Northwest Passage - Through the Arctic Labyrinth

Reykjavik, the world's northernmost capital, distils the entire improbable beauty of Iceland into one compact, creatively charged city. The soaring basalt columns of Hallgrímskirkja dominate a skyline of primary-coloured rooftops, while the Harpa Concert Hall shimmers beside the harbour like a captured aurora. Day trips from the city unlock the Golden Circle's geysers and Geysir hot spring, the black sand beaches of Vík, and the ethereal glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón. Geothermal pools — from the legendary Blue Lagoon to intimate neighbourhood hot pots — offer warmth year-round. June and July bring the bewitching midnight sun.

Nuuk, Greenland's diminutive capital, is a city of vivid contrasts — colourful colonial houses against Arctic granite, Inuit heritage alongside contemporary Nordic culture, and world-class museums steps from untamed fjords. Visitors should not miss the Greenland National Museum's Qilakitsoq mummies and a Zodiac excursion into the surrounding iceberg-studded fjord system. The prime cruising season runs from June through September, when extended daylight illuminates the landscape in an ethereal sub-Arctic glow and waters remain navigable for expedition vessels.

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.

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.

Ilulissat sits beside the Northern Hemisphere's most prolific glacier — the UNESCO-listed Sermeq Kujalleq, which calves forty-six cubic kilometers of icebergs annually into a fjord of almost incomprehensible frozen spectacle. Visit June through August via Silversea or Hapag-Lloyd for midnight-sun zodiac cruises among hundred-meter icebergs, Knud Rasmussen's childhood museum, and the light show that transforms Greenland's ice into one of Earth's most transformative visual experiences.

Vis is Croatia's most remote and unspoiled inhabited island, a former military base that emerged from isolation with ancient Greek ruins, unique Vugava wine, and Mediterranean fishing-village life intact. Must-dos include visiting the Blue Cave on Bisevo, tasting komiza pogaca bread and fresh-grilled fish under a peka, and swimming at the cliff-enclosed Stiniva beach. June and September offer warm seas and manageable crowds.

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.

Dundas Harbour is an abandoned RCMP outpost on Devon Island at the mouth of Lancaster Sound, established in 1924 to assert Canadian Arctic sovereignty and now a haunting heritage site with graves, ruins, and whale bones on the beach. Must-dos include exploring the settlement remains, watching for polar bears and narwhals, and reflecting on the human stories embedded in this remote landscape. Expedition ships visit from late July to early September, weather and ice permitting.

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.

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.

Gjoa Haven on King William Island is where Amundsen wintered during his first Northwest Passage navigation, and where Franklin's doomed expedition met its end — a place where polar exploration history is told by the Nattilik Inuit who witnessed it. Must-dos include the Nattilik Heritage Centre, cultural performances of drum dancing and throat singing, and learning about the Franklin ship discoveries. The brief August-to-September expedition season offers tundra wildflowers and continuous Arctic daylight.

Cambridge Bay, 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 October through April, when cooler temperatures and lower humidity create ideal conditions. 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.

Ulukhaktokk, 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 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.

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.

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.

Seattle, the Pacific Northwest's rain-kissed metropolis, commands one of America's most spectacular urban settings — a skyline of glass towers reflected in Elliott Bay with the white cone of Mount Rainier presiding over the horizon on clear days. Pike Place Market, one of the oldest and most vibrant public markets in the country, overflows with Dungeness crab, wild salmon, and blooms of tulips from the Skagit Valley. The neighbourhood of Capitol Hill pulses with independent bookshops and craft breweries; the Space Needle delivers sweeping views of the Cascades and the Olympic Peninsula. Summer, from June through September, offers Seattle's most generous sunshine.