. The narrow visiting window of mid-July to early September offers midnight sun and beluga whale sightings.

Victoria Island is Canada's second-largest Arctic island — bigger than the United Kingdom yet home to barely 2,000 people in two tiny communities on a vast tundra landscape of caribou herds, pristine fishing rivers, and Copper Inuit heritage. Must-dos include tasting legendary Arctic char, learning about Inuinnaqtun culture in Cambridge Bay, and watching for muskoxen and migrating caribou. Expedition ships visit late July through September, when the brief navigation season opens this enormous, sparsely inhabited wilderness.

Victoria Island is Canada's second-largest Arctic island — bigger than the United Kingdom yet home to barely 2,000 people in two tiny communities on a vast tundra landscape of caribou herds, pristine fishing rivers, and Copper Inuit heritage. Must-dos include tasting legendary Arctic char, learning about Inuinnaqtun culture in Cambridge Bay, and watching for muskoxen and migrating caribou. Expedition ships visit late July through September, when the brief navigation season opens this enormous, sparsely inhabited wilderness.

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.

Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island on Earth — 55,247 square kilometres of ice caps, polar desert, and a meteorite crater that NASA uses as a Mars analogue. Must-dos include Zodiac landings on this austere landscape, watching for muskoxen and polar bears, and experiencing silence of a quality rarely found anywhere on the planet. Expedition ships visit from late July through early September, with access entirely dependent on ice and weather conditions.

Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island on Earth — 55,247 square kilometres of ice caps, polar desert, and a meteorite crater that NASA uses as a Mars analogue. Must-dos include Zodiac landings on this austere landscape, watching for muskoxen and polar bears, and experiencing silence of a quality rarely found anywhere on the planet. Expedition ships visit from late July through early September, with access entirely dependent on ice and weather conditions.

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.

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.

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.

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.